GONZALES — Gonzales City Manager Rene Mendez has announced the appointment of Taven M. Kinison Brown as the city’s new community development director.
In collaboration with the assistant city manager, Kinison Brown will oversee and manage the Community Development Department. The department plays a key role in supporting economic development, housing, community assets, community engagement strategies and various sustainability efforts.
“Kinison Brown will manage the environmental review of projects and be involved in key annexation projects currently underway,” the City of Gonzales said in a news release April 28.
Kinison Brown will support current economic development initiatives, such as the construction of the Energy Microgrid to power the city’s Industrial Business Park, the development of three large agricultural processing plants that will generate nearly 1,000 jobs for the community, implement the city’s Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District, plans to rework the Downtown business district, and the development of a master plan for phase II and III of the Gonzales Industrial Business Park.
He will also oversee the administration of grant applications, the city’s small business development loan program, the administration of the city’s Urban County Community Development Block Grant program, and affordable housing programs.
In addition, Kinison Brown will be responsible for working with the city manager, planning commission and city council to maintain and update the zoning ordinance, the Gonzales General Plan and the city’s Housing Element in the General Plan.
Kinison Brown graduated from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona with a Bachelor of Science degree in urban and regional planning. He has over 30 years of planning and land use development experience in the public and private sector in various cities and counties throughout California.
Throughout his 12 years with the Monterey County Resource Management Agency, he served as an associate planner, senior planner, and planning services manager. He also worked as the principal planner for the City of Monterey and served as the acting planning services manager for the City of Marina and principal planner for San Benito County.
Projects in Marina and San Benito County included oversight of development agreements and facilitation of residential specific plans for the Dunes at Monterey Bay, Sea Haven, Santana Ranch and San Juan Oaks. In both the City of Marina and San Benito County, he served as the planning commission secretary.
