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“I am very curious how we are linking our housing element with our economic sustainability,” Landres said, stating it would also be very helpful moving forward if commissioners understood what tools were available to incentivize the building of affordable units.

Planning Commission Chair Shawn Landres said he shared the concerns of equity — and after some back-and-forth, commissioners agreed there may be better and more equitable ways to accomplish the city’s goals. …“A lot can happen over the next six months in the middle of an economically volatile situation,” Landres said…. “I think we need

…Commissioner Shawn Landres added, “We may be voting for something that is highly aspirational — I want to caution that I think that we have certainly loaded up this set of recommendations and I’m mindful that the ultimate negotiations will be conducted by the City Council — but I think we’ve done a good job

Commissioner Shawn Landres, who voted in favor of the proposal, also said he was concerned that the proposal could be seen as a broad policy change for only a few projects and wanted to ensure that Tier 3 projects will continue to be subject to a public design review process before doing away with development

Landres said the city needs to figure out a way to require developers to include more moderate-income housing and eliminate parking requirements citywide. “We have to come up with the right income levels for the housing that we want and will be required to produce under the state housing allocation,” he said. “What you want

Commissioner Shawn Landres said he thinks Santa Monica will not only have to permit taller buildings along its commercial boulevards and near transit, but also densify its residential neighborhoods by allowing duplexes and triplexes on single-family lots and encouraging homeowners to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in their backyards. He also said the city must

Before approving the project, acting Planning Commission chair Shawn Landres said the Architectural Review Board should require the architect to break up the building. “I would like the ARB to ensure that the final product does not give us [the appearance of] one big mass of a building on Santa Monica Boulevard,” Landres said.

[Commissioner Richard] McKinnon, Commissioner Jim Ries and Landres led a motion to make several economic recommendations to the City Council, including a ban on chain businesses, local hiring requirements and financial incentives for legacy businesses. “We’re trying to create a playing field that allows locals to open businesses and be able to compete for space

The council passed the IZO to try to keep Santa Monica’s smaller, more affordable homes from being replaced with mansions. Permanent modifications to the city’s development standards are likely to reflect that purpose, said Commissioner Shawn Landres. “We want to encourage remodeling rather than rebuilding homes, although we recognize there are situations where a rebuild

“It is clear with this type of approach there are opportunities to both amplify both the inclusion and the effectiveness and the street life that the Promenade represents,” said Commissioner Shawn Landres at the meeting.