A consultant will not begin work before spring, he said, and designing the project could take another 18 months.

Planners have been designing the project for more than a decade.

Predominantly a modernist, he designed several projects from the 1950s through the 1970s.

"Katy had to completely design the project from scratch," he said.

"The architect designed the project after the site planner had his say on the land use," he recalled.

The issue isn't whether architects should be designing conceptual projects.

Donors putting up their own cash would probably put more effort into designing projects.

It's best to prepare this at an early stage, while selecting the site and designing the project.

The power company says it has designed the project to minimize the effects on wetlands and wildlife.

Each of its four separately designed projects has been selling well, even in the sluggish real estate market.