(MANHATTAN, KS — Manhattan City Manager Ron Fehr announced Friday that Stephanie Peterson, who currently serves as Executive Director of the Flint Hills Metropolitan Planning Organization, has been hired as Manhattan’s new Director of Community Development. The anticipated start date is May 9th
.Peterson replaces former Community Development Director Eric Cattell, who retired earlier this month. She will oversee the City’s Community Development Department, which administers different aspects of development, land subdivision, long-range and current planning, and housing and zoning within the City of Manhattan.
“We are pleased to have Stephanie join our team,” Fehr said. “She has done a great job of leading the Metropolitan Planning Organization for our area and has established key relationships with other governmental units, as well as community stakeholders and residents. Her knowledge of and experience with our organization, along with her professional leadership on a statewide level with the Kansas Chapter of the American Planning Association, will serve her well as our Director of Community Development.”
Under the direction of the Deputy City Manager, the Director of Community Development oversees current planning, zoning and floodplain administration; comprehensive and neighborhood planning; bicycle and pedestrian planning; Census, demographic and growth monitoring/projections; historic preservation; and grant writing and administration efforts involving Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) and Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG)
.“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work alongside the dedicated and talented people within City Hall and to serve the Manhattan community,” Peterson said. “I look forward to being a part of our City’s future endeavors and continuing to call Manhattan home.”
Peterson joined the Flint Hills Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) as Transportation Planner in May 2013, shortly after its designation by the State of Kansas. The MPO is the designated entity to provide regional transportation planning and programming services across portions of Geary, Pottawatomie, and Riley counties. It provides a regional forum to coordinate, encourage, and promote a safe, efficient, affordable, and integrated transportation system for all users, in support of livable communities and economic competitiveness.