Meet the Community Development Director

Craig Jimenez has been fortunate to work his entire career in public service for the City of Monrovia.  At Director of Community Development for Monrovia, he leads a group of talented professionals dedicated to creating a community that offers a premier quality of life.

After spending 17 years in the retail industry selling Levi’s for Miller’s Outpost, Craig went back to school and earned his degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Cal Poly Pomona.  After graduation, he landed an internship in the Office of the Monrovia City Manager doing legislative analysis and handling barking dog complaints.  After a year, he was offered a position in Planning, his true passion, and has worked as a professional Planner for the past three decades. 

During his career, he has been able to play a part in the revitalization of Old Town Monrovia including the development of the Krikorian Theaters (now Studio Movie Grill).  He has also worked on the creation of Station Square Transit Village, the City’s transit oriented development area surrounding the Gold Line station which will be home for about 2,000 new Monrovians in the near future.

Historic Preservation is also an area that Craig has been able to direct his knowledge and enthusiasm.  Over the past 20-plus years, he has participated in the designation of over 150 historic landmarks and wrote the designation statements that created Monrovia’s two historic districts: Wild Rose Tract and North Encinitas. 

He serves as lead staff to the Planning Commission, Historic Preservation Commission and Art in Public Places Committee and is also the chair of the Development Review Committee.

A native southern Californian, his love of urban places and maps were a precursor to his interest in Planning.  A passionate urban explorer, give him a map, a camera and a good pair of walking shoes and he’s entertained for hours.