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06/24/2005: "Another Senior Planner Comes On Board"

Elizabeth Anderson

Elizabeth Anderson is a new Senior Planner for SJ County. Her experience as a professional planner started on an island just southwest of the San Juan islands: she was the Senior Planner for the County of Maui. Some of her work on Maui was similar to what SJ County has been going through to meet the GMA (Growth Management Act) requirements: For example Anderson managed a project team for a comprehensive zoning program for Maui County, and developed, drafted and presented ordinances for each of the four islands in the county (sound familiar yet?), and also drafted and applied administrative rules and forms for processing regulations. On the permit side of planning, she conducted environmental reviews for major and minor development projects.

Hawaii, like San Juan County, has a rich history, and a recognized need to protect the historical record. Anderson was involved in coordinating county cultural resources management action, which included reviews of impacts on archaeological sites and construction design review in the county and national historic districts.

One her accomplishments was the obtaining of grant funding, and then assembled and managed a consultant team that produced a cultural landscape study that won the recognition of the American Planning Association with the Hawaii chapter Outstanding Project of the Year Award.
When Anderson moved back to the Washington, she worked for several years as an independent consultant and municipal planner in South Puget Sound. In that capacity she coordinated the work of advisory boards, conducted resource inventories and public meetings, participated in conducting federal and state environmental compliance reviews and administered financial incentive programs, drafted and revised regulations and procedures.

Anderson's education includes undergraduate work at the University of Texas at Austin, graduate work at the University of Hawaii, and took a Masters from the University of British Columbia. She is currently a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, and a provisional member of the Canadian Institute of Planners.

It is expected she will find the working environment in the Long Range Planning section to be, well, familiar: the other Senior Planner in the department is Martin Blackman, who just happens to be married to Elizabeth. We will assume there will be no communication problems……