New Planning Commissioner Richard McKinnon explains his philosophy as Santa Monica enters its next phase of development

To the Editor:

September 29, 2011

Santa Monica is in the middle of big change.

Developers are lining up to build hotels, offices, retail, condos, apartment blocks; millions of square feet of development are coming; thousands of new residents. Buildings are springing up across the city. Santa Monica’s desirability has unlocked every single one of these developments.

As a city, we can now get it right, and in a controlled way, grow a great and exciting place to live; or, we can be simply overwhelmed by special interests and pleading, and create an unsustainable mess.

What do we want? A livable, diverse city. A diverse culture. Walkable streets. Complete neighborhoods. A complete city. New ways of controlling traffic. New parks and recreation facilities. New public transport integrated into our lives. A new landscape. A Planning Commission that extracts these concepts from development.

A Commission that challenges private developers' sole focus and entitlement mentality.

We know Santa Monica will change. We want that. Change can extend the benefits of living in Santa Monica. Make it more interesting. Make it better. But we also want protection from unintended or selfish effects. The Planning Commission manages and supervises change; in Santa Monica, it's the most interesting and most important job at the best of times for the city.

The much vaunted LUCE allows and encourages building in Santa Monica. So a Planning Commissioner needs to know our community backwards. Then fight for what matters. Planning Commissioners must argue for what’s valuable in our city; be relevant; keep the big picture of the city in mind.

The Commission isn’t about the status quo. Evidence-based decisions, strong principles and a preparedness to speak up will create new ways of living and organizing in Santa Monica. It’s about knowing when to argue. When to innovative. When to be radical. When to be stubborn.

In a time of huge change, the Planning Commission is about being fearless in resolving the relationship between contemporary and timeless in Santa Monica

And that's the job ahead.

Richard McKinnon
Planning Commissioner