Merrill Morris Partners

What Merrill Morris Partners does

Merrill Morris Partners (MMP) is a woman-owned landscape architectural consulting firm founded in 1980 and headquartered in Oakland, California, with a second office in San Francisco. The firm provides professional landscape architecture and urban design services — including site planning, planting design, stormwater management, sustainable landscape systems, green infrastructure, and community engagement — to public agencies and private developers. Its project portfolio is organized across six categories: civic, commercial, education, open space/parks, transportation, and housing. Notable projects include BART Berryessa Station (16-mile extension), LA Metro Foothill Gold Line (6-station extension), Chase Center arena, The Exchange on Sixteenth Street (LEED Platinum), and Presidio Parkway (first Greenroads-certified sustainable highway in the U.S.).

MMP generates revenue through project-based professional service fees delivered across the standard design phases — conceptual design, schematic design, design development, construction documents, and construction administration. Public-sector work is acquired through competitive bidding processes; private-sector engagements are sourced through direct proposals and relationship-based business development. The firm employs approximately 10+ professionals across its two offices, comprising landscape architects, designers, and an operations/finance director. The firm is led by founder Cathy Merrill as President and Principal, with Erin Connolly serving as Director of Operations and Finance since 2004.

Differentiators include a 40-year operating history, woman-owned business status with US SBA, CA GSA, CPUC WBE, and multiple Bay Area municipal certifications, and deep California-specific sustainability expertise across USGBC LEED, Build It Green GreenPoint, ReScape Bay Friendly, and MWELO frameworks. The firm regularly serves as a subconsultant to large architecture and engineering firms (AECOM, SWA Group, Ratcliff, DLR Group, Flad/Rios Clementi Hale, WMH Corporation), giving it access to complex multi-stakeholder public infrastructure projects requiring community engagement and regulatory entitlements.

Name

Merrill Morris Partners

Legal name

Merrill Morris Partners

Website

https://merrill-morris.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Merrill Morris Partners is a woman-owned landscape architecture and urban design consulting firm founded in 1980, serving public agencies and private developers across California with sustainable placemaking, green infrastructure, and community engagement services for civic, commercial, education, transportation, housing, and open space projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Landscape Architecture Services

NAICS

Landscape Architectural Services (541320), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sustainable/Green Building & LEED Consulting (BPAHAKAG)

Keywords

• Landscape architecture services
• Urban design consulting
• Site planning services
• Sustainable landscape design
• Green infrastructure design

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services Revenue: MMP provides landscape architectural consulting services on a project-by-project basis. Revenue is generated through fees for design services including conceptual design, schematic design, design development, construction documents, and construction administration. Projects span transit and transportation, green infrastructure, streetscapes, parks, urban open space, educational facilities, and multi-family housing.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Merrill Morris Partners provides professional landscape architecture and urban design consulting services from conceptual design through construction administration. The firm delivers site planning, planting design, stormwater management, sustainable landscape systems, and community engagement services for civic, commercial, education, open space, transportation, and housing projects across California. Work is sold on a project-by-project basis with revenues derived from professional services fees.

Product overview

Merrill Morris Partners (MMP) is a woman-owned landscape architectural consulting firm offering a comprehensive suite of design services centered on placemaking and sustainable outdoor space design. The firm operates across six primary project categories—Civic, Commercial, Education, Open Space/Parks, Transportation, and Housing—providing services from initial conceptual design through construction administration. Core offerings include landscape architecture, urban design, community engagement, sustainability consulting, and entitlement support. The portfolio demonstrates deep expertise in transit-oriented development (BART stations), affordable housing outdoor amenities, public parks, and educational campus landscapes throughout California.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Landscape Architecture & Urban Design Services
• Sustainability & Green Infrastructure Design

Quantifiable outcome

• Presidio Parkway achieved first certified sustainable highway project in the U.S. with Bronze rating from Greenroads Foundation
• +4 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

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Ratcliff ArchitectscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMMP worked with Ratcliff Architects on the Kaiser Medical Campus expansion and renovation project, providing site design and landscape architecture services.
• Shah Kawasaki ArchitectscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMMP served as landscape architect with Shah Kawasaki Architects as team lead for the Lincoln Recreation Center Renovation project in Oakland.
• WMH CorporationcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMMP provided landscape design services with WMH Corporation as team lead for the BART Milpitas Station project opened in 2020.
• Watry Design, Inc./WebcorcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMMP provided full landscape architectural services with Watry Design/Webcor as team lead for Metro Goldline Arcadia Civic & Transit Plaza.
• Noll & Tam ArchitectscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMMP worked with Noll & Tam Architects on Diablo Valley College San Ramon Campus Expansion and Coliseum College Prep Academy Campus Expansion.
• Flad Architects/Rios Clementi Hale StudioscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMMP provided full landscape architectural services with Flad Architects and Rios Clementi Hale Studios for The Exchange on Sixteenth Street project.
• SWA GroupcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMMP served as Associate Landscape Architect with SWA Group as Design Landscape Architect for Chase Center arena development.
• AECOMcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMMP provided landscape architectural support with AECOM as team lead for Treasure Island Redevelopment project.
• DLR GroupcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMMP worked with DLR Group on San Pablo Police Department HQ and Training Facility, and Santa Clara County Secure Treatment Center.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sasaki Associates: Integrated landscape architecture, urban design, and planning firm with strong civic and campus portfolios. Comparable to MMP in delivering placemaking, master planning, and large-scale civic landscape projects for public and institutional clients.
• OLIN: Landscape architecture, urban design, and planning studio with award-winning civic, cultural, and parks work. Direct peer in placemaking, sustainable design, and high-profile public realm commissions where MMP competes for talent and projects.
• SWA Group: Renowned landscape architecture, urban design, and planning firm with deep California presence. MMP served as associate landscape architect under SWA on Chase Center, indicating SWA is a direct competitor in the same category where both firms pursue transit, civic, and commercial landscape commissions.
• Flad Architects: Architecture and planning firm with strong higher-education and healthcare portfolios. MMP partnered with Flad on The Exchange on Sixteenth Street, indicating Flad as a comparable firm working across civic, commercial, and campus landscape scopes.
• James Corner Field Operations: Landscape architecture and urban design firm specializing in large-scale public realms, parks, and waterfronts. Comparable to MMP in pursuit of signature civic, open space, and infrastructure-adjacent landscape commissions.
• CMG Landscape Architecture: San Francisco-based landscape architecture firm with strong civic, parks, and waterfront portfolio. Direct comparable in regional California public-sector and open space work, with similar headcount and client profile to MMP.
• Ratcliff Architects: Bay Area architecture, planning, and interior design firm with healthcare and education focus. MMP partnered with Ratcliff on Kaiser Medical Campus, indicating overlapping client base and integrated design delivery on healthcare and civic commissions.
• GLS Landscape Architecture: Long-standing California-based landscape architecture firm with civic, transit, parks, and education portfolio. Comparable to MMP in regional California public-sector and institutional landscape practice, including transit-oriented and campus work.

Broad incumbents

• AECOM: Global AEC firm offering landscape architecture as part of a much broader infrastructure and design portfolio. MMP has partnered with AECOM as team lead (Treasure Island), highlighting AECOM as both an incumbent competitor and a frequent prime-consultant counterpart.

Regional players

• Hood Design Studio: Oakland-based landscape architecture and urban design practice focused on equity, public realm, and cultural landscapes. Closest regional peer to MMP, sharing Bay Area geography and overlapping pursuit of public-sector, affordable housing, and civic placemaking commissions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/merrill-morris-partners

Compliance13 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Merrill Morris Partners