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The San Ramon City Council is set to talk Tuesday about the process for appointing another new planning commissioner following the resignation of a sitting member of the commission ahead of the expiration of her term in 2025.
The city clerk’s office learned on April 17 that Planning Commissioner Corie Edwards would be resigning effective May 17, more than two years before the end of her term in June 2025. Staff are asking the City Council to discuss filling the vacancy on the commission and provide them with direction at their next regular meeting this week.
Edwards is a real estate attorney and partner at a San Francisco law firm, whose current term on the commission began in 2021. Her resignation from the Planning Commission is the second the five-member body has seen this year, coming on the heels of Rick Marks’ resignation from the commission last month, ahead of the expiration of his term in June. Marks’ seat was filled by S. Ashar Ahmed, who is set to remain for a term that ends in 2027.
Filling the vacancy is particularly critical, according to city staff, due to the current process of updating the city’s General Plan, including the Housing Element, with associated measures required to have a four out of five vote from commissioners as well as council members.
“With the adoption and certification of the Housing Element in February, staff is proceeding with amending the General Plan and Zoning Ordinance to align with the Certified Housing Element. Measure G (1999), requires that subsequent amendments to the General Plan be adopted by a 4/5 vote of the City Council after recommendation in favor of such amendment is made by a 4/5 vote of the Planning Commission following a minimum of three public hearings before both the Planning Commission and City Council,” acting city clerk Joan Snashall wrote in a staff report prepared for the upcoming meeting.
Staff are asking the council to consider appointing one of the eight applicants who were considered to fill Marks’ seat last month, or to continue recruitment efforts for a term that would begin in July. Selecting from the existing applicant pool would allow the new commissioner to begin their term sooner, ahead of a joint meeting with the commission and the council set for the end of this month.
“As with past General Plan Updates, the first public hearing is held jointly with the City Council and Planning Commission, and is scheduled for May 30, 2023,” Snashall said. “If a Commissioner is appointed from the eight applicants who recently interviewed, the Commissioner would have the benefit of participating in the May 30, 2023 public hearing.”
In addition to the two recent resignations, the Planning Commission will see Commissioner Jean Kuznik’s term expire in June.
The City Council’s upcoming regular meeting is set for Tuesday (May 9) at 7 p.m. The agenda is available here.
