Craig Lawson has over 45 years of experience in the public and private sectors, including 24 years as President and Founding Partner of Craig Lawson & Co., LLC (“CLC”), 12 years at C.W. Cook Co., Inc., a well-known Los Angeles land use planning, civil engineering and surveying firm, and nearly 10 years as urban planning, transportation policy, and economic development advisor to former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley.

With more than 40 years of public and private sector experience, Craig has developed an expertise in zoning research and land use analysis, entitlement strategies, project timelines, and obtaining local government approvals for complex and multi-phase development projects.  CLC has successfully represented and secured entitlement approvals on many of the larger development projects in Downtown Los Angeles, including the Metropolis megaproject, the Circa high-rise condo project, and various large-scale projects for Brookfield, Mitsui, Jamison Properties, The Hanover Company and Holland Partner Group. The firm has successfully processed over 100 projects in Downtown Los Angeles, gaining approvals for more than 15,000 housing units and over 2 million square feet of commercial, retail, hotel, and office space.

Under Craig’s leadership, CLC coordinated the entitlement process for schools, churches, synagogues, hospitals, and museums including Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Zumthor designed building), LA LGBT Center (headquarters and senior housing), Emerson College, Southwestern Law School, Harvard-Westlake School, Temple Israel, Temple Beth Am, St. Matthew’s Parish School, Crespi Carmelite, Kaiser Permanente Hospitals and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.  CLC has successfully processed land use entitlement applications for thousands of affordable housing units being developed by nonprofit developers including Abode Communities, A Community of Friends, SRO Housing Corp., Skid Row Housing Trust, PATH Ventures, Mercy Housing, and the Weingart Center.

Craig has served as an Expert Witness in dozens of zoning and land use matters (including court testimony) and has managed the land use entitlement process for hundreds of mixed use, residential, commercial, institutional and affordable housing projects.  He is active in community leadership and serves on the Advisory Board of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Los Angeles Chapter, as an appointed member of the ULI National Product Council on Transit Oriented Development, and is an elected member of Lambda Alpha International (an honorary land economics society).

A native of West Los Angeles, Craig has a B.A. Degree in Business Economics and Political Science (double major) from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and has done graduate work at the University of Southern California.

Jim Ries has been with Craig Lawson & Co., LLC since its inception in 1999, prior to which he was an urban planner at several other firms including Bobrow Thomas Associates, Malibu Bay Company, and C.W. Cook Co., Inc. Jim has over 30 years of experience in architecture, development and land use entitlements and is a recognized land use entitlement expert focusing on affordable/permanent supportive housing and density bonus projects. He is also an expert on high-rise and mid-rise mixed-use projects in Downtown Los Angeles, the Downtown Arts District, and Central City West, and has successfully secured approvals for numerous adaptive reuse projects.

For the last several years, Jim has participated as an Industry Instructor in specialized classes sponsored by the UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate which provides training to staff members of affordable housing development companies.

A native of Los Angeles, Jim has a B.A. Degree in Political Science and a Master’s in Urban Planning, both from UCLA. Jim is currently the Chair of the City of Santa Monica Planning Commission.

Donna Shen Tripp has over 25 years of experience in community planning and economic development, zoning analyses, land use entitlements, and representation of land development projects. She has successfully entitled thousands of units of both affordable and market-rate housing, as well as dozens of school and commercial projects. Prior to joining CLC in 2012, she served as Regional Manager of a land use consulting firm that specializes in Coastal projects.  Among her successes there include entitling through the California Coastal Commission two public recreational and marina community center spaces in Orange County. Donna has served as Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Community Planning and Development (CPD) at the U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Department.  While at HUD as a U.S. Presidential Management Fellow (PMF), Donna was involved with CPD’s affordable housing, homeless assistance, community planning and economic development programs and grants, including overseeing HUD’s first Rural Housing Economic Development NOFA.

Since 2020, Donna has been an Adjunct Instructor at the University of Southern California (USC) for the Master’s in Real Estate Development program. Donna has served on the Board of Directors of L.A. Family Housing and is a current and active member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) – Los Angeles, Valley Industry Commerce Association (VICA) where she serves on the Land Use Committee, and Everychild Foundation where she serves on the Policy & Activism Committee.  She has a B.A. Degree in Sociology and Government from Georgetown University, a Master of Science degree in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University, and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Diego.

Shane joined CLC in 2015 and has since conducted zoning due diligence and managed the entitlement process for hundreds of mixed-income residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial development projects throughout California.  Prior to joining CLC, Shane was a Senior Associate at Chattel, Inc., a historic preservation consulting firm.  During his 5 years at Chattel, Inc., he advised public, private, and non-profit sector clients on issues and opportunities associated with historic designations and eligibility determinations, and he secured local, state, and federal approvals for adaptive reuse and rehabilitation of historic properties throughout the West.  He worked closely with staff at the Los Angeles Department of City Planning and other local governments and community groups on historic preservation and associated land use issues.  Shane has also served on the Board of Directors and Planning and Land Use Committee of Los Angeles’ Mid City West Neighborhood Council.  This experience has enabled him to be especially effective in conducting community outreach for projects requiring discretionary approval.

Shane has B.S. degrees in Public Policy, Management, & Planning and Business Administration from the University of Southern California (USC), where he graduated cum laude and received the Order of the Laurel and Palm (top 1% of his class).  He remains actively involved at USC, where he has served as Chair of the USC Alumni Real Estate Network, President of the USC Price School of Public Policy Alumni Association, member of the USC Alumni Association Board of Governors, and mentor to current students. Shane is a frequently invited guest speaker at USC on topics related to historic preservation and the land use entitlement process.

Coming soon.

Andie has over 27 years of experience working in urban planning, design, and land use including over 20 years with CLC.  Prior to joining CLC, she worked on residential and urban infill projects at Killefer Flammang Architects (KFA).  While at CLC, Andie has coordinated complex land use analyses and application packages for the LACMA Project, the Metropolis Mega-Project, and McCormack, Baron, Salazar’s and Metro’s transit-oriented Joint Development projects including the Taylor Yard Project (a mixed-use, mixed-income project with over 400 residential units and over 25,0000 square feet of retail and commercial space on a 17.75-acre site), the MacArthur Park Project (a mixed-use affordable project with 172 residential units and over 32,000 square feet of retail at the Westlake/MacArthur Park Metro Station) and the Highland Park Transit Village Project (a mixed-income project with 119 residential units at the Highland Park Metro Station). 

Andie is an active member of the Central City Association (CCA) in Los Angeles.  She has a B.A. Degree in Economics from the University of California, Irvine, and a Master’s Degrees in Urban Planning and Architecture from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Josh joined Craig Lawson & Co., LLC as a Project Manager in 2019 and has over a decade of experience in planning, real estate development, land use entitlements and economic development in Southern California. He has successfully managed the land use entitlement process for complex projects throughout the Los Angeles region, including large mixed-use projects, market-rate residential, permanent supportive housing, office, retail, charter schools, hospital and industrial projects. 

In addition to being an expert on affordable housing incentives/streamlining, Josh has worked on a number of high-profile projects, including the redevelopment of the former MWD headquarters into a mixed-use campus, the Cumulus mixed-use development and the Shay Hotel at Ivy Station. He has also handled complex entitlement applications for regional hospital expansions and secured approvals for a number of large industrial/logistics facilities.

Prior to joining Craig Lawson & Co., LLC, Josh was the Director of Real Estate and Planning for the South Park Business Improvement District (SPBID) in Downtown Los Angeles where he led economic development efforts for one of the fastest growing neighborhoods in the country.  Josh has experience working on the public, private and non-profit sides of land use planning and has worked on Public Private Partnerships with various government agencies including the Los Angeles Planning Department, Los Angeles City Council, Los Angeles County Metro, the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office and Los Angeles Department of Transportation.

Josh has previous experience at Jones Lang La Salle, the Downtown Center Business Improvement District (DCBID) for Downtown Los Angeles and Kosmont Companies. He has served on the Board of Directors and Government Liaison Committee for the Downtown Loa Angeles Neighborhood Council (DLANC).

Josh earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Diego and his B.A. in Sociology from the University of Maryland.

Jessica joined CLC in August of 2014.  She has conducted zoning and land use analyses and managed the processing of discretionary entitlement requests for numerous projects including the Jewish Family Service headquarters project in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles, Madame Tussauds Hollywood rooftop restaurant and bar, and several permanent supportive housing projects in Downtown Los Angeles, West Los Angeles, and the San Fernando Valley.  Prior to joining CLC, Jessica was an Associate at Urban One where she coordinated the environmental review for the Downtown L.A. Streetcar Project.  Before that, Jessica worked at the USC Real Estate and Asset Management Department where she was responsible for assisting in compliance with mitigation measures of the USC Specific Plan.  Jessica has been active with the Urban Land Institute - Los Angeles and the Central City Association (CCA). 

Jessica earned her Master’s Degree in Urban Planning at the University of Southern California, concentrating in both Transportation and the Preservation and Design of the Built Environment.  She also holds a B.A. in Anthropology and Sociology from Whittier College.

Aimee Luan joined Craig Lawson & Co., LLC in 2016. She specializes in research and preparation of land use and zoning reports as well as entitlement applications for various projects. Prior to joining Craig Lawson & Co., LLC, Aimee was a Community Development Assistant at the City of Reno, where she directly worked with residents and developers to address development concerns that relate to planning and zoning issues. Her responsibilities expanded during her two years at the City of Reno to include providing preliminary plan check on minor residential building permits, reviewing business license applications for appropriate zoning and parking standards, preparing public notices for city hearings, and verifying all existing off-site signs within city limits.

Aimee has a B.S. Degree in both Economics and Finance from the University of Nevada – Reno and her Master’s Degree in Planning from the University of Southern California.

Jon joined Craig Lawson & Co., LLC in 2019.   Prior to working at CLC, Jon was a Development Associate and a Preconstruction Associate for Jamison Properties in Los Angeles.  Jon previously also worked in City National Bank’s Real Estate Division and as an Analyst for Valbridge Property Advisors.  Jon is one of CLC’s experts on industrial development projects, having successfully advised on and secured approvals for a number of warehouse/logistics facilities.  He has also conducted zoning analyses, advised on, and secured approvals for several 100% affordable and Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) projects in Los Angeles.  Additionally, Jon has provided zoning and land use analysis and entitlement services on dozens of complex mixed-use, transit-adjacent development proposals. 

A native of Los Angeles, Jon is a graduate of Harvard-Westlake School and received his B.A. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Jamie joined Craig Lawson & Co., LLC in 2015 where she specializes in the preparation of entitlement applications for numerous projects located in the Downtown Los Angeles area and across the City.  Jamie manages the land use analysis and entitlement process for Small Lot Subdivisions and Specific Plan Project Permits and coordinated the land use entitlements for a complex social services project in Hollywood.  Prior to working at Craig Lawson & Co., LLC, Jamie worked at the Taylor Group in Los Angeles (a land use consultancy) where she processed Conditional Use Permits for the sale of alcoholic beverages (CUBs), and worked on projects subject to the Ventura-Cahuenga Boulevard Corridor Specific Plan and the Mulholland Scenic Parkway Specific Plan.

Jamie earned her Master of Public Policy degree from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.  Jamie has a B.A. in Music from Colby College and she is an E-RYT-200 certified yoga instructor.  Jamie is also a member of the Westside Urban Forum (WUF) and is an appointed member of the Palms Neighborhood Council where she services on the Planning and Land Use Committee.

Luke joined Craig Lawson & Co., LLC as an Assistant Project Manager in the Spring of 2022.  Luke has conducted zoning analysis, and prepared, successfully filed and processed numerous entitlement applications, including several for private and public charter schools throughout the Los Angeles region.  Luke also has provided land use analysis and entitlement services for a number of mixed-use and multi-family residential development projects.  Prior to joining CLC, Luke worked as a production assistant and project manager for several production companies. 

A native Angeleno, Luke is a graduate of Viewpoint School and received his B.A. in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Gabriel joined Craig Lawson & Co., LLC as an Assistant Project Manager in the summer of 2023. He assists on various affordable housing and Permanent Supportive Housing projects, health institutions, and industrial development projects by conducting zoning analysis, preparing entitlement applications, and coordinating project management activities. He has extensive professional experience in research, analysis, project management, public-private partnerships, and transit-oriented development. Gabriel has previously worked as an Associate Transportation Planner for LA Metro working on joint development initiatives on Metro-owned properties.  He also was an Associate at the Urban Land Institute – Los Angeles where he helped develop and coordinate programming related to current land use planning and development trends, and worked on ULI-LA’s Technical Advisory Panels.

Gabriel earned his Master of Science degree in Urban & Regional Planning from Harvard University. He has his Bachelors degree in Urban & Environmental Policy and Economics from Occidental College.