Mountain Village Hires Michelle Haynes as Planning and Development Director

Mountain Village is pleased to announce the hiring of Michelle Haynes as director of planning and development. Haynes spent the last five years as Building and Planning Director of Town of Telluride and previously served as the planner for Telluride. Haynes has a Bachelor’s degree in Art History, Criticism, and Conservation from Smith College and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Colorado. Haynes will begin work in her new role on July 17. Outgoing Director Glen Van Nimwegen, who joined the Town of Mountain Village in 2015, recently accepted the City of Salida Community Development Director position. Van Nimwegen stepped into his new role with over 17 years of experience in planning and development. Van Nimwegen led the Town Hall Subarea Planning Committee during his residency at the Town of Mountain Village. Mountain Village Town Council approved the Town Hall Subarea Plan at the June 20 meeting.

“We are thrilled to have Michelle on board,” stated Mountain Village Town Manager Kim Montgomery. “To have Michelle in the role of Planning and Development Director is such a positive for the community with her extensive experience in the region.”

Focusing on creating strategic and tactical goals for planning and building, and implementing economic development efforts in the town are among the director's responsibilities. Haynes brings eight years of experience in planning and development to Mountain Village. In her previous role as building and planning director at the Town of Telluride, Haynes successfully developed a package of Land Use Code zoning incentives aimed at development within the commercial core of Telluride achieving consensus and adoption in January of 2017. Additionally, Haynes helped produce Telluride’s Climate Action Plan — a trending policy action being adopted by cities and towns across the nation and the world — as part of a master’s degree program she undertook at the University of Colorado Denver. On July 18, the Town of Mountain Village will hold an open house to introduce Miss Haynes to staff and community members. The event is open to the public with appetizers and drinks provided from 4 to 6 p.m. at Mountain Village’s Town Hall. To RSVP for the event please contact, Sue Kunz by .