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Tapp tapped as county planning and zoning director
By Jeffrey M. Salem
Matthew Tapp has worked in polar realms of city planning.
Tapp, recently named director of planning and zoning for Clay County, said his mix of work in Olathe, Kan., and Excelsior Springs should help him take the reigns of the planning and zoning department in a county that is home to a portion of a large municipality as well as numerous slow-paced, rural towns.
“I think it’s a kind of combination of the two,” he said of his time in Olathe and Excelsior Springs. “Olathe was fast-paced and Excelsior Springs was more of a rural city, but I stayed relatively busy with it being a smaller department. They were wonderful experiences.”
Tapp, 30, spent five years in Olathe’s Planning Services Division from 1999 to 2004 before spending a year as Excelsior Spring’s planning and zoning director. He also spent some time in the private sector.
Tapp replaced Dave Clements as director in late February. Clements left to take a job with the city of Olathe.
Clay County Administrator Alexa Barton said Tapp’s experience with municipalities of varying sizes should reduce the job’s learning curve.
“Matt has a wealth of experience in planning and zoning,” Barton said in a release. “Matt’s time working in Excelsior Springs and with other municipalities will allow him to begin serving the community with a minimal period of acclimation.”
Tapp grew up in Lee’s Summit and went on to Northwest Missouri State University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in geography and a minor in economic development. He then received his MBA from the Keller Graduate School of Management.
Tapp said he wanted the department, whose services can be hard for residents to sometimes grasp, to be more engaging for Clay County residents. He said his primary focus now is centered on the county’s Comprehensive Plan update — a project two years in the making — that could include several amendments to the Land Development Code. The Planning Commission could adopt the plan as early as next month, Tapp said.
“I always say I’d much rather have 1,000 interested citizens than 1 million uninterested citizens,” he said. “I want to reach out and help people understand what our planning and zoning department can offer.”
Longer-term plans Tapp has for the department include transferring all records to a digital database and increasing communication between the department and city planning departments in Clay County. Informal luncheons with Tapp and city planning department heads have already taken place.
Staff writer Jeffrey M. Salem can be reached at 389-6653 or jeffsalem@npgco.com.
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Tapp, recently named director of planning and zoning for Clay County, said his mix of work in Olathe, Kan., and Excelsior Springs should help him take the reigns of the planning and zoning department in a county that is home to a portion of a large municipality as well as numerous slow-paced, rural towns.
“I think it’s a kind of combination of the two,” he said of his time in Olathe and Excelsior Springs. “Olathe was fast-paced and Excelsior Springs was more of a rural city, but I stayed relatively busy with it being a smaller department. They were wonderful experiences.”
Tapp, 30, spent five years in Olathe’s Planning Services Division from 1999 to 2004 before spending a year as Excelsior Spring’s planning and zoning director. He also spent some time in the private sector.
Tapp replaced Dave Clements as director in late February. Clements left to take a job with the city of Olathe.
Clay County Administrator Alexa Barton said Tapp’s experience with municipalities of varying sizes should reduce the job’s learning curve.
“Matt has a wealth of experience in planning and zoning,” Barton said in a release. “Matt’s time working in Excelsior Springs and with other municipalities will allow him to begin serving the community with a minimal period of acclimation.”
Tapp grew up in Lee’s Summit and went on to Northwest Missouri State University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in geography and a minor in economic development. He then received his MBA from the Keller Graduate School of Management.
Tapp said he wanted the department, whose services can be hard for residents to sometimes grasp, to be more engaging for Clay County residents. He said his primary focus now is centered on the county’s Comprehensive Plan update — a project two years in the making — that could include several amendments to the Land Development Code. The Planning Commission could adopt the plan as early as next month, Tapp said.
“I always say I’d much rather have 1,000 interested citizens than 1 million uninterested citizens,” he said. “I want to reach out and help people understand what our planning and zoning department can offer.”
Longer-term plans Tapp has for the department include transferring all records to a digital database and increasing communication between the department and city planning departments in Clay County. Informal luncheons with Tapp and city planning department heads have already taken place.
Staff writer Jeffrey M. Salem can be reached at 389-6653 or jeffsalem@npgco.com.