“Growth is inevitable and desirable, but destruction of community character is not. ” Ed McMahon, the Conservation Fund
We help communities find the right mindset and position in the emerging people-and-place-based economy where “place” matters more than “location,” innovation matters, bigger is not necessarily better and talent drives business choices. Our portfolio includes strategies that use arts, cultural and heritage organizations as anchors, and others that integrate emerging agricultural amenities. Our economic development practice informs our perspective on community planning and enables us to build successful initiatives that create work and wealth for local residents. We recognize that many northeastern communities are built-out, and land for new development is scarce, so we are specialists in neighborhood mixed-use, mixed-age and mixed-income infill neighborhood development. We have experience envisioning new LEED ND neighborhoods expressing the best of green urbanism to putting urban 19th century industrial land into 21st century commercial use by evaluating market realities, structuring relocation strategies and identifying cost effective clean-up standards.
A partial list of our economic development work includes:
- Fulton County, NY – Vision 2026 Development Strategy, with County Profile, Housing Strategy, Retail Strategy and promotional brochures for Hales Mills, Vail Mills and Tryon Development Areas
- Town of Westport, NY – Arts-based Economic Revitalization Strategy
- ADVANTAGE Adirondacks: Advancing Economic Opportunity across the Adirondack Park
- Pathways to Progress: Charting an Course for the Adirondack Gateway Council – A plan for communities in Warren, Washington and Northern Saratoga Counties
- Adirondack Partnership and Hamilton County, NY – Adirondack Trail Towns Strategic Plan
- Town and Village of Rouses Point, NY – Microenterprise Program Development and Administration
- Town and Village of Canto, NY – Brownfield Opportunity Area Nomination BOA
- Town of Malta, NY – Economic Development and Main Street Design Study and Feasibility Analysis
- Town of Milton, Vermont – Route 7 Corridor Plan and Design Guidelines
- Town of Bethlehem, NY – Delaware Avenue Hamlet Enhancement Study
- City of Kingston, NY – Brownfield Opportunity Area Nomination Study
- Town and Village of Canton, NY – Brownfield Opportunity Area Pre-Nomination Study
- Village of Waterford, NY – Microenterprise Program Development and Administration
- Town of Fort Covington, NY – Downtown Building Inventory and Analysis and Five Year Action Plan
- City of Schenectady, NY – Upper Union Street Business Improvement District Façade Improvement Program Administration
- City of Troy, NY – Brownfield Economic Development Initiative, Brownfield Opportunity Nomination and EPA Brownfield Job Training Pilot Program
- City of Schenectady, NY – EPA Brownfield Pilot
- Rensselaer County, NY – Microenterprise Program and Jobs Development Program Development and Administration
- City of Troy, NY – EPA Brownfields Demonstration Assessment Pilot
