Planning Firms Merge, See Growth Potential

COSTA MESA, CA-The recently announced merger of locally based the Planning Center and Berkeley-based DC&E (Design Community & Environment) will open new geographic growth opportunities for them throughout the Western US, officials of the two companies say. "We believe the merger positions the combined firm for a significant impact on the continuing growth and development of urban areas throughout the Western United States,” said Randy Jackson, president of the Planning Center.

Jackson and other top execs at the two firms—including DC&E founding principal David Early and Dwayne Mears, principal, environmental services for the Planning Center—emphasize that the merger will enable the firms to leverage their complementary services. The Planning Center is a full-service consulting firm specializing in community planning, environmental services, and land planning and design. DC&E provides a comprehensive range of planning and design services, with an emphasis on urban design and smart growth. Management teams at both firms will remain in place under terms of the merger.

Commenting on the combination of the two companies, Jackson said, “We have been aware of the quality of DC&E’s work and their reputation for some time. It quickly became apparent that our respective strengths would mesh together to provide a greater depth and wider breadth of services for our clients."

The Planning Center and DC&E provide many of the same core services, including comprehensive planning, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) services, urban design, and corridor and transit-oriented planning services. However, with the Planning Center headquartered in Southern California and DC&E headquartered in Northern California, the merger "provides each firm with a strong new base of operations in a new region of the state," the companies said in announcing the meger.

Each firm also has specialties that complement the work provided by the other, according to their joint statement. For example, DC&E offers landscape architecture, GIS and scenario modeling services, and natural resource planning and management services, while the Planning Center provides school and technical environmental services, an array of economic analyses, and housing expertise.