.jpg) |
| Anthony Capece (third from the left) Executive Director for the Central Avenue Business Improvement District and recently elected President of the New York State Urban Council takes a tour of the former Bresee's building, located on Main Street in Oneonta. The building and nearby units are being converted into retail space and housing units and should be completed later this year. |
The Central Avenue Business Improvement District is proud to announce that the agency's Executive Director Anthony Capece was recently elected President of the New York State Urban Council.
"It's really a nice opportunity to work with my peers to champion the cause of small business and Main Street development," says Capece. Capece was elected at the organization's June 19 meeting in Oneonta. He has been a member of the organization for 16 years, serving most recently in the role of vice president.
Capece says the role of Main Streets is more important than ever in building a sound long-term plan for a cities and towns. "The mayors get it. County execs get it. Revitalizing our downtowns is the key to a strong economy. This is where jobs are created. This is where people have their livelihoods. This is where our resources come from. It's the heart of the community," Capece says. While great strides have been made in the 22 years since the council was created, what's missing, Capece says, is a statewide strategy for Main Street revitalization and more dedicated resources.
"Everyone says they want a vibrant downtown with restaurants and entertainment and successful small businesses and storefronts, but we need more resources dedicated to that idea. We need roadblocks removed," Capece says.
And news about Detroit's bankruptcy is only giving everyone--from BID directors to the governor--cause for concern. "There are parts of New York that could face less severe versions of the same thing we saw in Detroit if the center cities don't become more vital, more attractive places to live," says Capece. "It's happening, but it has to become second nature for people. It has to be the first place you go, the place you start with, because you understand that it's so much more affordable to everyone in the long run if you do."
Created in 1991, the New York State Urban Council is a statewide not-for-profit designed to facilitate the revitalization of New York State's main streets and downtowns. The council does this by providing BIDs, development corporations, and business alliances with hands-on technical assistance, peer-to-peer counseling, and a professional network, giving them the ability to execute successful revitalization strategies for their towns and cities.
"The Urban Council is unique in that it is the only practitioner-based organization that works specifically with BIDs and Main Streets in New York State," says Capece.
Capece says his goal is to bring all the disparate economic development agencies across the state together, and to have the urban council serve as a "collective voice" for the Main Street practitioner. "Teamwork will go a long way," Capece says.
He already has plans in the works to bring the council's fall conference to Albany, to give members a taste of the region's three biggest cities, Albany, Schenectady and Troy. The conference would offer a chance to tour all three cities, experience their distinctive Main Streets, work together to analyze their relative strengths and challenges, and discuss what can be learned from them. This "mobile learning lab" is "something that's never been done before," says Capece and offers real promise.
