DEC has worked for more than a decade to support smart growth planning and implementation activity within the Adirondack and Catskill Parks. Smart growth is land use patterns that aim to keep developed areas centralized near communities in order to conserve surrounded natural areas.
Today's challenges, whether economic loss or development pressure, can threaten the sustainability and unique character of these communities. Located within a patchwork of public and private lands, park communities are presented with challenges and opportunities that can greatly benefit from smart growth, such as reducing vehicle miles traveled—decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, encouraging environmental awareness into land use decisions, leaving more and larger areas for the natural process of water absorption and filtering, and creating better links between neighborhoods and outdoor recreation areas.
New York State Smart Growth
Since 2007, the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) has contained a line of funding dedicated to supporting smart growth in New York State via a series of competitive grants to municipalities and not-for-profit partner organizations. DEC is responsible for distributing a portion of these funds toward smart growth within the Adirondack and Catskill Parks. The Department of State (DOS), which has traditionally been responsible for local government planning and development-related assistance, will receive the remainder of these funds for distribution statewide.
DEC Grant Program Summary
Smart growth can provide the right balance between development and preservation for Adirondack Park and Catskill Park communities. The Adirondack and Catskill Parks Community Smart Growth Grant Program supports projects that foster sustainable development, environmental protection and the long-term wellbeing of Park communities. The program supports planning and implementation of key projects identified as priorities in plans. The program offers grant funding for counties, towns and villages that need financial or technical assistance to plan and grow successfully.
Adirondack Park Eligibility Requirements/Restrictions
Applicants must be a county, town, or village located wholly or partially within the Adirondack Park or a not-for-profit organization. Partnerships are encouraged. Projects submitted must be located wholly within the Adirondack Park and must be consistent with the Smart Growth principles outlined in the grant program Request for Applications.
New for Round 8: For Comprehensive Plans applications only: May be submitted by Towns/Villages with geographic boundaries inside and outside of the Blue Line and may apply for 100% reimbursement.
Catskill Park Eligibility Requirements/Restrictions
Applicants must be a county, town, or village located wholly or partially within the Catskill Park or a not-for-profit organization. Projects must be located within a Catskill Park town or village. Counties are among the eligible municipalities located wholly or partially within the Catskill Park that may apply for funding, however, for the purpose of reviewing project location, the project must be located within one or more of the listed towns and villages only. Partnerships are encouraged. Projects must be consistent with the Smart Growth principles outlined in the grant program Request for Bids.
Awards History
2024 Grant Awards
In April 2024, DEC awarded more than $5.46 million from the New York State Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) to fund 48 projects for Round 7 of the Smart Growth grant.
- 2024 Grant Awards (PDF)
Detailed plans, project results, and details of prior grant rounds may be obtained by contacting DEC.
DEC Grant Program Details
Round 8 of the DEC Smart Growth Grants
Round 8 of the Adirondack and Catskill Parks Community Smart Growth Grant is now closed. Updates about Round 8 of this grant will be posted on this website.
Deadlines
Round 8 Bids were due by 3:00 p.m. on October 1, 2025.
Details and scoring information for this grant are included in the Request for Bids (RFB) (PDF).
DEC held a virtual information session about the Smart Growth grants on July 23, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. View the recording of this webinar, and the Presentation (PDF).
- The webinar discussed goals, eligible projects, funding details, budget building, answered questions, and included a SFS Grants Management tutorial during the second hour.
Funding
Funding is provided from the Environmental Protection Fund.
Match Requirement
No match required.
Program Goals
The overarching goals of the programs include:
- Support main streets in villages, hamlets and town centers including streetscapes, bicycle, transit and pedestrian access
- Encourage mixed use and adaptive reuse of underutilized buildings and sites
- Enhance community housing availability and encourage age-, income- and ethnic-integration
- Improve waterfront access and facilities
- Ensure environmental resource protection including watersheds, habitat, and wetland protection
- Enhance recreation sites and public access including parks, trails, and greenways
- Protect and manage open space, farmland, working forests and scenic resources
- Promote and support tourism with a focus on resource-, recreation-, ecological- and heritage-based tourism and educational opportunities, including historic and cultural resources, festivals and interpretive systems
- Build local capacity to engage in collaborative, public, stakeholder-driven planning processes
Project Examples
Eligible projects include, but are not limited to:
- Providing bike-friendly routes and amenities or providing shuttle services
- Improving main street facades and refurbishing historic properties
- Providing community-based tourism programs and activities and improving or promoting local/regional museums and theaters
- Creating new recreational opportunities and developing multi-use trails
- Installing informational signage and kiosks and enhancing parks and public spaces
- Beautifying tourism sites and improving visitor centers
- Providing sidewalks and streetscape enhancements
- Cleaning up contaminated sites and preparing them for re-use
- Developing municipal comprehensive plans and updating land use laws
- Conducting project-specific feasibility, design, market and climate change resiliency planning and energy efficiency assessment and improvement
