Over the course of many years, Urban Community Partners has developed outstanding relationships with some of the best organizations, consultants and practitioners in their respective fields. Here’s what they have to say about working with us:

I have had the pleasure of collaborating with Ian and Keith since the inception of their company. UCP’s skill in bringing together citizens, economists, engineers, architects, developers, and policy makers to build consensus and create timeless places is extraordinary. Their fidelity and commitment to broadly based participatory processes and American town planning principals sets them apart from the competition. It is no surprise that UCP is emerging as an internationally recognized leader in creating authentic and sustainable communities.

— Barry J. Long, Jr., President & CEO, Urban Design Associates

I have been working with UCP for nearly a decade and have been consistently impressed with their dedication, smarts, and creativity. They are firmly committed to the principles of new urbanism and have dedicated all of their considerable abilities to the creation of walkable, livable, successful communities that work. In addition to their professional abilities, they are a joy to work with. It has been a pleasure and an honor to work with them these past years, and I look forward to many more successful projects with them.

— James A. Edison, Principal, ERA AECOM

Ian Gillis and Keith McCoy create enduring places for people. Planning and developing projects and timeless neighborhoods successfully is an essential differentiating skill-set that helps Urban Community Partners rise above the rest in their very competitive field. Their outstanding research and analysis of who the people will be as buyers, renters or commercial tenants, and what their customers are really looking for in terms of a lifestyle experience, are essential components to their development and implementation strategies.

— Max Reim, Managing Partner & Founding Principal Live Work Learn Play

A lot of people talk about vision in community planning and development. It is rare to find a team that has the ability to focus on the detail level with precision, and still take the wide view when it comes to the art of the possible. The Urban Community Partners team delivers on their promises, raises the level of the teams they lead, and understands well that internal communication is every bit as important as the external.

— Colleen Edwards, CEO, EMC Creative, Strategic Marketing and Creative Communications

The market town of Romsey in Hampshire, England is under pressure to grow. In November 2008 The Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment ran a five day planning charette here to help ensure that if any development occurred it would be done carefully and with the best design and building practices. At the recommendation of the Foundation, Urban Community Partners were invited to attend and provide independent advice & financial analysis to ensure the viability of what was being planned. They also helped analyze community outreach schemes in the proposed development area. I am pleased to endorse the efforts of Ian Gillis and Keith McCoy as integral parts of the charette team. They were professional, knowledgeable and good natured to work with.

— Timothy Knatchbull, The Ashfield Estate, Romsey, Hampshire, England.

Real Property development is a roller coaster ride that is fraught with pitfalls and hurdles. Keith and Ian have the combination of integrity, diplomacy, talent, and experience that allows them to smooth out the bumps in the road while moving a project ahead with due speed. They maintain the positive attitude that is crucial to bringing a team project effort along from “raw dirt to occupancy” and add enough fun and humor to make the journey relatively painless.

— Michael Houlemard Jr., Executive Director, Fort Ord Re-Use Authority

I’ve known Ian Gillis and Keith McCoy through their participation in and presentations at a number of Seaside Institute educational events that have attracted the highest level of land use professionals. Their case studies have illustrated an impressive attention to detail, knowledge of the best development implementation methods, notable organizational skills and a strong sense of values that honors the land and the built environment. I have often recommended them as development consultants and have had nothing but positive feedback. They are true professionals in every sense of the word.

— Phyllis Bleiweis, Phyllis Bleiweis & Associates, LLC

My name is Richard Mayer and I am Executive Director of Arts Habitat, a not-for-profit California corporation. We are dedicated to establishing an arts community at the new town of East Garrison, in the former Fort Ord. The East Garrison Arts District will be a mixed-use center and multicultural destination featuring affordable studio space and live-work units for visual, performing and literary artists. Arts Habitat has worked closely, for seven years, with Ian Gillis, Keith McCoy and Barry Long. As planners, developers and architects of East Garrison they have demonstrated a reassuring sensitivity to humane values as expressed in the design and realization of their built environments. I look forward to working with them again soon.

— Richard Mayer, Executive Director, Arts Habitat

Ian and Keith astounded supporters and skeptics alike by getting broad community support, unanimous political approval, and not a single voice in opposition, for a 400-acre mixed-use, new urbanism project in a county where that had never happened before in recent memory.

— Joseph E. Coomes, Jr., McDonough, Holland & Allen PC Author, Redevelopment in California

I have been personally involved in ensuring that East Garrison is a success and I believe that Urban Community Partners is responsible for much of the public support, good planning principles and the positive direction in which this new community is headed. We consider East Garrison to be a model for good planning and development in Monterey County, and I firmly believe that the efforts of both Ian Gillis and Keith McCoy have helped to change the way we plan and develop in Monterey County for the better.

— Dave Potter, Supervisor, District 5, Monterey County California

UCP has a deep understanding of the principles of traditional town planning, which was earned through experience in the business of land development in California. UCP is one of a very few firms able to bring these two perspectives to bear on real-world, real-time problems and opportunities.

— Stephen Lawton, Economic Development Director, City of Hercules

The approach Ian and Keith take to initiating, processing and implementing a “vision” for their development concepts is reminiscent of the evolution of a great Italian city…building an aspiring urban realm that serves as both the fabric and theatre for a vibrant, uniquely integrated community; a sense of place and perspective that transcends generations.

— Laura Worthington-Forbes, Principal, RBF Consulting

Urban Community Partners is one of the most creative organizations that the County has worked with in visioning and designing sustainable projects. Their staff are technically proficient and dedicated to meeting timelines. They understand how to elicit input from stakeholders, adjacent communities, and government officials as the first step in producing a product that has broad support. Keith McCoy and Ian Gillis, two of the lead partners, have demonstrated their ability to tackle the most difficult assignments with integrity and professionalism.

— Alana Knaster, Deputy Director, Resource Management Agency, Monterey County, California