EPS provides rigorous analysis and insightful solutions to address complex challenges in real estate development, land use policy, and local government finance. We are motivated by the role our work can play in shaping places where people live and we strive to create high-quality urban environments that advance the principles of diversity, resiliency, and shared prosperity.
EPS offers a wealth of experience, robust technical expertise, and the ability to offer insightful solutions to address the challenges and opportunities of urban development.
EPS in collaboration with MIG, Inc., worked with Downtown Tulsa Partnership, alongside PartnerTulsa, and the City of Tulsa, to develop Downtown Tulsa Forward, a strategic investment plan and Tulsa’s first downtown-wide planning effort since 2010. Downtown Tulsa, which has a workforce of roughly 38,000 employees and is home to 5,000 residents, exists at a pivotal moment when strategic investments in the public realm can help build a solid foundation for future growth and enhance the quality of life for downtown residents, workers, and visitors. Downtown Tulsa Forward identifies catalytic and transformative improvement projects over the next 10 years and provides a structured approach to leveraging Tax Increment Financing (TIF) revenues for public realm improvements in Downtown Tulsa.
This plan was guided by stakeholder feedback and incorporates a vision for Downtown established in past planning efforts such as the Downtown Area Master Plan (2010). During this planning process, the project team engaged over 300 community members and stakeholders and used their feedback to help identify priority projects ranging from visionary, catalytic projects to small-scale, tactical improvements. After projects were identified, EPS worked on a funding and implementation strategy that provides a framework for implementation and includes guidance on project-specific funding tools and strategies. In October, PartnerTulsa approved the FY 2025 priority projects with a budget of nearly $3.8 million to implement planning and design work as well as a cost recovery fee for Downtown Tulsa Partnership to increase capacity for planning and project management to better serve Downtown Tulsa.
The full plan can be viewed here.
EPS is proud to announce the successful execution of a development agreement between the City of Austin (Texas) and Catellus Development Corporation for the Colony Park Sustainable Community in August 2024. This transformative 208-acre project represents years of collaboration between the city, developers, and local stakeholders to create a vibrant, sustainable neighborhood that will include up to 3,000 housing units (including 20% reserved for low-income residents) as well as commercial services, a health clinic and wellness center, and new public parks. The surrounding area was annexed to the City decades ago but has been awaiting the types of public investment and services that this project will provide.
Led by Darin Smith, EPS worked with the City for nearly a decade to reach this milestone. Following a community-centered initial planning effort funded by a HUD grant, the City engaged EPS to assess the financial feasibility of the preferred plan. EPS identified challenges to achieving the desired outcomes through traditional private financing structures, and helped set expectations for the scale and tools of public investment that could help realize the project. EPS then helped the City to solicit developer partners, negotiate development and financial terms, and adopt a Public Financing plan in which the City will take on an active role in financing the required infrastructure but also stands to reap significant financial rewards as well as community benefits from the successful completion of the project over the next decade or longer. This project marks a significant milestone in EPS’s ongoing commitment to helping cities and developers work together to create thriving, sustainable communities.
