Portland, Ore. — Deputy City Administrator for Community and Economic Development Donnie Oliveira today announced the appointment of Eric Kutch as the new director of the Portland Permitting & Development bureau, following a national search. Kutch will lead the City's permitting organization, which was formed last year to streamline permitting and development review services with a more customer-focused lens.
"Eric has a proven track record of guiding a large, complex permitting organization through process reform and organizational change," said Oliveira. "His experience managing transformation at scale is exactly what we need as Portland continues to build a permitting organization designed for clarity, consistency, and long-term success."
He will start as Permitting & Development director in early January, while interim Director David Kuhnhausen will be staying on as a part of PP&D's leadership team.
"David's steady leadership, deep technical expertise, and commitment to staff over the past two years have been crucial to PP&D's ability to maintain services while building toward a more unified system," Oliveira added. "As Eric steps into the director role, David's experience and partnership will continue to be essential in creating a cohesive operation that delivers clear, reliable service for the community."
Kutch currently serves as deputy assistant director and deputy building official for the City of Houston Permitting Center, where he oversees a team of more than 100 employees responsible for reviewing over 125,000 commercial and residential projects each year. Under his leadership, Houston improved permit timelines by 75%, reduced review delays across multiple disciplines, reopened same-day services for eligible projects, and implemented real time production tracking to improve transparency and performance.
"Mr. Kutch brings the expertise needed to build on our efforts to modernize Portland's permitting system," said Mayor Keith Wilson. "His leadership will help us deliver faster, more reliable services for Portlanders while supporting the housing and economic growth that drive Portland's renaissance, including office-to-residential conversion and adding 2,500 new units to our central city by 2030."
"I look forward to working with Eric as we continue the critical work of reforming a permitting system that proves we can uphold our community values while also delivering a high-quality, easy-to-navigate, timely system," said Portland City Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney. "PP&D has been on the path to change, and I welcome Eric's experience and new perspective as we find opportunities for success. I am so grateful for David Kuhnhausen's leadership during this interim period, and the progress he and his team have made."
In addition to his extensive leadership experience, Kutch has spent his career combining his technical expertise in building codes and construction management with a focus on equity and customer service. He implemented multilingual service pathways, expanded both in-person and digital access, and standardized review practices so applicants receive consistent, reliable, and timely information regardless of project size or background.
"I am honored to serve as the director of Portland Permitting & Development and continue building a permitting experience that is more predictable, transparent, and truly customer-centered for the people of Portland," said Kutch. "I look forward to working with City leadership, partners, and especially PP&D staff to expand on the progress made over the past few years to our operations, while upholding the highest standards of building safety and service."
Kutch is one of three key leaders recently announced at the City of Portland, following the appointment of incoming City Administrator Raymond C. Lee III and Public Utilities Director Ting Lu.
Portland Permitting & Development is one of several bureaus and programs in the Community and Economic Development service area. This service area creates and delivers efficient, transparent, and equitable solutions for a resilient built environment – as well as services, resources, and experiences for our community. This work is accomplished by aligning City programs focused on building prosperity for all Portlanders.
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