STAFF

Sarah la Cour has worked in the field of landscape architecture and regional planning for over 25 years and brings extensive experience in urban design, place-making, and district management.  As Vice President of Operations at Westmass, she manages the Ludlow Mills property and associated master planning and construction projects as well other planning and economic development projects for Westmass.  Additional responsibilities include grant writing to provide funds for environmental assessment and remediation and grant administration for MassDevelopment, MassWorks and US Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration grants.

Prior to joining Westmass, Sarah served as the Executive Director of the Amherst Business Improvement District (BID) from 2013-2019.  During her tenure at the BID, she worked in partnership with the Town of Amherst and the local educational institutions to invigorate and enhance downtown Amherst and provide opportunities for economic growth. Sarah was also directly involved in statewide BID discussions with the MA Downtown Initiative and spoke on BIDs as an important downtown revitalization tool at conferences and workshops including the Massachusetts Municipal Organization.

Through her previous work as a conservation planner and landscape designer, Sarah’s work across the Northeast ranged from business development and place-making to historic mill village redevelopment and award-winning industrial riverfront visioning plans.  Her work has also included large-scale conservation restrictions, natural, historic and scenic resource analysis and urban design projects.  In addition, from 2008- 2014, Sarah served as adjunct faculty in the UMass Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning teaching graduate-level courses in site planning, watershed planning and green infrastructure.  She is a full member of the American Society of Landscape Architects.