Jackson LaSarso

About

I'm a city planner in upstate New York, working on housing, economic development, and public investment. These questions often meet in the same project: a plan to reuse a building may depend on the water system serving it, while a proposal for a park needs to account for benefits that don't appear in its operating budget.

At Saratoga Associates, I work on economic studies, funding proposals, and project administration. My work has included analysis and mapping for the Schenectady parks study and an assessment of the Tupper Lake Memorial Civic Center. Once a project is funded, I coordinate with municipal staff, engineers, and funding agencies on procurement, budgets, and reimbursement.

Before joining Saratoga Associates, I worked at Smith & Roller in Philadelphia, testing housing scenarios and comparing financing proposals. I also worked in freight and transit planning for the Orange County Transportation Council (OCTC) and served on Queensbury's Planning Board and as a Zoning Board of Appeals alternate.

I studied planning at UAlbany and Penn, concentrating on Public and Private Development at Penn. I now teach Environmental Planning and GIS Project Management at UAlbany and develop Albany Grave Finder with the Albany Rural Cemetery Explorer collaboration.

To get in touch, send a message on LinkedIn.

Now

Updated 2026-10-19

At Saratoga Associates, I'm working with communities in upstate New York on housing, economic development, and public facilities. That work includes economic studies, funding proposals, and administration of waterfront improvements.

I also teach Environmental Planning and GIS Project Management at UAlbany and develop Albany Grave Finder. The application connects cemetery records to a map people can use while visiting the grounds.

On October 15, I co-presented Return to the River at the APA New York Upstate Chapter Annual Conference in Albany. The session examined waterfront resilience, brownfield revitalization, and reconnection in Amsterdam, New York.

Writing on Substack

Experience

May 2024–present

Saratoga AssociatesCommunity Planner · Saratoga Springs, New York

  • Prepare economic impact and significance studies, including the Schenectady parks report and the Tupper Lake Memorial Civic Center assessment. Prepare analyses, maps, reports, and presentations for public officials.
  • Develop housing, downtown, and waterfront funding proposals, including narratives, maps, and supporting materials for the joint Urbana and Hammondsport NY Forward applications.
  • Coordinate funded projects through work plans, procurement, budgets, reporting, and reimbursement. Work with municipal staff, engineers, and funding agencies on implementation.
  • Prepare terrain and visibility analysis, scenic resource inventories, and field documentation for planning and environmental review.
January 2025–present

University at AlbanyAdjunct Professor · Albany, New York

  • Teach Environmental Planning and GIS Project Management, drawing on municipal consulting and geospatial analysis.
  • Develop workshops and assignments around environmental review, GIS analysis, and municipal planning projects.
December 2022–May 2024

Smith & RollerReal Estate Analyst · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  • Compared New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) financing proposals, including upfront fees, ongoing costs, and repayment obligations.
  • Updated development pro formas and sensitivity models to test affordability and unit-mix scenarios alongside debt, equity, operating projections, and tax-abatement assumptions.
  • Prepared Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) and NMTC application materials, including project narratives, budgets, schedules, and supporting documents.
  • Coordinated design-development drawings, construction estimates, application corrections, and required disclosure forms with architects, contractors, attorneys, and public agencies.
  • Prepared lender, investor, and tenant materials. Documented meeting decisions and follow-up responsibilities, and tracked outstanding information.
Fall 2023

University of PennsylvaniaTeaching Assistant, Introduction to Property Development · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  • Served as teaching assistant for Introduction to Property Development.
November 2021–August 2022

University at AlbanyGIS development and research · Department of Geography and Planning

  • Developed maps, burial search, tours, and mobile navigation for Albany Rural Cemetery Explorer in collaboration with faculty and cemetery staff.
  • Prepared and maintained the geographic data used by the application.
June–August 2021

Orange County Planning DepartmentTransportation Planning Intern · Goshen, New York

  • Prepared maps, transit planning materials, public participation documents, and meeting minutes for the Orange County Transportation Council (OCTC) and Transit Orange.
  • Analyzed freight production, consumption, and movement across the Mid-Hudson Valley Transportation Management Area using GIS and IHS Transearch data.
  • Contributed to documentation on transit access, environmental justice, language access, and ADA paratransit.

Education

2024

University of Pennsylvania

Master of City Planning

  • Stuart Weitzman School of Design
  • Concentration in Public and Private Development
  • Certificate in Real Estate Design and Development
2022

University at Albany, SUNY

Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies and Planning

  • Minor in Public Policy
Map locating Saratoga Springs, Philadelphia, Albany, Queensbury, Goshen

Map: OpenStreetMap / OpenFreeMap.

Places in the work

Choose a place to see the work connected to it, or use the timeline to browse by year.

Places

Economic development

Saratoga Associates

Read more

Map: OpenFreeMap / OpenStreetMap / OpenMapTiles

Cemetery: Albany Rural Cemetery Explorer / UAlbany

Teaching & talks

I teach Environmental Planning and GIS Project Management at UAlbany. I've also presented my work to municipal boards and at planning conferences.

  1. October 15, 2026

    APA New York Upstate Chapter Annual Conference, Albany

    Co-presenter, Return to the River: Waterfront Resilience, Brownfield Revitalization & Reconnection. A case study of Amsterdam, New York.

    View presentation

  2. February 16, 2026

    New York Association of Towns

    Co-presenter, The Economic Power of Parks: A Case Study from Schenectady.

  3. February 11, 2026

    Saratoga County Planning and Zoning Conference

    Lead presenter and panel moderator on recreational resources in planning and zoning review.

  4. February 3, 2026

    Capital Region Parks and Recreation Association

    Co-presenter, Recreation Grants: Winning Strategies for Parks and Trails.

  5. October 9, 2025

    APA New York Upstate Chapter Annual Conference

    Co-presenter, Pedal Power and Park Value.

  6. May 29, 2025

    New York Conference of Mayors Annual Meeting

    Co-presenter on the economic contribution of city parks.

  7. April 7, 2025

    Schenectady City Council

    Co-presenter, Schenectady Parks Economic Impact Report.

  8. December 10, 2024

    Capital Region Parks and Recreation Association

    Guest speaker, Recreation Grants: What You Need to Know.

  9. November 8, 2024

    World Town Planning Day

    Presenter, Pro-Housing Communities in Rural America.

  10. November 6, 2024

    Hammondsport Chamber of Commerce

    Presenter with the project team on partnerships and revitalization.

  11. October 2024

    APA New York Upstate Chapter Annual Conference

    Co-presenter on grant stacking and rural downtown and waterfront revitalization.

Public service

I served on the Town of Queensbury Planning Board and as an alternate on its Zoning Board of Appeals. I also conducted research with the Warren County Historical Society and contributed to The Post-Star's editorial board.