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 Managing Principal Moody, Jason joined a panel of experts at a recent California Assembly Committee meeting to report on the effectiveness of a landmark housing bill that facilitates development of high-density housing on major commercial corridors. The February 25th Housing and Community Development oversight committee hearing, chaired by Assembly member Buffy Wicks, focused on outcomes of AB 2011, the Affordable Housing and High Roads Jobs Act of 2022. At the time of passage, the law drew attention for the support the bill received from stakeholders across the housing and labor communities for creating a streamlined approval process for housing projects that meet specified affordability and labor requirements.
Mr. Moody’s testimony described how economic headwinds have hindered AB 2011’s impact on housing development to date. Most notably, increasing construction costs and flattening rental growth have slowed production of all types of housing in recent years. In addition, Mr. Moody described how the law’s prevailing wage and inclusionary housing requirements have limited its use by market rate developers. Other panelists included Peter Calthorpe, a renowned author and founding member of the Congress for New Urbanism, and David A. Garcia, Deputy Director of Policy Terner Center, and Danny Curtin, Director California Conference of Carpenters.
Video link: Assembly Committee Meeting, Wednesday, February 25, 2026 | California State Assembly
As California's high-speed rail network inches closer to reality, communities along the corridor are racing to answer a key question: how do people get to the station? EPS partnered with the Merced County Association of Governments (MCAG) and VRPA Technologies to help answer that question for Merced County, developing the active transportation component of the Merced Regional Multimodal Access Plan (MRMAP). EPS built a quantitative benefit-cost analysis framework to rank bicycle and pedestrian capital projects, from multi-use paths to separated bike lanes, based on their ability to boost active transportation use, reduce crashes, and cut vehicle emissions, and a companion qualitative framework ensured equity considerations like connectivity to disadvantaged communities weren't left on the cutting room floor. The prioritized projects will feed directly into MCAG's 2030 Regional Transportation Plan and position the agency to compete for federal infrastructure funding.
The MRMAP Study is linked here.
