To vastly oversimplify things, if City Council is the Major Leagues of reviewing development agreements, then the Planning Commission is Triple-A and the Architectural Review Board is Double-A.
The ARB tweaks development agreements, or gives recommendations, very early in the development agreement process and after an agreement has been approved by council. With the departure of ARB member Kevin Daly, council is looking to fill a slot that ends next year.
Seven applicants have thrown their hat in the ring.
Joseph Marek is a landscape architect who's lived in Santa Monica since 1994 and filed an application for the board in September.
"I hope that the ARB will continue to have a role in guiding the rapid development going on in Santa Monica," he said in his application.
Emmanuelle Bourlier, the CEO of Panelite, which develops materials for architects, also dropped an application off in September.
A Santa Monica resident since 1999, Bourlier hopes "to contribute my experience in building materials, sustainability, architecture and urban environments to the thoughtful development of Santa Monica's vital natural, cultural and built character," she said in her application.
Joshua Hadley Rosen, another landscape architect who applied for the board in September, has lived in Santa Monica for years.
"My goal is to utilize a perspective and experience grounded in landscape architecture to preserve and enhance the unique beauty and vibrancy of Santa Monica," he said.
Jodi Summers, a real estate broker who also serves as a member of the Civic Working Group and the Action Apartment Association, filed her application on Halloween and hopes "to keep Santa Monica one of the most architecturally dynamic and aesthetically pleasing cities in the country."
Patrick Robert Moore, a design-oriented principal of an architecture firm, filed for the board in April.
"My general goal is to provide high quality feedback based on my unique perspective and experience," he said. "Good design, as Margaret Griffin and so many others have taught me, starts with creating a framework for decision-making that is centered around 'the big idea'. However, it is equally important to sustain a high level of attention to detail when creating and critiquing good design."
Craig Abbott Hamilton, an architect with a Los Angeles firm, applied for the board slot in May.
"We are facing questions of how to adapt, preserve and manage our physical environment in the context of climate change, rising real estate values, traffic, the coming light rail and our water crisis," he said.
Don L. Allen, a retired architect applied for the board in 2011 but reapplied last week.
"I am excited about the possibility to work with your Board and share my vision and ideas to make a positive difference for the community and City of Santa Monica," he said.
Council has an unwritten rule that it tries to appoint board members when all members of council are present. A vote on the ARB slot has been delayed a few times because of absences.
dave@www.smdp.com
