I have watched more or less quietly (at least publicly) the multiple-year conversation about the building of a new convention center in the last buildable pocket of real estate in downtown Albany.
I have to thank the most recent recession for the foot-dragging that has gotten us to this point with no pilings in the ground. And I have to thank the editorial staff at the Times Union for asking the question "Is this the best for downtown?" (Jan. 29) for getting my adrenaline going again on this topic and giving me the opportunity to voice my "No!" beyond the confines of my house.
There have been half a dozen Comprehensive Plans over the years focused on the desire to bring people back to what once was a thriving center of commerce, government, hospitality and transportation — to create the symbiosis again that existed as late as the 1950s and '60s in Albany. Lots of experts and business leaders and elected officials have met, considered, debated and produced binders of proposals that sit dusty on City Hall shelves. Not one of them proposed building a convention center as the solution to repopulate the city's streets.
Here's the truth: Convention centers potentially bring people from Rochester or Syracuse to the hub of state government from Wednesday to Friday, but they are no draw for Capital Region residents.
If you want to have a thriving downtown, create an array of diverse residential living opportunities attractive to multiple age groups and we will come. And when we come, the services will follow.
I get it that we have a big, open piece of property and are losing tax dollars every day it sits idle.
I understand that city officials traditionally go where the money is and that the phones haven't been ringing with private developers interested in building multiple-use structures for people to live and work and shop in. But now the money is no longer where we thought it was going to be — and we have an opportunity to rethink the use of — again — The Only Piece of Buildable Property in Downtown Albany.
Developers loathe spinning wheels. They aren't going to consider ideas and proposals until we take the Convention Center off the table.
Let's not limit our ambition to bringing in people from other cities for a few days at a time. We have much to gain from urging developers and architects to give the capital of this state projects to get excited about. And a whole lot to lose if we don't.
Lynn Dunning-Vaughn of Menands is an interior designer and a former executive director of Historic Albany Foundation.