Alpine County Director of Community Development Brian Peters has a critical role in planning and monitoring the county's growth.
He is responsible for planning, working with staff planner Zach Woods, for building construction, aided by Carolyn Vaughn and Tony Creter, for engineering, which is contracted out, as well as for transportation planning.
Peters emphasized that not only is it necessary to coordinate undertakings but also to ensure that procedures are followed consistently and that the requirements of state laws are met.
The key decision-making groups are the planning commission and the board of supervisors, both of which rely on the planning, building, and engineering departments.
Planning commissioners look to the planning department for details on proposals for growth and change, and how they conform to zoning and the county's general plan.
Commissioners also receive citizen input at public hearings, and make recommendations to the board of supervisors.
The board has the final say and is guided by the planning staff's report that provides information, helps frame issues, and presents alternatives.
Much of the work of the departments that are overseen by Peters is providing information to individuals on zoning requirements, building codes and on timelines for the construction process.
Peters said that the planning, building, and engineering units have two large projects before them.
One is a 500-unit development in Bear Valley and the other is Tom Abdoo's project in Markleeville.
That proposal has been resubmitted and is presently undergoing internal review, and there will be public hearings in 2009.
The current economic condition of the nation came up in the interview for this article and Peters noted that building permits in the county are down, but that Kirkwood and Bear Valley is the key to future growth.
He observed that the past three to four years was a boom period for the county and that future development will depend on the economy.
Peters said he became interested in planning during his studies in natural resources and forest management at Colorado State University, and went on to receive his master's degree in regional planning from Washington State University.
Before coming to Alpine he spent 14 years as a planner in Summit County, Colo., a resort community west of Denver.
Brian Peters and his wife Abbie live in Mesa Vista with their 16-year-old daughter Willa and son Keaton who is 13.
