Enhancing Our Local Communities

Grant funding can provide communities with financial resources they might not otherwise have access to through local budgets or taxes. Grants can support various community needs such as infrastructure improvements, economic development projects, and recreation improvements. LDG stands out as a leader in the field, leveraging our expertise to help clients identify and secure project funding through low-interest loans and/or grants from a variety of state and federal sources.

As part of the Green CHIPS incentive agreement between NYS and Micron, Empire State Development (ESD) and Micron have partnered to establish a $500 million Green CHIPS Community Investment Fund (CIF) to be funded and distributed over 20 years, with Micron contributing $250 million, NYS contributing $100 million. The remaining funding is being raised from local, statewide, and national partners. Empire State Development and Micron are soliciting proposals for consideration under the Community Investment Fund (CIF) in four categories of spending: Workforce Development, Education, Community Investments, and Housing. [Green CHIPS Community Investment Fund | Empire State Development (ny.gov)] LDG can help your community or organization prepare an application and navigate the grant process.

A comprehensive plan serves as a road map for attaining a community's long-term vision and goals and improving overall livability and resilience. LDG's planners and landscape architects are experts at creating plans that guide sustainable growth, effectively manage resources, and conserve natural resources, ensuring community engagement and compliance with funding requirements. Our team is dedicated to creating plans uniquely tailored to each community, providing residents, businesses, and investors with predictability and confidence in clarifying zoning regulations, development standards, and public investment priorities. This stability promotes economic growth, attracts investment, and supports property values. The LDG Team can assist your community with updating or developing a comprehensive plan to establish a clear vision for future development and ensure your community is ready to grow!

LDG offers a full range of geographic information system (GIS) and geospatial services, including asset management consulting services, GIS enterprise implementations, needs assessments, implementation planning, and other consulting services. LDG believes that a one-size-fits-all approach will often fall short of meeting client expectations. Instead, we work with clients to understand their specific capabilities and needs and to identify a complete, tailored asset management program. Our team of subject matter experts can develop depreciation models for new and existing systems, determine replacement costs for individual components, and implement GIS-based tools that can help clients to make informed decisions, saving time and money throughout the asset life cycle. Mapping these complex systems and implementing a GIS allows clients to track problems, look at trends, and locate aging infrastructure or defects in the system. All of this affords municipal authorities the opportunity to track assets, assess infrastructure, and plan for the future. As a preferred Esri partner, we have the knowledge and flexibility to develop GIS solutions that can meet the most demanding project requirements.

Communities evolve over time as demographics, economic activities, and societal preferences change. Zoning regulations must be reviewed and updated in communities to support economic development, enhance housing options, maintain community character, encourage environmental conservation, protect public health and safety, adhere to legal requirements, and adjust to shifting needs and priorities. Our team of planners is experienced in completing comprehensive zoning that allows municipalities to accommodate new land uses, address emerging issues (such as sustainability and smart growth), and respond to the changing needs of residents and businesses. We also offer zoning assessments/audits that provide recommendations for updates and ensure that the laws keep up with continually changing legal standards and precents. LDG's landscape architects and planners assist local municipalities in developing design guidelines that preserve each community's unique character and identity. LDG is ready to help your municipality create or update existing zoning rules to guarantee future development occurs where and how your community wants it, ensuring sustainable growth and resilience while supporting the overall well-being of their residents and businesses.

At LDG, we have in-house specialized water/wastewater engineers who provide various services. Our services include pipeline systems, treatment plants, filtration systems, pump stations, treatment systems, reservoirs, holding tanks, force mains, grant writing, and funding assistance. Whether it is a renovation/replacement project or a new facility design, we help our clients determine their needs, connect with funding sources, and constantly seek solutions to control costs, conserve energy, and improve operations. One of our key strengths is our proactive approach to staying current on new legislation and its impact on our clients' facilities. We also employ licensed engineers and licensed plant operators as full-time personnel to provide unique design expertise from the operations perspective. This allows us to effectively troubleshoot existing systems as well as support the cutover to a new system, making sure that the start-up is smooth, the new system operates efficiently, and customers continue to receive high-quality service. Our water/wastewater team is here to ensure your community is prepared for future growth!

Identifying developable parcels in your community is critical for attracting new businesses and residences while protecting areas where you do not want development to occur. LDG can provide strategic insights into how to best use land and resources and assist communities in aligning development with long-term goals and a vision for community growth.

LDG's expert GIS analysts and planners use advanced tools to extract and analyze data from online sources such as Esri's Business Analyst platform [which contains various demographic, traffic-related, and consumer spending spatial data for use in conjunction with ArcGIS] to ensure that decisions are based on complete and accurate information. Our LDG team of planners, architects, and engineers can aid in the identification of parcels for new construction, infill development, or redevelopment. Additionally, we can help create marketing packages for each site, allowing municipalities to easily market and attract developers to their communities.