City Councilman Ed Reyes, Michael LoGrande, Mayor Villaraigosa and his broken arm
A press room on the third floor of City Hall was crowded with a planning-centric group this morning as everyone from Planning Commission member Michael Woo to Building and Safety head Bud Ovrom to Will Wright, Director, Government & Public Affairs for AIA Los Angeles, watched as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced nominee* (updated, he must still be confirmed by City Council) Michael LoGrande, the city’s chief zoning administrator as the head of Planning Dept. Comments from the Mayor and City Councilman and Planning and Land Use Committee's Ed Reyes, focused not on a grand visionary plan for the department--the kind of talk that kicked off former planning director Gail Goldberg's tenure--but a need to get the local economy going, and specifically "have a greater sense of customer service," in terms of the dept, according to the Mayor. LoGrande is an official "who gets things done," said the Mayor. In terms of some his immediate planning goals, LoGrande mentioned the Mayor's 30-10 plan and the need to build around the city's planned transportation projects.
Additionally, he referenced the need to update the city's zoning codes, some of which date back to the 1960s. This was an issue that the developer of downtown's Evo faced, as building codes literally had to be re-written for the project
Meanwhile, in his remarks, Reyes spoke about his goals for the Planning Department, including integrating "planning with the bicycle culture." "Yeaah!" responded the Mayor, pointing to his recently broken arm. And broken in eight places, according to the Times. LA Observed has the press release on LoGrande's appointment.
· Michael LoGrande Said to Be Next Planning Head [Curbed LA]
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