Richmond City Manager Bill Lindsay has announced his selection of Richard Mitchell as Interim Planning Director for the City of Richmond following the recent move of former Planning Director Barry Cromartie to the City of American Canyon.

In making the appointment, effective May 16, Lindsay said, “Richard has an excellent knowledge of the City and its organization, and an outstanding background in urban planning and smart growth.  I feel that he will make an excellent contribution to the City's Planning function while we search for a permanent Planning Director.”

Mitchell has been a project manager with the Richmond Redevelopment Agency since 1999 where he has worked on a number of projects principally in the Marina Bay area. He holds a B.A. in Economics and Urban Design from Harvard University and a Master’s Degree in Planning and Development Studies from the University of Southern California. Mitchell has also completed a number of courses in redevelopment, planning and real estate development under the California Redevelopment Association, the University of California Extension, the California Center for Land Recycling, the Urban land Institute, the Planner’s Institute and Contra Costa College.

 Mitchell has an employment background that spans both the public and private sector including assignments in planning and land use consulting, business development, employee relations, production and distribution for both local and Fortune 500 companies. He also once taught math and English at Richmond’s Kennedy High School.

Since 1998, Mitchell has served on the Hercules Planning Commission, which he chaired in 2001/2002. He also is a member of the Contra Costa County Intercity Rail Advisory Committee and a member of the Bay Area Water Transportation Authority Technical Advisory Committee. Professional organizations in which he is active include the American Planning Association, the Congress for New Urbanism, California Association of Economic Development (CALED) and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Richard Mitchell is broadly and well versed in redevelopment, city and regional planning, urban design, “new urbanism” and smart growth principles, transportation, public finance, CEQA, brownfield redevelopment, business analysis, marketing, human resource development, and real estate principles, practice and law.

On a personal and family note, Mitchell’s late mother was a “Rosie the Riveter” welder at the Richmond shipyards during World War II, and I had the privilege of traveling with her in the year 2000 when we both testified in a Congressional hearing on the prospective Rosie the Riveter World War II/Home Front National Historical Park. They loved her!