SILVER SPRING, MD – Rollin Stanley, who has directed the Montgomery County Planning Department for the last four years, announced his resignation last week to head the Planning, Development and Assessment Department for Calgary, Alberta, which consists of 800 employees.
The Canadian city of one million residents, the country’s third largest, recruited Stanley last winter after interviewing him several years ago for another position and after an international search. Stanley did not seek out the position, he said, but considered the offer too good to refuse because it provides the challenge of managing Calgary’s tremendous growth as well as professional opportunities for his wife, also a planner.
Stanley leaves the 140-member Planning Department after making his mark as a strategist for smart growth in a county that is expected to continue to be a magnet for new residents. Stanley not only strengthened the county’s vision for compact growth around Montgomery County’s existing and future transit stations, but he also developed tools to enable the right kind of development to occur.
Stanley oversaw development of the recently adopted Commercial Residential Zone, which allows a mix of uses to reduce driving and create pedestrian-oriented, dynamic communities. He directed the vision in the 2010 White Flint Sector Plan that is changing the face of the mid-county with exciting new building projects, and he has helped advance the countywide Zoning Rewrite Project to modernize an old and outdated code.
“We’re sorry to lose him,” said Planning Board Chair Françoise Carrier. “He motivated all of us with his ideas and energy, and he helped set a great course for the county. Our focus now is to keep up the momentum to implement the county’s vision for its future.”
Commissioner Casey Anderson expressed disappointment at losing Stanley, but said it was a chance to take on broader responsibilities and new challenges. “I would have loved to see him spend the rest of his career in Montgomery County, but I certainly understand why the Calgary opportunity is so attractive,” he said. “It’s a huge undertaking, and they are lucky to have someone with Rollin’s energy and creativity to take it on.”
Carrier said she hopes to hire a new director before the end of the year. In the next few weeks, the Board will make an announcement concerning interim management.
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