Cleanup spurs revitalization

Business and property owners are usually enthusiastic about downtown revitalization, but in Albany, N.Y., they could not even wait for a Business Improvement District (BID) to be proposed before jump-starting efforts to make the city more attractive.

Capitalize Albany, the city’s revitalization effort, participated in a “Downtown Clean Up Day,” a first-of-its kind event for the city. Wearing Capitalize Albany T-shirts, city and community leaders led by example and spent the day picking up trash and sweeping the downtown streets.

Then, downtown business and property owners pooled their resources to fund “The Capitalize Albany Clean Team,” a uniformed team that picked up litter, cleaned sidewalks and acted as an information resource for downtown visitors. The team operated daily from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for a 12-week period throughout the summer. About 40 downtown businesses participated in the program, donating $26,000 to pay for the summer cleanup, which supplemented city services.

“In tougher times we need to make smarter business decisions,” says Gary Reynolds, owner of Lexy’s Eatery and a participant in the program. “By supporting a downtown business improvement district, we are contributing to the economic success of the city as a whole, which has a dramatic impact on the bottom line of each individual business.”

Those efforts prompted the city to take a look at creating a BID. Now with the BID proposal well under way, the group is setting priorities. A survey to determine preliminary recommendations and cost estimates was distributed to more than 700 downtown property owners. As part of the survey, participants are asked to rank specific issues relating to parking, security, maintenance, streetscape and marketing in order of priority.

The Capitalize Albany initiative began in March 1994, with the city’s appointment of an advisory committee with a mission of bringing together leaders of business and government to spearhead development of a new vision and plan for downtown. The committee hired LDR International a Maryland-based urban design and planning firm and one of the driving forces behind Clean Up Day, to help develop an official master plan.

“It’s very gratifying to see property owners banding together to fund the Capitalize Albany Clean Team,” says Mayor Gerald Jennings. “With the combined support and enthusiasm of downtown property owners and the public we will find realistic, affordable improvements that will make Albany a cleaner, safer, more appealing place to be.” Additionally, the committee held a three-day riverfront design conference in May, which attracted architects and urban designers from around the world and resulted in a full report of architectural designs and a suggested plan of attack for the riverfront. Currently, the advisory committee, consultants and downtown businesses are focusing on improving parking, developing Albany’s Hudson River waterfront, beautifying streetscapes and gateways to downtown, enhancing the city’s retail and tourism appeal and developing a centrally located economic development office for the region.