CITY OF ALBANY, NEW YORK
NYSDEC Climate Smart Communities Grant WRITING SERVICES AND AWARD

Laberge Group is proud to have partnered with the City of Albany to secure $2 million in NYSDEC Climate Smart Communities Grant funding for the Washington Park Complete Streets Implementation Project.

The vibrant, historic Washington Park area, sits at the heart of a busy downtown district where people live, work, and recreate. The park’s roadways serve as key connectors to major thoroughfares—including Washington, Central, Madison, and New Scotland Avenues, as well as Lark and State Streets—and are vital routes to nearby hospitals and colleges. Washington Park also hosts many of the City’s regionally significant special events, which can exacerbate traffic congestion within and around the park.

A primary objective of the project was to minimize negative traffic impacts while preserving the historic character of the park. A key recommendation was the implementation of “complete streets” enhancements to slow and/or reduce traffic volumes and support the City’s efforts to balance the diverse needs of all park users—without shifting traffic burdens to adjacent neighborhoods. The planning process considered mobility and accessibility for users of all abilities, including pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, and emergency vehicles, as well as impacts on parking and special event logistics.

The City of Albany proposed a comprehensive set of recommendations to create an active transportation network that enhances public space for walking and biking. The plan includes improvements such as new buffered and separated bike lanes, updated signage, integration of smart technologies to manage congestion, strategic intersection redesigns, and upgraded traffic signals with pedestrian controls.

Key modifications also include redesigning major park entrances to reduce pedestrian-vehicle conflicts, enhancing pedestrian crossings, upgrading the service entrance, improving playground areas, and expanding the network of walking and biking paths. These new bicycle and pedestrian pathways will offer nearby residents more transportation options, reduce travel time through the park, promote healthier lifestyles, cut transportation costs, and provide safer routes.

The proposed improvements will also advance climate equity by fostering a greener, more vibrant community and promoting equitable, healthy, and affordable transportation and land-use practices.

Laberge Group packaged these community-focused improvements into a compelling grant application that clearly demonstrated how the Washington Park Complete Streets Implementation Project aligns with the goals of the NYSDEC Climate Smart Communities Grant program. The application emphasized that the City of Albany had not only identified the need but also developed comprehensive plans and designs to implement this transformative project.