Christopher Koontz, AICP

Christopher Ira Koontz, AICP serves as the Director for the City of Long Beach Community Development Department. He provides leadership and support for the Building, Code Enforcement, Administrative and Financial Services, Housing and Neighborhood Services and Planning Bureaus. He oversees the City's efforts to expand the housing supply and affordability, promote economic prosperity through careful planning and address and adapt to climate change. He has overseen award-winning plan development projects ranging from Transit Oriented Development and Cap and Trade plans to address affordable housing to bicycle master plans and major projects involving sensitive wetland environments. He is currently leading efforts to implement the City’s new General Plan Land Use Element, reform the Zoning Code, address and adapt to climate change and process an unprecedented investment in the City through public and private development projects. He originally joined the City of Long Beach in 2015 as the Advance Planning Officer overseeing long-range, environmental, historic and mobility planning. In 2018 he was promoted to the role of Planning Bureau Manager and in 2020 to Deputy Director. He became Director in 2022. Prior to joining the City of Long Beach, Christopher held leadership positions at Los Angeles World Airports (LAX) and the City of Los Angeles. He began his career with the City of Malibu and holds a Bachelor's of Science degree in Policy, Planning and Development as well as a Master's of Urban Planning, both from the University of Southern California where he later also taught Urban Planning. He is a former board member of the American Planning Association, California Chapter - Los Angeles Section and currently serves on the Advisory Board for the Urban Land Institute Los Angeles as well as a board member with the California Planning Roundtable. He lives in the City of Long Beach with his husband Bobby and son Johan.

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