What Masterplan Consultants does

Masterplan Consultants is a privately held, Dallas-headquartered land use consulting firm founded in 1981 that specializes in guiding real estate developers, property owners, architects, and municipal governments through zoning, rezoning, entitlements, and community engagement processes across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and broader Texas market. The firm's core offering is an integrated, project-based consulting engagement rather than a software or platform product: it delivers zoning research and analysis, rezoning and variance navigation, entitlements management, development feasibility assessments, community engagement and public hearing facilitation, and direct municipal representation and advocacy before city staff, elected officials, and boards of adjustment. Ancillary services include expert witness testimony and ADA/TAS accessibility compliance reviews. The value proposition rests on nearly five decades of accumulated institutional knowledge of Texas municipal processes and a dual-perspective advantage derived from representing both private-sector clients and municipal governments.

The firm operates a sales-led, relationship-driven go-to-market in which business development is led by a senior hire with prior institutional real estate development experience, supported by thought leadership (a CEO-authored column in The Dallas Morning News), educational content (a zoning and land use glossary), and an organic social presence across LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, and X. Pricing is quote-based, scoped per engagement, with project fees determined by scope and complexity and multi-year contracts for larger developer and municipal relationships; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Revenue is generated entirely through professional services fees, with engagement types ranging from individual property owner assignments to ongoing advisory relationships with large development firms and municipal governments.

The firm is founder-controlled under CEO Dallas Cothrum, Ph.D., who also serves as CEO of USA Engineers following a January 1, 2026 asset acquisition that folded civil engineering, surveying, and infrastructure capabilities into an integrated planning-plus-engineering platform operating under Cothrum's family of companies. The named team of approximately nine senior professionals and consultants carries advanced planning credentials (Ph.D., MUEP, master's degrees in city and regional planning) and several hold prior in-house municipal planning experience across Dallas, Arlington, McKinney, and Laredo, reinforcing the firm's regulatory navigation positioning. Masterplan maintains a headquarters at 1341 W Mockingbird Lane in Dallas and a regional Fort Worth office.

Name

Masterplan Consultants

Legal name

Masterplan Consultants

Website

https://masterplanconsultants.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Land Use Consulting Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Real Estate Development & Feasibility Advisory (Highest-and-Best-Use, Entitlements Support) (BPAJANAC), Urban & Regional Planning (Land Use, Zoning, Master Planning) (BPAIANAD)

Keywords

• Land use consulting
• Zoning entitlements
• Rezoning services
• Development approvals
• Municipal representation

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

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

Revenue model

1. Land Use and Zoning Consulting Services: Masterplan Consultants generates revenue through professional consulting fees for zoning research, rezoning applications, entitlements, variance requests, community engagement, and municipal representation. Engagement types range from individual project assignments for property owners to ongoing advisory relationships with large development firms and municipal governments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Masterplan Consultants is a land use consulting firm that guides real estate developers, property owners, architects, and municipal governments through zoning, rezoning, variances, entitlements, and community engagement processes. The firm combines regulatory navigation with municipal advocacy to secure city approvals and entitlements for development projects spanning urban, suburban, small town, and rural locations across Texas and nationwide on complex projects.

Product overview

Masterplan Consultants operates as a single-service consulting firm rather than a platform with modular products. The company's primary offering is comprehensive land use consulting services, encompassing zoning research and analysis, development feasibility assessments, rezoning and variance processing, entitlements, municipal representation and advocacy, and community engagement. These services are delivered as an integrated consulting engagement rather than separate software products or modules. The firm also provides ancillary services including expert witness testimony for zoning cases and ADA/TAS compliance reviews as specialized additions to their core consulting offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Zoning Research and Analysis Comprehensive zoning research and analysis services to evaluate land use regulations, zoning designations, and compliance requirements for development projects spanning dense urban, suburban, small town, and rural locations.
• Development Feasibility Assessments Assessments evaluating the feasibility of development projects including self-storage usage analysis and commercial real estate viability studies across various zoning contexts and regulatory environments.
• Rezoning and Variance Services Services guiding clients through rezoning processes and variance requests, including applications, public hearings, Board of Adjustment cases, special use permits, and city council approvals.
• Entitlements Management Securing legal approvals required before property development, including zoning, platting, site plan approval, and building permits across multiple jurisdictions.
• Municipal Representation and Advocacy Advocacy and representation services before municipal governments, city staff, elected officials, and regulatory boards on behalf of private-sector clients.
• Community Engagement Facilitation of neighborhood and community outreach meetings, public hearings, and stakeholder coordination for development projects facing community opposition.
• Expert Witness Testimony Expert witness testimony services for politically charged and technically difficult zoning cases, drawing on the firm's deep regulatory knowledge.
• ADA/TAS Compliance Reviews Accessibility compliance reviews for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Texas Accessibility Standards (TAS) compliance, supported by Registered Accessibility Specialist (RAS) licensing.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• USA EngineerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026USA Engineers, a civil engineering and surveying firm (formerly USA Professional Services Group, Inc.), was acquired through an asset acquisition by Dallas Cothrum effective January 1, 2026. USA Engineers operates as part of Cothrum's family of companies alongside Masterplan Consultants, creating an integrated platform of professional services spanning planning, civil engineering, surveying, and development consulting. USA Engineers brings decades of experience in site civil engineering, transportation engineering, water and wastewater infrastructure, plats and land development support, ALTA/NSPS surveys, and construction staking. The combined offering is intended to streamline coordination, shorten delivery timelines, and provide a single trusted team for clients navigating complex infrastructure and development needs across North Texas.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kimley-Horn: National planning, engineering, and consulting firm with a strong Texas practice covering land use, entitlements, and development advisory. Competes for the same complex rezoning and large-master-planned-community engagements as Masterplan.
• Huitt-Zollars: Dallas-based engineering, planning, and architecture firm serving public and private developers across Texas. Comparable to Masterplan on rezoning, master planning, and municipal representation work, with broader engineering resources.
• Freese and Nichols: Texas-headquartered engineering, planning, and consulting firm with significant DFW presence. Overlaps with Masterplan on municipal planning, development advisory, and infrastructure-adjacent entitlements work.
• Pacheco Koch: Texas-based civil engineering, surveying, and land development firm headquartered in Dallas. Provides planning, entitlements, and site civil services that directly overlap with Masterplan's core and newly integrated USA Engineers capabilities.
• Halff Associates: Texas-headquartered engineering and planning firm offering land development, transportation, and planning services across the state. Directly comparable to Masterplan for DFW-area zoning, entitlements, and development feasibility work, with a much larger multi-discipline bench.

Broad incumbents

• HDR: Large engineering, planning, and architecture firm with active Texas practice across transportation, communities, and land development. Comparable on master planning and large development entitlements as part of broader infrastructure work.
• Stantec: Global professional services firm with a large North American planning and land development practice. Competes with Masterplan for high-profile Texas entitlements and master planning work as part of a much broader service portfolio.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm offering planning, engineering, and program management. Engages on large-scale Texas master-planned and mixed-use developments where Masterplan also competes.

Emerging players

• CityScape Consultants: Texas-based land use and zoning consulting firm providing entitlement and rezoning services in the DFW and Houston markets. Closest niche-direct competitor to Masterplan by service mix and scale.
• WGI (Wade Trim): U.S. design and consulting firm with growing land development, planning, and entitlements practice, including Texas presence. Comparable in offering scope to Masterplan but operating at a larger and more acquisitive scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MasterplanTX
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCILRuSEj9xV4PZh6CNU6Evg
• Facebookfacebook.com/MasterplanConsultants
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/masterplan-consultants

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Masterplan Consultants