Gary Mitchell, FAICP
FAICP Statement
Gary Mitchell is a foremost practitioner—and enthusiastic proponent—of comprehensive planning in an era of specialization. His 40-plus plans have yielded transformative results for communities, including much-needed infrastructure financing (Amarillo, Texas); new zoning strategies that spurred downtown/corridor redevelopment (Bellaire, Texas); and management tools for an edge community poised to grow from 1,100 to 140,000 (Fulshear, Texas). A St. Louis-area plan merited the APA Illinois Daniel Burnham Award for unifying a highly politicized community (Belleville, Illinois). A path to new transit and transit-oriented development (Chicago south suburbs), large-scale annexations (Bryan, Texas), and a rejuvenated Old Town (Lewisville, Texas) demonstrate his versatility.
Professional Biography
Gary has professional planning experience at the city, county and regional levels since 1989. In 2020, he was inducted into the 600-member AICP College of Fellows. This is the highest honor the American Institute of Certified Planners bestows to recognize “model planners” whose leadership and individual efforts “left demonstrably significant and transformational improvements to the field of planning and the communities they served.” Over his career, Gary has had the opportunity to complete a wide variety of plans and special studies addressing: land use, transportation, growth management and annexation, housing, economic development, infrastructure, community facilities, public services, bicycle/pedestrian circulation, parking, downtown revitalization, neighborhood conservation, environmental and cultural resources, park systems and trail networks, historic preservation, urban design, and transit-supportive station area planning. His portfolio includes 50+ comprehensive plans – in communities ranging from 2,000 to 200,000 people – and his consulting work has taken him to 17 states (Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wyoming). Since transitioning into consulting in 1999, 12 communities he has assisted have received awards from divisions of the American Planning Association (APA) as outstanding examples of urban planning.