$20.00 Hourly

This a part-time, temporary position.

The Position

The City of Morro Bay's Community Development Department is looking for a dynamic planning, architecture, landscape architecture, or construction management student to join us as a paid intern.

The Community Development Department prepares and applies the City’s planning and building regulations to development applications; conducts environmental determinations under the California Environmental Quality Act; provides the community with long-range planning services to coordinate growth and development; reviews building plans and issues building permits; and performs inspections.

There is a lot going on in Morro Bay! This is an exciting opportunity for a talented and motivated Community Development Intern to gain experience and develop work habits that will pay dividends long after launching a career in this highly competitive profession.

Examples of Job Duties

The Community Development Intern will have the opportunity to work with all staff in the Community Development Department. The intern assignment will take place at the Public Services Building, 955 Shasta Avenue, Morro Bay, CA 93442. All assigned job duties will allow an intern to develop a perspective and provide insight in the interdisciplinary fields of work as a planner or building professional in a municipal agency. In addition to the day-to-day duties, there will be opportunities for the intern to attend Planning Commission hearings, which will help the intern experience the public hearing process. Staff will also take the intern on field/site visits to provide some basic tools for assessing site conditions and design ideas in order to understand the issues, identify the opportunities and constraints, and provide recommendations related to a project.

The selected intern will have the opportunity to be exposed to a wide variety of planning-related tasks in the Community Development Department. The Community Development intern would be assigned to perform and receive exposure to the following:

Process discretionary projects such as administrative development reviews for additions to single-family residences
Process non-complex applications, such as routine business licenses, plan checks, patio covers, walls/fences, and sign permits
Assist customers at the front counter, on the phone and via email
Conduct and compile research using available resources and have direct contact with other public sector agencies

These duties provide the foundation to learn the City's zoning and building regulations, policies and procedures, project and file management, time management, problem solving, and communication skills. The internship will also provide the opportunity to learn the nuts and bolts of land use administration, such as how to read plans and verify zoning compliance.

Some additional routine tasks may include the following:

Administration - Purge and organize closed planning files to support records scanning needs, etc.
Current Planning/Discretionary Review - Serve as an apprentice to planners on their more complex projects.
Building Division Support – Provide administrative support to the Building Division as needed.

Qualification Guidelines

Education: Currently enrolled college or university students in the undergraduate or graduate Urban and Regional Planning, Architecture, or Construction Management degree program.

Experience: None required

The following skills, knowledge, and abilities are highly desirable for program participation:

Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Ability to apply research techniques, survey methods, and data collection
Flexibility and ability to handle multiple priorities
Excellent customer service skills
Ability to foster effective working relationships with all levels of staff and the public
Computer experience with Microsoft Office

Apply Here: Individuals can apply through the City website at https://www.morrobayca.gov/832/Employment-Opportunities

Application Deadline: Position is open until filled with the first review of applications on 4/15/26

Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. It is the City's policy to ensure equal employment opportunity for all persons seeking employment or promotion to assure equal employment opportunity based upon ability and fitness to all persons regardless of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, childbirth, breast-feeding, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, marital status, gender identity, gender expression, genetic characteristics or information, military or veteran's status, and/or any other category protected by federal and/or state law.

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