We are a professional design firm practicing landscape architecture, urban design, ecological stewardship, and public arts.

Our Story

Steele Landscape Architecture was created from a vision to craft beautiful and expressive places that promote positive impacts on our natural environment and personal health. We serve communities and clients with mindful personal attention and a lot of old-fashioned TCB.

Sue Steele, RLA, founded the studio in 2018 after years of experience on park, campus, public arts, and trail projects in both a small design studio and a large engineering practice. Today our firm includes three licensed Landscape Architects with decades of mutually passionate design, construction, and project delivery experience.

Located in Fairport, New York, we are a boutique firm with diverse expertise and capabilities. We practice project mindfulness – meaning we take on projects that suit our knowledge and curiosities, and those that we know we can deliver in a quality manner. Our approach is to focus intently on artistic and organized problem solving, the power of expressiveness, and deliberate thinking about a client’s core goals.

Our Expertise

Parks & Trails Planning & Design
Public Art Planning & Facilitation
Urban & Streetscape Design
Wayfinding and Interpretive Design
Ecosystem, Pollinator, & Stormwater Design
Historic Landscape Preservation
Campus & Hospitality Venue Design
Healthcare & Therapeutic Design
Residential Estate Master Planning & Private Gardens
Bidding, Construction Administration

Certifications & Credentials

NYS Women Owned Business Enterprise (WBE)
Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE)
US Small Business Administration Certified Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business
Registered Landscape Architect, New York State
LEED Accredited Professional

Our Team

Sue Steele, RLA, ASLA, LEED AP
Owner, Landscape Architect

Sue Steele is a Registered Landscape Architect with nearly two decades of experience as a steadfast and earnest leader. Her proficiency spans streetscape design, parks, public art planning, trail design, and healthcare facilities. A Rochester-area native, Sue is genuinely committed to her community and actively volunteers in both arts and professional organizations. Her devotion to the landscape centers on crafting environments that foster positive health and environmental impacts, with a particular emphasis on integrating therapeutic design and public art.
Sue’s approach is characterized by an ability to pragmatically separate goals from emotion, a can-do attitude, and an absolute commitment to her clients and the public. Whether leading projects or participating in local initiatives, her influence is marked by a personal touch and a dedication to the welfare of others. Outside the world of landscape architecture, Sue unwinds as a novice foodie, passionately pursuing the next exceptional meal—be it crafting culinary delights in her own kitchen or embarking on food adventures during her travels.

Zakery Steele, RLA, ASLA, LEED AP
Landscape Architect

Zakery’s more than 20 years of experience includes private and public sector landscape architecture, design, and urban planning in New York, Utah and Massachusetts. He has a deep understanding of construction materials and detailing, expertise at site grading, soil and plant science, and a fascination with the complexities of engineering. He’s an observant and thoughtful problem solver and values the intensely hard work involved in carrying projects through to long-term success.
A lover of great mountains and deep canyons, and a creative spirit often upended by rational thinking, Zakery has dedicated his life to connecting personally with the landscape. He feels at home in a lab and a hot dusty construction site. Raised in a screen-printing factory and on miles of desert dirt roads, Zakery’s work ethic and respect for the landscape are prized values. He embraces a personal code of mahi māra, working the land to understand its process and to preserve its intrinsic value.

Ted Liddell, RLA, ASLA
Landscape Architect

Ted Liddell is a Registered Landscape Architect with over 20 years of experience in Western New York and throughout the northeast. He has a wide range of landscape architectural and planning experience, including streetscapes, parks, trails, commercial development, brownfield planning, wayfinding, and urban revitalization.
A community-minded and active member of the New York Upstate chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, Ted currently serves on the Ontario County Planning Board. He values multi-disciplinary relationships within the broader architecture and engineering industry and promotes the positive natural and human influences that Landscape Architects bring to planning and infrastructure projects. Ted is a proud father and a curious gardener.