Urban Land Institute talk to feature John Koos

29-Jul-2010 The Urban Land Institute Orange County/Inland Empire Young Leaders Group invites you to attend a Coffee Talk featuring John Koos, Founding Principal, CORE Development Services. The program will be held on Friday, August 27th, 2010 at 7:30am at Brandman University. Cost is $10 per person.

Mr. Koos began his career as a professional urban planner, working for the City of Orange, County of Orange, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and the Southern California Association of Governments. Prior to co-founding Core Development Services, he applied his knowledge and experience to the wireless industry. At Whalen & Company, he served as the leading entitlements manager and then senior project manager, overseeing a multi-disciplinary team of professionals managing site acquisition through construction.

Over the past decade, clients have turned to him when they’ve needed seemingly impossible land use projects approved. He has also rescued projects heading for denial and transformed them into approvals, including many high profile appeals in the City of Los Angeles and the City of Santa Monica. Additionally, John has been instrumental in working with city staffs to modify city municipal codes in order to serve his clients, including the zoning codes of Los Angeles, Colton, Buena Park, Anaheim and Tustin. Consensus building with affected communities, identification of particular jurisdictional nuances, and long-standing personal and political relationships set John Koos apart from the rest.

Public service is extremely important to John, and he currently serves as the Chair of the City of Brea Planning Commission. He previously served as a City of Anaheim Planning Commissioner from 1998 to 2003 (serving as Chairman in 2001), the Orange County Transportation Authority’s Citizens Advisory Committee from 1999 to 2003 (Vice Chair, 2001-2003) and successfully ran a $111 million school bond campaign for the Anaheim City School District in 2002. John is also a member of the Orange County Public Affairs Association and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Urban and Regional Planning from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

YLG Coffee Talks are designed to connect senior industry professionals with the next generation of real estate industry leaders in Orange County. Coffee Talks offer a unique opportunity for a small group of professionals, who are under 35 years old, to hear about career steps that led these senior professionals to where they are today. Speakers share personal anecdotes, market outlooks, and career mistakes and successes. Time for Q&A is also allotted to make the meeting interactive and informational.

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