As any Californian knows, especially the entrepreneurs, local politics influence life, business, and the growth of the area here more than almost any other area in the United States. California’s unique regulatory climate gives a hefty amount of power to local politicians, which makes it all the more important to make sure that the right ones are in the right seats and making the right choices for the future of San Diego. With this significance in mind, Keegan McNamara is endorsing Colin Parent for a seat on the La Mesa City Council.
About Colin Parent
Colin is a La Mesa resident and East County native. Having attended UC San Diego, and subsequently NYU Law School, Colin started his career at DLA Piper, representing clients such as Qualcomm. After joining the Jerry Brown for Governor Campaign in 2010, he was appointed to serve in the Brown Administration, where he worked on policy for topics near and dear to many Californian’s hearts – affordable housing and economic development.
Currently, Colin serves as Policy Council for Circulate San Diego, advocating for public transit, safe, walkable streets, greenhouse gas reduction, and sustainable land uses. He has led a successful campaign for the local transit agency to update their troubled payment system and has successfully organized a bi-partisan coalition to win incentives for building affordable homes near transit, which is where he connected with Keegan McNamara.
Affordable Housing Initiatives
Keegan is a local real estate expert, entrepreneur, and developer in the forthcoming The Guild on 30th development in Golden Hill. “I was particularly impressed by Colin’s work to help the City of San Diego implement new Affordable Housing density regulations,” says Keegan. He adds, “Colin drafted a guidance letter for the City; he took a highly quantitative approach to analyze the density bonus incentives from a developer’s perspective.”
This ability to both collaborate and listen to members of the local business community is a rare and valuable trait for politicians these days. According to Keegan, “His recommendations guided the city’s policy so that the implementation of the regulations are based in reality and will actually encourage the construction of new affordable units.” Keegan continues, “Colin is extremely passionate about affordable housing, and his analysis and the implementation of the guidelines that he wrote will help many families when new projects are built.”
Historically, developers in SoCal have often paid in-lieu fees instead of building affordable units (developers have a choice between paying the fees or building the units in their project). Parent’s hard work ensures that incentives are aligned so that affordable housing is actually built in San Diego. As part of Colin’s work on Affordable Housing Initiatives, he wrote the city’s guideline letter, and tested it in real-world scenarios with a group of developers. Keegan McNamara was a part of the group that stress-tested the regulations with real world examples and pro forma models to see if the incentives would encourage more affordable units to be built. Colin’s thoughtfulness, due diligence, and willingness to solicit feedback from the local industry will be felt in the outcome of San Diego’s community for years to come.
Why Keegan Endorses Colin
“Colin Parent is a dedicated public servant who is passionate about Smart Growth, responsible infill development, and accessible public transit. I know his passion for La Mesa and know that he will be an incredible public servant for the City of La Mesa,” declares Keegan McNamara. Keegan will be co-hosting a fundraising event for Colin Parent on August 29th with fellow developer Mike Burnett at his You Are Here project in Golden Hill. Those interested can see www.ColinParent.com for details.
About Keegan
Keegan McNamara is the founder of McNamara Ventures, an urban infill development company, and MV Properties, a leading San Diego property management company offering the highest level of service in property management, maintenance, and leasing. Keegan holds a Masters in Business Administration from the Rady School of Management at UC San Diego, and is a CA licensed real estate broker.