ULI San Francisco debuted our first virtual UrbanPlan for Communities (UP4C) workshop in partnership with the City of Morgan Hill on July 29 and 30, 2021.

UrbanPlan for Communities workshops are ideal for local decision makers who would like to learn more about the fundamental forces that shape and affect the built environment and the important leadership roles that elected and appointed officials as well as community members and leaders play in the real estate development process.

Workshops enable public officials and community members to better understand the trade-offs and risk at play in the entitlement and negotiation process associated with land use, especially in public/private partnerships. The UrbanPlan case study is an example of a city-led redevelopment effort where compromise needs to be met between the locality, development team selected in the RFP, and the community.

The UP4C workshop for the City of Morgan Hill was co-taught Laura Guzman of XL Construction, Lynette Dias of Urban Planning Partners, and Maureen Ladley of Ladley and Associates. Participants from the City of Morgan Hill included planning commissioners, senior city staff from planning, economic development, the City Manager’s office, public services, and more. City councilors, the Mayor, and the City Manager all joined as observers to watch the two mock development teams face each other head-to-head.

The day ended with a presentation from Travis Duncan, Assistant Vice President at Sares Regis Group of Northern California, on the CityLine Sunnyvale project, a large-scale mixed-use project at the heart of Sunnyvale, which parallels many elements in the UrbanPlan case study.

If you’re interested in hosting an UrbanPlan for Communities workshop for your city or municipality, please contact Natalie Sandoval at [email protected]. If you’re interested in being an UrbanPlan for Communities workshop instructor, volunteer, or case study presenter, please reach out to Julie Luu at [email protected].

Thank you to the City of Morgan Hill and all the volunteers who helped make this workshop possible!

Laura Guzman, VP of Marketing & Communications, XL Construction
Lynette Dias, President/Principal, Urban Planning Partners
Maureen Ladley, Principal, Ladley and Associates
Karen Majors, Retired Community & Economic Development Director and Assistant City Manager
Dan Catalano, Investment Analyst, TDA Investment Group
Brigid Williams, Community Development Manager, Shea Homes
Madeleine Roberts, Senior Development Associate, City Ventures
Jonathan Cohen, Founder and Principal, Poplar Design Advisors
John Lang, Economic Vitality Manager, City of Mountain View
Travis Duncan, Assistant Vice President, Sares Regis Group of Northern California