The Town of Fairfield is pleased to announce that Emmeline Harrigan has been appointed Director of Town Plan and Zoning, the Town’s land use agency, effective April 1. With Plan and Zoning Director Jim Wendt’s announcement of his retirement, the Town Plan and Zoning Commission (TPZ) appointed Harrigan to serve as Director of Town Plan and Zoning at their meeting on March 11. The appointment was subsequently approved by First Selectman Bill Gerber.
Harrigan has served the Town as assistant planning director for the past eight years. She has more than 25 years of planning experience, with a master’s degree in Urban Planning from UCLA. She is a certified Planner and Floodplain Manager. While in Fairfield, she has worked on the Town’s Transit-Oriented Development Plan, the Post Road Circle Safety Plan, and the Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan, as well as coordinating the revisions to the Plan of Conservation and Development. As a Floodplain Administrator for two Connecticut coastal communities, she has ensured continued compliance with the National Flood Insurance Program, increased resiliency through participation in the Community Rating System, and has applied and processed grant applications with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. She is the current president of the Connecticut Chapter of the American Planning Association, as well as a past president of the CT Association of Flood Managers.
First Selectman Bill Gerber said, “Emmeline Harrigan is an excellent choice to lead the Town Plan and Zoning Department as its new director. She has worked closely with Jim Wendt for years and is extremely qualified. Her professional stature and experience will be invaluable to the Town as we grow into the future.”