LYNN — The city will establish a planning department, following a unanimous vote by the City Council on Tuesday.
“I have no doubt this department … will work closely with all the relevant departments, boards and commissions, members of the council and the mayor’s office to ensure the city continues to grow,” said Mayor Thomas M. McGee in the council meeting.
McGee said establishing the department had been one of his major goals when he took office four years ago.
Last year, the city hired Aaron Clausen as principal planner, the first person to hold the job since 1993, and associate planner Lauren Drago. The two positions were funded for three years by grants from the Economic Development & Industrial Corporation of Lynn (EDIC/Lynn), MassDevelopment and other external organizations.
“They’ve become a huge asset to the city, and will continue to do so in the future,” McGee said. “They’re doing great work bringing money in and all kinds of planning that has really been over the years a missing piece in our economic development operations.”
In 2019, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council did a review of the city’s planning services and recommended hiring two planners, with the goal of establishing a full department in the long term.
“It’s a very positive step for the city,” said Clausen of the decision. “It’s a good message and signal to the city and to the residents and stakeholders that the city wants to continue with this idea of long-term planning, of creating a community vision and being proactive.”
The ordinance approved by the council on Tuesday will also add a third position of arts and cultural planner, a currently-vacant office formerly housed in the community development department. McGee said that he hoped the city might be able to hire for other positions, such as a transportation planner, in the future.
City Council President Darren Cyr thanked McGee, who announced this week that he would not run for re-election, for his work on establishing the planning department.
“It’s really nice when a politician can make a promise as a candidate and keep that promise and see something through,” Cyr said.
A timeline for establishing the department has not yet been announced.
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