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oUR TEAM
ATISHA VARSHNEY, AICP
Founding Principal
Practice Area: Design, Planning, Land Use and Development
As the Founding Principal of Forward City Labs, Atisha Varshney brings +15 years of interdisciplinary experience in architecture, urban planning, and real estate development to the forefront of land use and community development. Her deep understanding of long-range planning, particularly in multi-family and affordable housing, mixed-use communities, and institutional projects, is complemented by her commitment to a collaborative and agile project management approach. Atisha’s leadership has driven the successful development of over 500 housing units and essential community programs in the last five years, marked by her adeptness in delivering project designs, securing entitlements and RFPs, negotiating land transactions, and managing substantial teams and pre-development financing. Holding degrees from SPA New Delhi and RISD, a certificate from SJSU, and AICP certification, Atisha is an engaged member of ULI, APA, SV@Home, CatalyseSV, and the San Jose Chambers Land Use Committee, as well as a Coro fellow for the Affordable Housing Leadership Network.
Christy Leffall
Senior Associate | Land Use, Planning and Policy
Christy brings 15 + years of regional planning expertise in TOD land use and housing policy development, project management, public stakeholder engagement, and conceptual synthesis of housing and jobs growth. She has a unique base of knowledge specifically tailored to the TOC Policy planning objectives as she was a core staff member of ABAG/MTC working as project manager of the Priority Development Area (PDA) Planning Grant Program and served as key staff in establishing the transit access-based land use analysis for the Plan Bay Area 2050 Growth Framework. Her skills encompass transit-oriented development analysis, infill strategy development, stakeholder engagement, meeting facilitation, and aligning funding with planning priorities. She provided technical assistance to local planning staff and fostered collaboration among Bay Area planning professionals through the coordination of the Planning Innovations speaker series and the Bay Area Planning Directors Association (BAPDA). She holds a Master’s in Urban Planning (UPenn), a Bachelor’s in Economics (Cal Poly Pomona), and a certificate in Public Relations (Tulane).
Shreya Chokshi
Associate | Land Use and Development
Shreya, a passionate advocate for affordable housing and vibrant urban spaces, aims to impact people’s lives positively through thoughtful urban development and design. With a strong foundation in design principles from her multi-generational creative family in India, Shreya’s career journey includes roles such as Junior Architect at J Architects and Development Project Manager at Catalyze SV. Her experiences encompass market assessments, project financing, site acquisition, zoning analysis, and construction oversight.
Believing in collaboration and community engagement, Shreya envisions working with communities, policymakers, and stakeholders to create sustainable and livable cities that address affordable housing and urban resilience. Her approach focuses on fostering community engagement, ensuring that development projects benefit all community members, especially the under-served and marginalized. Shreya holds a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from San Jose State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from India.
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