Melanie Mintz, El Cerrito community development director, retires

By Steve Price

Melanie Mintz, El Cerrito’s community development director, is retiring after 22 years with the city. Photo: LinkedIn

Melanie Mintz, who has been a gift to El Cerrito during her 22 years on El Cerrito staff — and as community development director since 2013 — is retiring this month. She is one of those thoughtful and visionary agents of change whose magic quietly shapes places. So much of El Cerrito is the result of her commitment to community, the environment, and love of El Cerrito. Planners and economic development officials often move about from job to job racking up multiple work experiences into a long list on their resume. Mintz stuck around, serving year to year to help shape the city she lives in.

Previously, Mintz worked in redevelopment in the City of Arcata and as a project coordinator with the Rails-To-Trails Conservancy, which has benefited our own rails-to-trails project, the Ohlone Greenway. She started working for El Cerrito in 2004 as an environmental analyst, then as capital improvement program manager and environmental services division manager. As El Cerrito’s community development director, Mintz managed Planning, Building, Economic Development, Affordable Housing, and Community Sustainability.

Mintz has an awesome reputation for applying for and securing grants. We owe so many enhancements to the Ohlone Greenway and San Pablo Avenue to her hard work. She also brought a sensibility that welcomed people to El Cerrito and provided them with more housing choices. Melanie helped shepherd the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan, a necessary tool to guide El Cerrito toward more housing development, walkability, and economic development.

Pre-COVID, El Cerrito was seeing lots of housing entitled and getting built. COVID slowed that down, but the housing market has slowed across the nation. Nevertheless, because El Cerrito has a pro-housing reputation, we’re seeing housing being built at the BART stations in town. Melanie hired El Cerrito’s first sustainable transportation program manager, Jarrett Mullen, who has in turn been a gift for moving El Cerritans toward safer mobility choices.

Melanie, so many of us wish you well in your well-earned retirement!

On June 26, El Cerrito announced the hiring of Claudia Garcia as its new community development director. El Cerrito/Richmond Annex Walk & Roll looks forward to working with Garcia!