New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Amanda Lefton today announced more than $3.2 million in Adirondack Park Community Smart Growth Grant Awards to 26 communities and organizations for smart growth initiatives. The funded initiatives will support a region renowned for connecting visitors to nature by improving and expanding recreation opportunities; addressing hamlet infrastructure, energy, and affordable housing needs; providing visitor center, theater, and museum enhancements; improving accessibility and safety issues; and supporting comprehensive planning efforts. 

“Smart Growth Grants are an investment in our communities and foster sustainable development, economic growth, and enhanced recreational opportunities for all New Yorkers,” said Commissioner Lefton. “The Adirondack Park communities play a significant role in protecting the region’s unique and treasured natural landscape. This funding will empower local leaders to address local challenges while protecting the natural resources that make the Adirondacks one of the most remarkable places to live, work, and visit.”  

Smart growth is an approach to community planning and development which promotes land use in a way that creates livable, sustainable, and equitable communities. Smart growth can provide the right balance between development and preservation, promoting several land use planning principles like the renewal of land use patterns that once came naturally in the Adirondack and Catskill parks.  

Today’s funding announcement complements years of State action to support smart growth planning and implementation of sustainable projects. This includes the recently completed Adirondack Rail Trail, a 34-mile, multi-use recreational corridor between Lake Placid and Tupper Lake now available for all-season enjoyment.  

New York Secretary of State Walter T. Mosley said, “From hamlet revitalization to accessible outdoor recreation and affordable housing, smart growth has contributed greatly to the vitality and vibrancy of the communities in this magnificent park. With these awards, our longstanding partnership with DEC and APA in advancing Smart Growth planning and development will continue to yield economic, social, and environmental benefits throughout the Adirondack Park for residents, businesses, and visitors. The New York State Department of State looks forward to enhancing this partnership through our own smart growth programs, including Smart Growth Community Planning, Downtown Revitalization Initiative, NY Forward, Brownfield Opportunity Area, and Local Waterfront Revitalization Program.”  

Smart Growth Grants

DEC’s Smart Growth Grant Program supports capital projects and community development initiatives that link environmental protection, economic development, and community livability within the special protective conditions of New York State’s Forest Preserve. 

The 26 Adirondack region awardees receiving a total of $3,284,250 are included below.  

Projects addressing affordable housing needs:

Clinton County

• Clinton County: $109,749–Nashville Road Workforce Housing Pre-Development: A Housing Needs Assessment identified five priority locations for housing development, including one within the Adirondack Park—Nashville Road in the Town of Saranac. This project advances the completion of key pre-development tasks including surveying, environmental testing, permitting, easement identification, zoning analysis, and infrastructure needs assessment.  

Essex County

• Town of North Elba: $300,000–River Street Redevelopment: The Town of North Elba is partnering with the Adirondack Housing Development Corporation (AHDC) for a transformative project in the North Elba area of Saranac Lake. AHDC plans to purchase five adjoining parcels on River Street for redevelopment into affordable housing and commercial spaces.  

Projects focusing on recreation, environment, sustainable economic growth, and other smart growth priorities:

Clinton County

• Adirondack Architectural Heritage: $122,935–Establish Architectural Warehouse in Ausable: Adirondack Architectural Heritage proposes the establishment of an architectural salvage warehouse in the Town of Ausable. The warehouse will accept donated building materials for reuse and make them available for the Adirondack Park community. This project will divert waste from landfills while providing high-quality building materials at a low cost for residents. In addition, the warehouse will offer opportunities for hands-on traditional trades training.   

Essex County

• Adirondack Ski Touring Council Inc.: $100,000–Final Phase, East Branch Mountain Bike Trails: Funding to finalize all work on trails and facility infrastructure at the East Branch Community Trails in the Town of Keene. In partnership with the Town, Barkeater Trails Alliance will build approximately 1 mile of new multi-use, nonmotorized trails at the East Branch; create a series of short jump trails for youth and novice riders; expand the parking lot to better serve the fast-growing demand; and refurbish the valuable picnic shelter to allow for greater use and protect the structure. This will complete all development work on this popular trail network visited by mountain bikers and walkers. 

• Society for Strings Inc.: $75,750–Needed Repairs to Campe Concert Hall and Dormitories: Funding to complete critical repairs to Meadowmount School of Music Campe Concert Hall and on-campus dormitories. These restorations preserve Meadowmount as an Adirondack historic and cultural resource and ensure a tradition of musical excellence for the upcoming season and beyond. 

• Essex County: $125,000–Ausable Street Bridge: An Upper Bridge Feasibility Study to develop a four-design-option scope of work, including reopening the bridge to foot traffic and two-lane traffic while maintaining historically significant infrastructure. The project will advance transportation links and provide the public with a feasibility study regarding the abandoned bridge and measures to assist in revitalizing their hamlet and downtown. 

• Essex Food Hub Inc.: $300,000–Phase 2 Renovation Main Street Building: A transformative project to renovate and reconstruct an idle Main Street building in the Town of Westport to enable Essex Food Hub to continue expanding its vital business development and agritourism support for burgeoning small farm businesses and food entrepreneurs in New York State’s North Country region. Funding Phase 2 of Essex Food Hub’s project includes expanded food processing and storage and publicly accessible space for community events and retail shopping. 

• Town of Essex: $100,000–Zoning Code: The grant helps support a comprehensive update of townwide zoning codes to align with the forthcoming Smart Growth Comprehensive Plan funded by the New York State Department of State. The update represents a critical next step in implementing the community’s long-term vision for sustainable growth, protection of community character, and enhanced quality of life. 

• Town of Minerva: $100,000–Comprehensive Plan: The Town of Minerva is known for its pristine lakes, expansive forests, and other popular recreational areas. To help address recent issues within the Adirondack Park, such as limited housing, aging infrastructure, and sustaining year-round economic viability, the grant will support an updated plan that includes smart growth principles and thorough public engagement. It will emphasize the protection of natural resources, strengthen hamlets, and support small businesses, while ensuring that Minerva retains its rural identity. 

• Town of Moriah: $75,000– Comprehensive Plan: Grant funding will support a comprehensive plan to guide revitalization and protect valuable community assets. This project will help create a single, cohesive plan that reflects current conditions, community priorities, and future growth opportunities. The updated plan will address economic development, housing, land use, infrastructure, and natural resource protection while fostering collaboration and setting a clear vision for the next decade. 

• Town of Schroon: $79,000–Unified Development Code/Zoning Code: In May 2025, the Town of Schroon adopted a new comprehensive plan. This community-driven, two-year effort replaces the 1977 plan, provides a roadmap and planning tool for land use and local resources, and outlines priorities for future development, including a recommendation to rewrite the Town’s zoning code as a unified development code. The Town will utilize this grant to hire a planning consultant to facilitate this process in coordination with a local zoning advisory committee. 

• Town of St. Armand: $125,000–Modernize and Expand the Mount Pisgah Trail System: A new master plan will modernize the summer bike trail system at Mount Pisgah, a recreation center in Saranac Lake. The 15-year-old trail network is difficult to navigate, lacks beginner-friendly terrain, and has sustainability issues. Developed with local groups like the Barkeater Trails Alliance, the proposed project will modernize the 5-mile network. Guided by the motto "Built for the community and inviting to visitors," the project aims to improve sustainability, enhance the user experience, and boost the local economy through mountain bike tourism.  

Franklin County  

• The Wild Center (formerly called the Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks): $77,400–Recreational Access to the Raquette River: Funding will support a project to forge a new 300-foot All Persons Trail leading to the waterfront, build a new dock for safe and secure canoe and kayak launches (including access for persons with mobility challenges), and replace an existing shed with a new compost toilet—all aligned with universal design principles. 

• Paul Smith’s College of Arts and Science: $35,264–Visitor’s Center Accessibility: Funding will help complete a full accessibility assessment of the Paul Smith's College Visitor Interpretive Center (VIC), a major recreational resource located in central Franklin County. The VIC hosts 40,000 residents and visitors annually and offers diverse trails, programs, and exhibits that showcase Adirondack ecosystems. 

• Town of Harrietstown: $300,000–Town of Harrietstown Community Recreation Facility Project: The project will construct accessible year-round recreational infrastructure in phases. This includes the construction of a refrigerated hockey box as part of a comprehensive recreation park including T-ball and wiffle ball fields, regulation bocce courts, and a warming hut with bathrooms and a covered pavilion. Connected by pathways compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), facilities support intergenerational programming including Special Olympics to youth sports. This phased investment strengthens Saranac Lake's identity as a healthy community while providing essential recreational amenities. 

• Town of Tupper Lake: $141,365–Train Station and ADK Trail Projects: Funding for the completion of a previously funded DEC Smart Growth Transformational Project (Round 7 Grant). The scope of work is focused on completing a major enhancement of the historic Tupper Lake Station to support the new Adirondack Rail Trail. 

• Village of Saranac Lake: $119,107–Accessibility Upgrades at Lake Colby Beach and William Wallace Park: Funding to advance accessibility upgrades at Lake Colby Beach and William Wallace Park through contractual services for construction drawings and bid documents (Phase 1 only). This phase will produce shovel-ready documents that modernize the beach/bathhouse facility, ensure ADA compliance, and enhance community access.  

Fulton County

• Town of Caroga: $125,000–Town of Caroga Adaptive Trail Building: Wheelerville Trails is a Town-operated, world-class mountain bike and hiking trail system located in the Town of Caroga. The Wheelerville Trails: Maintaining Accessibility Project will construct three new beginner and intermediate trails in a new area designed for riders with disabilities, execute a management/maintenance plan for existing trails, and improve trail accessibility, specifically for adaptive mountain bike riders. The goal of the project is to diversify the types of trails offered to appeal to a wide group of trail users, improving the recreational assets of the Town of Caroga and expanding the accessibility of the Adirondack Park’s tourism resources.  

Hamilton County

• Town of Indian Lake: $300,000–Rebuild Town Museum: Funding will support the demolition of the current town museum structure and rebuilding of it on the same property with improvements, including a one-floor ADA-accessible building with proper heating and ventilation, a parking lot, and space for study and research opportunities for scholars and visitors.  

Lewis County

• Lewis County: $68,000–Grooming Equipment for Recreational Trails: Funding will support Phase I of the Lewis County Winter Recreational Master Plan to provide the grooming equipment needed to implement the groomed recreation trails for year-round community enhancement. 

• Town of Greig: $125,000–Town of Greig Zoning and Land Use Plans: Funding to complete zoning and land use updates. This effort complements the development of its comprehensive plan and will align with its recommendations for more affordable housing and for additional nonmotorized and motorized recreational opportunities. The Town of Greig is also a Pro-Housing Community. The Town will hire a consultant with expertise to translate the vision characterized in the comprehensive plan into consistent land use regulations and zoning.  

Oneida County

• Town of Forestport: $100,000–Zoning and Land Use Plan: The funding will support the creation of formal zoning and land use plans for the Town of Forestport. The Town will work with a planning consultant to create zoning and land use regulations that will guide future growth and development townwide.  

Warren County

• Town of Chester: $120,000–Playground for Community and Childcare Center: The funding will support a new playground to serve both the broader community and the on-site childcare center. The playground will meet inclusive design standards. Equipment will be purchased from certified commercial playground manufacturers, and installation will follow playground safety guidelines. 

• Town of Thurman: $35,000–Town Veterans Field Park Site Improvements: The project includes a feasibility study for accessibility improvements, a feasibility study for recreational improvements, and the design and engineering of a large community pavilion on Town-owned land that functions as the Town’s community center. 

• Warren County: $40,680–Up Yonda Farm Trails: Family-friendly trails will be enhanced with improved signage, inclusive wayfinding, benches, and a redesigned trail map and naming system. Wayfinding and maps will be designed for accessibility, including for people with color blindness. Supported by multiple Warren County and Town of Bolton plans, the project strengthens outdoor recreation, tourism, and community connectivity. 

• Village of Lake George: $85,000–Comprehensive Plan: Funding to prepare a new comprehensive plan that promotes smart growth principles and guides sustainable development over the next 10–15 years. The proposed plan will be designed to support the downtown, focus on year-round housing and economic development, and enhance tourism while also protecting the lake and its surrounding natural resources. The plan will be developed through extensive public outreach and provide strategies for land use, infrastructure, transportation, and environmental stewardship. It will serve as a legal and strategic foundation for updating zoning, prioritizing capital investments, and securing grant funding to ensure the Village remains resilient, livable, and economically viable. 

New York State Adirondack Park Agency Executive Director Barb Rice said, “The Adirondack Park Agency congratulates all awardees for successfully securing smart growth grant funds that will advance key local initiatives that build upon the special conditions of the Adirondack Park. Adirondack Communities are the heart and soul of the Park. Smart growth investment in park communities is essential to ensure the long-term success of New York State’s Adirondack Park.” 

The grants announced today are supported by the State's Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). Governor Hochul’s 2026–27 Executive Budget proposes a record $425 million for the EPF, a critical resource for environmental programs such as land acquisition, farmland protection, invasive species prevention and eradication, recreation access, water quality improvement, and environmental justice projects. The Executive Budget also continues to support New York State’s Forest Preserve with $8 million to the Catskill and Adirondack parks for sustainability and stewardship projects, as well as funding for locally important initiatives, including $250,000 for the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development, with other highlights including a historic $3.75 billion five-year commitment to clean water.  

Additional Smart Growth Grant Award announcements were recently made for the Catskill Park.  

For further detail on the grants awarded and on smart growth planning and implementation activity within the Adirondack and Catskill parks, visit DEC’s website.