How We Serve Taft

Since June 2025, following the departure of the City’s Planning Director of 13 years, PCE has provided on-call planning services to support the City of Taft’s Planning and Development Services Department with both current and long-range planning activities.

Luke Risner, Senior Planner and Primary Contract Planner, serves as the City’s day-to-day planning contact, providing monthly in-person support at Planning Commission and City Council meetings, public counter assistance, and management of development applications. Bonique Emerson, Vice President of Planning, and Jenna Chilingerian, Principal Planner, provide executive oversight and technical guidance for complex planning initiatives.

Luke manages applicant communication and processes a wide range of entitlement applications, including Conditional Use Permits for uses such as telecommunications facilities, neighborhood markets, tobacco retailers, fiber-optic infrastructure, and recreational uses, as well as lot line adjustments and certificates of compliance. He also responds to daily planning inquiries related to permitted land uses, development standards, accessory structures, churches, recycling centers, temporary sales activities, and outdoor display regulations.

In addition to current planning services, PCE has completed major long-range planning efforts for the City, including the Housing Element, Housing Element implementation programs, General Plan and Housing Element Annual Progress Reports, and building code adoption.