Rawls Howard, Cedar Park Planning Director

What is the benefit of city-initiated zoning?

The primary benefit we identified was to help prepare specific tracts for development without having to put a developer or land owner through the zoning process.

We believe it aids in our overall economic development strategy for the city. We have an adopted future land use map as part of the city's comprehensive plan, so we use that as a guide for this whole process. A secondary goal in this was to also clarify both our zoning and future land use map to more accurately portray the type of development the city desires for future growth.

Since you've come onboard, the city has done a lot with the city initiated zoning. How did you come to take that on?

Well, at this particular time I would say that my experience is that I'm addressing things that have been on the city's plate for awhile that nobody has really had time to pick up and move with. In my experience here, we operate a pretty lean organization and they have priorities. So, it was one of those things that was never picked up as a higher priority amongst other things, and I felt like with me being here they now have somebody in place that can help lead that effort. I know that through my discussions with the city manager's office and city council that they say, 'Oh man, We've always talked about this, but we just never got around to it.' I'm sort of identifying those things now and saying 'I think I can pick you up and help you with that.'

What kinds of things did you do for fun growing up?

I did track and field, specifically pole vaulting and long distance running. As far as sports and extracurricular, that is about it. I was an active musician. I was in band I did a lot of stuff with music growing up. I was in a high school band, but I was also in my own little rock garage band ... I played bass. I was a pretty active bass player. I was in a heavy metal band all through college.

What was it called?

It was called Nemo. The singer went off, and he's actually pretty famous now. Have you heard of the Avett Brothers? Their singer was the singer of my band in college.

You spent two years in Ukraine, so did you learn to speak Russian? Can you still speak it?

Yes. Somewhat. I mean, I've lost a lot of it. It's been 10 years and I don't have the practice. My wife ... had much more of an aptitude for it than I have. They did a full-on Russian training, and I learned Russian there. I can still speak sentences and all that stuff. If I was listening to a Russian now, I could understand most of what that person was saying, but I just try to talk, and I'm kind of losing that.

Why did you decide to move to California?

After my volunteer service, I was literally applying for jobs all over the world, from Ireland to Alaska ... I was kind of keeping my options open. I got a job interview for a city planning position in Sacramento, and (Jolene's) uncle lived in a small town of Grass Valley, which is up in the Sierra Nevadas, about 40 minutes away from Sacramento, so I said, 'Hey, let's pack up and go to California.' So, we didn't even get a U-Haul; all we had was just a couple bags. I had given everything I owned away before I left to go do my volunteer service. I kept my Jeep, and that was about it. So we packed up all my bags in the Jeep and drove out to California. I didn't end up getting the job, but I ended up living with her uncle in Grass Valley for about a year. He was a ceramic artist, and a lot of her family has a lot of native American ties, so we were living and hanging around that kind of group and I was working in his ceramic shop doing pottery and throwing pots; he taught me that.

What brought you to Cedar Park?

I saw this job open up for the City of Cedar Park, and then I saw where it was located and I thought, 'I remember being there. I remember liking the place.' ... I applied, and the city has been very, very good to me. Plus, with the environment I'm in right now, I feel like I'm working with a city that already has very, very high development standards and a very focused way of doing things.