Erik Yesayan is the founder and director of Pattern. He’s an urban planner and developer with over fifteen years of land use planning and policy experience in Southern California. Erik’s work has spanned the policy and planning spectrum from real estate and infrastructure development, transportation planning, and historic preservation.

Erik and his team manage the land use entitlement and permitting process for residential and commercial projects. They work with architects, engineers, geologists, and biologists in navigating complicated entitlement processes through local, state, and federal agencies. Their experience includes working with the California Coastal Commission, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, California Fish & Wildlife, Los Angeles County, City of Los Angeles, and Ventura County.

Prior to founding Pattern, Erik managed the development process, from site acquisition to construction, of utility-scale solar projects, of up to 80 acres.

Erik served as a planning commissioner for Glendale, California from 2009 to 2015, and served as chair of the commission in 2013. Between 2009 to 2015, Erik was also a senior associate for Cordoba Corporation, a planning and civil engineering firm specializing in transportation, education facilities, water, and energy. An advocate for walking and biking, he is a co-founder of Walk Bike Glendale and serves on the Arroyo Verdugo Greenway Committee.

Erik graduated with honors from the University of Southern California, earning a BS in Policy, Planning, and Development and a Master’s degree in Planning.