Paul DiGiuseppe, principal planner with the Planning and Zoning Department, is the latest CodeNEXT staffer to leave the controversial land development code rewrite effort. The 10-year City of Austin veteran says he’s moving back to his home state of Rhode Island to take what he calls “a really good promotion” with that state’s equivalent of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Austin area’s driver of transportation policy. DiGiuseppe most recently served as outreach manager on CodeNEXT, focusing on educating the public and stakeholders about the complex process. Of his time working on the project, DiGiuseppe beamed, “I’ve enjoyed it and I’m going to miss it.” That apparent amicability distinguishes his departure from other high-profile CodeNEXT shake-ups, most notably last year’s resignation of project leader Matt Lewis, who split after the city’s HR department determined he had harassed and retaliated against his co-workers. Nevertheless, DiGiuseppe’s exit is not without its own wrinkles; it coincides with the early stages of the large-scale public outreach campaign launched after the CodeNEXT draft’s recent debut. In a statement, project manager Jorge Rousselin thanked DiGiuseppe for his service, wished him the best at his new gig, and added, “Paul’s responsibilities are being distributed to the CodeNEXT team prior to his departure, and the project will continue forward as planned.”
This article appears in March 3 • 2017.