Landscape Architects Phoenix
Evergreen Design Group
Landscape Architects Phoenix
Evergreen Design Group is a licensed landscape architecture firm serving the Greater Phoenix metropolitan area and Maricopa County. Since 2005, we have partnered with land developers, civil engineers, architects, and design-build contractors to deliver landscape architecture, land planning, and irrigation design for commercial, multi-family, mixed-use, and institutional projects throughout the Phoenix metro.
We hold Arizona Firm Registration 22536-0. Every service we provide — land planning Phoenix projects require, landscape architecture, irrigation design, native plant inventories, salvage plans, and water harvesting plans — is performed in-house by our licensed professionals. We do not subcontract your scope.
Our practice is exclusively B2B. We do not take on homeowner projects. We work as a coordinated subconsultant and project partner to development and design teams, and our deliverables are structured for permit submittal, technical review, and direct integration with your civil and architectural scope.
Landscape Architecture Firm Phoenix
Evergreen Design Group is a landscape architecture firm in Phoenix operating at both a local and national scale. We hold active licensure in 43 states, including Arizona Firm Registration 22536-0, and our team brings sustained project experience navigating the City of Phoenix, Maricopa County, and every major suburban municipality in the metro — from Scottsdale and Tempe to Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale, and Peoria.
As a landscape architecture firm in Phoenix, we bring jurisdiction-specific knowledge of the Phoenix Landscape Ordinance, Urban Form standards, Native Plant Preservation Ordinance, Water Harvesting Ordinance, Scottsdale’s Environmental Review process, and the varying landscape standards of every major development jurisdiction across the metro. That local regulatory depth, backed by the process discipline of a nationally operating firm, is what sets our landscape architecture firm in Phoenix apart from both local-only practices and large national firms without sustained Maricopa County project experience.
The landscape architects Phoenix developers, civil engineers, and architects engage need to understand more than desert plant palettes. They need to understand permit submittal requirements, entitlement timelines, and the regulatory interdependencies between landscape architecture scope and civil engineering decisions. That is what we deliver on every Phoenix engagement.
Landscape Architecture Services in Phoenix, AZ
Our Phoenix team delivers fully in-house professional services across every phase of a project — from initial site analysis and land planning through permit-ready construction documents coordinated directly with your civil and architectural team. Every service is performed by our licensed professionals. We do not subcontract scope.
Land planning in Phoenix requires navigating one of the most complex and overlay-governed development environments in the Southwest. Our land planning Phoenix services integrate directly with your civil engineer’s site layout, addressing open space configurations, setback compliance, buffer yard requirements, native plant preservation zone placement, water harvesting basin siting, and streetscape frameworks that satisfy City of Phoenix and Maricopa County development review standards from the first submittal.
Land planning Phoenix scope spans the full range of commercial development types: infill and master-planned communities, mixed-use and town center projects, commercial and retail development, industrial and logistics facilities, and institutional campuses throughout Maricopa County. For projects subject to Planned Unit Development conditions, site-specific zoning stipulations, or HOA overlay standards, we research and incorporate those requirements into the land planning scope at the outset — before they become a revision cycle during entitlement review.
Early land planning coordination is critical in Phoenix because the city’s layered regulatory framework — the Phoenix Landscape Ordinance, Native Plant Preservation Ordinance, Water Harvesting Ordinance, and Urban Form standards — creates interdependencies between landscape architecture and civil engineering decisions that must be resolved at the site planning stage. Our land planning Phoenix team coordinates these constraints with your civil engineer from the initial layout stage, which is where entitlement schedules are protected or lost.
Our licensed landscape architects in Phoenix produce permit-ready planting plans tailored to the Sonoran Desert climate. We specify drought-tolerant, heat-resistant native and adapted species that comply with City of Phoenix landscape ordinance requirements, Scottsdale’s xeriscape and plant palette standards, and HOA design guidelines — while minimizing long-term water demand and maintenance requirements.
Species selection accounts for Phoenix’s extreme thermal environment, caliche soil conditions, and the long-term irrigation water budgets that increasingly drive planting plan review across Maricopa County. Commonly specified species include palo verde, desert willow, ironwood, mesquite, saguaro, ocotillo, agave, desert marigold, and heat-adapted groundcovers appropriate to each site’s sun exposure and maintenance profile.
We prepare comprehensive documentation of existing trees to support entitlement, grading, and permitting processes across Maricopa County and its municipalities. In the Phoenix metro, tree disposition scope frequently overlaps with Native Plant Inventory requirements — many significant trees on desert development sites are protected native species subject to salvage and relocation requirements under City of Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Maricopa County ordinances.
We format tree disposition documentation to support development review by Phoenix’s Planning and Development Department, Scottsdale’s Development Review Board, and other Maricopa County municipal review agencies.
Native Plant Inventory and Salvage Plans
The City of Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Maricopa County require Native Plant Inventories and Salvage Plans as part of the commercial development permit process. These documents identify protected native plants on the project site — including saguaro cacti, palo verde, ironwood, and other Sonoran Desert species — assess their condition and salvage viability, and establish a plan for on-site preservation, transplanting, or authorized removal.
Evergreen Design Group prepares Native Plant Inventories and Salvage Plans in full compliance with City of Phoenix Planning and Development Department standards and Scottsdale Environmental Review requirements. We coordinate these documents with your grading plan and permit submittal package to keep your project timeline on track.
Water Harvesting Plans
Phoenix and Scottsdale municipal ordinances require Water Harvesting Plans for commercial and multi-family development projects above defined impervious surface thresholds. These plans demonstrate that site grading and landscape design direct a specified percentage of roof and hardscape runoff toward planted areas through engineered basins and graded swales.
Our team prepares site-specific Water Harvesting Plans integrated with civil grading and drainage design, formatted to meet Phoenix Planning and Development Department and Scottsdale Development Review submittal requirements.
We design pool surrounds, tot lots, sport courts, shaded ramadas and pavilions, and common open spaces for multi-family residential and master-planned communities throughout the Phoenix metro — including Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale, Peoria, and Surprise. Amenity designs are developed to HOA standards, local building codes, ADA accessibility requirements, and the operational demands of Phoenix’s extreme summer heat environment. Shade structure coverage, heat-reflective paving materials, and drought-tolerant perimeter plantings are standard design parameters on all Phoenix metro amenity projects.
From parking lot landscape screening and streetscapes to community courtyards and entry features, our team designs hardscape elements appropriate to the desert Southwest — including decomposed granite, stabilized decomposed granite, shade structures, seat walls, concrete paving, and unit paver patterns. Material specifications account for Phoenix’s extreme thermal cycling, UV intensity, and the impervious surface and water harvesting basin requirements that govern commercial hardscape design under Phoenix and Scottsdale municipal ordinances.
Irrigation design in Phoenix is governed by Arizona’s ADWR Active Management Area program and municipal water conservation ordinances — among the most rigorous water conservation regulatory frameworks in the country. Our irrigation design Phoenix team produces detailed drip, subsurface, and smart controller system designs that comply with ADWR Phoenix AMA requirements, City of Phoenix and Scottsdale commercial irrigation standards, and applicable AMA conservation requirements.
Irrigation design in Phoenix also requires Water Harvesting Plan integration — Phoenix and Scottsdale both require Water Harvesting Plans for commercial and multi-family development projects above defined impervious surface thresholds. Our irrigation design Phoenix deliverables address both the irrigation system design and the water harvesting basin layouts as coordinated, integrated scope — not separate deliverables managed by different consultants.
MWELO compliance and Phoenix AMA water budget parameters are built into our irrigation design Phoenix workflow from the initial site planning stage. Water budget calculations, plant factor documentation, and irrigation efficiency specifications are established during design development so that the construction document package arrives at Phoenix’s Development Services Department in approvable form.
Designing for the Sonoran Desert: What Phoenix Projects Require
Commercial and multi-family landscape architecture in Phoenix demands experience specific to the Sonoran Desert environment and Maricopa County’s layered regulatory framework. Our landscape architects in Phoenix understand these conditions and requirements from the ground up.
Extreme Heat and the Sonoran Desert Climate
Phoenix summer temperatures routinely exceed 110°F. Hardscape-dominated commercial development sites experience surface temperatures significantly higher than ambient air. Plant selection, shade structure placement, and paving material specification must account for extreme solar loading, reflected heat from hardscape surfaces, and the thermal stress that desert heat places on landscape systems during the establishment period.
We specify heat-tolerant and drought-adapted species with demonstrated performance records in the Phoenix basin, shade-providing canopy trees where ordinance and site conditions permit, and paving materials rated for heat reflectance and long-term UV stability.
Arizona Water Conservation and the Active Management Area Framework
Arizona maintains one of the most comprehensive water use regulatory frameworks in the United States. The Phoenix Active Management Area (AMA) — administered by the Arizona Department of Water Resources — establishes groundwater management goals and water conservation requirements that directly affect irrigation design Phoenix projects must satisfy and long-term landscape water budgets on commercial development projects.
Municipal water conservation ordinances in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, and other Maricopa County cities add additional irrigation efficiency requirements on top of the state AMA framework. Our irrigation designs comply with both applicable AMA requirements and the specific municipal conservation standards of the project’s jurisdiction — and we prepare Water Harvesting Plans that reduce net irrigation demand by directing on-site runoff toward planted areas.
Sonoran Desert Soil Conditions
Caliche hardpan, alkaline pH, and coarse, low-organic-matter soils are characteristic of the Phoenix basin and require deliberate soil management strategies on development sites. Caliche layers — which can occur anywhere from inches to several feet below grade — restrict root penetration and impede drainage if not addressed at the planting and grading design stage.
Our planting plans specify appropriate soil preparation, backfill amendment, and drainage strategies calibrated to the specific caliche profile and soil conditions of each project site, supporting long-term plant establishment in the desert environment.
Phoenix Metro Municipal Code and Permit Complexity
Commercial landscape architecture projects in the Phoenix metro must satisfy a layered set of requirements that varies by jurisdiction. City of Phoenix projects are governed by the Phoenix Landscape Ordinance, Urban Form standards, Native Plant Preservation Ordinance, and Water Harvesting Ordinance, along with any site-specific stipulations from zoning cases, Planned Unit Developments, or development agreements.
Scottsdale adds its own Environmental Review process, xeriscape ordinance, and plant palette requirements. Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, and Gilbert each maintain their own landscape standards and development review processes. We understand the code landscape across the Phoenix metro’s major development jurisdictions and produce documents designed to support first-submission approval in each applicable review process.
Why Architects, Civil Engineers, and Land Developers Choose Evergreen Design Group in Phoenix
Licensed Landscape Architecture Firm in Phoenix — In-House, No Subcontracting
Evergreen Design Group holds Arizona Firm Registration 22536-0, and our landscape architects are individually licensed to practice in Arizona. Every service we offer — land planning, landscape architecture, irrigation design, native plant inventories, and water harvesting plans — is performed in-house by our licensed professionals. We do not subcontract your scope to third parties. That means consistent quality, clear accountability, and a single point of coordination for your civil and architectural team throughout the project.
20+ Years of National Practice, Deep Phoenix Metro Market Knowledge
Founded in 2005, Evergreen Design Group has completed landscape architecture projects across 43 states. In the Phoenix metro, that national breadth is paired with deep familiarity with Maricopa County’s jurisdictional requirements, Sonoran Desert plant palettes, caliche soil management, Arizona’s AMA water conservation framework, and the specific regulatory demands of commercial and multi-family development in this market.
Integrated Scope — Single Point of Contact
Land planning, landscape architecture, irrigation design, native plant inventories, salvage plans, and water harvesting plans are all delivered under one contract by our in-house licensed professionals. There is no coordination gap between a separate irrigation consultant and your landscape architect — we handle the full scope. This integrated approach reduces errors, eliminates handoff delays, and produces a coordinated permit submittal package your civil engineer can work with directly.
Built for the B2B Development Pipeline
We work exclusively with professional clients: architects, civil engineers, land developers, and design-build contractors. We understand entitlement timelines, phasing, and the realities of fast-moving commercial development schedules in the Phoenix metro. Our deliverables are produced for construction use and permit submittal — formatted to work with your civil set, coordinated with your grading and drainage design, and delivered on a schedule that supports your project’s entitlement milestones.
Program-Scale Coordination Across the Phoenix Metro
For developers and contractors managing multiple projects simultaneously across Maricopa County’s municipalities, we offer program-scale coordination — standardized documentation formats, consistent plant palette management, and coordinated submittal schedules across multiple project sites. This is particularly valuable for build-to-rent, multi-family, and commercial development portfolios with parallel entitlement timelines across different Phoenix metro jurisdictions.
Serving the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area
Evergreen Design Group provides landscape architecture services throughout Greater Maricopa County, including:
City of Phoenix • Scottsdale • Tempe • Mesa • Chandler • Gilbert • Glendale • Peoria • Surprise • Goodyear • Buckeye • Queen Creek • Avondale • Fountain Hills • Cave Creek • Carefree • Maricopa (Pinal County)
Our familiarity with the jurisdictional requirements across the Phoenix metro — including Phoenix’s Development Services Department review process, Scottsdale’s Development Review Board, Tempe’s Site Plan Review, Mesa’s Development Services, and Chandler and Gilbert’s planning and zoning processes — allows us to move efficiently through entitlements and permit approvals across the region.
Project Types We Support in Phoenix
Evergreen Design Group supports landscape architecture and land planning scope across a wide range of commercial development types in the Phoenix metro:
- Single-family residential subdivisions and master-planned communities
- Multi-family and build-to-rent communities
- Mixed-use and town center developments
- Retail centers, pad sites, and commercial outparcels
- Office and corporate campus projects
- Industrial parks, logistics facilities, and warehousing
- Institutional and educational campuses
- Senior living and continuing care communities
- Municipal parks and civic facilities
- Healthcare and medical campus environments
- Resort and hospitality-adjacent development
All project work is B2B — performed for developers, civil engineers, architects, and design-build contractors. We do not serve individual homeowners.
Phoenix Landscape Architecture FAQ
Landscape architects Phoenix development teams engage prepare land planning studies, planting plans, irrigation designs, tree disposition plans, native plant inventories, water harvesting plans, and hardscape construction documents for commercial, multi-family, and industrial development projects. In Phoenix specifically, they navigate the city’s Landscape Ordinance, Native Plant Preservation Ordinance, Water Harvesting Ordinance, Urban Form standards, and Maricopa County’s development review requirements — producing deliverables formatted for City of Phoenix plan check and permit submittal.
For commercial development projects in Phoenix, the most important criteria are: Arizona state licensure, demonstrated familiarity with the City of Phoenix’s and Maricopa County’s development review processes, in-house irrigation design capability with Phoenix AMA and water harvesting plan experience, and a B2B project delivery track record in the Phoenix metro. Evergreen Design Group holds Arizona Firm Registration 22536-0 and works exclusively with commercial development teams — not homeowners.
Land planning Phoenix scope involves developing site plans, open space configurations, buffer yard layouts, native plant preservation zone placement, water harvesting basin siting, and streetscape frameworks that satisfy City of Phoenix and Maricopa County zoning and development review requirements. Land planning in Phoenix must also address the Phoenix Landscape Ordinance, Native Plant Preservation Ordinance, Water Harvesting Ordinance compliance, and any project-specific PUD conditions or HOA overlay standards — all coordinated with your civil engineer from the initial layout stage. Our land planning Phoenix services are performed in-house with no subcontracting of scope.
Irrigation design in Phoenix must comply with Arizona ADWR Phoenix AMA requirements and the City of Phoenix’s and Scottsdale’s commercial irrigation standards. For projects above defined impervious surface thresholds, irrigation design Phoenix scope also includes Water Harvesting Plan preparation and integration with the civil grading and drainage design. Required permit submittal deliverables typically include zoned system layout plans, controller and equipment specifications, flow and pressure calculations, water budget calculations, and Water Harvesting Plan documentation. Our irrigation design Phoenix team produces permit-ready packages that address both AMA compliance and water harvesting requirements as integrated scope.
No. We work exclusively with professional commercial clients — architects, civil engineers, land developers, and design-build contractors. We do not take on individual homeowner projects.
Yes. Evergreen Design Group holds Arizona Firm Registration 22536-0. Our landscape architects are individually licensed to practice in Arizona, and all landscape architectural services for Arizona projects are performed under our Arizona registration.
A Native Plant Inventory is a field survey that identifies and documents protected native plants — including saguaro, palo verde, ironwood, and other Sonoran Desert species — on a development site. The City of Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Maricopa County require Native Plant Inventories as part of the commercial development permit process for projects affecting sites with native desert vegetation. The inventory is paired with a Salvage Plan that establishes how protected plants will be preserved in place, salvaged and relocated on-site, or authorized for removal. We prepare both documents formatted to meet the applicable jurisdiction’s submittal requirements.
A Water Harvesting Plan demonstrates that site grading and landscape design direct a specified percentage of on-site runoff from roofs and hardscape toward planted areas through engineered basins and swales, reducing net irrigation demand. The City of Phoenix and Scottsdale both require Water Harvesting Plans for commercial and multi-family development projects above defined thresholds. We prepare site-specific Water Harvesting Plans integrated with your civil grading and drainage design, formatted to meet Phoenix Planning and Development Department and Scottsdale Development Review submittal standards.
Yes — that is one of our most common engagement structures in this market. We integrate into your project team and deliver the full landscape architecture scope as a subconsultant, coordinating directly with your project manager and other disciplines throughout the design and entitlement process.
As early as possible — ideally at the site planning stage, before the civil plan set is substantially developed. Early engagement allows native plant preservation areas, water harvesting basin locations, buffer yards, and parking lot landscape compliance to be integrated into the site layout before those decisions are locked in. Projects that bring landscape architects in early consistently produce cleaner submittals and fewer revision cycles through Phoenix’s development review process.
Yes. Multi-family residential, build-to-rent, and master-planned community projects are a core part of our practice. We have experience working across large, phased developments throughout Maricopa County and can manage program-scale coordination for development portfolios with multiple concurrent project sites.
Start Your Phoenix Landscape Architecture Project
Evergreen Design Group’s landscape architects in Phoenix are ready to support your next commercial or multi-family development project anywhere across Greater Maricopa County. As a licensed landscape architecture firm serving Phoenix developers, civil engineers, and architects since 2005, we’re ready to discuss project scope, schedule, and how we can integrate with your development team from day one.
Get in Touch with Us
Ready to talk about your dream outdoor space? Contact our team to discuss how Evergreen Design Group can help bring your vision to life.