PLANNING, PARTICIPATORY ENGAGEMENT
& Environmental services

Service Description

My understanding of the process and organic nature of community planning enables me to help a community understand where it is, figure out where it wants to be and take baby steps to start moving in that direction.

I provide a “one stop shop” for diverse range of services for private, non-profit, and public organizations:

• Community Needs/Resources Assessment

• Long Range and Strategic Planning

• Economic Impact Study

Relevant Projects and Client Commentary

Town of Jay
Essex County, NY

Project: Town of Jay Comprehensive Plan - Smart Growth Planning in the Adirondack Park
Role: Lead Consultant
Dates: 2026
Purpose: Served as lead consultant for the Town of Jay’s 2026 Smart Growth Comprehensive Plan—an integrated, community-driven roadmap guiding the Town’s future within the unique regulatory and environmental context of the Adirondack Park. This work goes beyond a traditional comprehensive plan. In a community without local zoning, where the Adirondack Park Agency (APA) plays a central land use role, the plan establishes a locally grounded framework to guide decision-making, investment, and community character while aligning with New York State Smart Growth principles and New York State Town Law §272‑a requirements. The planning process was deeply rooted in community engagement and evidence-based analysis. It incorporated multiple rounds of public participation—including surveys, workshops, open houses, and stakeholder interviews—alongside demographic, economic, housing, environmental, and infrastructure data. Special attention was given to the Town’s location along the East Branch of the Ausable River, including flood risk, climate resilience, and post–Hurricane Irene recovery patterns. A central innovation of the plan is the Developable Lands and Land Use Suitability Framework, which replaces a conventional future land use map. Rather than assigning rigid land use categories, this approach evaluates development potential based on real-world constraints—including environmental sensitivity, infrastructure capacity, and APA land classifications—ensuring that growth decisions are both practical and sustainable. The plan is organized around four strategic themes:

• Managing Growth – Aligning development with infrastructure and environmental capacity

• Enhancing Quality of Life – Strengthening hamlets, housing, and community services

• Creating Opportunity – Supporting local economic development and workforce stability

• Leveraging Resources – Coordinating with regional partners and funding opportunities

Key focus areas include housing availability and affordability, short-term rental pressures, infrastructure capacity (water, wastewater, energy, and broadband), climate resilience, and the long-term sustainability of Jay’s hamlets—Upper Jay, Jay, and Au Sable Forks—as centers of community life and reinvestment. The final plan includes a detailed Implementation Matrix linking goals to actions, responsible partners, timelines, funding sources, and performance metrics—ensuring the plan is not only visionary, but actionable. This project demonstrates Dr. Ruzow Holland’s expertise in rural and Adirondack planning, integrating environmental stewardship, regulatory complexity, and community priorities into a clear, implementable strategy for long-term resilience and vitality.
Links: Town of Jay Comprehensive Plan website

Town and Village of Champlain
Clinton County, NY

Project: Town-Village Joint Comprehensive Plan - Coordinated Smart Growth Planning Across Municipal Boundaries
Role: Co-Lead with AES Northeast
Dates: 2023 - 2026
Purpose: Served as lead consultant for the Town and Village of Champlain Joint Comprehensive Plan, a coordinated planning effort uniting two municipalities under a single, forward-looking framework for growth, investment, and community development. This project reflects a distinctive intermunicipal approach, aligning the Town and Village around shared goals while recognizing their differing roles, land use patterns, and infrastructure systems. Prepared in accordance with New York State Town Law §272-a and New York State Village Law §7-722, the plan establishes a unified policy foundation to guide local decision-making, capital planning, and regulatory updates. The planning process integrated extensive public engagement with data-driven analysis. Community surveys, stakeholder interviews, and visioning workshops informed a comprehensive Community Profile examining demographic trends, housing conditions, economic activity, transportation systems, infrastructure capacity, and environmental resources. This work ensures that the plan reflects both current conditions and emerging challenges facing the Champlain area. A central focus of the plan is the coordination of land use, infrastructure, and economic development across municipal boundaries. The framework supports:

• Strengthening the Village as a center for services, housing, and economic activity

• Guiding compatible growth in surrounding Town areas

• Aligning transportation, utilities, and public investments

• Positioning the community within its broader regional and cross-border context

The plan advances Smart Growth principles by encouraging efficient land use patterns, reinvestment in existing developed areas, and the integration of housing, transportation, and economic development strategies. Particular attention is given to housing availability, downtown vitality, infrastructure systems, and long-term fiscal sustainability. The final document includes a detailed implementation framework linking goals to specific actions, responsible entities, timelines, and funding opportunities—ensuring the plan functions as an actionable guide for both municipalities. This work demonstrates Dr. Ruzow Holland’s expertise in complex, multi-jurisdictional planning, bringing together community priorities, regulatory requirements, and strategic investment planning into a cohesive roadmap for long-term resilience and coordinated growth.
Links: Town and Village of Champlain Comprehensive Plan

Town of St. Armand
Essex County, NY

Project: Town Comprehensive Plan - Smart Growth Planning for a Rural Adirondack Community
Role: Senior planning lead, in partnership with AES Northeast—integrating community vision, regulatory context, and implementation-focused policy design.
Dates: 2023 - 2025
Purpose: Served as lead consultant for the Town of St. Armand Comprehensive Plan, guiding the development of a community-driven, Smart Growth–based framework for long-term sustainability, resilience, and local decision-making. Located within the Adirondack Park, the Town faces a unique combination of environmental constraints, limited infrastructure capacity, and evolving development pressures. The Comprehensive Plan was prepared in accordance with New York State Town Law §272-a and establishes a clear policy foundation to guide land use, infrastructure investment, housing, and economic development decisions over time. The planning process was grounded in extensive public engagement and local knowledge. Community input—including surveys, public meetings, and stakeholder discussions—was integrated with analysis of demographic trends, housing conditions, infrastructure systems, natural resources, and fiscal realities. The resulting plan reflects both the Town’s rural character and its role within the broader Saranac Lake and Adirondack region. A central focus of the plan is aligning growth with the Town’s physical and service capacity. Key issues addressed include:

• Infrastructure limitations, particularly water, wastewater, transportation, and energy systems

• Housing availability and affordability in a constrained rural market

• Protection of natural resources, scenic character, and environmental systems

• Economic sustainability and small-scale, context-sensitive development

The plan emphasizes practical, implementable strategies that recognize the Town’s scale and capacity, focusing on incremental, targeted actions rather than large-scale growth assumptions. It also positions the Town to better coordinate with regional partners and pursue state and federal funding opportunities, including those available through Smart Growth and Department of State planning programs. The final document includes a structured implementation framework linking goals to specific actions, responsible parties, timelines, and funding pathways—ensuring that the plan serves as both a policy guide and a tool for ongoing decision-making. This work demonstrates Dr. Ruzow Holland’s expertise in rural and Adirondack planning, translating complex environmental, infrastructure, and community dynamics into a clear, actionable roadmap that supports long-term resilience, community character, and sustainable development.
Links: Town of St. Armand Comprehensive Plan

AES Inc.
Plattsburgh, NY

Project: Champlain Town and Village Comprehensive Land Use Plan. (Municipal)
Role:  Co-Lead Consultant
Dates: 2023

Lake Champlain Basin Program
Grand Isle, Vermont

Role: Lead Consultant
Dates: 2021

Town of Essex
essex, NY

Project: EDA-funded Marina Feasibility Study; EFC-NBRC Essex Water Capital Project-Environmental and Parks Compliance (NEPA and SEQRA, APA Variance Application); SEQRA Environmental Review/Compliance Planning Board Demolition Permit; SEQRA, LWRP, Zoning Law Updates
Role: Lead Consultant
Dates: 2016 - 2021
Purpose: The Town has retained my services four times over the past five years for various purposes, including:
1) Assisting the Planning Board comply with a complex set of regulatory matters: APA, SEQRA, Ag District, LWRP, SHPO, as they worked through their updates to the Zoning Ordinance.
2) Providing Planning Board technical support for a demolition permit application in the Historic District.
3) Assisting the Town Board and their technical engineering team with a even-more complex set of compliance requirements for a water system project involving LWCF parkland, APA variance, SEQRA compliance, etc.
4) Most recently to conduct an economic and reuse analysis, and feasibility study for the three marina properties that are for sale. The Town has also asked me to support their efforts to update their 2001 Comprehensive Plan, which is pending funding.
Links: Essex Marine Base Complex Adaptive Use Feasibility Study Phase One Final Report

Boquet River Association (BRASS)
Elizabethtown, NY

Project: Boquet River Watershed Management Plan - Phase 2
Role: Lead Consultant: Design and Execution of a Participatory 5-Town Engagement Process to Produce a set of Findings and Recommendations for the Management Plan.
Dates: 2016 - 2017

Land Trust Alliance
Saratoga Springs, NY

Project: Land Trust Alliance/Conservation Partnership Program Grants committee Adjunct for the 2015-2016 round of the New York State Conservation Partnership Program. 
Role: Voluntary Reviewer
Dates: 2016

Boquet River Association (BRASS)
Elizabethtown, NY

Project: Boquet River Watershed Management Plan - Phase I
Role: Lead Consultant for NYS DOS Local Waterfront Revitalization Program Grant. Principal Researcher and Author of Boquet River Watershed Management Plan (Phase 1). Coordinator of Citizen Science team.
Date: 2013 - 2015
Purpose: Research, Public Participation, GIS Database, Report Writing to support development of a multi-town watershed management plan.
Links: BRASS WMP Report

Adirondack Gateway Council, Inc.
City of Glens Falls, NY

Project: Adirondack Gateway Regional Sustainable Plan 2015
Role: Lead Consultant - Overall Project Management, Fiscal, Compliance, Reporting, Indicators, Troubleshooting; Lead Consultant - Regional Housing, Transportation, and Fair Housing Equity Assessment; Lead Management Consultant - HUD Sustainable Communities Planning Grant FY2011-$750,000. Principal Researcher and Author - Housing, Transportation & Fair Housing Equity Assessment Technical Report.; Principal Outreach and Engagement Coordinator for Housing, Transportation & Fair Housing Equity Assessment.
Dates: 2012-2015
Purpose: Design and execution of a regional Deliberative Stakeholder Engagement Strategy. Research, report writing, grant administration, management, and program delivery. Prepare Technical Report on Housing, Transportation, and Fair Housing in Support Of FY2011 HUD Sustainable Community Grant.
Links: AGC Project Atlas
            Press Release: Gov. Cuomo Announces Glens Falls to Receive $10 Million                 in Downtown Revitalization Initiative

Town of Essex Zoning Amendments 2015
Essex, NY

Role: Environmental Regulatory Compliance
Dates: 2015
Purpose: Prepared State Environmental Quality Act (SEQRA) Full Environmental Assessment Technical Documents and forms. Assisted the Town with consultative responsibilities with Adirondack Park Agency and others. Lead Consultant for Environmental Compliance for Zoning Amendments. 

North Warren Chamber of Commerce
Chestertown, NY

Role: Research and Development of Map Content
Dates: 2012
Purpose: Assist in Development of Upper Hudson River Interpretive Map

Town of Essex
Essex, NY

Role: Environmental Regulatory Compliance
Dates: 2012
Purpose: Prepare the required SEQRA documents and follow a lawful process in order to comply with the environmental review requirements for the adoption of modifications to the Town Zoning Ordinance. 

Champlain Area Trails (CATS) and Champlain Area Conservation Partnership
Westport, NY

Project: Central Champlain Valley Outdoor Education Action Plan
Role: Design, Develop, Facilitate and Write Outdoor Education Action Plan. Lead consultant to design and manage project framework.  Conducted research, facilitated innovative stakeholder meetings, and wrote vision and strategic plan with input from a 25+ Stakeholder Committee.
Dates: 2010-2012
Service Area: Eastern Essex County, NY
Purpose: Prepared an Outdoor Education Action Plan targeted at serving multiple age groups within the geographic areas of Willsboro, Essex, Lewis, Westport, and Elizabethtown.  Development of the plan will utilize a participatory stakeholder, “bottom-up” approach facilitated by the consultant. To create a collaborative multi-jurisdiction strategic plan for the organization, coordination, and improvement of place-based outdoor recreation.
Links: http://www.champlainareatrails.com/images/index/CATS_OEP.pdf

Town of Willsboro 
Willsboro, NY

Project: Town of Willsboro Comprehensive Land Use and Action Plan
Role: Comprehensive Planning and Regulatory Compliance. Lead consultant to design and manage project, create stakeholder engagement strategy, facilitate cutting edge visioning and stakeholder meetings.  Conducted scientific and economic research in order to write technical reports and final plan.  Plan adopted by the local jurisdiction.
Dates: 2008 - 2012
Purpose: Design and Execute a Participatory Comprehensive Planning Program. Prepare and File Regulatory Approvals, Including SEQRA Documents. APA-Approved Local Land Use Planning Program. Develop Comprehensive Plan applying ecologically based planning process that uses a participatory framework in order to improve citizen’s confidence in decision-making and expand science literacy. Design and execute a Participatory citizen engagement process. Produce a Main Street Economic Revitalization Plan, priority projects list, funding plan etc.
Links: http://www.townofwillsboro.com/uploads/6/0/9/7/6097445/willsborocompplanv1941911fd.pdf

Village of Margaretville
Margaretville, NY

Project: Village of Margaretville Comprehensive Land Use and Action Plan
Role: Comprehensive Planning and Regulatory Compliance. Lead consultant to design and manage project, create stakeholder engagement strategy, facilitate cutting edge visioning and stakeholder meetings.  Conducted scientific and economic research in order to write technical reports and final plan.  Plans adopted by the local jurisdictions.
Dates: 2007 - 2009
Purpose: Design and execute a participatory comprehensive planning program for a NYC Watershed community in the Catskill Mountains.  Prepare and file regulatory approvals, including SEQRA documents. Develop Comprehensive Plan applying ecologically based planning process that uses a participatory framework in order to improve citizen’s confidence in decision-making and expand science literacy. Design and execute a Participatory citizen engagement process. Produce a Main Street Economic Revitalization Plan, priority projects list, funding plan etc.
Links: http://www.chamberorganizer.com/margaretvillechamber/V_Files.php
http://chamberorganizer.com/margaretvillechamber/docs/MV%20CompPlan%2010-08%20Ch01.pdf

Town of Fayston 
Fayston, VT

Role: Land Use Training
Dates: 2008
Purpose: Training Session in Implementing Town Plan & Zoning Updates

Northern Forest Center, Inc.
Concord, NH

Project:

• New York and Vermont Literature Review, Index of Related Studies for the Northern Forest Sustainable Economy Initiative

• Strategic Options: New York and Vermont: Analysis and Evaluation of Strategic Options and Opportunities for Sustainable Development

Date: 2007
Links: http://www.northernforest.org/data/uploads/research%20docs/NYVT_Synthesis_2007_ARH.pdf

Northern Forest Center, Inc.
Concord, NH

Project: Northern Forest Sustainable Economy Initiative: Agricultural Sector Analysis & Best Practices Database & Creative Economy Sector Analysis & Best Practices Database.
Role: Research & Report Writing
Contact: Joe Short, Vice President
Dates: 2006-2008
Author: Northern Forest Sustainable Economy Initiative, Regional Economic Strategy. 
Locations: New York, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.  
Funding: U.S. Department of Commerce.
Links: http://www.northernforest.org/sei-documents-research.shtml
Purpose:   Research and technical report preparation for the Northern Forest Sustainable Economy Initiative: 

• “Strategic Options: New York and Vermont Analysis and Evaluation of Strategic Options and Opportunities for Sustainable Development” (February 2007).

• “Agricultural Sector: Economic Analysis” (April, 2008)

• “Creative Economy: Economic Sector Analysis” (May, 2008)

• “Existing Studies Inventory Vermont and New York” (February, 2007)

• “Agricultural Best Practices” (April, 2008)

• “Creative Economy Best Practices” (May, 2008)

Project Description:

• Northern Forest Sustainable Economy Initiative publishes two Special Reports on Agriculture and Creative Economy of interest to rural New York. The Northern Forest Sustainable Economy Initiative recently released two important economic reports of critical value to communities and rural areas in New York State. The Northern Forest stretches from upstate New York through Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine and includes the 14 Adirondack Region counties. Both reports were authored by New York native, Ph.D. candidate and consulting community planning advisor, Ann Ruzow Holland of Willsboro, Essex County, New York.

• The Northern Forest Sustainable Economy Initiative Agricultural Sector Analysis evaluates agricultural issues, trends, opportunities and challenges across Northern Forest Region that includes upstate New York as well as Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. The report makes recommendations for national and four-state agricultural policy that inform the economic strategy recently released for the Northern Forest. Farmers, Agribusiness and Ag policymakers were interviewed for the report providing substantive guidance for the future of over three million acres of agricultural lands in the region.

• The Northern Forest Sustainable Economy Initiative Creative Economy Analysis broadly defines the Creative Economy to include “those activities which have their origin in individual creativity, skill and talent and which have a potential for wealth and job creation.” The report looks at how the creative economy became a powerful driver in the region’s rural economy and the various ways the four states utilize this powerful tool. Issues, trends and opportunities are documented as well as four-state regional recommendations that can enhance local creative economy drivers. Arts Councils, Main Street Organizations and Economic Development Agencies will find the statistics, resources and best practices linked to the report useful.

• Best management practice databases accompany both analyses and will be available in early 2009 on line. The Agriculture and Creative Economy reports, as well are other resources are available online at: http://www.northernforest.org/sei-documents-research.shtml

For more information contact:  the Author: Ann Ruzow Holland, Community Planning Advisor, 135 Sabousin Road, Willsboro, New York 12996 email: aholland@willex.com or the Project Manager: Joe Short, Northern Forest Sustainable Economy Initiative Northern Forest Center PO Box 210, Concord, New Hampshire 03302   jshort@northernforest.org

Bagdon Environmental Inc.
Delmar, NY

Role: Regulatory and Planning Research. Lead consultant to design and manage project framework.  Conducted research, facilitated innovative stakeholder meetings, and wrote vision and strategic plan with input from a 25+ Stakeholder Committee.
Dates: 2006
Purpose: Craft an Analysis and Narrative for the SEQRA Environmental Assessment of the Cohocton Windmill Local Law

Malone Senior Housing Project
Malone, NY

Dates: 2001