Benjamin Matlock Email & Phone Number

United States

I directly oversee the Community Development divisions of the Development Services Department, including Planning, Code Enforcement and Economic Development, and support Building and Safety as well.

I served as the department head for Planning and Code Enforcement Divisions, overseeing all department related activities as well as the 7 full time staff members, and any additional part-time interns and consultant staff. I am also second in charge for the overall department, and responsible for serving as Acting Director of Development Services whenever needed, and help represent the City within a variety of local and regional stakeholder groups, including local community groups, as well as the San Bernardino Council of Governments and Southern California Association of Governments.I have been leading the City through one of it's busiest periods since it was incorporated, ensuring that staff can meet all priority timelines and can provide the highest-quality of customer service to its customers, while also working to implement new ways that can improve transparency and encourage community engagement. With the workload, I have also prioritized staff development, and help support and mentor their growth. Along with administrative duties, I continue to process the most complex current planning projects within the City, and also manage a variety of key large scale advanced planning initiatives that involve significant community outreach efforts, including: preparation/adoption/certification of the City’s Housing Element Update for the 6th Housing Cycle, preparation of the Yucaipa Valley Wine Country Specific Plan, and preparation of the Freeway Corridor Specific Plan update.

As the City’s land use planner, I was responsible for the current and advanced planning activities, including supporting the Department’s day-to-day operations, processing land use applications including Conditional Use Permits and subdivision applications, and providing information to citizens, realtors, and developers about development projects and code requirements, or advice to help through the process efficiently. I also supervised technical staff, and administered the City’s Planning Internship program.In my role, I took on the initiative to work on several high profile advanced planning projects, including supporting the Development Services Director during the adoption of the City’s first Comprehensive General Plan Update since City incorporation in 1989. I also facilitated the adoption of the City’s first Climate Action Plan, including preparing the document and completing the environmental review process, and have prepared other various Development and Municipal Code updates to implement the policies under the General Plan update, including housing element-related ordinances, standards for a new land use district, and code provisions to meet the requirements of new laws.I have also facilitated high profile projects related to future development and the economic health of the community. This includes the project management of the preparation of the Oak Glen Specific Plan Document, a large scale flood control infrastructure project, with adjacent residential and institutional land uses, that helped remove significant areas from the FEMA flood zone and providing groundwater recharge opportunities. I have also managed a variety of other projects, including subdivision and condominium residential projects, and commercial development projects for local and big box retailers.

I provided administrative support and project management for the different divisions that comprised the City's Quality of Life Department. These divisions included both enterprise and general fund entities, and included parks, trees and City-owned groves, the Hillside Memorial Park cemetery, the Redlands Municipal Airport, code enforcement, maintenance operations of the street lights, traffic signals and streets, solid waste services, and municipal fleet operations. Responsibilities included research and implementation of solutions to improve operations, facility operations management, procurement of products and services, management of independent consultants and contractors, customer service support, administrative staff management, writing staff reports for City Council, writing grants, and budget development for different divisions.

Ontario, California

I was responsible for the preparation of environmental review documents for a range of residential, industrial, and transportation-based projects. Documents ranged from the preparation of Due Diligence for future railroad infrastructure sites, Permitting Strategy Plans for various industrial clients, and Preliminary Environmental Assessment Reports for interstate corridor expansion projects. In addition, I prepared documents specific to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which includes Mitigated Negative Declarations (MND) as well as Environmental Impact Reports (EIR), and was responsible for managing project tasks and budgets with technical field experts to ensure projects meet client expectations, project timelines and project budgets.

My internship involved working with two different programs within the City's Advanced Planning Division. My experience is as follows:-I provided assistance to Ontario's Certified Local Government Historic Preservation program. Activities included: performing an intensive district survey; providing support for Certificates of Appropriateness; writing the 2011 CLG annual report; and providing support for the City's Mills Act monitoring. I also provided assistance with the preservation activities within the City, which included the City's 2012 Historic Preservation Month. - I provided assistance to the Healthy Ontario program. The Healthy Ontario program is an initiative focused on increasing access to healthier options for those who live and or work in Ontario. The reality is that modern day planning began as a response to health, and land use design contributes to the status of our health. Under the direction of my supervisor, I had been engaged in: redesigning the Healthy Ontario website; developing a Health Master Plan to supplement the Ontario Plan; developing ordinances that support healthy communities, which includes provisions for community gardens and farmer's markets; strategizing ways to limit fast food restaurant saturation and the food desert phenomenon; and providing support for the administration of the Kaiser Permanente million dollar HEAL Zone grant.

Redlands, Ca

- I provided customer service for the City's One Stop Permit Center, where I assisted the public with land use and zoning inquires, assisted real estate professionals with their Due Diligence inquires, signed Preliminary Zone Check applications for business licenses, and took in development projects. - I worked as the project planner for incoming development projects. I was responsible for preparing the environmental review documents pursuant to NEPA and CEQA Guidelines, preparing staff reports for decision makers, and presenting projects for approval to the Planning Commission and/or the City Council. These projects have included: Commission Sign Review applications; Ordinance Text and/or Specific Plan Amendment applications; and Conditional Use Permits. - I assisted staff on more complex development projects as needed.- I was responsible for the Minor Exception Permit Committee, which permits variances for fences, RV parking, and Reasonable Accommodation requests. - I performed an audit of the City's affordable unit covenants, pursuant to AB 987, prior to the City's dissolution of its Redevelopment Agency. - I worked as an integral part of the Planning Department, and performed plan checks, processed Lot Line Adjustments applications, performed public records requests, and completed other tasks as needed.

- I maintained the Southern California Landscape Architect and Landscape Contractor database for the Southern California based Area Specification Managers.- I attended public outreach at various water conservation events in Southern California, and provided information to homeowners regarding water conservation principals and upcoming rebates on Rain Bird products.- I took irrigation design and irrigation auditing classes through Rain Bird University to provide additional technical assistance for homeowners.