Pasadena’s Chief Planner Resigns Following Criticism
City Planning and Permitting Director Darrell Lewis has resigned after serving two years, during which time many of the city’s veteran planners left.
Lewis, 41, was scheduled to return from a two-month medical leave this week but instead informed City Manager Cynthia Kurtz he would leave his $94,000-a-year position.
Since coming to Pasadena from Duluth, Minn., Lewis has overseen plans to develop the former Ambassador College and the replacement of the Plaza Pasadena mall.
Since his arrival, 15 members of the planning staff have quit. Senior planner Alex Khoury sent a resignation letter to the City Council in April that said: “The deterioration of the work environment and morale in our planning and permitting department over the last 19 months, with no improvement in sight, has led me to the conclusion that it is time to move on.”
Lewis also drew criticism from the city’s powerful preservation lobby, which accused him of favoring the interests of business over preservation.
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