By Lookout Staff
September 29, 2009 -- Jason Parry, who has been a member of the Housing Commission for 11 years, was appointed to Santa Monica's powerful Planning Commission by the City Council last week.
Parry will replace Terry O'Day, who resigned last month from the commission, which has long been a stepping stone to a council seat.
A staunch advocate for affordable housing, Parry lost to Winterer by a 4 to 3 vote in his bid to be appointed to the seven-member commission in May.
Parry, who chaired the Housing Commission from 1999 to 2006, said he wants to apply the principles outlined in the update to the City's Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE) with "special emphasis on protecting the health, safety, and existing housing stock of Santa Monica neighborhoods."
He also wrote in his application that he wants to "maintain the overall scale and character of our city, while continuing to address gaps in housing affordability and diversify our housing stock to meet the varied needs of our community.”
Parry's appointment comes as the Planning Commission and City Council are putting the finishing touches on the LUCE update, which has been more than three years in the making.
The document, which should be drafted by the end of the year, dictates where development will take place and how tall buildings can go, and outlines strategies to fight traffic congestion. ("Setting Benefits for Development," July 8, 2009)
For the most part, the council and the Planning Commission have agreed on the direction of the LUCE, but there have been sharp differences over the height bonus that will be given to developers in exchange for “community benefits.” (“Proposed Building Heights Stir Debate,” July 3, 2008)
The appointments of Parry and Winterer are expected to do little to change the tenure or make up of the commission, which has undergone a radical change over the past five years.
Once generally opposed to development, the board has become more lenient and includes two architects with major projects in the City.
Of the seven members, only Winterer -- a council candidate who helped lead a failed ballot initiative to curb commercial development -- and Jay Johnson are considered slow-growth advocates. Johnson's term expires next June.
