Development Services Administration

About Us

The Administration team provides support and leadership for the Development Services department. We work on special projects such as the Capital Improvement Program as directed by the Board of County Commissioners as well as interfacing with other departments and agencies such as Code Enforcement. We are honored to help Development Services staff in serving Ada County residents.

Public Records Requests

To request public documents or information such as application material or staff reports please submit a Public Records Request Form to our office. Your request will be processed within three working days and may be subject to administrative fees. Please see our Planning and Zoning Fee Schedule for further information.

Careers

Please go to the Ada County Careers page to apply for jobs in Development Services and other Ada County departments.

Ada County Zoning Code

Meet the Team

Richard Beck in blue jacket gold tie and white dress shirt and black glasses

Director Richard Beck

[email protected]
208-287-7915

Read Bio

Richard Beck is a Boise, Idaho native and seasoned planning professional. He is dedicated to empowering diverse stakeholders to achieve consensus or “get to yes” to accommodate the needs of the present without ignoring the past or sacrificing the requirements of the community as it evolves in the future. Mr. Beck started his planning career in Idaho as a subdivision planner with the City of Boise. He also worked as a private consultant focused on residential development and land use entitlement projects in Southwest Idaho.

For the past 17 years, Mr. Beck has served in the Ada County Development Services Department as a Front Desk Planner, Current Planner, Current Planning Supervisor, Associate Planner, Community and Regional Planner, and as Deputy Director. In 2020, the Board of Ada County Commissioners appointed Mr. Beck as the Director of Development Services. While with the County, Mr. Beck has been responsible for the successful execution of countless projects, efforts and initiatives including the following:

Responsible for turning the vision for Ada County’s first ever Capital Investment Plan into a functioning program that brought County Offices and Departments together and empowered decision makers with prioritized recommendations on how to approach meeting the capital needs of the County.
Served as the facilitator that enabled the Development Services Department to develop its first ever department-centric Strategic Plan along with an implementing Business Plan.
Led the initiative and the project team that replaced a dated Microsoft Access based application processing system with a modernized equivalent without the need to use consultants or non-county employees.

Mr. Beck continues to strive to empower staff to feel safe enough to leverage their talents and fully leave their unique mark on the community that they serve. He maintains the vision of empowering planners, residents, property owners, agencies, the development community, and elected and appointed officials with the ability to come together to achieve common goals in mutually beneficial ways and with positive outcomes for as many as possible.

Mr. Beck believes in the importance of maintaining a balanced lifestyle. Outside of his planning career, his hobbies and interests include backpacking, peak bagging, flyfishing and chatting on his Ham Radio. He is the proud dad, sound engineer and roadie for his children’s Bluegrass Band Fiddle Express.