Title
Honoring Jon Arason's Service to the City of Annapolis - For the purpose of honoring Jon Arason's distinguished service to the City of Annapolis as Director of the Department of Planning and Zoning.
Body
CITY COUNCIL OF THE
City of Annapolis
Resolution 20-14
Introduced by: Alderman Littmann
Referred to
Rules and City Government
A RESOLUTION concerning
Honoring Jon Arason's Service to the City of Annapolis
FOR the purpose of honoring Jon Arason's distinguished service to the City of Annapolis as Director of the Department of Planning and Zoning.
WHEREAS, Jon Arason received his Master's Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Virginia and came to the City of Annapolis in 1989 to serve as the Chief of Comprehensive Planning; and
WHEREAS, he was promoted to the Director of the Department of Planning and Zoning in 1996 and was responsible for the administration of a multi-disciplinary, full-service municipal planning and zoning department to include overseeing the approval, permitting and construction of major residential, commercial and mixed-use projects in the City; and
WHEREAS, during his tenure as Director spanning several mayoral administrations, Mr. Arason oversaw the preparation and adoption of two Comprehensive Plans for Annapolis, the first one adopted in 1998 and the current Comprehensive Plan adopted in 2009; and
WHEREAS, he drafted and was responsible for successfully implementing the Moderately Priced Dwelling Unit (work force housing) laws mandating the provision of affordable housing in new developments; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Arason wrote the City's first adequacy of facilities ordinance to ensure that development and redevelopment occurs in concert with the Capital Improvement Program, enables the City to provide adequate public facilities in a timely manner, and achieves the growth objectives of the Comprehensive Plan; and
WHEREAS, he has been a historic preservation advocate by establishing the historic preservation planner position within the Department of Planning and Zoning and his efforts were critical to the City receiving designation as a "Preserve America" community in 2005; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Arason represented the City on the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board, the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Baltimore region, for 27 years by bringing the City's unique perspective to regional planning issues; and
WHEREAS, he was appointed and served on the Governor's land use transition teams in 2006 and 2010; and
WHEREAS, the Maryland Chapter of the American Planning Association honored him with an award for the neighborhood conservation overlay zone written for the Eastport neighborhood in Annapolis and the Outstanding Economic Development project in Maryland for the McNasby's Oyster Company project; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Arason received the Excellence in Preservation award from Historic Annapolis Foundation for the BB&T Bank project; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Arason received the award for the top smart growth project in Maryland and the International Liveable Communities Gold Award for Acton's Landing, the redevelopment of the downtown hospital site that was a very complex project requiring extensive coordination between the Planning Commission and the Historic Preservation Commission and significant public outreach.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE ANNAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL that we applaud Mr. Arason's commitment to the City and citizens of Annapolis and thank him for his many years of honorable service.
EXPLANATION
CAPITAL LETTERS indicate matter added to existing law.
Strikethrough indicates matter stricken from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments.