Lisa Weiss Consulting

What Lisa Weiss Consulting does

Lisa Wise Consulting, Inc. (LWC) is a privately held, founder-owned urban planning and economics consulting firm founded in 2006 by President Lisa Wise, AICP, headquartered in San Luis Obispo, California with additional offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles. The firm serves municipal, county, and special district governments across California and at least nine other U.S. states plus the Middle East, with a smaller portfolio of private developer engagements. Its work is delivered through project-based professional services contracts rather than a software product.

LWC's practice is organized around six service lines: zoning codes and ordinances; market studies, financial feasibility, and economic development strategies; form-based codes; housing policy and implementation (including Housing Element Updates, inclusionary housing ordinances, ADU/SB 9 programs, and objective design standards); specific and corridor plans; and coastal zone planning. The firm has implemented form-based code projects in 25+ jurisdictions — including Las Vegas, Austin, Long Beach, Cincinnati, and Riyadh — and has shepherded 30+ Housing Element Updates to substantial compliance with California's Department of Housing and Community Development. Deliverables are produced by a team of 17, including seven AICP-certified planners, supported by a GIS Specialist and standard planning tools; there is no proprietary software platform, API, or AI/ML component in the disclosed technology stack.

The business model is project-based consulting sold through direct sales and reputation-led business development, with multi-year contract cadences and quotes negotiated per engagement (pricing is not publicly disclosed). Revenue flows from municipal RFPs and selection panels, supplemented by private developer work on specific plans such as the 123-acre San Luis Ranch project. The firm is bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and no subsidiaries; revenue scale is not disclosed but is consistent with a 17-person specialized B2G consultancy. Recognition includes five APA awards between 2016-2020 and co-authorship of the Planetizen form-based code lecture series by the President.

Name

Lisa Weiss Consulting

Legal name

Lisa Wise Consulting, Inc.

Website

https://lisawiseconsulting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lisa Wise Consulting is a founder-owned B2G urban planning and economics consulting firm serving municipal governments across California and other U.S. states via zoning, housing, form-based code, specific plan, and coastal zone services delivered by a 17-person team.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Planning and Economics Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Operations & Process Improvement Consulting (BPAHACAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Financial Management & Performance Improvement Consulting (BPAHACAF)

Keywords

• Urban planning consulting
• Form-based codes
• Zoning code updates
• Housing element compliance
• Economic development consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

San Luis Obispo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Planning and Economics Consulting Services: LWC provides professional consulting services including zoning code updates, specific plans, form-based codes, housing element updates, market studies, and economic development strategies to municipal clients. Revenue is generated through project-based professional services engagements with government agencies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Lisa Wise Consulting, Inc. is an urban planning and economics consulting firm that provides professional services to municipal governments, counties, and select private developers. The firm specializes in zoning code audits and updates, form-based code development, housing element updates, specific and master plans, market studies and financial feasibility analyses, and coastal zone planning. Engagements are delivered as project-based consulting work by a team of AICP-certified planners, GIS specialists, and economists.

Product overview

Lisa Wise Consulting, Inc. (LWC) is an urban planning and economics consulting firm founded in 2006. The company does not offer a software product or platform but provides a portfolio of professional consulting services organized around six core offerings: Zoning Codes & Ordinances (code audits, updates, and streamlining); Market Studies, Financial Feasibility & Economic Development Strategies (market analysis and fiscal impact assessments); Form-Based Codes (regulatory codes focused on physical form); Housing Policy & Implementation (housing elements, inclusionary ordinances, ADU programs); Specific Plans & Corridor Plans (comprehensive planning documents); and Coastal Zone Experience (coastal compliance and resilience planning). These services are delivered through client engagements rather than as software modules or products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Zoning Codes & Ordinances Zoning code audits, updates, and streamlining services aimed at making cities more resilient, equitable, and cohesive, delivered to municipal clients across multiple U.S. states and select international markets.
• Market Studies, Financial Feasibility & Economic Development Strategies Economic planning services including market studies, financial feasibility analyses, and economic development strategic plans for municipal clients, drawing from industry reports, market forecasts, Census data, real estate data, and stakeholder input.
• Form-Based Codes Form-based code development and implementation services for municipal clients. LWC is a national leader with implemented form-based projects in over 25 jurisdictions, including Long Beach, CA; Austin, TX; Las Vegas, NV; Cincinnati, OH; Flagstaff, AZ; and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
• Housing Policy & Implementation Housing policy services including Housing Element Updates, Inclusionary Housing Ordinances, Fee Modification Studies, Feasibility Analyses, Objective Design Standards, Rezoning Programs, and ADU/SB 9 Implementation for municipal clients.
• Specific Plans & Corridor Plans Specific and master plan development integrating land use policy, economics, municipal finance, market fundamentals, and community engagement for cities throughout California and beyond.
• Coastal Zone Experience Coastal zone planning services including regulatory compliance, consistency across planning documents, coastal infrastructure assessment, and development of strategies for coastal resilience, prosperity, and equity.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,427 new housing units enabled in Downtown Hayward
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Humboldt State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2016LWC partnered with Humboldt State University to pursue a Saltontonstall-Kenedy Grant to complete Community Sustainability Plans in Eureka and Shelter Cove working waterfront communities.
• Opticos DesigncoreTechnology or IntegrationOpticos Design served as a key project team partner on multiple form-based code and specific plan projects including Ashland and Cherryland Business District, Downtown Hayward, and San Luis Ranch projects.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Opticos Design: Opticos Design is a national leader in form-based codes and missing middle housing, and is a documented project partner of LWC on Ashland/Cherryland, Downtown Hayward, and San Luis Ranch projects. It is the closest direct peer in FBC implementation.
• CodeStudio: CodeStudio is an architecture and urban design firm specializing in form-based codes, downtown plans, and coding, directly comparable to LWC's form-based code and specific plan services.
• PlaceMakers: PlaceMakers is an urban design firm with a national FBC practice and founder role in the Form-Based Codes Institute, comparable to LWC's specialization and FBCI-aligned positioning.
• Economic & Planning Systems (EPS): EPS is a real estate and economic development consulting firm providing market studies, fiscal impact analyses, and feasibility studies for public and private clients — directly overlapping with LWC's economics and feasibility practice.
• Dyett & Bhatia: Dyett & Bhatia is an urban planning firm specializing in general plans, specific plans, and zoning code updates for California municipalities — a direct peer to LWC's core planning practice.
• Raimi + Associates: Raimi + Associates is a planning and real estate economics firm working with California municipalities on housing elements, general plans, and economic development strategies — comparable to LWC's planning/economics stack.

Broad incumbents

• AECOM (Urban Planning Practice): AECOM is a global infrastructure consultancy with a large urban planning and economics practice that competes for the same municipal RFPs as LWC (e.g., comprehensive zoning code rewrites like the Columbus OH project) but as part of a much broader portfolio.
• WSP (Planning & Advisory): WSP is a global professional services firm with a planning and economics practice serving state and municipal clients, competing for large comprehensive planning and zoning engagements that LWC also targets.
• HR&A Advisors: HR&A Advisors provides real estate and economic development advisory services to public and private clients, comparable to LWC's market studies and economic development strategy offering but with a broader geographic and sector footprint.
• MIG (Management Information Group / now part of WSP): MIG is a planning, design, and communications firm providing comprehensive planning, zoning, and community engagement services to municipalities — comparable in service mix to LWC and often competing for the same municipal clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LWCplanning
• Facebookfacebook.com/LisaWiseConsulting
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lisa-wise-consulting-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lisa Weiss Consulting