Haff Associates - About Us

Haff Associates - Conservation Finance and Open Space Planning

About Us

Our company is based on the belief that our customers' needs are of the utmost importance. Our entire team is committed to meeting those needs. As a result, a high percentage of our business is from repeat customers and referrals.

Courtney Haff, AICP, Ph.D, is President of Haff Associates.

It is an economic development, conservation finance and land planning firm established in 1996, and based in Massachusetts since 2004. He has 35 years of experience in land conservation finance and development services on a local, national and international scale.

He specializes in the provision of conservation finance, historic preservation and land planning services, including:

· Development services, site and market analysis for senior and affordable housing, transit-oriented development, large scale resort and entertainment projects, health care and educational facilities and the reuse of urban land;

· Public finance and corporate finance as an investment banker and financial advisor to cities, states and public authorities and private not-for profit educational institutions, affordable housing, health care and cultural facilities, special districts and private corporations throughout the United States; and

· Open space planning and land stewardship services.

He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, holding the AICP designation and the National Federation of Municipal Analysts.

He holds an MPA and Ph.D. from New York University Wagner School of Public Service in Housing and Land Economics and Public Finance, a B.S. in Economics from the University of Oregon, and was a special student at the Architectural Association, Graduate School of Planning in London, England.

He taught Physical Geography as a Adjunct Professor at Westfield State University. He has also taught several courses at New York University as an adjunct faculty member of the Wagner School of Public Service on fiscal aspect of planning, and computer applications as well as a collaborative course on land policy at Williams College.

He specializes in providing conservation finance and open space planning services utilizing MA Community Preservation Act surcharges to make debt service payments on general obligation bonds, user fee and real estate-based financings utilizing special assessment, tax increment, land value capture methodologies, low income and historic tax credits and impact fee arrangements and capital facilities planning.

He has been a senior vice-president and manager of the investment banking department of WR Lazard; vice-president of American Muncipal Bond Insurance Corporation and Equitable Real Estate Investment Management Group; Director of New York City's Office of Appraisal Research and a senior analysts at Abt Associates, Inc. specializing in property tax policy studies.

He has developed geographic information systems development specifications and urban land valuation modeling for the City of New York and the State of Hawaii, as well as private owners, and has undertaken urban land policy studies for major cities throughout the United States and internationally.

We would welcome the opportunity to earn your trust and deliver you the best service in the industry.

Location:

P.O. Box 401

Northampton, MA 01061

Hours:

Mon - Fri: By appointment

Sat: By appointment

Sun: Closed

Dr. Haff was a David C. Lincoln Fellow with the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, in 2003-4, preparing the working paper Land Market Understanding as the Basis for Smart Change with figures and received a 2006 fellowship, also from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, dealing with the financial aspects of community land trusts, with particular focus on CLT’s in the Southern Berkshires.

His recent clients are: the New Amsterdam History Center, serving as project manager for the development of a virtual New Amsterdam, a replication of what Lower Manhattan looked like in 1660. He also has created website, Virtual New Amsterdam, and published the book "Imagine New Amsterdam" available on Amazon.com which has recently been reviewed by the Saint Nicholas Society of New York.

He has also prepared a housing market analysis and conservation finance strategy for the Holyoke Country Club. consultant to MNR stations in New York and New Jersey, development consultant/ investment banker to Collegiate Church Corporation for the redevelopment of the Corbin building in Lower Manhattan; First Albany Corporation for the refinancing of the 34 Street Partnership Special Assessment District Bonds; and The New Brunswick Theological Seminary, as financial advisor for the development of a student and senior housing and parking facility on the Seminary campus in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

He has worked with several communities in Massachusetts in conjunction with Massachusetts Office of Business Development and has submitted grant requests concerning MA’s District Improvement Finance implementation strategies with the Town of Lenox, MA and has offered consulting services to the St. James Community Housing Corporation on their Bostwick Gardens senior housing project in Great Barrington, MA, in collaboration with Berkshire Housing Services and the Tri-Corner Community Development Corporation of Southern Berkshires.

He is currently a Commissioner with the Southampton MA Conservation Commission, a member of the Board of Directors of St. James Community Housing Corporation in Great Barrington, MA and a member of the Town of Southampton, MA Master Plan Committee and Greenway Committee.

He has prepared housing market studies for the Bostwick Gardens senior housing project in Great Barrington, MA, the Lenox Woods affordable housing project in Lenox, MA, the Concord Resort in Monticello, NY, Pulte Homes in Ventnor, NJ, the Collegiate Hall project in New Brunswick, NJ and the Pine Woods affordable housing project in Stockbridge, MA.

Most recently he prepared the baseline study for the Wolf Hill Conservation Restriction held by the Southampton Conservation Commission as well as several trail maps using ArcGIS Explorer.