City Manager Peter Grant announced the appointment of Alicia Velasco as Planning Director for the City of Cypress. “Alicia’s 17 years of public and private sector experience have prepared her well to join the Cypress team,” said Grant. “Her peers describe her as someone with the “figure it out” gene and who understands the complex nature of local, state, and federal land use and environmental regulation.”
Velasco spent the last 13 years with the City of Lomita, serving as its Community and Economic Development Director. In Lomita, Velasco managed two certifications of the City’s Housing Element, developed the Downtown Vision and Retail Strategy, and a job creation and business incentive program.
Alicia lives in Long Beach with her husband, two young daughters, and their dog Julia. When not working, she spends her free time enjoying the beach, socializing with her neighbors, and riding her bike.
“I am very excited to bring my knowledge and experience to the wonderful City of Cypress. I look forward to getting to work, meeting my new colleagues, and most importantly serving the City’s residents and businesses as their next Planning Director”, stated Velasco.
Velasco joins Cypress at an important time as it begins to update its Housing Element to comply with a State-mandated Regional Housing Needs Allocation and launches its Neighborhood Preservation Program.
Grant closed with, “We’re excited for Alicia to get started on August 24 and I want to thank Public Works Director Doug Dancs and our planning team for their great work on behalf of the community.”
This article was released by the City of Cypress.