The City of Charleston has named David “Dave” Pettine, AICP, as its new Section Chief of Planning, Permitting and Engineering. Pettine will join the City on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026.
Pettine has spent more than 20 years leading planning and development work across North and South Carolina. He currently manages Charlotte’s rezoning program and Unified Development Ordinance as Division Manager of Entitlement Services, and previously spent nine years with York County Government, including five as Planning Director, where he reorganized the county’s development review and permitting functions into a more efficient, coordinated system. He has also held planning roles with Stewart, Inc., the Town of Cramerton, North Carolina, and Planning Communities, LLC.
“There's a lot of great work happening in Planning, Permitting and Engineering right now, and we're excited to have Dave join us to help lead the way forward,” said Mayor William Cogswell.
Pettine is a certified planner through the American Institute of Certified Planners and earned the North Carolina Chapter of the American Planning Association’s 2023 Marvin Collins Award. He holds a master’s degree in Geography from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a bachelor’s degree in history from Shippensburg University.
As Section Chief, Pettine will lead Charleston’s Planning, Permitting and Engineering functions, with a focus on collaboration, operational efficiency and consistent, high-quality service to residents and the development community.