Occupancy Levels Are Up in Downtown Albany
Wednesday, June 29th, 2011
Aaron Blair, Albany’s Downtown Manager, counted 59 vacant buildings in downtown at the beginning of this year and set a goal of increasing occupancy by 25 percent by year-end 2011. By his count that translates into bringing 13 new businesses into the area this year. “We’re now at 10 confirmed new businesses that have opened since the beginning of the year,” Blair reported. “And we have a slew of others pending.”
New businesses include a martial arts studio, clothing stores, a fresh farm market, restaurants, a general store and others. Most recently, Homerun Foods announced it will begin construction on a new convenience store in downtown. According to Blair, the city also works to retain businesses by ensuring they locate in the most advantageous spot and by holding events that bring more traffic into the area.
Shining a positive light
Blair took the position of Downtown Manager in October 2010. Since then, he has worked diligently to change negative perceptions about downtown. “Some people think it’s not safe or not viable and wanted to leave it for dead. The truth is without a vibrant downtown, this region will fail,” Blair said.
As one of his first initiatives, Blair introduced a new logo for downtown Albany, @dtown Albany. It appears on banners, web pages and other materials to create brand awareness of downtown and its potential. “Our goal is to be consistent in everything we do and say. We are not going to post a bunch of pretty pictures to merely bring excitement if it’s something we can’t follow through on,” Blair explained. Among recent downtown events are cultural and arts events held the last Friday of the month and the successful movies in the park that began last summer.
What’s next for downtown?
According to Blair, the next big thing for downtown Albany is residential living. Plans are under way for housing units that can appeal to high, medium and lower income groups. “The first project we’re working on is a mixed-use development with retail on the ground floor and two floors of loft units. We hope to announce something in the next couple of months,” Blair said.
After that, multi-family complexes are on the drawing board that would be more affordable and attract middle-income families. According to Blair, “to succeed, downtown needs to be a gigantic melting pot.” Long term, Blair believes downtown will need to “go vertical” to gain developments that promote greater density. That type of development, however, will have to wait until “we make sure downtown is stable and can support itself.”
Calling all business leaders
Blair suggests that business leaders looking to expand or open a new branch consider downtown – a very viable, central location with a large daytime population.
“We get calls all the time and can help business leaders who are considering a move. We have a good grasp on the rents and have a lot to offer due to our Tax Allocation District. Through a partnership with Community and Economic Department, we also offer a retail incubator program for new business. Downtown has a lot to offer,” Blair said.
More information on downtown Albany is available at twitter.com/dtownalbany and facebook.com/dtownalbany or contact Aaron Blair at [email protected].
