I want to formally say hello and welcome you to our website.  We are here to address your needs and to enhance the quality of life for all who live, work, recreate and visit our fine City.  We recognize that these are tough economic times and that the task is immense.  The City of Inglewood, like other municipalities will seek to grow its way out of the economic crisis with sound development and balanced-growth strategies.  We encourage all of you to participate in the future development of the City to ensure that we strengthen our community through hard work, comprehensive planning, promoting the greater good and solid implementation strategies.  If there is anything we can do to assist you, please let us know.  As public servants we are here to serve you.

Sincerely,

Sheldon Curry     

Sheldon Curry has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from U.C.L.A. and a Master of Arts degree in Urban Planning from U.C.L.A.  He has served the Inglewood community for 25 years.  Primarily, his service has been in land use, zoning and planning where he has served in many capacities including:

•  Senior Planner (responsible for the City’s Current Planning)

• Planning Manager (responsible for directing, planning and organizing the daily functions of the Planning Division)

• Planning and Building Director (responsible for providing direction and oversight of the operations of the Planning and Building & Safety Divisions)

•  Acting Assistant City Administrator for the Hollywood Park Mixed-use Project (appointed by the City Council to help facilitate the proposed 238-acre mixed use project that includes 2,995 residential units and 700,000+ square feet of retail/office uses, a four-acre civic site, several parks, a lake, and other amenities at the Hollywood Park Race Track)

•   Assistant City Administrator for Development.

Mr. Curry has had a significant role in the review, processing, preparation, facilitation, planning and/or approval of many projects including the following:

• A 42.7-acre, 500,000 square-foot retail commercial center at 3311 West Century Boulevard that includes the 100,000+ square-foot Home Depot and Target stores
• An approximate 140,000 square-foot Costco store with a 35,000 square-foot multi-tenant retail center north of Costco
• An approximate 200,000 square-foot retail center that includes a Red Lobster restaurant, a Chili’s restaurant, Bed, Bath and Beyond, Ross and Marshall’s
• A 375-unit low-density residential development north of the Hollywood Park Race Track
• A 120,000 square-foot Home Depot store just west of the 405 Freeway
• Updates of the City’s Housing Element and General Plan
• Text amendments to the Zoning Code that include establishing or changing regulations that addressed issues for reasonable accommodation; transitional housing; requiring special use permits for most types of alcohol sales; and design overlays for some areas of the City.

As the Assistant City Administrator for Development Mr. Curry has the responsibility of providing direction and oversight in leading the development arm of Administration for the City of Inglewood.  The departments and divisions that make up the development arm of the City include the Community Development Department (Economic Development, Redevelopment, Housing and Community Development Block Grants), Planning and Building Department, and the Residential Sound Insulation Department.  He is responsible for assisting the City Administrator and the City Council/Inglewood Redevelopment Agency in developing and implementing a comprehensive development strategic plan that will foster the future growth and development of Inglewood.  A successful plan shall improve the City’s built environment, increase tax revenue, and enhance the quality of life for the residents, businesses, workers and visitors to the City of Inglewood.  He believes that productive, substantive, positive and longstanding changes are products of good/creative planning, hard work and maximizing our efforts/assets.  Mr. Curry has commenced reviewing each division/department to assess each unit of the development arm to address areas that need to improve with regard to efficiency and service delivery as well as identifying where the subject unit needs training, additional staffing and/or resources, better deployment and utilization of personnel, and other areas.  Another aspect of his responsibility is to assist the City Council and City Administrator in re-establishing a viable, consistent organizational structure resulting in a more efficient entity.

Mr. Curry has been a contributing participant at workshops and conferences over the years and served as a panelist for the following:

• 1992 Los Angeles Planning Forum in Compton participating in discussions regarding “Social Equity”
• 1992 California Chapter of the American Planning Association (CCAPA) annual conference in Pasadena where he was a speaker on a panel discussing “Social Equity and Planning”
• 1999 California American Planning Association (APA) Conference “Celebrating Diversity” in Bakersfield where he was a speaker on a panel discussing “Visions for the African American in California’s 21^st Century”
• 2001 “Land Use Law and Planning Conference: Updates, Trends and Assessments” in Los Angeles where he was a speaker on a panel discussing “Coping with LULU’s-Sorting out the Laws (Group Homes)”   
• 2006 California Chapter of the American Planning Association (CCAPA) annual conference in Garden Grove where he was a speaker on a panel discussing “Bringing Poverty and Social Justice Issues into Mainstream Planning”

He has been involved in several charitable and community endeavors including formerly serving on advisory boards for the UCLA Upward Bound Program, Inglewood YMCA Board of Managers, is a past President of the Inglewood YMCA Board, and has participated in local mentoring programs in Inglewood and View Park Prep High School.