On Sept. 13, the City of Glendale announced the appointment of Bradley Calvert as its next director of the Community Development Dept.

Calvert has been with the City of Glendale for over four years, previously serving as the assistant director of Community Development – Planning and Economic Development. During his tenure with the City, he has led the adoption of the Economic Development Strategic Plan, Citywide Pedestrian Plan and an overhaul of the Downtown Specific Plan, the latter resulting in the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Planning Association’s Comprehensive Plan of the Year. He has also overseen the launch of important initiatives, such as the Verdugo Wash Visioning study, the update of the Bicycle Transportation Plan, and the Vision Zero Plan, to name a few.

Before joining the City of Glendale, Calvert was the Community Development program manager for the City of Bellevue, Washington, where he led significant planning initiatives for a new urban neighborhood that combined transit and trail-oriented development. This initiative was later awarded the Washington State Chapter of the American Planning Association’s Award for Excellence in Planning. Calvert practiced architecture in Atlanta, Georgia, and Charlotte, North Carolina. His work primarily involved urban multi-family housing, mixed-use and transit-oriented development. 

“Several high-profile City projects and initiatives in the priority areas of housing, mobility, infrastructure and environmental stewardship are contained in the City Council’s adopted workplan and fall within the purview of the Community Development Department,” said City Manager Roubik Golanian. “So, there is a lot of work to be done and I look forward to seeing Bradley lead the Department in increasing our community engagement efforts as we continue to execute on these projects.”

Mayor Ardy Kassakhian added, “The Community Development Dept. provides one of the City’s most public-facing services. I am confident Bradley is the right person to lead the charge in improving these services for our community and leading the 150-plus staff members in the Community Development Dept.”

Calvert holds a master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from the Georgia Institute of Technology, a graduate certificate in real estate from Georgia State University, and a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Calvert is an AICP planner and holds a certification from the National Charrette Institute. He also teaches courses on the experiential quality of the city and sustainable urban development at California State University Northridge.