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After spending almost three decades serving the city of Portland, Bureau of Development Services Director Rebecca Esau has announced that she will retire on Dec. 18.

Esau has led the bureau for the past six and a half years. Her accomplishments include the launch of a groundbreaking initiative aimed at assisting Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) property owners and individuals with disabilities in navigating the permit process, the implementation of a user-friendly online permitting database, and the expansion of video inspections that proved essential during the COVID-19 pandemic.

鈥淚 have thoroughly enjoyed working with Rebecca and have tremendous respect for her,鈥� said Commissioner Carmen Rubio, who oversees the Bureau of Development Services. 鈥淪he is a leader who never hesitated to speak up for what is right 鈥� even when it was challenging.鈥�

Esau was appointed interim director by then-Commissioner Chloe Eudaly in April 2017 and promoted permanently to the position six months later. Before becoming director, Esau served as the manager of the bureau鈥檚 Land Use Services division; she was responsible for reviewing development projects for compliance with the city鈥檚 zoning code.

Prior to joining the city of Portland as a land use planner, she served as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in its Urban Planning Program in Nepal from 1990 to 1993. She was a planner for a local city government in a city west of Kathmandu.

鈥淚 feel very good about the improvements we’ve made and those still underway,鈥� Esau told BDS employees, 鈥渁nd I am at a point where I am ready to hand the baton off to someone to run the next leg of this race.鈥�

Esau鈥檚 leadership brought the city鈥檚 permitting system into a new era and positioned the bureau well for continuous improvement, Rubio said.

鈥淪he will be challenging to replace, and I wish her well in her retirement,鈥� she added.

Esau鈥檚 successor has not yet been determined.