City of Grand Rapids names new city engineer, expands retail support efforts

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The City of Grand Rapids has named Cindy Irving as its new city engineer following the completion of a competitive recruitment and selection process. It also announced plans to strengthen communication with business districts during construction and long‑term planning work.

Irving is a civil and environmental engineering leader with nearly 30 years of experience delivering major public infrastructure and managing large capital programs. She has served as the City’s interim city engineer since January and assistant city engineer since April 2022.

In her new role, she will oversee multidisciplinary engineering teams, guide major public investments, and provide engineering authority for projects within the public right of way. Irving brings a strong record of working closely with city leaders, elected officials, neighborhoods, and partner agencies — experience that will be essential as the city navigates both the opportunities and the pressures created by unprecedented growth.

In announcing the appointment, City Manager Mark Washington said, “I recognize that rapid development has brought real challenges for residents, businesses and partners, particularly around community engagement, customer service, and the disruptions that come with design and construction. At the same time, this moment offers us a chance to strengthen how the City listens, collaborates and communicates.

“The City is committed to improving transparency, elevating the customer experience and building more consistent, proactive relationships with neighborhoods, developers and community partners. Together with staff and stakeholders, we look forward to sustaining the momentum of growth while delivering better service, clearer expectations and a more responsive approach to public‑facing projects.”

Irving’s career, including roles at the Lansing Board of Water & Light and at Fishbeck in Grand Rapids, includes leading large infrastructure portfolios, improving project delivery systems and supporting programs that protect safety and help communities grow. Irving is a licensed professional engineer in Michigan and was named the 2025 Engineer of the Year by the Western Chapter of the Michigan Society of Professional Engineers. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Environmental and Civil Engineering from Michigan Technological University.

Deputy City Manager Kate Berens said Irving’s leadership over the past year demonstrated her deep understanding of the City’s engineering needs and her proven ability to guide complex public‑sector projects.

“Cindy has shown exceptional leadership in the interim role, keeping our engineering work moving forward without interruption,” Berens said. “She helped shape this year’s proposed budget, using the expertise that she has developed leading the City’s Vital Streets program for several years.  More importantly, Cindy’s experience in practical problem solving will continue to evolve the City’s Engineering services, helping to support the community through the sometimes challenging process of designing and constructing our critical capital investments.”

Irving has been a key part of the City’s ongoing efforts to enhance construction engagement and communications with residents and businesses. With her appointment, the City is transferring the focus of a portion of the business support specialist contract into the engineering department.

The City plans to continue to contract with Richard App in FY 2027 as well, to expand the work he began as a retail retention and attraction specialist. App has supported the City, Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. and the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce since 2022 in efforts to attract and keep local shops and reduce first‑floor vacancies.

“Supporting our small businesses and ensuring they have clear, consistent information during construction is a top priority for both my office and the City Commission,” Washington said. “Strengthening our communication efforts, both with businesses and with their customers, helps businesses plan ahead, reduces disruptions, and reinforces our commitment to a vibrant, resilient retail environment in every part of Grand Rapids. This work is essential as we continue investing in the long‑term infrastructure that keeps our city moving forward.”

Irving has worked with App in these efforts, and notes that the partnership has played an important role in helping small businesses navigate retail changes and major construction projects.

“Rich has strong relationships with our business owners and he helps us understand what they need,” Irving said. “Having him directly support our capital project teams, translating the needs and challenges of small business into how we manage capital projects, we feel is the right move to demonstrate how important these small businesses are to the vibrancy of our community.  Our infrastructure investments are just that – investments in the future of our community and are intended to help our residents and businesses thrive.  I am excited about leading the team with his additional small business expertise.”

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