Alan Block Recommended for Planning Commission

An interview panel has unanimously recommended to City Council that Alan Block, who serves on Beverly Hills' Recreation and Parks Commission, fill the vacant seat on the Planning Commission. 

Council is expected to approve the appointment at its Dec. 18 meeting.

"I'm thrilled," Block told Patch about the recommendation. "I consider it a privilege to live in Beverly Hills. I love this city and I enjoy giving my time back." 

A senior partner at Block & Block in Century City, Block said his experience as a land use attorney will aid his planning commission responsibilities.

"I'm looking forward to being involved in the Gateway Project," he said. "I know there's going to be a whole bunch of public hearings regarding the R1 [residential] development standards and I look forward to that. I'm also looking forward to seeing if there's going to be a modification of the 9900 Wilshire Project."

Councilman Barry Brucker, Councilwoman Lili Bosse, Planning Commission Chair Craig Corman and Planning Commission Vice Chair Brian Rosenstein unanimously recommended Block's appointment as part of the Planning Commission Interview Panel.

"We are very lucky that he is willing to serve on the Planning Commission," Bosse said at the Dec. 4 council meeting when the recommendation was made. "It is such an important commission and he was definitely the most qualified." 

Block moved to Beverly Hills in 1984. He has served on the Board of Directors at Temple Emanuel, volunteered as a coach and manager for Beverly Hills Little League and AYSO soccer, and has been appointed to various council committees pertaining to business development.

A member of the Recreation and Parks Commission since 2007, Block was the commission chair in 2011-12. His wife, Jan, is also an active member of the community, having served as president of the Beverly Hills Education Foundation while Block was on the BHEF Board of Directors. The couple have two sons who both attended El Rodeo and Beverly Hills High School.

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