The Somerville City Council Committee on Confirmation of Appointments and Personnel Matters on Monday recommended confirming Corley Cooper to an alternate seat on the Planning Board. The committee recorded four votes in favor and will forward the recommendation to the full Council.

Steve Carey, planner and the Planning Board coordinator, said Cooper was the Administration and Appointments Committee recommended candidate and highlighted her graduate degree in city planning from MIT and work on climate and air-quality policy at the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management. "We think she'd bring a regional perspective to the planning board as well as expertise on transportation and climate policy," Carey said.

Cooper told the committee she has lived in Somerville for 15 years and that she supports expanding public outreach and diversifying opportunities to comment, including online and off-hours sessions. She said engaging a broader cross-section of the public is important to design policies that work when implemented. On development density she described density as a tool to increase housing and said it should be applied "intelligently" with tools such as inclusionary zoning and targeted density in appropriate locations.

Committee members praised the caliber of recent Planning and Zoning appointees and moved to recommend Cooper’s confirmation without conditions. The committee vote was recorded as four in favor. The full City Council will consider final confirmation at a subsequent meeting.