Urban planning students are hitting up Central Ave, trying to turn the varied storefronts and businesses into a cohesive vision for Central Avenue's emerging arts and entertainment district.
The project will be part of University at Albany's Site Planning Studio, taught by Professor S. Thyagarajan. The students will try to come up with solutions to band the Avenue businesses together and transform it into an attractive destination for visitors and developers alike. To read more about the student project, click here.
This initiative marks the latest effort in the district's ongoing efforts to market itself to a new generation of hip and discerning visitors. The arts and entertainment district, or cultural village as it's sometimes known, begins at Robin and concludes at Ontario and includes The Linda, WAMC's Performing Arts Studio, 12 international restaurants, the Tsehaya & Company dance studio, as well as a number of potential exhibition spaces and nonprofit organizations. In 2009, the Central Avenue Business Improvement District hired Saratoga Associates, a planning firm to help craft a business plan for the emerging district.
Among their recommendations:
- Create a distinctive experience for visitors
- Brand the District and market it to local, citywide and regional customers
- Attract new and retain existing businesses that enhance the District’s vision
- Make the District a safe and inviting place for businesses, visitors and residents
- Build a strong constituency that supports the cultural and economic redevelopment of the District
- Banner program to designate district, beautify streetscape, and celebrate Central as multicultural mecca
- Launching a 1st Friday event to attract visitors to area; we'll recruit businesses along Central from N. Lake to Quail to participate, and bring artists and performances to the district beginning in April.
- Attract business professionals to the district by working with community partners, including potentially 1stfriday.com, a social and professional networking community for African Americans
- Publish a slate of promotional materials that describe cultural opportunities in area and distribute them to the Visitor's Bureau, Chamber of Commerce, and local colleges and universities
- Launch a public art project in local Bus Rapid Transit stations which includes content from local artists and performers
Stay tuned for all the exciting developments in Albany's most dynamic neighborhood!
