Eileen P. Fogarty, director of Planning & Zoning for the city of Alexandria, Virginia since 2000, has been named to take charge of Santa Monica’s Planning and Community Development Department in mid-September.
The announcement was made by City Manager P. Lamont Ewell on July 14, culminating a cross-country search for a new director of the department.
Fogarty has 23 years of planning director experience, in Santa Cruz and in Annapolis, Maryland in addition to Alexandria, and she is known as an agency “turn-around specialist” with a proven track record in community outreach, resolving conflicts and building consensus, according to the City Manager’s office.
“I am very impressed with Ms. Fogarty’s success in redesigning processes and in bringing together the residential and development communities in each city she’s worked in,” said Ewell. “She brings a wealth of knowledge in areas of real concern to Santa Monica, including smart growth, green technology, comprehensive planning, preservation and affordable housing. I look forward to introducing Eileen to the Council, staff and community later this summer.”
Fogarty has a B.A. from the University of New Hampshire and an M.A. from Rutgers University, the state university of New Jersey. She is the winner of American Planning Association awards in California, Maryland and Virginia and is a former member (2003) of the Board of Directors of the Urban Land Institute.
“I have valued my experience in Alexandria where I had the opportunity to partner with both the residential and business communities to establish a meaningful public participation process,” said Fogarty, “ensuring that public benefits and high community expectations were identified for all new development.
“I look forward to the opportunity to come to a city like Santa Monica where inclusiveness is valued and there is an established tradition of community involvement and commitment to livability and quality of life.”
In announcing Fogarty’s appointment, Ewell also had high praise for Andy Agle, who has held the director position for more than a year in an acting capacity since former director Suzanne Frick took a similar job in Long Beach. “Andy has done an outstanding job,” said Ewell, “and I am glad he’ll remain a vital part of the City’s Planning & Community Development team.”
