Joe Lambert
Director of Development Services 
City of Placentia Development Services Department

Since graduating from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Regional Development in 1996, Joe Lambert has worked as a Planning professional for various Southern California municipalities.  Mr. Lambert earned his master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Cal Poly Pomona in 2001 while working full time as a Planner.  He has spent most of his career working at the cities of Yucaipa, Temple City, Arcadia, Ontario, and Sierra Madre.  
 
Mr. Lambert started with the City of Placentia in August 2016, and since that time, has been instrumental in the adoption of two award winning Master Plans, the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Packing House District Plan, and the Old Town Placentia Revitalization Plan.  In addition, Mr. Lambert, along with his staff and consultant team, are responsible for the adoption of: Rich Heritage, Bright Future: The Placentia General Plan.  This is the first comprehensive General Plan Update in the history of the City of Placentia.  This comprehensive General Plan update, completed in 2019, won two OC-APA awards, and also won a Cal-APA award for the - Health, Wellness, and Environmental Justice Element.
 
Mr. Lambert served as the Director of Development Services at the City of Yucaipa from 2013 to August 2016.  In this capacity, Mr. Lambert directly supervised the Planning and Building Divisions, including full time City staff and contract staff members.  The City of Yucaipa adopted “General Plan 2040,” a comprehensive update to the City’s 25-year-old General Plan in 2016.  Mr. Lambert had been managing this project since 2013.  Other advanced Planning projects he had managed include the creation of the mixed-use College Village Overlay Zone with the related Implementation/Design Guidelines titled: The College Village Plan, and the Oak Glen Creek Specific Plan project.  Current Planning projects managed include entitlements and construction oversight of a 143 unit single family residential planned development, a 240 acre residential subdivision, a new shopping center anchored by Aldi and Starbucks, and a new commercial development anchored by In-n-out and Corky’s Kitchen.

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