Benton County has announced the hiring of Bob Richardson as its next Community Development director.
Richardson, who will begin the role April 17, brings more than two decades of land use planning experience in Benton and Linn counties to the position. Most recently, he spent 7-1/2 years as the land use planning manager at Oregon State University, where he oversaw planning activities and issues at OSU locations across the state.
Richardson’s work at OSU included contributing to the Corvallis Campus Vision and the Sustainable Transportation Strategy, as well as leading amendments to the Corvallis Land Development Code to accommodate future university development.
Before joining OSU, Richardson served four years as planning manager for the city of Albany and nine years as an associate planner for the city of Corvallis.
Interim County Administrator Rick Crager said the selection followed an extensive process that included two rounds of comprehensive interviews, individual meetings with each county commissioner, and a post-interview debrief.
Crager noted that Richardson’s references described him as a dedicated, collaborative and calm leader, and said those qualities will be important as the county undertakes significant planning work ahead.
“That’s exactly the kind of leader we need in Benton County to oversee important projects like the upcoming review and update of the Comprehensive Plan,” Crager said through a news release.
Richardson holds a bachelor’s degree in government and environmental studies from St. Lawrence University and a master’s degree in community and regional planning from the University of Oregon. He is also a certified planner through the American Institute of Certified Planners.