what we do

The Oak Point Area is a unique, large-scale infill development opportunity within Plano. An existing 200-acre farm, laced with creeks, trees and rolling topography, is one of the last remnants of the city’s rural past.  These natural features are an asset that can brand the character of the development. Combined with a network of pedestrian and bike connections to adjacent amenities, they can lever significant and context-sensitive private investment. The resulting community has the potential to be nationally unique, representing 21st Century city-design priorities.

DRW Planning Studio is providing urban design and project implementation support to the Fregonese Associates team.

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Gonzales Development Code Updates

​Gonzales, Louisiana

Sample Projects

The City of Gonzales, Louisiana updated its zoning regulations to align the zoning ordinance with the recently adopted comprehensive plan; allow a wider range of housing types and increased density; provide appropriate design standards; and accommodate the city's desired businesses.  The desired outcome is to improve the quality of the built product being delivered; improve walkability; respond to market pressure and prepare for projects in the pipeline in order to accommodate growth of the city; and ensure development advances the future vision of Gonzales.  The City is currently reviewing and updating is Subdivision Regulations and incorporating the updated regulations into their new zoning ordinance as a unified development code.

The Zoning Code was adopted April 2016, with the inclusion of revised Subdivision Regulations by the end of 2016.

small area plans

​Tulsa, Oklahoma

Envision Oak Point

​Plano, Texas

Development REview Process Enhancement Strategy 

Dallas, Texas

Community centers serve critical links and fill important gaps in services for neighborhoods to help them thrive. The City of Dallas’ Housing and Community Services Department commissioned DRW Planning Studio to lead the effort to identify physical and programmatic needs for the City’s two community centers: the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center and West Dallas Multipurpose Center.

The centers provide important services to populations otherwise under-served in Dallas. Each center must be strategically positioned to adjust programming and operations in order to stay relevant and continue to provide a meaningful, positive impact upon its community. The purpose of the plan is to diagnose the changing community needs and create a road map for both centers to pro-actively provide service and prioritize capital needs over the next 10 years in a cost-effective manner.

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Community Centers Master Plan

​Dallas, Texas

Go Gonzales! comprehensive Plan 

Gonzales, Louisiana

DRW Planning Studio teamed with Tharp Planning Group and Fregonese Associates to produce a series of small area plans for the City of Tulsa, the Tulsa Development Authority and ​Tulsa Metropolitan Planning Commission.  The work focused on three neighborhoods adjacent to downtown—Crutchfield, Crosbie Heights, and the Pearl District. The purpose of the effort was to stabilize and enhance these changing neighborhoods and position them to capitalize on growth opportunities and investment.

As the urban center of one of the fastest growing regions in the nation, Dallas is experiencing a development boom that includes an array of projects from large-scale redevelopment in the Downtown core to redevelopment opportunities in emerging neighborhoods throughout the city. However, the review and approval process at the City is cited as a hurdle that may limit the City from fully capitalizing on future growth opportunities, losing ground to other area municipalities in the process. In an effort to understand this issue better and seek solutions to position the City on the cutting edge of development review, the City and The Real Estate Council engaged in a discussion to identify key challenges that need to be addressed and develop a plan of action for implementation. The intended result is not only to improve the efficiency, transparency, and predictability of the development review process in Dallas, but to unlock even greater potential for development opportunities down the road as well.

The Center for Planning Excellence [CPEX] led the effort to draft a comprehensive plan for the City of Gonzales in Ascension Parrish, Louisiana.  As part of the Baton Rouge metropolitan area, Gonzales is slated to capture additional growth and is looking to strategically utilize its remaining buildable lands.  As part of this award-winning effort, the downtown area was the subject of focused study in order to maximize the potential for future commuter rail opportunities, develop innovative incremental and adaptive reuse strategies to activate the downtown corridor, and balance automobile with bike/pedestrian needs.  Strategic recommendations to improve the public realm address parking needs, while creating a unique character and a more generous pedestrian environment. Further recommendations to capitalize on open space along the bayou serve to advance mobility as well as recreational needs.  Partnering with the CPEX team, drw planning studio developed the small area plan for downtown, as well as served as an integral member of the planning team for the remainder of the comprehensive plan.