SEC Planning was founded in 2001 with a simple goal: create a land planning and landscape architecture design firm built around responsiveness, relationships, and practical problem-solving.
From the beginning, the belief was straightforward: good planning starts with understanding the client.
The result is planning that performs not just on paper, but in the real world.
At SEC Planning, great planning starts with listening.
This philosophy also shapes how the firm is structured: clear communication, direct accountability, and practical solutions that support both clients and project teams.
In its early years, SEC Planning operated under the umbrella of a larger organization. The model was intended to combine the resources of a larger company with the flexibility of a smaller design team.
Over time, however, it became clear that this structure limited the ability to work closely with clients and respond quickly to project needs. The distance between the people designing projects and the people making decisions made it harder to deliver the kind of responsive, client-focused service the founders envisioned.
“We wanted the ability to understand our clients’ needs and respond to them directly. That’s hard to do when decisions are being made a thousand miles away.”
In 2008, SEC Planning became fully independent.
That move allowed the firm to build the kind of organization the founders believed in from the start — one built around responsiveness, relationships, and practical problem solving.
Our mission is to create design solutions that achieve our clients’ goals.
We listen first, collaborate closely, and deliver land planning, landscape architecture, and entitlement strategies built for real-world success, with results that perform beyond the drawing board.
The philosophy guiding SEC Planning came directly from client feedback.
Several years after the firm was founded, the team conducted a survey with long-time clients to better understand what made the company different. The responses were remarkably consistent.
Clients said the team listens.
They respond to project goals.
They develop solutions based on real development objectives rather than imposing a design philosophy.
That insight became the foundation of the firm’s approach: Client-Centered Thinking™.
Rather than dictating what a project should look like, the SEC Planning team works alongside clients to understand:
Every project is different. Our job is to understand both the vision and the realities that shape it.
The design industry can sometimes fall into the trap of designing for design’s sake.
That’s not how we work.
At SEC Planning, good planning balances several realities at once:
A beautiful plan that cannot be approved — or cannot support the development economics — does not help the client.
Our role is to help clients find solutions that work across all of those dimensions.
Land development decisions involve more than design.
When clients evaluate land, two questions usually matter most:
SEC Planning helps clients answer both questions early in the process.
By evaluating feasibility, understanding municipal priorities, and coordinating entitlement strategy, we help developers avoid costly misalignment between vision and reality.
In some cases, the most valuable advice we provide is recommending that a client not pursue a site when conditions make success unlikely.
“Sometimes the best advice we can give a client is that the deal just doesn’t work.”
The best planning solutions come from understanding before prescribing.
We listen closely, collaborate openly, and work alongside clients to develop solutions shaped by real goals and real constraints.
Planning decisions carry long-term consequences. Every plan we produce reflects careful analysis, thoughtful design, and a commitment to helping our clients make confident development decisions.
Strong work begins with a strong team. SEC Planning maintains a collaborative, supportive environment where experienced professionals work together and help develop the next generation of leaders.
One of the things clients notice about SEC Planning is the stability of the team.
Many members of the firm’s leadership team have worked together for two decades. That continuity provides stability for both our clients and our projects.
When a client begins working with a project leader, they can expect that same person to remain engaged as the project moves through planning, entitlement, and implementation.
Since 2001, SEC Planning has built its reputation through relationships.
Today, much of the firm’s work continues to come from repeat clients and referrals — developers who have experienced firsthand how the team approaches projects.
Clients often describe SEC Planning as:
At its core, SEC Planning is a firm of real people who care about the success of the projects they work on.
Every project represents a partnership — one built on listening, collaboration, and the shared goal of creating developments that succeed in the real world.
Begin your partnership with SEC Planning
