Albemarle County government has hired Michael Barnes to serve as the Director of Planning.
Barnes is the former planning director for the City of Waynesboro, where he worked from 2009-2016 before moving on to a job as a local project coordinator with VDOT.
Most recently, Barnes was an assistant district planner with VDOT in Charlottesville.
Barnes, who has a master’s degree in urban and environmental planning from UVA, also worked as a senior planner in Albemarle County government, from 2000-2003.
“As a longtime resident of the area, I am excited to collaborate with the community to leverage our opportunities and find solutions to our challenges,” Barnes said.
As Director of Planning, Barnes will serve as the liaison to the Albemarle County Planning Commission in addition to managing the county government’s planning division, which manages the county’s Comprehensive Plan program and coordinates the development review process in cooperation with the zoning and engineering departments.
“Michael brings a rich planning background to the county with experience in environmental planning and water protection, urban planning and design, comprehensive planning, code re-writes, transportation, and capital project planning and construction. As a Virginian for almost 50 years, Michael is familiar with the challenges of rural and urban areas plus infrastructure needs throughout Central Virginia,” Albemarle County Director of Community Development Jodie Filardo said.