David Wade is a principal/senior project manager with an extensive background in planning and design of environmentally sound, large- and small-scale urban development and policy projects. He has over 40 years’ experience in managing and planning master and specific plans for both public and private sectors. He has substantial skills in leading multi-disciplinary planning programs involving integration of planning, design, engineering, environmental, and policy studies. His expertise includes land use, socio- economics, community design, and public facilities. David’s skills include GIS design and analysis, residential architectural design, detailed site design/ urban design, and master planning community development. He is also skilled at regional and local policy development that addresses economic development, jobs-housing balance, growth management, and land use policy. 

 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

 

As a founding Principal for Wade Associates, David Wade served as principal-in-charge and senior project manager for over 40 specific plan and general development plan projects in northern and central California and northern Nevada. He has developed expertise in managing large teams in a comprehensive planning effort on specific plan projects ranging from 160 to 5,000 acres. He has prepared numerous community designs for private-land developers. Design concepts include constraints and opportunities analyses, land use configurations and community design elements.

 

Mr. Wade has developed innovative design solutions and methods to handle design opportunities and constraints in the land development process. Innovative solutions such as alternative transportation solutions including neighborhood electric vehicle systems integrated with local public transit and extensive trail networks.

 

Design solutions include guidelines for oak woodlands, wetlands, slope and topographical constraints and access limitations. Design recommendations have been incorporated into community and specific plans as community form elements or independent design guidelines.

 

Mr. Wade has served as a senior consultant to local governments on the preparation of specific plans and other planning documents. Recent examples include the Suisun Logistics Center and Highway12 Logistics Center, a total of over 4 million square feet of warehouse/distribution projects in the City of Suisun City. Mr. Wade provided direction on the overall project through the entitlements and provided editing of the plan.

 

Mr. Wade has prepared over 30 public facilities master plans, jobs/housing analyses, recreation master plans, public facility feasibility studies, master services assessments, and sphere of influence studies for public service agencies.

 

In addition to leading Wade Associates continuously since 1981, David formed two additional companies with a planning focus. The Development Information Group provided a GIS based mapping service for the development industry that produced project specific and regional development information. The Pocket Neighborhood Group is a small development team focused on creating eight to ten cottages around common open space on infill parcels of one to two acres. David provides site selection and analysis, finance analysis and residential design for these projects.

 

Prior to founding Wade Associates, Mr. Wade was the Executive Coordinator for the South Placer Policy Committee where he prepared a comprehensive policy document and conceptual regional plan for a 100 square mile area including Lincoln, Rocklin and Roseville to secure funding the Highway 65 Roseville Bypass. Earlier, he was the Assistant Executive Officer for the Sacramento Local Agency Formation Commission. David prepared and managed studies on creation and reorganization of special districts throughout Sacramento County. David’s earliest professional experience was as an on-call planner for the City of Pismo Beach and an entry level planner for the City of Novato.

 

David’s later career has emphasized master plan oversight and management, and designer of small scale residential in-fill developments. David has served as an expert witness on several lawsuits involving land use, right of way takings, and zoning issues.

 

Throughout his career, David has been an active member of the APA. He became a member of AICP in 1979 and was accredited as a Certified Urban Designer (CUD) in 2015.  He has been active in the Sacramento Valley Section since that time, including the Section Director in 1982 and collaborator on a public outreach seminar program called CityTalks.  He was the Program Coordinator for the California Nevada State Conference in 1983. David has served on the National Planning Accreditation Board Site Visit Committee for seven years, including three accreditation site visits (2017, 2020, 2022). David served as a Mentor in the 2015-16 Class of the Sac Valley Section PLAN Mentoring Program. David also served seven years as a mentor and juror in the Sacramento Urban Land Institute URBANPLAN program. In 2017 David served as a volunteer teaching assistant in environmental design at UC Davis Extension. David also guided environmental education as a Board Member (2010-2018) and President (2012) of the American River Natural History Association which funds and operates the 100-acre Effie Yeaw Nature Center.

 

PROFESSIONAL HISTORY

• Wade Associates, Urban and Environmental Planning Consultants – Principal/Founder (1981- current)

• Pocket Neighborhood Group- Founder/ Designer (2013-current)

• Development Information Group – President/Founder (2002-2005, 2016-current)

• South Placer Policy Committee – Project Coordinator (1981-1982)

• Community Resource and Development (CARD) Corporation, Senior Planner, (1981)

• Sacramento County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo)-Assistant Executive Officer (1978 – 1981)

• City of Novato - Assistant Planner (1973- 1976)

• City of Pismo Beach – Planning Assistant (1973)

 

EDUCATION

• M.A., Architecture and Urban Planning, University of California, Los Angeles (1979)

• B.S., City and Regional Planning, California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo (1973)

 

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

• American Planning Association (APA), Member

• American Institute of Certified Planners, Charter Member,

• American Institute of Certified Planners, Certified Urban Designer (AICP-CUD)

• Urban Land Institute, Associate Member

• Certified Green Build Professional

• Lambda Alpha International Land Economics Society, Member

• National Planning Accreditation Board, Site Visit Member