Executive Director, Planning and Urban Design Agency

Position Overview

The City of St. Louis seeks a dynamic and visionary Executive Director to lead the next chapter for the Planning and Urban Design Agency (PDA). This executive-level position is central to shaping the City's future, responsible for directing all urban planning, historic preservation, and community development initiatives. The Executive Director serves as a key advisor to the Mayor and oversees the City Planning Commission.

This leader will guide a multidisciplinary team of urban designers, sustainability experts, GIS Team, and preservationists in shaping the physical and social landscape of St. Louis. The role involves overseeing the implementation of the City’s Strategic Land Use Plan and Zoning Code Overhaul and coordinating closely with economic development partners, such as the St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) and Community Development Administration, to ensure equitable growth.

The Executive Director of the PDA is a highly visible leadership role responsible for guiding the city’s long-range planning, current zoning, land-use policy, and urban design initiatives. Key responsibilities include overseeing the development of comprehensive plans, neighborhood plans, and design standards that promote sustainable growth, economic vitality, and an exceptional quality of life. The Director manages the department budget, leads a team of planning professionals, and serves as the primary liaison to the Planning Commission, Board of Aldermen, and community stakeholders.

The successful candidate will report directly to the Mayor and the Chief Economic Development Officer in the Mayor's Office and is expected to attend all Cabinet meetings.
 

Why Apply for This Role at This Time?

As a distinguished "Legacy City," St. Louis possesses strong foundational assets, including an interconnected grid system, historic districts, more than 100 urban parks, and iconic landmarks such as the Gateway Arch and is the birthplace of modern architecture boasting both the first steel construction in the Eads Bridge and the first steel skyscraper in the Wainwright Building. The city's walkable downtown core serves as a dynamic hub featuring professional sports venues, cultural institutions, and expansive redevelopment opportunities spanning a diverse mix of commercial, residential, and institutional uses. 

There has hardly been a more exciting time to be in planning of St. Louis as we finish up our first zoning overhaul in 60 years and are just embarking upon the plan to deploy $250M in funds received from a settlement with the NFL in real historic and catalytic investments focused on infrastructure, investment in historically disinvested neighborhoods and activating downtown and the city’s riverfront. 

Encompassing 66 square miles bordered to the east by the Mississippi River, the city includes 79 distinct neighborhoods. Each district maintains a unique identity and cultural character. For example, St. Louis has one of the last true “Little Italys” in the Hill, the second largest mardi gras celebration in the US in the vibrant Soulard Neighborhood and rich two rich and diverse arts districts in both the Cherokee Street Arts District and Grand Center.  While certain areas experience systemic vacancy, targeted community-driven planning and civic engagement present transformative avenues for strategic revitalization.

St. Louis boasts a strong track record of executing major capital and political initiatives. Historic regional investments established the initial MetroLink light rail system, which operates through the city center. Building on this foundation, current planning efforts prioritize expanding contemporary public transit, such as Bus Rapid Transit corridors, to enhance mobility and equitable access in transit-dependent communities.

Rooted in urban design excellence, the agency views vacant property as a vital asset for placemaking and economic growth. A prime example of this approach was securing the $3 billion Western Headquarters for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency on nearly 100 acres of former land-bank property. Now home to 3,000 employees, this catalytic project is supported by a newly adopted neighborhood plan designed to spur broader community revitalization.

During the outgoing Executive Director's tenure, strategic planning initiatives transformed key areas of the central corridor. These efforts established the internationally recognized Cortex Innovation Community from a former industrial zone, while a tailored urban plan transformed a foreclosed housing site into a 17-acre campus expansion for Harris-Stowe State University, a prominent Historically Black University.

A primary imperative for the incoming leader will be to help guide recovery efforts following the May 2025 tornado in North St. Louis. The agency is leveraging ongoing neighborhood planning processes to guide sustainable reconstruction, supported by $255 million in municipal appropriations from the NFL Rams settlement dedicated to long-term revitalization across impacted North City neighborhoods.

About PDA

The St. Louis Planning and Urban Design Agency (PDA) is dedicated to creating a sustainable, equitable, and thriving city that supports a diverse community while enhancing its unique character. The agency leads efforts to foster a safer, walkable, and vibrant environment through strategic, community-driven planning, modernization of zoning regulations (ZOUP), and implementation of the 2025 Sustainability & Climate Plan, aided by being selected in March 2024, as a Bloomberg American Sustainable City. The PDA's vision is anchored by a "triple bottom line" approach, balancing social, economic, and environmental outcomes, with key pillars including:

• Equitable Growth: The Strategic Land Use Plan (SLUP) focuses on a "form-forward" city design that benefits all residents and strengthens St. Louis as a regional economic and cultural hub.
• Community-Centered Planning: The PlanSTL initiative guides neighborhood-level development through direct resident engagement and tailored, community-driven plans.
• Sustainability and Resilience: Implementation of the 5-year St. Louis Sustainability & Climate Plan to improve environmental health, reduce emissions, and boost biodiversity.
• Urban Design Excellence: A focus on the "public realm"—including parks, streets, and lighting—to create functional, safe, and attractive urban spaces, promoting density, walkability, and mixed-use development.

Strategic Land Use Plan a Component of our Comprehensive Plan

The agency's strategic plan is further defined by:

• Strategic Land Use Plan (SLUP): Adopted in February 2025, this "form-forward" plan emphasizes the scale, density, and design of buildings to promote desirable development patterns over strictly functional zoning.
• Neighborhood Focus (PlanSTL): A citywide initiative creating targeted plans to improve quality of life, guide future development, and specifically focus on equity and reversing historical disinvestment.
• Targeted Growth Areas: The strategy prioritizes specific districts, such as North City (via the "A Stronger Northside" plan) and Downtown, for revitalization.

Relationship with Other Agencies

While PDA focuses on planning, it works alongside other specialized city entities: 

• St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC): The independent economic development agency focused on business investment and job creation.
• Affordable Housing Commission (AHC): The City agency that promotes neighborhood stabilization by funding the creation and preservation of affordable, accessible housing
• St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE): The City agency providing free, comprehensive employment services for job seekers and businesses
• St. Louis Housing Authority (SLHA): Responsible for managing public housing and the Section 8 voucher program.
• Community Development Administration: The City of St. Louis's primary agency for managing federal, state, and local funding aimed at neighborhood revitalization.
• Building Division: Enforces the city building code, issues building permits, and enforces zoning ordinances. 

PDA shares a modern, renovated, and technology-intensive office space with SLDC, CDA, and AHC to emphasize coordination between the agencies.

Key Challenges and Opportunities

The City of St. Louis is at a critical juncture, actively navigating a major overhaul of its urban planning framework to address decades of disinvestment, population loss, and the challenges in its downtown core. Among the planning-related focus areas are:

Modernizing Outdated Zoning and Land Use

• Zoning Upgrade: The city is currently undertaking an 18-month "Zoning Upgrade" to replace codes that have not been significantly updated since the 1950s.
• Strategic Land Use Plan (SLUP): The new SLUP, adopted in early 2025, is the guiding vision, prioritizing walkability, mixed-use development, and "active ground floors" to seamlessly reconnect neighborhoods.
• Data Center Regulation: A new 2026 framework restricts data centers to industrial zones to mitigate noise pollution and prevent displacement of residential or commercial development.

Transportation and Infrastructure Resilience

• First Mobility Plan in 77 Years: In late 2025, the city adopted its first comprehensive Transportation and Mobility Plan since 1948, focusing on modern strategies like traffic calming, protected bike lanes, and enhanced pedestrian safety.
• Transit Expansion: Continued efforts to improve regional connectivity include designing and building a $1B Gold standard BRT line with local matching funds from a 2027 sales tax.

Addressing Equity and Disinvestment

• North City Focus: The PDA is spearheading intensive, community-led planning efforts in 11 targeted North St. Louis neighborhoods to intentionally reverse decades of racialized disinvestment.
• Housing Affordability: Despite being regionally inexpensive, over 50,000 city households are classified as "cost-burdened," necessitating a strong focus on increasing the supply of deeply affordable housing units.
• Environmental Concerns: Planning efforts aim to incorporate "Green Infrastructure" and other resilience measures to mitigate urban heat islands and flooding, which disproportionately impact marginalized communities.

Reversing Population Decline

• Family Retention: A critical focus is reversing the flight of families with children. While the city attracts young professionals, it continues to lose households with children due to concerns related to safety and educational options.
• Downtown Revitalization: The city is aggressively combating disinvestment in its downtown, as evidenced by high office vacancies (over 25% across 25 major buildings).  

Key Responsibilities

The Director's responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Administrative Oversight: Manage the Planning and Development Agency (PDA), encompassing the Cultural Resources Office and Office of Sustainability  and providing staff support for the Planning Commission and Preservation Board.

• Strategic Planning & Leadership: Direct the creation, update, and implementation of the Comprehensive Plan, including initiatives like the Strategic Land Use Plan (SLUP) and PlanSTL, ensuring land use policies align with community goals for sustainability and growth. Establish departmental goals, performance metrics, and work programs.

• Zoning, Code & Development Review: Oversee the administration, interpretation, and amendment of zoning ordinances and subdivision regulations. Recommend zoning text/map changes, review complex redevelopment proposals for compliance with city codes and adopted plans, and advise on Zoning Overlay Districts. Guide the overhaul of the City’s Zoning Code, Zoning Map, and Sustainability Plan.

• Community Engagement & Advocacy: Facilitate robust community engagement, leading neighborhood planning processes, including visionary "co-creation" with residents and stakeholders to align development with local, community-driven visions. Represent the city at regional planning forums.

• Urban Design: Lead urban design initiatives, including the development of design guidelines, streetscape plans, and public space improvements.

• Fiscal Oversight: Prepare and manage the departmental budget, secure funding sources, and ensure cost-effective use of resources.

• Advisory Role: Serve as the technical advisor and primary spokesperson for planning issues to the Mayor’s Cabinet, the Board of Aldermen, the City Council, Planning Commission, and Board of Zoning Appeals, providing expert reports and recommendations.

• Strategic Management: Oversee daily operations of the Planning Division, including hiring, mentoring, and supervising staff. Manage the administrative and technical work of the PDA and the Planning Commission. 

Qualifications

This role demands a high-level blend of academic rigor, extensive practical experience, and proven leadership in complex municipal environments.

• Education:

  • A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university is required in Urban Planning, Urban Design, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Geography, or a closely related field. A Master’s degree in Urban Planning or a related field is strongly preferred and will significantly enhance a candidate's competitiveness.

• Experience:

  • Substantial professional experience (typically 15+ years) in public sector planning is required. This must include at least 7-10 years of senior management or executive-level leadership within a major municipal, county, or regional government setting. This must include at least 5 years of dedicated management or supervisory experience within a municipal or similar governmental planning department, demonstrating the ability to lead multiple teams and projects simultaneously.

  • A proven track record of successfully initiating, managing, and delivering complex, politically sensitive land-use and development projects is paramount.

  • Leadership & Management Competencies:

    1. Project & Stakeholder Management: Demonstrated experience in managing politically complex, high-stakes development projects.

    2. Team Leadership: Proven ability to lead, mentor, and motivate diverse technical and administrative teams, with a focus on fostering a high-performance culture and collaborative consensus-building among internal and external stakeholders.

  • Communication & Presentation Skills: 

    1. Exceptional written and oral communication skills are mandatory. This includes the ability to present complex technical and conceptual planning concepts clearly, concisely, and persuasively in public forums. 

    2. Must be proficient in engaging and influencing diverse audiences, including elected officials, regulatory bodies, the media, and varied community groups with clarity and diplomacy.

• Certifications: American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) certification is highly preferred.

Required Skills

• Planning Principles: Deep, practical knowledge of urban planning theory, best practices, and the implementation of comprehensive plans.

• Legal & Regulatory Mastery: Expert knowledge of land use law, state and local zoning regulations, subdivision control, and environmental review processes.

• Geographic Information Systems (GIS): Advanced expertise and strategic understanding of GIS applications for data-driven planning and decision-making.

• Urban Design Principles: A deep, working knowledge of contemporary urban design, smart growth principles, sustainability frameworks, and placemaking concepts.

• Political Acumen: Exceptional ability to navigate, anticipate, and manage complex and sensitive political environments, translating policy into successful implementation.

• Financial Literacy: Understanding of public finance, capital improvement budgeting, and securing diverse funding sources (e.g., grants, tax increments).

Compensation and Benefits

The City offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience, plus a comprehensive benefits package. Specific details will be discussed during the interview process. The salary for this position will range from $119,808 to $179,702 annually.

How to Apply

Interested candidates are invited to submit a comprehensive resume, a compelling cover letter outlining their qualifications and interest in the role, and three professional references to the Chief Economic Development Officer, Stephen Davis, at davisstep@stlouis-mo.gov, by 11:59 PM on Sunday, December 18, 2026.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The City of St. Louis is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of St. Louis will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the City.