Upfront Planning Podcast

Todd Skoro from Lennar homes talks being a single family homebuilder nationwide and the current status of homebuilding in Arizona.  What is the current status and will we see homebuilding like we did in the early 2000's ever again?  Hear how long a builder takes from looking at acquisition to development and why some projects get moved ahead of others and how they are staying strong.

Jessica is joined by a few of the repeat guests we love to talk to (Amber, Jamie, Melissa and Parker) as they have a mini in studio party recording and reflecting on the last  years or so and What has and what hasn't been said on the podcast yet!  Hear us shoot the shit and talk randomly with these lovely motivating ladies and hear how everyday things work into our lives and how things h...

Matrix Design Group's Chief of Strategic Development Celeste Werner, FAICP tells us about her amazing planning history and how she got involved in military airport planning, redevelopment projects and Guam!  Jessica also asks the scary question why does she come across so tough and always down to business.

Melissa Johnson joins the discussion for a 4th time to talk about BD and what it entails.  GOLF!  Hear about when they started learning golf, the best way to network golfing and more and how you decide what to invest in for business development.  Hear their experiences and why you should always invite someone into a networking circle.

 New Jersey Planner, Chris Dochney joins us to educate us on what its like as a planner in New Jersey.  The processes, the requirements, do they really require AICP to be a planner and all the things that are hot buttons like warehouses and pet shelters.  He tells us all the dirty planning entitlement details and why Jessica's hometown back east makes the list of Nimbyism... you kno...

Tempe Mayor Corey Woods gives us a debrief of his session at the National Planning Conference this year about saying "No" to Nimbyism, what housing discussions he is hearing that he feels will help and which ones need some work and follows it up with a fun discussion on being a foodie and his possible music podcast discussion.

Jason Jarvis with National BTR Solutions joins the podcast to talk about his experience in homebuilding and what he has seen over the years.  Hear about his experience on the the single family home building side and how it prepared him to be at the forefront of the National Build to Rent market providing needed housing opportunities to not only Arizona but multiple states.  Hear what he...

Kim Watson of Strategic Alliance joins us for this interesting episode on team building in the workplace and understanding different motivations, people types and discusses thier innovative research that they do to better determine who you are as a worker.

Neil Calfee talks about the ASU innovation zones and what he sees as the future direction for not only ASU but Arizona as a whole.  Hear how is background with public and private partnerships was a perfect fit with ASU to keep ASU innovation and ASU students at the forefront of the workforce.

Jessica does a debrief on the ULI Housing Conference that was held in Atlana, GA and what were the hot topics everyone was talking about and were any solutions or remedies for this housing issue defined.

Deb Sydenham, FAICP talks about what the highs were of the 2025 Trends Day after she had some much needed rest.  Here how she thought it went and what are they already planning for next year in the biggest event thatULI puts on in AZ and only internationally second to the Fall and Spring Conferences.

Arizona State Representative Sarah Liguori from District 5 talks about what she does, what we can expect to see push through this year and updates us on the Affordable Housing bills being revised for this session.  

Jocelyn Skogebo and Denise Staley talk about the trials and tribulations of loving historic homes.  Hear how they both renovated homes in the cities of Phoenix and Mesa and learned all the local and state requirements, processes, costs and architecture needs of maintaining these beautiful homes.  Hear if they would do it again and why they decided to try in the first place.

Planning Pioneer and owner of Partners for Strategic Action and LDV Winery Owner, Peggy Fiandaca joins the podcast to talk about her wide scope of projects throughout the state in shaping Arizona and how she became the face of planning in Arizona for such a long time.  Learn how she was able to pivot and endulge her other passion in her winery and what she enjoys most about the profession.&nb...

Longtime Mesa native and Maricopa County Planning Director Tom Ellsworth joins us to talk a bit about what he does and how his past shaped him as a planner.  Hear about how he saw development as he grew up in Mesa and what has impacted him the most in how he looks at incoming projects.

Amber Knapp and Whitney Mayfield come back to talk about where they are now and what they are doing, what they have learned.

Former Gilbert Mayor Brigette Peterson joins the podcast to tell us what is next on her list as she starts a new chapter in the West Valley, what she loved about being Mayor and what she could do without.

Fourth World Design Group Founder Kim Kanuho talks about what makes tribal planning unique and the importance of culture and honoring the earth in land planning.  Listen in to her story on how she became a planner and how she works with the tribes to provide them opportunities to grow and provide for the next generations.

Paul Coble, the Chair of the Intellectual Property Department at Rose Law Group, talks about AI and the impact it has on doing business, what level of human interaction should be required and what needs to be thought of before implementing AI as a tool in your company.

Brad Grannis with University Realty discusses the land donation and portfolio side of the ASU Foundation and how it all works.  Hear about why it is such a great opportunitiey not only for the fdoundation but grestly benefits its donors and how they can capitalize on thier fonations to create a legacy of their choice.

Mesa Mayor-Elect Freeman joins the podcast to talk about the election, his taks moving forward and how the transition from Council member to Mayor is going.  Hear about what he plans to address on day one and what he envisions Mesa to be like over his tenure.

A Very Special Holiday Intern Episode

Brian Rosella with Kidder Matthews joins us to talk about the importance of local knowledge when looking and developing sites.  

Trevor Barger, FAICP of Espiritu Loci and partner in ZenniHomes talks about the new innovative downtown Mesa project underway and how the idea of ZenniHomes and stacking them came to be.

Bob Pikora and Larry Tom; both City of Phoenix Alumni; catch up with fellow alum Jessica and talk about life at Phoenix and after.