Communities change over time. The challenge is helping them evolve without losing the identity that made them successful.
SEC Planning has partnered with PulteGroup on Sun City Texas for more than two decades, helping guide the continued planning, design, and evolution of one of the nation's largest active adult communities. Since 2001, our work has included master planning, landscape architecture, site design, and community branding across more than 5,400 acres and over 10,000 homes.
As the community expanded, Pulte sought to refresh Sun City's identity to appeal to a new generation of homeowners while honoring the Hill Country character long associated with the development. SEC Planning responded by creating a contemporary design language built around locally sourced stone, corten steel, native landscapes, and updated entry features that establish a cohesive identity across new neighborhoods and amenity spaces.
The result is a community that feels both familiar and forward-looking. Rather than reinventing Sun City Texas, the design builds on its strengths, allowing one of the region's most established master-planned communities to continue growing while remaining true to the character residents have valued for decades.
Some communities are designed around amenities. Mirehaven was designed around the landscape.
Located adjacent to Petroglyph National Monument in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the community was developed by PulteGroup as its first Del Webb community in the region. The vision was to create a neighborhood that embraces the area's natural beauty, outdoor lifestyle, and sweeping views of the Sandia Mountains rather than competing with them.
SEC Planning provided land planning, thematic design, and landscape architecture services, carefully studying the site's topography, viewsheds, and natural drainage features throughout the design process. The community's arrival experience, amenity areas, and neighborhood layout were intentionally positioned to frame long-distance views while preserving the character of the site.
Native landscaping, restored arroyos, interconnected trails, and thoughtfully planned open spaces encourage residents to experience the landscape as part of everyday life. The result is a community that reflects the character of New Mexico while demonstrating how planning and landscape architecture can strengthen a site's greatest natural assets.
Firefly Pointe is a master-planned residential community in Hutto, Texas, developed by Lennar Homes to provide attainable homeownership within a thoughtfully designed, family-oriented neighborhood. The community combines a variety of housing options with parks, trails, and recreational amenities that encourage residents to connect with one another and enjoy the outdoors.
SEC Planning provided thematic design, landscape architecture, amenity planning, construction coordination, and project management services throughout multiple phases of the development. Working closely with the civil engineer, architect, and contractor, the team guided the project from concept through construction, including the design and delivery of the community's amenity center.
One of the project's greatest challenges was maximizing a relatively small amenity site while accommodating Lennar's desired recreational programming. SEC Planning strategically oriented the amenity center to capture expansive views of the adjacent floodplain, creating a greater sense of openness while incorporating a resort-style pool, playground, basketball court, pavilion, trails, and gathering spaces. Native planting, solar-powered lighting, and pedestrian connections further reinforce the community's long-term sustainability and walkability.
The result is a vibrant neighborhood that delivers a high-quality resident experience while meeting the client's budget and development goals, demonstrating how thoughtful planning and design can create lasting value at every scale.
Parmer Ranch is a 500-acre master-planned community in Georgetown, Texas, developed with a vision of creating a high-quality residential environment that balances growth, preservation, and long-term livability. The project includes a variety of housing types, commercial opportunities, schools, parks, and community amenities, all connected through a thoughtfully planned framework.
SEC Planning provided master planning, neighborhood layout design, commercial and mixed-use planning, park and amenity design, landscape architecture, tree preservation planning, and entitlement support services related to the creation of a Municipal Utility District (MUD).
One of the defining goals of the project was preserving the site's mature live oak trees. SEC Planning strategically located parks, amenities, open spaces, and roadway alignments to protect significant tree stands and incorporate them into the community experience. Rather than treating these natural features as obstacles, they became organizing elements within the master plan.
Today, Parmer Ranch is nearing build-out and has attracted strong demand from builders, major commercial investment, and new educational facilities. The result is a community that feels established, connected, and rooted in the character of the land itself.
Avery Centre is a 1,000-acre mixed-use development in Round Rock, Texas, envisioned by the Avery Family as a legacy project that would benefit future generations. The goal was to create a walkable community that brings together education, healthcare, employment, housing, and recreation within a single connected environment.
SEC Planning has been involved with the project since 2007, providing services including master planning, PUD entitlements, community design guidelines, residential neighborhood planning, campus planning, landscape architecture, streetscape design, park planning, trails, signage, and amenity design.
One of the project's greatest challenges was creating a flexible entitlement framework capable of supporting a wide range of uses while adapting to future market demands. Working closely with City leaders, educational institutions, and healthcare providers, SEC Planning helped establish a vision that continues to guide the development today.
Now home to Austin Community College, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Texas State University, Seton Hospital, and a variety of residential neighborhoods, Avery Centre continues to evolve as a destination community where people can live, work, learn, and access healthcare in one connected place.
The Co-op is a mixed-use destination in Hutto, Texas, created through a partnership between MA Partners and the City of Hutto. Built on the site of a former cotton gin and agricultural hub, the project was envisioned as a walkable district that combines dining, entertainment, office space, multifamily housing, public gathering areas, and civic destinations within a single connected environment.
SEC Planning provided master planning, entitlement services, landscape architecture, community branding, signage design, architectural design guidelines, streetscape design, 3D visualization, and ongoing site planning support throughout the development.
The project presented numerous challenges, including complex entitlement requirements, environmental remediation, political uncertainty, public opposition, and the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. SEC Planning worked closely with the development team and City staff to maintain the project's vision while navigating those obstacles.
One of the most distinctive aspects of The Co-op is the transformation of a major drainage corridor into a system of lakes, boardwalks, pedestrian connections, and gathering spaces. Combined with the preservation of historic agricultural elements and the creation of a central Town Green, these features have helped establish The Co-op as a recognizable destination and community gathering place within Central Texas.
