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Community development director presents 2024–25 annual report, highlights zoning rewrite and redevelopment-ready work
Summary
Community Development Director Kristin Kaplansky summarized department activity for 2024–25, citing a zoning ordinance rewrite adopted March 2025, increased building permits and items planned for next year including an economic development strategy RFP and updates to nuisance and noise rules.
Community Development Director Kristin Kaplansky told the Berkeley City Council on Sept. 8 that the department’s 2024–25 annual report summarizes planning, building, code-enforcement and redevelopment-ready work.
“The Michigan Planning Enabling Act does require that the Planning Commission prepare an annual report and we have expanded this annual report to be all of the community development department,” Kaplansky said. She told council that the report also functions as the department’s annual redevelopment-ready certification report and includes a workplan of short- and long-term projects.
Kaplansky highlighted three items approved this year: a planned-unit development for the Columbia, the J on Woodward project (the former wedding shop building) and a new restaurant planned for Beverly and Coolidge. She said building permits and trades permits were up this year and that code-enforcement work remains concentrated on grass, weeds, property maintenance and debris.
The department also completed four city code amendments and implemented a comprehensive zoning ordinance rewrite adopted in March 2025. Kaplansky described recent cross-department efforts: an online GIS interactive map with HRC engineering, a SEMCOG grant to develop conceptual drawings for a potential Dorothea Plaza, and a temporary street-closure pilot conducted over the summer.
Looking ahead, Kaplansky said the department expects to release a request for proposals for an economic development strategy before the end of the month and hopes the strategy and related marketing materials will be complete by winter. She said staff will return to council on items embedded in the new zoning ordinance, including parking standards and performance guarantees to secure site restoration when projects stall.
Kaplansky also said the department will work with public safety to modernize nuisance and noise regulations to provide clearer, enforceable standards. Council members thanked staff and singled out planning staff for their work on the zoning rewrite and redevelopment-ready certification.
