Urban Planning Partners

What Urban Planning Partners does

Urban Planning Partners is a privately held land use planning consulting firm founded in 2008 by Lynette Dias and headquartered at 388 17th Street, Suite 230 in Oakland, California. The firm provides fee-for-service planning consulting to public entities (cities, counties, transit agencies such as BART and MTC), private developers and property owners (Holliday Development, Related California, Kaiser Permanente, Panoramic Interests, Costco), and nonprofits (California College of the Arts), delivering work primarily across California with concentration in the Bay Area.

The firm's service portfolio is organized around six core practice areas: Planning Policy, Environmental Review (CEQA/NEPA), Contract Planning, Development Services, Community Outreach, and Grants. These are delivered through project-based engagements typically structured as fixed-fee or time-and-materials contracts. The firm is active in marquee regional initiatives including the Downtown Oakland Specific Plan, Irvington and El Cerrito Plaza BART Station Area Plans, the Link21 megaregional rail program, the BART to Livermore EIR, the Oakland Accessory Dwelling Unit Initiative, and TOD projects involving Related California, Holliday Development, and Factory OS. Work is conducted by an approximately 8-person team (one Principal, three Associate Principals, two Associate Planners, a Housing Intern, and an Office Manager) supported by a network of subconsultants including Dover Kohl & Partners, Cultivate Studio, Van Meter Williams Pollack, InterEthnica, Arup, HDR, Fehr & Peers, Baseline, Architecture + History, Strategic Economics, and Kristen Hall City Design.

Urban Planning Partners generates revenue through professional services fees on consulting engagements, with no disclosed product, software, or technology platform revenue stream. The firm has no disclosed funding rounds, parent company, or external investors, and operates as a founder-owned boutique. Marketing is driven primarily by professional reputation, conference participation (APA, AEP, ULI), industry board leadership, and the firm's project portfolio. The firm holds six small/diverse business certifications (VSLBE, SLEB, SLBE, DBE, SBE, MWBE) that position it for set-aside procurement on transit and public agency contracts.

Name

Urban Planning Partners

Legal name

Urban Planning Partners

Website

https://up-partners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Urban Planning Partners is an Oakland-based land use planning consultancy founded in 2008, serving over 20 California cities, transit agencies, and private developers with planning policy, CEQA/NEPA environmental review, entitlements, community engagement, contract planning, and grant writing services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Planning Consulting

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Regional & Land Use Planning (BPAHAKAE), Urban & Regional Planning (Land Use, Zoning, Master Planning) (BPAIANAD)

Keywords

• Urban planning consulting
• Land use entitlements
• CEQA environmental review
• Community engagement
• Grant writing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Planning Consulting Services: Urban Planning Partners generates revenue by providing fee-for-service consulting across six service lines: planning policy, environmental review (CEQA/NEPA), development services, community outreach, contract planning, and grants. Revenue is project-based, typically structured as fixed-fee or time-and-materials engagements with public and private sector clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Urban Planning Partners is a land use planning consulting firm that provides planning policy, environmental review (CEQA/NEPA), development services, community outreach, contract planning, and grant writing to public entities, private developers, property owners, and nonprofits. Engagements are delivered as project-based consulting for housing, transit-oriented development, and urban infill projects across California.

Product overview

Urban Planning Partners is a land use planning firm offering consulting services to public entities, property owners and developers, and nonprofits. The company provides six core service areas: Planning Policy, Environmental Review, Contract Planning, Development Services, Community Outreach, and Grants. These services are delivered through collaborative project work including policy development, environmental analysis, community engagement, and entitlement support for housing, transit, and urban development projects throughout the Bay Area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Planning Policy Policy change services focused on housing policy, downtowns, urban infill, technology, resiliency, and effective implementation for an equitable, livable, and affordable Bay Area. Provided to public entities.
• Environmental Review California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and NEPA expertise focused on infill and transit projects, specializing in legally-defensible and streamlined CEQA approaches for public and private clients.
• Contract Planning Short-term staffing assistance and technical expertise for special projects, providing cost-efficient solutions and management of fluctuating workloads for public entities.
• Development Services Policy and research assistance to developers, property owners, and interest groups through all stages of the land use approval process, including entitlements, CEQA documentation, and zoning compliance.
• Community Outreach Community engagement services ranging from online surveys to large community workshops, capturing representative cross-section stakeholder input for public and private clients.
• Grants Grant writing services for local, State, and federal grant programs, including tracking funding opportunities for clients undertaking housing, transit, and infrastructure projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced station parking from 900 to 275 spaces through compact site plan design at Irvington BART
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers16 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

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• HDR Engineering, Inc. (HDR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUrban Planning Partners is part of HDR's Community Outreach and Engagement team for the Link21 program, a megaregional 21-county effort to transform Northern California's passenger rail network. UPP serves as the Community Area Liaison for Alameda, Contra Costa, and Solano counties, coordinating grassroots events, co-hosting workshops with community-based organizations, and designing outreach plans for future phases.
• Holliday DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHolliday Development is a repeat partner on multiple projects including the Truckee Railyard Master Plan (original 2008 and 2016 revision), El Cerrito Plaza BART TOD (with Factory OS), and The Phoenix affordable housing project in Oakland.
• Related CaliforniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated California is the developer partner for the El Cerrito Plaza BART Transit-Oriented Development project, which proposes 750-800 housing units including low-income and below-market-rate units under AB 2923. UPP is working with Related California and Holliday Development/Factory OS on entitlements and community engagement.
• Factory OScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFactory OS is the modular construction partner on the El Cerrito Plaza BART TOD project and The Phoenix project in West Oakland (prefabricated units travel 20 miles from Factory OS to the project site).
• Dover Kohl & PartnersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUPP worked with Dover Kohl & Partners on the Downtown Oakland Specific Plan and EIR. UPP managed the EIR and led public outreach and preparation of Specific Plan policies and development standards, while Dover Kohl led the overall plan preparation.
• BaselinesupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBaseline was a subconsultant on the Downtown Oakland Specific Plan, contributing policy measures on coastal flooding, sea level rise, and community health chapters.
• Fehr & PeerssupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFehr & Peers was a subconsultant on the Downtown Oakland Specific Plan EIR, contributing transportation analysis as part of the consultant team.
• Architecture + HistorysupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitecture + History was part of the Downtown Oakland Specific Plan EIR consultant team, contributing historic resources analysis.
• ArupcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArup led the design of the Irvington BART Station Site Plan, working collaboratively with UPP's team. Arup's innovation engineers designed a more compact site plan (reduced from 900 to 275 parking spaces) that was substantially more neighborhood-friendly than the initial design.
• Cultivate StudiomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUPP teamed with Cultivate Studio to prepare the Alameda Point Main Street Neighborhood Specific Plan, combining planning policy expertise with urban design capabilities.
• Van Meter Williams PollackmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUPP teamed with Van Meter Williams Pollack to work with Foster City on developing objective design standards for multi-family and mixed-use developments, addressing site development, buildings, landscape, and the city's waterfront setting.
• InterEthnicamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUPP partnered with InterEthnica on the Santa Cruz Objective Development Standards project to develop an equity-focused community engagement approach, including a Spanish-language version of community events, to reach Latinx communities, low-income households, and university students.
• Kristen Hall City DesignsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerKristen Hall City Design was a subconsultant on the Santa Cruz Objective Development Standards project, contributing urban design expertise alongside economic and transportation analysis.
• Strategic EconomicssupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerStrategic Economics was a subconsultant on the Santa Cruz Objective Development Standards project, completing test fits and proforma analyses to identify barriers to development.
• Urban Field StudiosupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerUrban Field Studio was a subconsultant on the Irvington BART Station Area Plan, working with UPP to piece together desired policies from six different, sometimes conflicting policy documents.
• RRM Design GroupsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRRM Design Group originally prepared the Truckee Railyard Master Plan in 2008. UPP worked with the Town and Holliday Development to complete a major revision to the plan.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Catalyst Environmental Solutions: California-based environmental and planning consultancy with overlapping CEQA and entitlements practice serving municipalities and developers — a smaller, emerging competitor in UPP's core service territory.

Direct peers

• MIG Inc. Full-service planning, design, communications, and engagement firm with strong public-sector practice across California — overlapping with UPP on community engagement, planning policy, and entitlements work.
• ESA (Environmental Science Associates): California-based environmental consulting firm with deep CEQA practice serving public and private clients on EIRs and entitlements — directly comparable environmental review capability to UPP.
• Raimi + Associates: Berkeley-based planning, environmental, and economic consulting firm serving Bay Area municipalities with general plans, housing elements, and CEQA services — directly comparable in geographic footprint and services.
• PlaceWorks: California-headquartered planning, design, and environmental consulting firm providing CEQA, specific plans, housing elements, and community engagement — the closest direct competitor to UPP in the California municipal planning market.
• Economic & Planning Systems (EPS): Real estate economics, planning, and public finance advisory firm working with cities and developers on housing policy, TOD feasibility, and entitlement strategy — overlapping with UPP's development services and grants practices.
• Dyett & Bhatia: California urban planning firm specializing in general plans, specific plans, and zoning work for cities throughout California — directly comparable in service mix and client base to UPP.
• Fehr & Peers: Transportation planning and engineering firm frequently teamed with UPP (e.g., on Downtown Oakland Specific Plan EIR) and competing for the same TOD and station-area planning engagements with BART and other agencies.

Broad incumbents

• Arup: Global engineering, planning, and design firm that partners with UPP on BART station area plans while also competing independently for large-scale TOD and infrastructure planning mandates.
• HR&A Advisors: National real estate and economic development advisory that increasingly competes for TOD and large-scale planning engagements from cities and developers — broader incumbent in the same space as UPP.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Urban Planning Partners