With her extensive experience in both land use planning and policy, Cristal Laanstra is joining the Town of Cobourg as its new director of planning and development services.
The Town of Cobourg has announced Laanstra has been appointed to the position and will begin her new job on July 15.
She comes to Cobourg equipped with her experiences as manager of planning with the Municipality of Trent Hills, and deputy director of planning and development for the Municipality of North Grenville, where she was responsible for leading major official plan amendments and comprehensive zoning by-law amendments. Prior to that, she was planning coordinator with Prince Edward County.
Laanstra told kawarthaNOW she is excited about her new position.
“I am thrilled to be joining the team at the Town of Cobourg,” Laanstra said. “I am ready to hit the ground running to build upon the great strides Cobourg has made with respect to employee recruitment, and build a highly skilled and responsive planning department. I look forward to working with staff, council, and the residents of the community in my new role.”
Throughout her experience in municipal planning departments, she has led multiple official plan review projects, a heritage conservation district study and plan, and municipal secondary plan reviews. As a policy co-ordinator within a development services department, she worked closely with engineering, building and economic development, advancing policies that required a solid understanding of each program area, a media release noted.
“As the Town of Cobourg prepares to update its official plan and address Bill 23 heritage matters, we are thrilled to have (Laanstra’s) knowledge and expertise in policy,” said Cobourg CAO Tracey Vaughan in the release.
“On behalf of all of council, I would like to give a warm welcome to (Laanstra),” said Cobourg mayor Lucas Cleveland. “Cobourg is the largest and fastest growing urban centre in Northumberland County and the next largest urban centre heading east of the GTA on the 401 corridor. With considerable growth and change on our horizon, (Laanstra’s) expertise will play a critical role in guiding the direction of our planning and development division.”
The director of planning and development services oversees the planning, building, and economic development departments at the Town of Cobourg.
Laanstra holds a Master of Science degree in planning and an executive diploma in municipal management and is a member of the Ontario Professional Planners Institute and the Canadian Institute of Planners.
