** Please note new location**
City Club of San Francisco, 155 Sansome St., San Francisco
Aligning Planning, Permitting, and Economic Development in San Francisco
San Francisco is taking important steps to better align its planning, permitting, and economic development functions, creating a more efficient, predictable, and forward-looking environment for investment and growth.
This panel will bring together three of the City’s key leaders:
Sarah Dennis Phillips, Planning Director, San Francisco Planning Department
Bridget Hicks, PermitSF, San Francisco Planning Department
Leigh Lutenski, Director of Development, Office of Economic and Workforce Development
They will share how their agencies are working in partnership to modernize processes, increase transparency, and balance economic vitality with community priorities. Attendees will gain insights into current initiatives, policy goals, and the collaborative strategies shaping San Francisco’s development landscape.
Guests are welcome. Can't make it to the luncheon? Please consider sponsoring a speaker at the "Purchase tickets" link below:
Tickets
Members & Guests: $90 each
Public Sector Members: $80 each*
Save on fees! Pay by check or Zelle. Please contact Lori Horan (info@laisf.org) to RSVP. Please mail your check written to "LAI Golden Gate" to Lori Horan at PO Box 1471, Galt, CA 95632.
*Public Sector discount available only when paying by check or Zelle
Members must be current with their dues to attend the program. To pay your dues, please visit lai.org, and select the "Renewal" option under "My Membership."
Sarah Dennis Phillips, SF Planning Director
A trained urban planner, Sarah began her California career in downtown revitalization, working to build thriving downtowns in Mountain View, Livermore, Redwood City, and other northern California cities. Sarah’s service to the City of San Francisco started in 2005 in the Planning Department. Sarah has held previous leadership positions in both the private and public sectors, working with Tishman Speyer, a global development firm, as a Senior Director from 2018 to 2023; and then with San Francisco’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development through summer 2025. Sarah holds degrees in urban planning and design from the University of Virginia and Harvard University.
Bridget Hicks, Chief of Staff, PermitSF
Bridget Hicks is the Chief of Staff for PermitSF, the City and County of San Francisco’s initiative to make permitting more customer-centric, predictable, transparent, and efficient. In this role, Hicks partners with City leadership, the Department of Building Inspection, Fire Department, Public Works, the Office of Small Business, and other agencies to drive cross-departmental reforms that streamline workflows, modernize technology, and improve the customer experience for residents, builders, and businesses. As Chief of Staff, she helps guide strategy, operations, and performance tracking to ensure that San Francisco’s permitting system supports community growth and development with greater speed, clarity, and accountability.
Leigh Lutenski, Director of Development, OEWD
Leigh Lutenski is the Director of Development with San Francisco’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD). In this role Leigh leads policy efforts to increase the supply of housing in San Francisco and to create public financing tools to encourage equitable economic development. Leigh and her team plan and negotiate large, complex, public and private real estate development projects. Leigh previously worked as the Director of Capital Projects at Brooklyn Bridge Park, an 85-acre waterfront park development project that has transformed 1.5 miles of Brooklyn’s waterfront into financially-sustainable and vibrant public spaces with new residential and commercial development. Leigh holds degrees in urban planning and government from New York University and Hamilton College.