Mohawk Valley Land Use Leadership Alliance

Land Use Law Conference is June 1-3, 2026 at the Monarch in Yorkville

In collaboration with the New York State Energy Research Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the Mohawk Valley Economic Development District, Pace University’s Land Use Law Center will bring its award-winning training program, the Land Use Leadership Alliance Training Program (LULA), to municipalities within the Mohawk Valley region.

The Program

The program will focus on clean energy and responsible land use planning. Four programs have previously been conducted in the Finger Lakes, North Country, Hudson Valley, and Southern Tier of New York.

The Curriculum

The curriculum for this program will be comprehensive, addressing key topics such as: the land use system, dynamics between local and state authority, planning and regulatory techniques that balance clean energy development and the protection of natural resources, agricultural lands and other local and state resources, and public engagement and consensus building tools which participants can use to engage nontraditional and traditional audiences in their communities.

The program will be offered free of charge. Continuing legal education credits for attorneys can be provided and the program also satisfies the training requirement for local board members. CM credits for planners are also being considered. In addition, the Center will provide a high-level assessment of each participating community’s land use plans and regulations that identifies any existing clean energy efforts.

The program comprises three full-day sessions

Sessions are from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Monday, June 1 through Wednesday, June 3, at the Monarch at 16 Erie Street in Yorkville.

Please note that the program includes breakfast, lunch and snacks. The program will also include one or more off-site visits to projects or sites in the region. Additional travel and logistics details will be shared in advance of the program.

The program will serve as a land use retreat for local land use leaders to brainstorm, vision, and proactively plan for their community’s energy future.

It is a requirement that participating individuals attend all three of the sessions to complete the program. Participants can be planning board or zoning board of appeals members, local elected officials, environmental committee members, staff, or local landowners.

Space is limited, so if you or someone from your municipality is interested in participating, please register at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MohawkValleyLULA

If you have any questions about the program, please feel free to contact Tiffany Zezula at (914) 422-4034. We look forward to working with you during this exciting program.