SWAMPSCOTT — Christa McGaha is eagerly looking to make a big impact in town and among the community as Swampscott’s new senior planner.
McGaha elaborated on how her background in municipal planning has helped prepare her to take on her current role in an interview with The Daily Item.
“During my undergraduate experience, I went to Keen State College, I graduated in 2013 and back then I was a geography major, so I focused on Geographical Information Systems (G.I.S.),” she explained. “My Capstone project was really my first introduction to planning as a profession. … We worked with one of the regional planning agencies to do a walkability assessment, so that was great exposure.”
After completing her undergraduate degree, she went to work as a G.I.S. professional in Kansas City. After that, she was hired as a planner for Leavenworth County, where she got her first exposure to the area’s Planning Commission and first-hand work on reviewing planning and zoning projects.
McGaha said she then worked in planning for the City of Lenexa, Kansas, where she did “a lot of development review.” She added that she spent a decade working in the area.
In 2023, she came back to Massachusetts to work at an engineering firm as a part of the Urban Planning division, which allowed her to work on various planning projects throughout the state.
“Our clients were all different communities, so I worked on things like comp plans, digital equity projects, and zoning projects,” McGaha said. “All different types of planning projects, which I think was really good exposure to dive head-first into Massachusetts planning.”
She added that planning and development was something she had always wanted to get into. She spent the next few years as a G.I.S. professional before pivoting into becoming a planner.
“I find that my skills with G.I.S. really compliment municipal planning, because I can use G.I.S. every day on planning projects,” she said. “Mapping and planning go hand-in-hand. Anytime you’re talking about a development site, or certain properties, it all comes with a map. … Mapping is a vital skill to have in planning, it really helps to display what we’re talking about and trying to work toward.”
McGaha said she’s thrilled to be able to make an impact in local communities.
“The position really seemed to line up with my experience, and really fit with what I wanted to do,” she said. “I wanted to stay local, and feel like I’m helping the local area and community with the planning work that I do, so I’m really excited.”
Looking ahead — as it was only her second day on the job — she said she hopes to get a better understanding of the community to better serve the residents with her experience in planning.
“I want to get to know the community and what its goals are. I think that’s most important,” she said. “I want to make sure that the work we’re doing is helping the community achieve the vision that the people want for the town.”
McGaha explained that an important element of her job boils down to community engagement and making sure every voice is heard among residents.
“Community engagement is extremely important. Depending on what the project is, you can make surveys for public input that are fast and easy for residents, as well as engagement at live events happening around town,” she said. “I think that’s how you get the most engagement.
“If you connect with people at an event or around town, you’ll get to reach people who might not come out to every public meeting,” McGaha continued. “Any chance we have with plans that we’re working on, it’s important to meet with people to capture the opinions of people who we might not have been able to hear from otherwise.”
