Community Planning & Design

Survey results were recently released by John Burns Real Estate Consulting naming the Top 50 Master-Planned Communities across the country in 2021. After reviewing the list, it made us reflect on all the successful communities WHA has designed. Given the many development constraints of today and the pressure to thoughtfully incorporate attainable housing, creativity in planning and urban design has never been more crucial. Architecture and Planning together make a great marriage – so WHA has put them under one roof. This provides a rare advantage that enables us to successfully balance the needs of clients, cities, and consumers for every project at any scale. 

Below we highlight a few of WHA’s master-planned communities:

Riverstone by Riverstone Development, LLC | Madera County, CA
6,578 Units | 2,062 AC | 3.19 U/A

The community is comprised of a series of districts that are linked together through theme, character, and a similar overarching vision. Eight separate Districts provide a broad array of housing and employment opportunities. Traditional community design, street patterns, and multi-modal corridors interconnect each District. Each District includes a private recreation facility for its residents to serve as its social and recreation center. Riverstone’s big idea—which was inspired by its surrounding agrarian lands—is to celebrate the unique and endearing California lifestyle woven all throughout the Central Valley in towns like Madera, Fresno and Clovis. Residents are given every opportunity for recreation, adventure, and healthier living through engaging experiences within the Great Root Creek Park, along the San Joaquin River and adjacent lake, and throughout the recreational lands of the Sierras and Yosemite. Our creative work contributed to Riverstone’s recognition as the NAHB’s 2018 Master-Planned Community of the Year.

Boulevard by Lennar Homes & Brookfield Residential | Dublin, CA
1,702 Units | 189 AC | 9 U/A

This transit-oriented development (TOD) community in Northern California, consists of 24 unique neighborhoods totaling 1,750 new homes. Situated in the heart of Dublin, this modern address is centrally located near boutique shops, restaurants, the 580 and 680 freeways as well as the Dublin/Pleasanton BART station. Boulevard bridges East and West Dublin by combining a progressive urban fabric with suburban ambiance. This contemporary theme has been incorporated not only into the urban design, but also into the architecture, interior design, and landscaping—generating a cohesive character and lifestyle for widely varied buyer preferences.A 30-acre regional park, K-8 elementary school site and a 15,000-square-foot community center provide meaningful open space and myriad opportunities for recreational, social and educational pursuits.

The Resort by Lewis Group of Companies | Rancho Cucamonga, CA
3,500 Units | 160.42 AC | 21.81 U/A

Located on a former golf course site, the goal for this project was to create a dynamic urban framework — a city within the City of Rancho Cucamonga. Creative design and forward programming create spaces where progressive lifestyles flourish—blurring the lines between live, work and play. It’s an active setting generated as much by the inventive built environment as it is by connecting people, places, spaces, and ideas. The Resort connects multi-modally with the established venues of the surroundings, and offers its own unique destinations that benefit residents, neighbors, and the surrounding community with a hierarchy of spaces and experiences throughout. Building a residential hub around the Metrolink station (which is less than 300 feet from property) complements the development patterns of the City while offering residents driving-optional commuting to downtown San Bernardino, Los Angeles and beyond.