The City of Orange’s Community Development Director Russell Bunim oversees planning and development for residential, commercial and industrial land use.  He is currently leading the effort to transform the department from paper-based to digital, affording applicants the ability to navigate the process digitally through an online portal.

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Russell Bunim

Russell Bunim, Community Development Director for the City of Orange, is spearheading a digital revolution in city operations.  Born in Orange and with a background in urban planning and public administration, Bunim brings a wealth of experience from his previous roles in Newport Beach, Santa Monica and Laguna Beach before arriving in Orange in 2023.

The Community Development Department that Bunim oversees consists of 35 staff who encompass planning, land use and development, building and safety, housing and code enforcement.  The team takes applicants through design review, planning commission and environmental review of their projects.  This includes residential, commercial and industrial—any type of land use.

“If you’re thinking about opening a business in town, the planning division is a great place to start because it allows you to have a conversation with the professional staff that can help you get from the starting line to your grand opening,” says Bunim.

Community development has the largest front counter at city hall.  “This means we interface with the most people,” says Bunim.  “Customers come to us because they’re excited about a project.  A lot of times, it’s a person’s first time coming to city hall.  We want that first connection of customer service to be positive.”

Bunim is leading an initiative to transition from a paper-based to a digital department.  The transformation involves implementing a new online portal allowing residents and businesses to submit plans, make payments, and navigate the entitlement and building permit processes digitally.  This shift promises to streamline operations and improve efficiency for both staff and applicants.

“Another benefit is data,” says Bunim.  “We’ll know what people are coming in for, such as building division or planning division.  We’ll see what kinds of questions they have—the data will show us real time what our customer base is here for.  This will help us to better allocate resources.”

“Something I value is that Russell really understands the customer experience and does what he can to improve that,” says Arlen Beck, an Associate Planner with the city, who has worked with Bunim since 2021.  “It is important to him how the applicant experiences our processes.”

“In the future, we’d like to have a map on our website for customers to see the zoning for their property,” says Bunim.  “They’ll be able to click a parcel on the map and see the parcel’s permit history.”

Bunim’s vision extends beyond mere digitization.

“As far as urban planning goes, Orange makes a job like mine very fulfilling,” he says.  “The city has diverse neighborhoods, culture, a walkable downtown, economic development opportunities, and historic districts.”

Russell W. Bunim, AICP, Community Development Director
714-744-7220  /  www.CityOfOrange.org