Doug McDonald[/caption]

Plano senior planner Doug McDonald was promoted June 29 as the city's new comprehensive planning manager. McDonald will oversee Plano's long-range planning and heritage preservation functions in the new role.

The position was previously held by Director of Neighborhood Services Lori Schwarz. McDonald recently facilitated the Plano Tomorrow Forum at the Plano Marriott at Legacy Town Center on July 7. The informational event presented details to the public about the city's next comprehensive plan, which is expected to be adopted this fall.

McDonald has been working on the Plano Tomorrow plan since arriving from his post at the city of Arlington two years ago and will oversee future studies related to the plan. He will also be responsible for reviewing standards within the city's historic areas to ensure their character.

"Plano is unique because of our history and we need to protect these resources for the future," he said. "[Arlington and Plano] are both first-tier suburbs, so both have the same upcoming issues with aging retail stock and infrastructure. The difference really is that Plano takes a [more] proactive approach. They have the benefit of seeing some older suburbs and jumping ahead unlike some cities have done."

McDonald holds master's of public administration and master's of city and regional planning degrees from the University of Texas at Arlington, as well as a bachelor's degree in political science from Texas Tech University.  He also served as past president of the Midwest Section of the Texas Chapter of the American Planning Association and was recently the recipient of the Chapter President’s Award.