Category Archives: Environment / Development

By Susan Elise Campbell

The first of 14 custom homes broke ground some months ago at Riley Farm, a unique new development near Lake Lonely in Saratoga Springs. But developer Mike Phinney, owner of Phinney Design Group, said he would “be happy to take four or five years” to complete construction of the kind of “uniquely designed and sustainable homes” that Phinney is winning prestigious awards for.

“I am not just trying to kick out a subdivision,” he said. “The owner of the land, Kenneth Scott, wants to develop it in concert with nature.” 

Scott is a scientist who has traveled the world as an expert in gene therapy and anti-aging technologies, Phinney said. Scott purchased the former working farm in the 1980s.

“He has done his research and has high sustainability goals to make homes net zero,” said Phinney. 

Phinney has been a leader and pioneer in the sustainable design movement since the mid-1990s. His firm focuses on environmentally responsible construction methods and is headquartered in a sustainable green building.

When Scott approached him, Phinney didn’t sense a good match at first. 

“As soon as he mentioned a subdivision, I thought, we don’t do generic houses that aren’t tied to a site and where the only thing that differentiates them is the paint color,” said Phinney.  

By Rod Bacon

Munter Enterprises, Inc. is in various stages of adding three new buildings to the W.J. Grande Industrial Park in Saratoga Springs.

According to Vice President Mike Munter, they have two projects underway on Skyward Drive.

They recently received approval from the Saratoga County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) for a 35,000-square-foot facility for Ambrave Corp., a company that designs and manufactures advanced tactical gear for military special operations forces and law enforcement under the brand Direct Action and for outdoor enthusiasts under the brand Helikon-Tex. 

Headquartered in Poland, the company has manufacturing plants in Nowa Ruda, Swiebodzice and Nysa. Some products are manufactured in Vietnam, Taiwan, and China.

The company distributes its products worldwide, with their current facility in Malta being responsible for marketing in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Under the name Direct Action LLC it has been in Malta since 2018. Ambrave was established as an umbrella company last year.

By Anthony Defazio
Sustainable PR

In just the first half of 2025, the U.S. canceled or downsized a staggering $22 billion in clean energy projects. New York alone saw more than two-thirds of its onshore renewable power contracts canceled last year, setting the state back in its goal to reach 70% clean energy generation by 2030. These setbacks ripple far beyond industry losses as communities miss out on millions in potential tax revenue and thousands of jobs, while higher energy bills and continued pollution hit residents’ wallets and health.

In New York, where municipalities have significant control over land use, the path from a project proposal to a finished solar farm is often fraught with challenges. Misinformation, mistrust, and unanswered questions can fuel local opposition, leading to project delays or even cancellation. When this happens, both communities and developers lose. Developers see projects stall while communities forfeit millions of dollars in potential tax revenue and long-term economic gains. However, strategic and proactive community engagement can address concerns early, and establish trust between developers and the communities they serve and pave the way for approvals. 

Communities that lack experience with renewable energy projects often contend with opposition from residents when a project is announced. Residents’ concerns fester when unfamiliarity with technology meets widespread misinformation —often amplified online by fossil fuel-funded actors —and a lack of communication from developers, leading to growing community dissent. Opposition groups swell and place pressure on local boards to slow or halt development. Their efforts to influence municipal boards often succeed not by outright rejection, but through moratoriums that can delay projects up to a year or two, forcing developers to rescind their applications. Furthermore, when revised solar ordinances impose such stringent regulations on development, they can render projects no longer viable. 

By Christine GraF

As the LA Group prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary later this year, the company continues to expand its footprint throughout the United States. Established in 1974, the Saratoga Springs-based landscape architecture and civil engineering firm has a staff of 39 employees and small offices in Ithaca and Pittsburgh.  

“We started out as a local shop in Saratoga but have really bolstered our experience nationally,” said Chelsea LaMarco, marketing manager. “We do a lot of federal work with the government—specifically with the Department of Veterans Affairs.”

As part of that work, the LA Group was enlisted as the site designer and landscape architect for a major expansion of the historic Arlington National Cemetery, one that transformed a difficult steeply-sloping and wooded 30-acre parcel into a shrine to honor those who have served our country. 

By Paul Post

A prominent environmental group and the state agency charged with protecting Lake George have partnered for many years on programs designed to kill Eurasian water milfoil, an aquatic invasive species that causes environmental problems and hurts the economy by impacting recreational activities such as boating, fishing, swimming and paddle sports.

But the Lake George Association and Lake George Park Commission are at odds over the recent application of the chemical ProcellaCOR in two bays in northern parts of the lake.

The product, made by Indiana-based SePro Corporation, kills plants with a hormone that plants absorb, causing them to grow too rapidly and die off within a few weeks. The chemical has had positive results in numerous water bodies across America and locally in places such as Minerva, Brant and Saratoga lakes, Lake Luzerne, and Lake Sunnyside and Glen Lake in Queensbury,.

By Susan Elise Campbell

For environmental cleaning, remediation and other specialized services, the Queensbury office of Maviro, Inc. has a growing presence in the North Country down to Albany, west to Syracuse and east to Vermont, said James Vogt, vice president of the East Region for the Houston-based corporation

Vogt started the New York division three years ago in Clifton Park. Since then he has overseen a move to Queensbury Avenue, the purchase of equipment, acquisition of two other companies, and a staff increase from two people to 16, he said.

“The key to industrial services in the region we serve is the environmental services line,” said Vogt. 

Those services range from removing an old residential oil tank to chemical cleaning of a power plant to remediation projects under contract with the DEC, he said.

by Christine Graf

Hilltop Construction is putting the finishing touches on a new office/warehouse headquarters at 21 Casey Road in Queensbury. 

The 10,000-square-foot facility is being built on two lots located in the Airport Industrial Park.

“Our company is growing, and we needed space for expansion,” said co-owner Dan Washburn. 

Warren-Washington Industrial Development Agency sold the two vacant industrial park lots to Hilltop Construction for $40,500.

Washburn’s in-laws, Tom and Cindy Albrecht founded Hilltop Construction in 1975. After the couple retired two years ago, Washburn, along with his wife April Washburn and brother-in-law Tom Albrecht Jr., assumed control of the business. 

Hilltop Construction builds custom homes that range in price from $400,000 to $5 million. The homes are located throughout the Capital Region and the Adirondacks. 

“We’ve done a lot of work in Schroon Lake, Brant Lake and Lake George,” said Washburn. 

By Christine Graf

Developer Peter Hoffman of Glen Street Associates is partnering with the youngest of his four children, daughter Christiana, on what will be his 20th local development project. 

The pair purchased the former Morgan Stanley building at 20 Maple St. in Glens Falls for $275,000. 

Hoffman, a Clifton Park native, was introduced to the world of property development by his father. From the time he was a young boy, he had a hammer in his hand and a nail apron around his waist. 

“I started with my father when I was 11 years old,” he said. “He was an amazing developer and I started by following him around. Along the way we became partners. He taught me the business, and we were partners up until 1983 when I went out on my own and did some other things in my life.”

After spending 20 years in the restaurant, car wash, and real estate industry, Hoffman re-entered the development world in 2001. It was because of his wife, Suzanne, that he chose to work in and around Glens Falls. During her time as a New York state trooper, she had grown to love the city.