City of Portland issued the following announcement on Mar. 21.
Commissioner Carmen Rubio, the Commissioner-in-Charge of the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS), announced that, after guiding the bureau through an unprecedented time in our city and society, Andrea Durbin will be departing as the director of the bureau. Her last day will be April 6, 2022.
Director Durbin joined BPS in 2019 to help the bureau pivot to address the impending climate crisis. She shepherded the City’s Climate Emergency Declaration through Council and helped integrate climate goals into the City’s economic development strategies. She led a coordinated, city-wide effort to identify climate resiliency priorities to better prepare for the impacts of climate change, and integrated climate change into BPS’s long-term planning role. Director Durbin also brought a strong sense of racial justice, community benefit, and equity to this work, helping launch the first-of-its-kind Portland Clean Energy Fund after it was adopted by voters in 2018.
“After three demanding years leading BPS during a historically challenging period in Portland, BPS is stabilized and well positioned to carry out its critical work for creating a healthier, more resilient, equitable and prosperous Portland,” said Durbin. “As we emerge from the pandemic, it is time for me to focus on my family and being more present for my daughter during her last two years before she leaves for college. If we’ve learned anything from the pandemic, it is that life is too short. I’ve decided it is time to prioritize my family. I will be working closely with Commissioner Rubio and BPS leadership during this transition.”
“Director Durbin and I began discussing her desire to make a shift a couple of months ago,” Commissioner Carmen Rubio said. “I have no doubt that we will work together on these crucial issues in the future. Director Durbin has championed faster, more forceful action to address our climate crisis, and she has supported me in making the case for urgent, increased investment in our climate work.”
“I want to thank Director Durbin for championing climate change efforts on a state and local level,” said Mayor Ted Wheeler, who first hired Director Durbin to the Bureau in 2019. “Whatever her next endeavor, I wish her luck and hope she will remain a partner in our collective work.”
Director Durbin’s time at BPS also included changes to support the City’s housing emergency and expand middle-housing choices, such as the Residential Infill Project, Shelter to Housing, and tools to mitigate displacement. Most recently, the Bureau’s Historic Resources Code Project opened the door for meaningful investments to identify, honor, and protect the historic sites of Portland’s LGBTQ+ communities and Black, Indigenous, and other people of color.
Deputy Director Donnie Oliveira will become Interim Director on April 7. Commissioner Rubio’s goal is to support the bureau and its staff during this transition. She intends to focus on long-term planning to meet our climate goals, create more affordable housing, strengthen the work of the Planning and Sustainability Commission, foster a more equitable city, and fuel resilient economic growth
Original source can be found here.
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