By Kathy Cook Hunter
Silverton Community Development Director Steve Kay has been on the job at city hall for one month, but he’s not new to the community. Kay has served on the Silverton Planning Commission for two years, lives in Silverton and participates in community events with his wife, Nicole.
It’s not unusual to spot them pushing baby Jacqueline’s stroller around town or at First Friday. They’re definitely a community-oriented family.
“I’ve been a land-use consultant for five years,” said Kay, explaining that as a lead consultant he coordinated and designed development projects to meet city or county requirements. “I’m a generalist in that I have experience in the areas of civil design, landscape architecture, wetland biology, traffic engineering, geo-technical engineering and surveying.”
A lead consultant works with other professionals in those disciplines to synthesize their work and write a narrative so that project can be approved, he said. His role also included specifying what information should be included in reports and preparing development plans for projects.
“I have experience ensuring that my clients’ needs are met, and I always make sure that the renewing agencies are satisfied with the results,” he said.
Kay has worked with planning departments in Washington, Multnomah, Clackamas, Linn and Marion counties, the cities of Hillsboro, Beaverton, Portland, Lebanon and Canby and Clark County in southwest Washington.
He recently worked on a 37-lot Canby subdivision, which included a large city park, through an annexation, zoning change and the comprehensive plan process. His role included appearing at several hearings leading to approval of the development.
“I have worked with many jurisdictions and have a wide variety of experiences with commercial, residential and public projects,” he said, “and I will bring that knowledge to my new position.”
After growing up in Hawaii, Kay earned a two-year architectural degree and was employed by an architect, mainly doing drafting. Finding that the work did not satisfy him, he returned to college in Hawaii to get an anthropology degree.
“I wanted to combine my interest in the built environment and sociological interests, so I pursued a graduate degree in urban planning,” he said. “Oregon was the mecca for urban planners. That’s what interested me first in Oregon and why I moved here 10 years ago.”
Kay says he and other department heads take their direction from the Silverton city manager, who is in turn directed by the city council. He said that reviews of all land-use applications must comply with the standards of the new development code adopted in October 2008.
When reviewing applications, the criteria for approval must be evaluated carefully.
“The Land Use Board of Appeals is the ultimate authority that looks at whether the city applied the rules in the development code correctly or if the city made a decision that wasn’t based on clear and objective criteria,” he said. “It’s important that the decision holds up to LUBA’s scrutiny.”
He said the city’s comprehensive plan and the development code must be consistent with statewide goals and land-use objectives. Instituted by the Oregon Legislature and Gov. Tom McCall in 1993, state land-use goals cover resource protection; commercial and industrial activities; transportation and utilities; and promotes housing for all income levels.
“The statewide goals mandate that we have to provide for a wide variety of needs for all communities,” said Kay. “We have to make sure all interests are accounted for as we develop and implement the development code. If there are conflicts between uses, we must require mitigation measures. There are sometimes competing interests, so this is often difficult to do. Unfortunately, not everyone will be satisfied with every decision every time.”
“My personal goal is to maintain Silverton’s charm while at the same time do all I can to improve the quality of life of community members,” he said. “As a (former) planning commissioner, I am aware of community concerns, such as traffic, noise, environmental degradation, lack of parks, incomplete sidewalk systems, a lack of good-paying jobs and affordable housing. Those are all issues I intend to work on in my position.”
A volunteer firefighter in Silverton, Kay wants to continue to participate when he can, such as on weekends. He enjoys going to the gym, working on projects around his home and helping raise his daughter.
“I feel it’s important that the planning director lives and works in the same community,” he said. “A person in my position needs to be involved in everything going on, and I feel this is more difficult if you don’t live here in Silverton.”
A strong work ethic drives him. “I’ve always been a self-motivated employee and business owner,” he said, adding he will conscientiously serve the needs of the citizens, “the people I work for.”
