Opticos Design, Inc.

Opticos Design, Inc. Opticos has the experience and expertise to help you make your vision a reality, whether you’d like to create a building, a neighborhood, or a town.

Imagine a place where children ride their bikes to school. Picture a community where neighbors walk to the corner grocery and meet at local parks and where urban spaces are interconnected through public transportation. Pair this ideal with an architecture that is rooted in the history, climate, and culture of a place. The result is a community where people of all ages, backgrounds, and incomes wan

t to live, work, and play. Opticos has the experience and expertise to help you make this vision a reality, whether you’d like to create a building, a street, a neighborhood—or an entire town. Blending the best from the past with the most innovative ideas of the present, our multidisciplinary approach results in state-of-the-art projects that are contextually rich, architecturally solid, and aesthetically appealing. From designs for individual buildings to regional master plans, whether we’re making new neighborhoods or revitalizing old spaces, we create custom-made solutions that directly address the architectural, cultural, and sustainable needs of communities. In the process, we form lasting partnerships with clients. We also practice what we preach. In 2007, we officially became one of the first B Corporations, and in 2012, one of twelve initial California Benefit Corporations, a revolutionary new kind of business that equally integrates environmental, social, and fiscal responsibility into decision making. That commitment informs every project we select and each choice we make—both professional and personal. We don’t just ask others to go car-free; we bike, walk, or take public transit to our office that’s located in a mixed-use urban center. We’re the first to admit that we’re far from perfect, but we are trying to make a difference. We shop locally, live small, and work responsibly. These decisions inform our work at every level, and as a result, we are proud to help create communities that thrive and buildings that withstand the test of time.

From Housing Questions to Clear, Actionable AnswersOur Chicago team leads Missing Middle Housing Scans and Deep Dives to...
06/23/2026

From Housing Questions to Clear, Actionable Answers

Our Chicago team leads Missing Middle Housing Scans and Deep Dives to help cities move from curiosity to confidence when it comes to understanding housing choice. These services use our deep expertise in Missing Middle Housing, zoning, and urban design to identify where MMH makes sense and what specific regulatory barriers stand in the way.

The MMH Scan maps priority areas, reviews comprehensive plan policy and zoning, and clearly defines both why Missing Middle is hard to build today and how it could be built in the future. The MMH Deep Dive then tests real sites, showing what current zoning actually produces versus what communities actually want to see, and lays out practical, design led solutions that fit your community.

Together, these tools provide an accessible, graphically rich roadmap for communities that want to expand housing options, support affordability, and protect neighborhood character without jumping straight into a full code rewrite. Our Chicago team recently completed Missing Middle Housing Scans & Deep Dives for Carmel, IN; Bloomington, IL; and Charleston & N. Charleston, SC to help reveal existing barriers – and define next steps. What questions does your community have about housing choice?

Have you met the Chicago team at Opticos Design?They’re working with communities across the Midwest and beyond on projec...
06/16/2026

Have you met the Chicago team at Opticos Design?

They’re working with communities across the Midwest and beyond on projects that turn planning and policy into clear, implementable zoning, neighborhood revitalization, and housing solutions.

Their work spans a wide range of efforts, including:

• The Chicago Missing Middle Toolkit and Peer Network that highlighted regional housing strategies to address housing choice at scale
• The Nashville Housing & Infrastructure Study, connecting zoning, infrastructure, and long-term growth
• Citywide zoning updates and regulatory strategies in places like Columbus and South Bend, including award-winning implementation tools
• Housing opportunity studies with zoning analysis and creative community engagement in communities like Hanover, NH, Oak Park, IL and Cumberland, IN
• Corridor planning, site visualization, and master planning from cottage courts to main streets in Washington, IL and Fennville, MI

Across these projects, the team brings experience in planning, architecture, and urban design working from regional strategy down to site-level implementation.

Their focus is consistent: making zoning easier to understand, ensuring good design can come to life, and making policy easier to put into action.

👉 Want to learn more or connect with the team?

[link in bio]

We believe design should shape more sustainable, equitable, and walkable communities.Footnotes is where we share the ide...
06/12/2026

We believe design should shape more sustainable, equitable, and walkable communities.

Footnotes is where we share the ideas behind that work.

👉 Subscribe & Read more - [link in bio]

Meet the Team: Tony Perez, Senior Associate + Cecilia J. Kim, Planning Manager, PhDWorking on zoning that’s hard to impl...
06/11/2026

Meet the Team: Tony Perez, Senior Associate + Cecilia J. Kim, Planning Manager, PhD
Working on zoning that’s hard to implement or difficult to navigate?

Tony and Cecilia help your community’s vision and policies into clear, implementable zoning solutions.

From shaping downtown plans in San Rafael, Davis, and Lincoln, California and an Arts District in Las Vegas, to leading a citywide hybrid UDO update in Greenwood, Indiana, to customizing objective design standards in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Santa Barbara, Folsom, Mountain View, Marin County, Orinda, and Lincoln to a Missing Middle Housing Toolkit of Standards for the Puget Sound region; to the SB 9 Toolkit for the 7-County Bay Area Region; to code audit work in Denver and Kansas City, form-based standards for the Minnesota Capitol Area to a robust Missing Middle Housing study in Prince George’s County, Missing Middle Housing standards in Sacramento, and collaborating with AARP to help Anchorage, Alaska—their work spans a wide range of communities and project types across the country.

Together, they focus on one thing: customizing your zoning to your vision; making zoning easier to understand and easier to use through clear, reasonable and effective standards that produce the intended built outcomes and help communities achieve more housing.

Have a project in mind or want to set up a tailored discussion? Get in touch with us!

👉 Want to learn more? View a few of our Planetizen courses [links in bio]

Designing a Walkable, Mixed Income Neighborhood for a Mountain Town.For the last major undeveloped parcel in Mammoth Lak...
06/10/2026

Designing a Walkable, Mixed Income Neighborhood for a Mountain Town.

For the last major undeveloped parcel in Mammoth Lakes, our urban design team crafted and is now realizing a vision for a 25 acre, walkable, mixed income neighborhood addressing acute affordable housing needs and an extreme alpine climate. Phase I is complete, delivering 80 low income homes—studios and one- to three-bedroom units, most affordable at 60% of AMI—while the next phase is under construction with 146 more homes opening this summer.

The plan integrates Missing Middle Housing, creative parking, and snow responsive green infrastructure to prioritize housing and shared open space. Community members helped shape the design through hands on engagement, and alignment with financing and phasing has enabled successful real world delivery in a resort-driven market. (Team includes Lisa Wise, Crabtree Group, Town of Mammoth Lakes)

Turning Housing Vision into ActionOur Toolkits and Playbooks help communities move from big housing goals to clear, impl...
05/28/2026

Turning Housing Vision into Action

Our Toolkits and Playbooks help communities move from big housing goals to clear, implementable steps. Designed for both regional coalitions and individual cities, these tools translate policy, zoning, and market analysis into practical strategies that can actually be delivered.

At the regional scale, toolkits support shared learning across jurisdictions while remaining flexible enough for local context. At the citywide scale, playbooks provide a place based roadmap that aligns zoning, incentives, and investment with neighborhood character, feasibility, and equity.

Whether guiding Missing Middle Housing, zoning reform, or displacement aware growth, our toolkits and playbooks give cities a clear path from planning to real change.

Our Chicago team recently completed a Housing Playbook with the City of Cincinnati Dept of Community and Economic Development (DCED) and a Missing Middle Peer Network and Toolkit for 18-municipalities across the Chicago Metro Area.

We’re excited to share a project we’ve been working on: Civic Center Apartments, funded through the City of Richmond and...
05/22/2026

We’re excited to share a project we’ve been working on: Civic Center Apartments, funded through the City of Richmond and the California Department of Housing & Community Development’s Homekey Program.

This conversion of a 1950s Travel Lodge, most recently Motel 6, directly adjacent to the Richmond Civic Center, transforms a tired motel into permanent supportive housing with 48 studio units plus a 1‑bedroom for a live‑in manager.

Working with existing buildings means working with the unknown. We collaborated closely with the City of Richmond and our contractor to resolve unforeseen conditions, while bringing the building up to current standards: 3 fully accessible units, new guardrails, and updated energy compliance.

The goal was to make a motel feel like a home through updated finishes, individual prefabricated kitchenettes (via Kit Switch) in every unit, a community kitchen, and new landscaped outdoor gathering spaces. We stayed true to the building’s midcentury roots by preserving the original “TL” railing detailing, and a public art mural on the tower will become a new landmark for the Civic Center Plaza.

This project provides homes for local residents who have experienced homelessness, with on-site offices for building management and service providers, and easy access to public transit, a new anchor for the Civic Center neighborhood.

Thank you to the full project team: Novin Development | Novin Construction | City of Richmond | Kit Switch | Fard Engineers | Element Structural Engineers | Beyond Efficiency | Hillmann Development Advisors, LLC

Turning ADU Policy into ActionTo help address Pittsburg’s housing shortage, our Urban Design team worked with the City t...
05/22/2026

Turning ADU Policy into Action

To help address Pittsburg’s housing shortage, our Urban Design team worked with the City to create an ADU Guidebook and Pre Approved Permit Set designed for clarity, speed, and real world use.

The guidebook walks homeowners through what an ADU is, how to design one, and how to navigate the local permitting process. Paired with that is a flexible 1+ bedroom pre approved ADU design, allowing for either one or two bedroom layouts that are simple to build, cost conscious, and ready to download and permit.

By aligning urban design, architecture, and local regulations, this project helps homeowners add housing for family, rental income, or aging in place, without starting from scratch.


Gabel Energy | |

CNU Charter Awards 2025 – Region, Metropolis, City & Town Sacramento’s Citywide Missing Middle Housing Strategy has been...
05/08/2026

CNU Charter Awards 2025 – Region, Metropolis, City & Town

Sacramento’s Citywide Missing Middle Housing Strategy has been recognized by the CNU Charter Awards.

This nationally significant initiative addresses housing affordability, displacement, and equity through inclusive, context‑sensitive zoning reform.

The strategy legalizes small‑scale multi‑unit housing (Missing Middle Housing) in every neighborhood and upper Missing Middle Housing nearer to transit, expanding housing choice while supporting walkability and neighborhood character using a “form-based” approach.

Opticos is proud to partner with the City of Sacramento and a strong multidisciplinary team on a strategy shaping a more equitable housing future.

Design‑Led Analysis Leads to New Ordinances to Expand Housing ChoiceIn Delray Beach, our Urban Design team partnered wit...
05/07/2026

Design‑Led Analysis Leads to New Ordinances to Expand Housing Choice

In Delray Beach, our Urban Design team partnered with the City and the Community Redevelopment Agency to explore how ADUs and Missing Middle Housing could fit into an established, diverse neighborhood without compromising character.

The ADU + Infill Housing Study tested seven prototypical lots and over 20 development scenarios, evaluating ADUs alongside duplexes, fourplexes, and cottage courts within the City’s R‑1‑A and RM zones. The work identified zoning barriers, illustrated what’s spatially feasible, and delivered data‑backed recommendations to support predictable, neighborhood‑compatible infill.

The study helped build strong local support for ADUs, and culminated in the adoption of a new ADU ordinance and other ordinances that make it easier for generational owners to develop their land and remain in the neighborhood.

Address

2100 Milvia Street Ste 125
Berkeley, CA
94704

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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+15105586957

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