Brad Buchanan, who once served as head planner in Denver and now is the CEO of the National Western Center Authority, will be the city’s interim planning director while Mayor Mike Johnston searches for a permanent appointee.
Johnston’s announcement came after current planning director Manish Kumar announced he would resign from the role this week.
Buchanan served as executive director of the Department of Community Planning and Development under former Mayor Michael Hancock. He was appointed in 2014 and left the post in 2018 to lead the National Western authority.
In a news release, Johnston said Buchanan already knows the department and its team “extremely well.”
“His deep expertise in Denver’s permitting and development processes gives me full confidence in his ability to guide CPD forward as we continue overhauling our permitting processes and delivering services to our community,” Johnston said, according to the release.
Buchanan will continue to act as the CEO of the National Western authority, which is overseeing a campus that’s undergoing a major expansion, while he leads the planning department.
Kumar stepped down from the role after only 13 months in the position, saying he had completed what he set out to do in the department.
City officials plan to conduct a search for his permanent replacement.
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