Imperial County Public Defender, 895 Broadway Ave, El Centro, CA 92243, US

The Planning & Development Services Department has a number of responsibilites. These include not only the Economic Development Division and its challenges, but the long-range planning handled by the Land Use Planning Division and Code Enforcement handled by the Building Inspection Division. All of which are supported by an excellent administrative and accounting staff. The past five years have seen an extremely significant pace in the development of the housing sector in Imperial County, not only in the unincorporated areas but also in the various Cities. In addition, the County, in partnering with several of the Cities, provides opportunities for economic development through the Brawley/County ( Imperial Valley ) Enterprise Zone and the Calexico/County Enterprise Zone. In addition, we have seven Foreign Trade Zones and we have an up-to-date General Plan with optional elements such as the Geothermal/Alternative Energy and Transmission Element, which supports different types of industry. Just this year, the Parks & Recreation Division was transferred to our department and prior to a Parks & Recreation Element and a Parks & Recreation Commission was created to guide development of Parks & Recreation Programs In recent years, we have seen significant interest in renewable energy development and are currently working with the Imperial Irrigation District and developers on a strategy to modify the General Plan to support desirable renewable energy projects such as geothermal, solar, wind, biomass, etc... The County also approved a major industrial area within the County known as the Mesquite Lake. We are currently working on plans in a partnership with the City of Imperial to develop the necessary infrastructure. Between the Mesquite Lake Industrial Park and the Gateway Industrial Park, the County has vast opportunities for industrial and some commercial development. Options Imperial County Planning & Development Services:: 801 Main Street, CA 92243 El Centro:: Phone 760-482-4236:: Fax 760-353-8338