Early Monday morning, the City of Vancouver announced that Theresa O'Donnell was no longer the City's Director of Planning and General Manager of Planning, Urban Design, and Sustainability.
"Effective September 18, Theresa O'Donnell's appointment as Director of Planning and General Manager, Planning, Urban Design and Sustainability has concluded," the City said.
In the announcement, the City also said that Doug Smith will serve as the acting General Manager of Planning, Urban Design, and Sustainability, while the City begins a search for a replacement. Smith is currently the Deputy General Manager of Planning, Urban Design, and Sustainability.
Asked whether the decision to part ways was mutual, the City declined to publicly comment on personnel matters. Attempts to reach O'Donnell and her assistant were both unsuccessful.
O'Donnell joined the City of Vancouver in January 2019 as the Deputy Director of Planning, before becoming the Director of Planning and GM in May 2021.
She was involved in the development of the Vancouver Plan, the Broadway Plan, and the recent zoning updates to enable missing middle housing across the City, which was approved last week.
"It has been a unique privilege to work with Theresa over the past four years," said City Manager Paul Mochrie. "In addition to her technical expertise and incredible work ethic, I have deep respect for Theresa's exemplary professionalism, her concern for team members and her unfailing commitment to public service."
As the Director of Planning and GM, O'Donnell was also a member of the Development Permit Board, which received a high level of attention and ire earlier this year during the hearings for the controversial 105 Keefer project in Chinatown.
Prior to her time in Vancouver, O'Donnell was a senior executive for the City of Dallas for 15 years.
She replaced Gil Kelley in 2021, who held the job since 2016 and also parted ways under abrupt and somewhat ambiguous circumstances.
This change is the second high-profile personnel move in about a month for the City of Vancouver. In August, Harrison Fleming was hired as the Director of Communications for the Office of the Mayor, after previously serving in communications roles in the Government of Alberta and Ontario, under Premier Jason Kenney and Premier Doug Ford.
