Education

• Master of Planning, University of Minnesota, Humphrey Institute of Public Affair
  
• ​B.A. Environmental Studies, Emphasis Policy and Plannin, University of California, Santa Cruz  
  

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Shannon Allen

Principal Planner

Shannon has over 20 years of professional land use and environmental planning experience spanning the San Francisco Bay Area.  Her first planning position in California was 20 years ago as a Consultant Planner in Woodside. Most recently she was Principal Planner for an East Bay city. 

Shannon is an organized and strategic Project Manager. She has successfully managed multiple land use entitlement projects, including mixed-use, residential, and research and development projects. Tasks range from application in-take and analysis, stakeholder meetings, report writing, presentations to boards and commissions, and review of associated building permits.  More and more, projects include the interpretation and implementation of State laws, such as Senate Bill (SB) 35 - streamlined approval for affordable housing, SB 330 - housing crisis act which restricts municipalities’ land use decisions, and Assembly Bill (AB) 52 - tribal consultation.  

​She has also managed a team of planners, supported and motivated others, and set a strong culture of customer service through communication and creativity.  Shannon is a collaborative colleague who has worked closely with staff in multiple other departments including Public Works, Parks and Recreation, Energy and Sustainability, Economic Development, and the City Attorney’s office. Shannon values the relationships she creates and appreciates what she learns from others.  

She has also worked as an environmental review officer and reviewed all California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) documents for Land Use Planning, including technical reports. With her strong background in CEQA and consulting, she mentored others in writing Requests for Proposals, reviewing proposals and consultant selection. She was the lead staff in coordinating the review of UC Berkeley documents, including the Long Range Development Plan Environmental Impact Report (EIR), and has drafted UC Berkeley and City of Berkeley collaborative planning documents.

Prior to her position in the public sector, she was a Principal in a land use and environmental consulting firm. She served as the Principal in Charge on multiple environmental review documents, including the 5M Project EIR for the City and County of San Francisco and Children’s Hospital and Research Center Oakland (CHRCO) Master Plan EIR. She supported project managers throughout the processes, and ensured documents were well written, publicly accessible and legally defendable. She provided strategic thinking on the approach to CEQA documentation and CEQA procedural matters. 

She also served as the Project Manager on countless environmental review documents, including mixed use and residential infill projects, as well as the 2012 Oakland Army Base Initial Study/Addendum, Fremont Ballpark Village Community Specific Plan EIR, and the Pilgrim-Triton Master Plan EIR for the City of Foster City. She prepared project proposals and scopes of work, managed multi-disciplinary teams, wrote and/or edited reports, ensured CEQA compliance, and tracked contracts and budgets.