By Jonathan Friedman
Lookout Staff

February 25, 2010 -- A majority of the City Council on Tuesday voted against Council member Kevin McKeown’s call to stop public meetings on development agreements until City leaders finalize the update to the General Plan’s Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE).

However, Planning Director Eileen Fogarty said the LUCE will take precedent over development agreements at upcoming Planning Commission and City Council meetings.

McKeown said his plan would put an end to public “confusion” and free up City staff time to address the LUCE. His concept was praised by several residents attending the meeting, including those living in the vicinity of the six major projects totaling nearly 2 million square feet proposed for Santa Monica’s east end.

Attorneys representing various developers who would be affected by McKeown’s proposal blasted the idea.

This year there have been three development agreements presented to the Planning Commission in what are called float-up sessions. In these meetings, commissioners and public speakers are able to ask questions and make comments on projects that are at least a year away from application hearings. More float ups are coming up for the Planning Commission and City Council.

City Council member Richard Bloom said “the process is working.” Only Council member Gleam Davis sided with McKeown. The man at the short of the 5-2 vote said he was disappointed “the majority of the council appears not to share my concerns.”

“I disagree that everything is fine,” McKeown said. “I don’t share the sunny view that this is a process at this moment that is serving the public as well as you might do … if the process isn’t working, we’ll hear about it. And I trust we will.”

Mayor Pro Tem Pam O’Connor said it was not true other council members did not share McKeown’s concerns. She said they just disagreed with his approach to the issue.

Also during the meeting, it was revealed that three planning commissioners, including Chair Hank Koning, want to hold a meeting at which the six developments proposed for the city’s east end are discussed as a whole. Fogarty said that meeting should take place, but not until after the LUCE process is done.

The LUCE will set the vision for the next two decades of City planning. The draft version of the document and the Environmental Impact Report are being reviewed by City officials. The City Council is expected to finalize the LUCE in the spring.