Pismo Beach has hired a community development director with a long history of working in coastal communities.
Jon Biggs comes to Pismo Beach from Alameda, where he has worked since November 2007 as a planning services manager in the city’s Community Development Department.
Previously, he worked 17 years for Pacific Grove.
He replaces Randy Bloom, who retired in April after more than 10 years with Pismo Beach.
Since May 10, Michael Draze, San Luis Obispo’s former deputy director of community development, has been Pismo Beach’s interim community development director.
In Pismo Beach, Biggs will manage the planning, building, recreation and parking divisions, and oversee a staff of 10 full-time and 11 part-time employees.
The salary range for the job is $108,982 to $132,468 a year, said City Manager Kevin Rice.
“I’m excited about working in a community that’s in a neat location and has so many unique amenities,” Biggs said Wednesday. “It wouldn’t be a bad place at all to put down roots.”
Biggs, 47, also served for five years as Pacific Grove’s community development director, leaving when his job, along with more than a dozen other positions, was eliminated.
In Pacific Grove, Biggs worked with the California Coastal Commission on projects being developed within the city’s coastal zone, and partnered with a low-income housing provider to build a 49-unit senior housing project, which was completed in 2007.
He’ll work on something similar in Pismo Beach, Rice said.
The city is soliciting proposals from companies to construct and manage a 14-unit low-income housing project on city-owned property at 360 Park Ave.
Biggs will also work on updates to the city’s land use and circulation elements; two parts of the city’s general plan, or blueprint for growth.
Biggs holds a bachelor’s degree in urban planning from San Jose State University.
Rice said the city hired Los Angeles-based executive search firm Teri Black & Company, which screened more than 140 applicants for the job. Biggs said he hopes to start in Pismo Beach on Aug. 23.
Reach Cynthia Lambert at 781-7929. Stay updated on Twitter by following @SouthCountyBeat.
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