Rolla Salameh

managing director


Rolla is an innovative and driven accounting professional with 20 years of experience as Corporate Controller. In addition to her successful career managing accounting departments and streamlining processes, Rolla has a degree in accounting and is a certified QB and Xero Pro-Advisor. Her focus goes beyond just the accounting/bookkeeping function, her mantra “ to keep it simple” and her unusual ability to bridge the gap between what has been, what needs to be and what others say cannot be done is what makes her stand out.

TANNER BLACKMAN

principal project manager


Prior to assuming his role at Irvine & Associates, Tanner was a Senior Consultant at Kindel Gagan Public Affairs Advocacy, working on a broad range of real estate development and public policy projects. Tanner was also the Planning Director for LA City Council District 14, overseeing development in Downtown Los Angeles and coordinating the City Council’s Planning & Land Use Management Committee.

Tanner was a Planner for the Los Angeles Dept. of City Planning, drafting several adopted land use Ordinances for the Code Studies Section as well as staffing the Department’s Environmental Review and Division of Land sections.

Tanner has been an adjunct instructor of Urban Planning at USC’s Price School of Public Policy and has been a lecturer for the Southern California Institute of Architecture’s Future Initiatives (SCI-FI) Program. He has been an invited lecturer at universities throughout California as well as the University of Tokyo.

Tanner was a long-term board member of the public art organization Art Share LA, which supports emerging artists and maintains affordable artist housing in DTLA’s Arts District. Tanner has also served on the boards of the Do Art Foundation and the Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre and the Exhibits Committee of the A+D, the Architecture & Design Museum.  He has advised the LA Philharmonic as well as opera & theatre companies, The Industry & The Wilderness. Tanner also helped launch the Triforium Project.

Tanner has served as an elected Director of the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council and on the boards and committees of several professional organizations, including the Urban Land Institute, the American Institute of Architects | LA, and the LA Section of the American Planning Association.

Interests: Tanner is fluent in Japanese enjoys conducting walking history tours of Downtown Los Angeles.

FINANCE CFO HUB 

ANTON AMIRKANIAN

assistant project manager


Anton possesses a dynamic background intertwining land use and a profound understanding of all facets of real estate development. A graduate of the University of Southern California in Urban Studies and Planning, Anton's journey began in Real Estate development, where he cultivated expertise in both the pre-development phase and the intricacies of on-site project construction.


Having served as a Land Use Analyst at Brick Work, Anton specialized in crafting various land use reports, including SB9, ADU, and Multifamily Development reports. His skill set encompasses a comprehensive understanding of zoning codes, and the nuanced aspects of land use.

In his free time, Anton enjoys playing soccer and playing the drums.

william brown

Associate project manager


Will has 5 years of experience managing residential development projects in the City of Los Angeles. At Irvine & Associates, Will is primarily focused on assisting with permit expediting, entitlement application processing, and zoning and entitlement research.


Types of development projects Will contributes on include high-density residential and mixed-use, affordable housing, small tenant improvement permits, and low-density residential including ADU permits. Will uses his background in managing residential development projects to navigate the processes and procedures of Los Angeles’s Dept. of Building and Safety (LADBS) and other city departments.


Before living in Los Angeles, Will grew up in Philadelphia, PA as an avid football, baseball, and basketball fan. Since moving to California, he has worked as a Marketing Manager for a vodka brand before finding his way into a career in real estate development and land-use consulting.


When Will is not processing permits and entitlements, he enjoys spending time outdoors with his dog, Red.

alexandra rahimi

intern


Alexandra is a highly driven individual with a unique educational background in architecture, interior design, and real estate development. Her multidisciplinary expertise has given her a distinct perspective and valuable skills in the fields of land use and urban design.


Currently in her senior year at the University of Southern California, Alexandra is on track to complete her undergraduate studies in May 2024 with a major in Real Estate Development and a minor in Entrepreneurship. Throughout her academic journey, she has consistently demonstrated a commitment to excellence and a passion for exploring innovative solutions in the real estate industry.
 
Beyond her professional pursuits, Alexandra attends to her creative side through painting and playing the piano. 
 

mARTY REINER

project manager


For more than 20 years, Martin Reiner has brought strategic benefit to both public and private sector interests working in the built environment by providing the analytic tools that are critical to forward planning and decision-making. He has substantial experience with infill development, comprehensive planning, land-use, entitlement, design, transportation, sustainable energy, and other critical environmental issues.

Martin’s ability to envision and implement a project has been founded on his analytic and creative strengths and his ability to achieve consensus among decision-makers and private interests. He has provided insight into issues which have helped to problem-solve for complex projects. Martin believes good planning and good design lead to communities which are both environmentally and socially sustainable and which create long-term economic value for business and commercial interests.

Martin has been working inside the California renewable energy market, focusing on projects with a negative carbon footprint that supply renewable fuels to automobiles and commercial fleet vehicles. These projects have been critical to achieving State mandates for reduction in greenhouse gasses. They are incentivized by Federal and State legislation and they are overseen by the California Air Resources Board.

Martin holds a degree from the University of California, Irvine in Land Use & Environmental Policy.

jonathan yang

principal project manager


Jon has over 6 years experience in the public, private and non-profit sectors. Jonathan has been the project manager for a variety of cases in the City of Los Angeles including Conditional Use Permits, Zone Variance, Density Bonus Projects, Transit Oriented Communities Developments, Non-conforming uses, Plan Approvals, Land Use Covenants and more. Jonathan completed his Master of Planning from the University of Southern California and completed his undergraduate work as an Urban Studies and Planning major at the University of California, San Diego.  Jon worked in the transportation field with entities such as MoveSanDiego, a non-profit based in San Diego, the Department of Transportation for the City of Santa Monica and the transportation planning firm Nelson/Nygaard. He has also worked for the public sector for LA City Council District 14 as part of the planning team. Most recently, in the private sector, Jon was the Project Manager for Genesis Consulting, Inc, a land use consultant firm, specializing in alcohol related entitlements within Southern California.

As a Project Manager for Irvine & Associates, Jon specializes in the research, preparation, processing and monitoring of land use entitlement applications with a specialty in hospitality and (affordable) housing policy for a wide variety of projects across the City of Los Angeles. 


Jonathan is fluent is Korean and enjoys spending time with his family and his dog, Codi.

aLEXANDER IRVINE

president & Founder


Since 2004, Alex has developed and maintained extensive and professional knowledge of the City of Los Angeles Zoning Code, L.A. City Planning Department policy documents, various Specific Plans, the Subdivision Map Act for the State of California, State Legislation and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). At Irvine & Associates, Alex leads the team to provide top of the line professional land use and zoning consulting services, including zoning research and land use analysis for complex real estate development projects (retail, mixed use, residential and institutional). Alex has prepared and processed numerous applications such as zone changes, general plan amendments, conditional use permits, zone variances, vesting tentative tract maps, density bonus for on- and off-menu incentives, etc., for land use entitlements in the City of Los Angeles. 

Prior to founding Irvine & Associates, Alex was a Senior Project Manager at Craig Lawson & Co., LLC, a well-known Los Angeles based land use consulting firm, and a planner with the Los Angeles Dept. of City Planning.

Alex has also cultivated an extensive network of contacts with key City officials, qualified architects, environmental (CEQA) consultants, land use attorneys, traffic engineers, community outreach specialists, government relation specialists, civil engineers, land surveyors, appraisers, and other professionals who can be recommended as members of a project team.

In addition to Irvine & Associates, Alex has co-founded brickwork.la, an online platform specializing in providing cost-effective land use feasibility reports within the L.A. Area.

Alex currently sits on the Advisory Board and Housing Committee for the San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission. He also serves on the Executive Board for the Sherman Oaks Chamber of Commerce. Alex is a member of the Central City Association, the Valley Industry and Commerce Association and is a Den Leader for his son’s Cub Scout Pack.

While not practicing land use, Alex enjoys spending time with his family and working on home projects. 

kevin birnbaum 

senior operations manager


Kevin has a vast background as an Operations Leader. He earned his Master’s Degree from The American Film Institute where he studied Film Production. While in school, Kevin found a passion for leading a team while learning through the challenges of movie production.

After school, Kevin worked at NBCUniversal for 8 years where he used his movie experience, along with his passion for leading a team in Theme Park Operations. As an Operations Manager for NBC Universal he lead teams of over 100 people while managing to continue their industry leading guest experiences. Kevin found a passion in Operational Planning where he helped open new rides for the Theme Park along with leading teams through multiple operational changes that tested both his leadership and Operational know how.

Since leaving NBC Universal, Kevin is excited for the opportunity he is undertaking at Irvine & Associates. The challenge of learning a new business operation while also expanding his planning know how is what lead Kevin to this new opportunity.

When not working, Kevin loves to spend time with his wife Meghan and their baby girls Zealand and Capri Birnbaum.

carlos lovato 

senior project manager


Carlos has 6 years of experience providing permit expediting services in the City and County of Los Angeles. At Irvine & Associates, Carlos is primarily focused on permit expediting and land use services, including entitlement application preparation and processing, land use feasibility studies and due diligence work, and project management. Carlos is focused on a wide range of land-use projects, including high-density residential and mixed-use developments, affordable housing developments, large-scale commercial projects, smaller tenant improvement permits, and low-density projects, including ADU permits. Carlos has a deep understanding the processes and procedures of the Dept. of Building and Safety, as well as other city Departments. Additionally, he has developed many contacts with key City Departmental Staff which helps him to expedite the permitting process.

Carlos completed his undergraduate career at the University of California, Los Angeles and is currently a Master of Planning student. He is a recipient of the prestigious Leadership in Diversity Fellowship and is on track to graduate in May 2020. 

When not focused on permits expediting, Carlos is spending quality time with his dogs. 

MARIE GRACE ALBAN 

accounting manager


Marie Grace is a finance and accounting professional with an executive MBA from Loyola Marymount University. She has 10+ years of experience managing and strategically improving the accounting process of the various companies she has worked in. She can identify areas of strength and weakness and implement company policies, standards, changes, and systems that optimize productivity and the bottom line. She's worked in various industries, such as design, construction, beverage, and entertainment. Her experience runs the gamut from hiring, training, and leading accounting audits, to implementing and creating the accounting departments needed, such as payable, receivable, claims, disputes, and collections

timothy moran

principal project manager


Tim has over 9 years of experience in the public and private sectors, including 5 years as a Planner with the City of Camarillo Community Development Department in Ventura County and over a year as a freelance GIS consultant assisting with projects in Los Angeles County. Tim was Case Manager for a variety of projects in the City of Camarillo including General Plan Amendments, Zone Changes, Tract Map certifications, Conditional Use Permits, Plan Reviews and more. Tim also assisted on various long range planning assignments such as General Plan Element updates, Zoning Code updates, and assisted other agencies such as Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) with long range regional planning research. Tim has processed many entitlement and permit applications and, as Case Manager, represented developments in front of the City of Camarillo City Planning Commission and City Council.

While serving as a City Planner, Tim gained valuable experience and knowledge of City Planning, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the Subdivision Map Act, Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA), and has worked with various State and Local Government Organizations. As a Senior Project Manager for Irvine and Associates for the past 3 years, Tim specializes in project management, development of entitlement strategies, preparation of project applications, and community and governmental outreach for a wide variety of projects across the City and County of Los Angeles.

In addition to mastering the zoning code, Tim is also mastering musical instruments, including the violin, bass guitar, guitar, piano, drums and whatever else he can get his hands on. He and his wife also enjoy traveling as much as possible.

Anahi chavarria

assistant project manager


Anahi Chavarria has a diverse background in architecture, Geodesign, and urban planning. With two years of experience as an architectural intern at Brick Work, Anahi has developed a strong foundation in development reports and site potential assessments. Her expertise includes working on SB-9 and ADU reports, where she excelled at creating 3-D architectural massings to showcase various ADU and SB-9 scenarios, optimizing square footage and unit capability on different lots.

At Irvine and Associates, Anahi works as an assistant project manager where she assists in the preparation and processing of entitlement applications, due diligence, and project research. 

Anahi completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Southern California, specializing in Geodesign under the prestigious Spatial Sciences Institute. Her educational background has provided her with a unique perspective and valuable skills in spatial analysis and urban design.

Outside of her professional pursuits, Anahi enjoys playing the guitar and making coffee.

OUR TEAM