Job Interview for Planner Position on May 20, 2026

The meeting was a second-round interview for a planner position in Sandy City's Community Development Department. The candidate, Grant Hancock, presented a mock planning commission staff report on a conditional use permit (CUP) application for Way Tree Service, followed by a Q&A session with the interview panel. The interview began with informal conversation and concluded with a discussion of next steps.

Mock Presentation & Staff Report

• Grant presented CUP application 0101-2023-00001 for a category two home occupation (tree service) at 9470 South Cobalt Circle (R18 zone, community 8). The application was triggered by outdoor activities, large vehicles, and flammable material storage.
• Resident concerns included backing heavy equipment near children, on-street parking, traffic, and outdoor woodpile storage. Mitigations in the nine proposed conditions included a rear egress gate (condition 7), no employee/client parking on site (condition 6), no on-street parking for the business (condition 4), and no outdoor commercial storage (condition 5).
• Staff recommendation: approve the CUP based on two findings (the use is allowed with PC approval and conditions substantially mitigate anticipated effects) and nine conditions.
• The panel asked clarifying questions on property ownership of the alley access and occupancy requirements. Grant acknowledged he had not verified ownership of the alley parcel, which he would correct in future work.

Interview Questions & Responses

• Handling a missed setback after construction began: Grant said he would acknowledge the mistake to his supervisor and create a physical note to prevent recurrence.
• Explaining difficult regulations to frustrated residents: He described de-escalation by acknowledging concerns and calmly explaining code rationale, citing experience from his planning education.
• Teamwork qualities: He emphasized understanding and leveraging the experience of other team members.
• Feedback that helped him grow: He was told to slow down to avoid missing details; he now intentionally reduces his pace on critical tasks.
• Prioritizing competing deadlines: He would prioritize the most impactful and soonest items, then ask the team for help on lower-priority tasks.
• Long-term plans: Grant intends to stay in Utah permanently, buy a home in the community where he works, and grow within the city.
• Interest in planning: He is broadly interested in all aspects, with particular enthusiasm for intensifying land use in a built-out city like Sandy.

Panel Feedback & Process

• The panel commended Grant's research and mimicry of standard staff report formatting. They noted that staff reports are reviewed by the director and community development director before release, and that the city attorney (Darien Alcorn) advises on legal issues.
• Grant used a previous CUP for "Storm Fab Works" as a precedent.
• The panel discussed that the candidate's military service and prior interview experience helped him remain composed.

Key Outcomes

• No formal decision was made during the meeting. The panel stated that all second-round interviews would conclude that day, and a hiring decision would be communicated no later than Friday, May 22, 2026.
• The candidate expressed strong interest in the role and appreciation for the collaborative team culture described.