Kristen Las

Public Sector ViceChair since December 2018

Responsible for highly complex professional, supervisory, and administrative work in coordinating interdepartmental activity for the Town Manager, in administering, supervising or coordinating special projects and in developing proposals and programs for acquiring federal and state grants and money; related work as required.

Performs professional work in coordinating the town’s planning program and subdivision control law and working with the Shrewsbury Development Corporation to design, develop and implement economic development plans. Thorough knowledge of the principles and practices of planning, zoning, and related state and local land use law, procedures, regulations and standards as well as thorough knowledge of Massachusetts General Laws related to planning and zoning issues. Works in cooperation with the Town Engineer, Building Inspector, Board of Health, the Planning Board, the Shrewsbury Development Corporation and other municipal departments as needed.

www.watkins1868.com/consultant/981971

The Vice-President for Chapter Affairs shall preside over meetings of the Chapter, the Executive Committee or Board of Directors in the absence of the President, and may perform other duties as delegated by the President. The Vice President must be familiar with website management and email marketing and communications. The Vice President will also work with the RI and CT APA Chapters for the Southern New England APA Conference. One intention of this position is to give someone experience to become the incoming president.

Responsible for maintaining membership and Chapter records, giving notices of meetings and taking minutes of meetings, and shall report to the APA office on Chapter actions and Bylaws.

Developed and taught the Public Communications in Planning Seminar-a class in the Community Development and Planning department. Course focuses on teaching students public participation and communication skills from public and private career perspectives.

A senior planner with considerable training and experience in community participation and consensus building. Particular interest and expertise in projects that include affordable housing, Smart Growth, Low Impact Development and Traditional Neighborhood Design. Developed an in-depth expertise in local, regional and state planning and permitting. Responsibilities included the analysis of environmental regulations and zoning bylaws, and the preparation of planning documents that are submitted to clients, town boards and state agencies with regard to land use permitting, master planning, feasibility studies and due diligence studies. Provided guidance to clients on a variety of planning projects at various scales ranging from intricate single-family housing developments to large-scale campus master plans.

To fulfill requirements of her master’s degree in Community Development and Planning at Clark University, I prepared a thesis, titled “Housing Needs for Young Professionals in the Region: Northborough, Southborough and Westborough, Massachusetts.” My work identified that the need for diverse housing for young professionals in the region was not being met. I identified that a variety of options for stakeholders to work cooperatively together to reduce the barriers for creating appropriate diversified housing for young professionals.