2010 Upstate New York Chapter of the American Planning Association Award

Behan Planning and Design, along with the City of Albany, The Community Builders, Inc. and several individuals, received the American Planning Association's New York Upstate Chapter "Planning Excellence Award for Implementation" for the City of Albany Arbor Hill Neighborhood Plan. The purpose of the Arbor Hill neighborhood planning effort was to develop consensus on strategic actions to revitalize this community in Albany, New York. The plan provides a framework for residents and investors to approach development in Arbor Hill.

Located in the shadow of the state capital, Arbor Hill is one of the poorest neighborhoods in upstate New York.  Along with poverty, the neighborhood had suffered from significant economic disinvestment and other challenging socioeconomic problems.  The residents of the neighborhood along with community leadership deeply desired a better path for the future.  The neighborhood plan was established to overcome these obstacles and provide a framework for community action.  The Arbor Hill Neighborhood Plan, completed in 2003 continues to be implemented an has become an excellent example of the power of a plan to create a vision for a community, build widespread support for its implementation and ultimately, improve the quality of life for its people.

 

The plan has spurred $41 million in new investment across a broad spectrum of activities including new homeownership opportunities, new, historically appropriate rental housing, a new public library, expanded youth services and activities, and employment and entrepreneurship training among other activities.  The plan was organized around a set of four principles which also formed the basis of the Arbor Hill Implementation Team (AHIT).  This team has been advancing each of these four areas as opportunities and have been working together to bring about positive change since the completion of the plan some seven years ago.

 

From the beginning of the process and continuing through this day, neighborhood residents and local institutions have been working together; in making the plan and carrying it forward.  The plan has been used to help coordinate the actions of several organizations to create a synergy of change and a network of mutual support.  Today, the positive change in the Arbor Hill neighborhood is real and can be seen.  While there still is much to be done, this plan has truly set a course for the future that has been a guidepost and a working strategy for community action.  Click here for a summary presentation on the Arbor Hill Plan and implementation.

2009 Upstate New York Chapter of the American Planning Association Award

Behan Planning and Design, along with the City of Syracuse, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Onondaga County, Blueberry Ridge Stewardship Services and American Farmland Trust, received the American Planning Association's New York Upstate Chapter "Planning Excellence Award for Implementation" for three-pronged effort of a whole farm planning program, a land protection program, and an outreach and education component, that ensures the long-term health of Skaneateles Lake.

This comprehensive watershed protection program has allowed the City of Syracuse to continue to maintain Skaneateles Lake as a safe, cost effective source of high-quality drinking water for its residents and for communities that purchase Skaneateles Lake water from the city. The program allows the city to refrain from investing in a $70 million water filtration facility that, once built, will require an estimated minimum of $7 million in annual operating costs. At the same time, the quality of life for the residents, visitors, and recreation users of Skaneateles Lake is protected; farming remains a viable business in the watershed; and recreational activities continue to take place both in the lake and on the surrounding lands. In summary, the Skaneateles Lake Watershed Protection Program is a model program for the sustainable management of a region's drinking water and farmlands; it also helps to sustain the health of the environment and the economic vitality of the region. Click here for the Skaneateles Lake Watershed Protection Program award nomination document which further details the program.

2006 Upstate New York Chapter of the American Planning Association Award

Behan Planning and Design, along with the Town of Clifton Park and Clough Harbor and Associates, received the American Planning Association's New York Upstate Chapter Award for the "Implementation of a Plan" for successful implementation of a multifaceted program to preserve the rural and agricultural character of the western part of Clifton Park as envisioned by the Land Conservation Plan & GEIS.

The Town has moved forward to implement the recommendations including rezoning all residentially zoned lands to Conservation Residential and rezoning the Hamlets to more compatible Hamlet Zoning categories. The Town has also purchased either outright or the development rights of several critical parcels identified in the Open Space Plan that should remain undeveloped. Voluntary agreements have been entered with several landowners to keep their land undeveloped or in agricultural use in exchange for property tax abatements. Finally, in exchange for approval of a higher density cluster subdivision alternative which is reviewed on a case by case basis, a per lot fee is assessed for each additional lot that is allowed beyond what is permitted under the Conservation Zoning requirements. The money goes into the Town’s dedicated Open Space fund for future land purchases in the western part of Town. Where applicable, land set asides are also required to accommodate an interconnected trail system per the requirements of the Open Space Plan.

Additionally, Clifton Park received the 2006 New York State Association of Realtors Award for Smart Growth Excellence which recognized the town's proactive approach to balancing land-use and open space preservation.

2002 Upstate New York Chapter of the American Planning Association Award

Behan Planning and Design and the rural, but fast-growing Town of Milton, in Saratoga County, NY, earned the "Outstanding Planning Award" for recognition of leadership in guiding local land use towards "smart growth." Behan Planning Associates, LLC helped the community update its planning and zoning and from 1998-2001. The firm built a strong relationship with the town and designed an extensive public participation process to advance its comprehensive planning and zoning efforts.

Behan Planning and Design assisted the Town of Milton in developing its Comprehensive Plan, Town Center Master Plan, revising its land use regulations and zoning code to reflect the new comprehensive and town center master plans, developed both rural area and town center design guidelines and helped direct implementation efforts.

2000 Upstate New York Chapter of the American Planning Association Award

Behan Planning and Design received the American Planning Association's New York Upstate Chapter Award for the County of Albany Hudson River Waterfront Strategy in 2000. The waterfront strategy is a cooperative community vision for the county's waterfront designed to advance public and private investments. The planning project's success was achieved through an extensive "bottom-up" participation process.

Cazenovia Area Planning Project (CAPP) - A Rural Community Initiative

The Cazenovia Area Planning Project (CAPP) was highlighted as an example of a "smart growth" initiative of intermunicipal cooperation at the Audubon New York Smart Growth Conference in 2000.

The project involved four municipalities over a multi-year planning process working on a unique, inter-municipal development and conservation strategy with the CAPP Task Force. The task force included representatives from the Town and Village of Cazenovia, the Towns of Fenner and Nelson, and the Cazenovia Preservation Foundation.

1998 American Planning Association National Award

The Town of Pittsford's "Greenprint™ for the Future" initiative was recipient of the 1998 American Planning Association National Award. With sprawl and loss of farmland and open space a significant national issue, Behan Planning and Design helped the suburban Town of Pittsford, outside of Rochester, NY, protect 2,000 acres and resolve its problem of how to balance the conservation of dwindling open space and productive farms with ongoing economic growth.

The Greenprint™ model for resource conservation has been used as a planning model for "preserving a sense of place" both nationally and internationally. Leveraging local dollars with outside funding, the town has successfully protected more than 2,000 acres of prime farmland and landscapes -- as the community's legacy for its future generations.