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Another crucial town staffer position will soon be opening in Portola Valley amidst a rush to finish state-mandated housing plans.
Interim Portola Valley Planning and Building Director Jon Biggs leave the town in February, having reached the maximum number of hours he can work for a public agency, he said in a Monday, Jan. 22, email to this news organization.
Town Council member Mary Hufty made the announcement of his departure in her Jan. 20 newsletter. Biggs told The Almanac that he doesn’t have a specific end date, but he wants to make sure he still has enough hours left on his contract so he can help train the new director.
It’s a busy time in Portola Valley’s Planning Department, as it shepherds the town through the process of planning for the development of 253 new units during the current 2023-31 period of the state Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) program. This is a staggering 295% increase from the 64 in the previous eight-year housing element cycle.
“I am hoping the housing element is certified by the state before Jan. 31, 2024,” said Biggs, who previously served as the community development director in Los Altos and as an interim community development director for the city of Gilroy. “The community, Town Council, Planning Commission, town manager, town attorney, and our consultant team along with town staff have all been working very hard at trying to address each new request by HCD (Housing and Community Development department), while being mindful of the special nature of Portola Valley. It has been a challenge and the state’s efforts to shoehorn housing into this community do not reflect the characteristics that make this a unique place.”
The town released its fourth stab at a compliant housing element on Dec. 1, but the state requested more edits on this plan from the town on Jan. 8.
A number of Portola Valley town staffers have left their posts over the last year, while the town is under pressure to get its housing element certified by the state. The exodus began with former town manager Jeremy Dennis, who left in March 2023 who joined the town in 2016.
Biggs replaced Planning Director Laura Russell, who departed on Sept. 22, 2023 after five years with the town.
Pay for the position is listed as between $170,000-$222,000, depending on qualifications.
Applications are due on Feb. 4 by 11:59 p.m. View the opening at tinyurl.com/PVplanningdirectoropening.