The recent closings of signature establishments in downtown Albany have led to a broader discussion of the health of our Capital City. The talk comes from two camps: those who claim this is further proof of the city's decline, and those who defend Albany and say it is experiencing the growing pains of a Renaissance. Paradoxically, both are correct.
I have been in Albany my whole life. Where others have buried it in the graveyard that is the rust belt, I stubbornly stay, even commuting to Saratoga Springs, and confronting the puzzled faces of people who wonder why I haven't followed the masses north. The truth is, I am enamored of Albany's rich history and future possibilities. It is the capital of the most well-known state in the world, the city where Benjamin Franklin pondered an American union, Abraham Lincoln stopped en route to his inauguration, and Theodore Roosevelt began his rise to the presidency. A place where even mighty New York City must bend to the will of our Capitol atop State Street.
Yet we never treat her this way. Outsiders — whose families may have even come from the city of Albany — ridicule it as rundown and even unsafe, while its own citizens call it "Smallbany," and flee. It is an identity crisis that has plagued us for decades.
Who do we want to be? Are we the mini-metropolis that Gov. Nelson Rockefeller envisioned with his Empire State Plaza; or a city of close-knit neighborhoods that happen to house the state government? I don't claim to have the answer, but let's choose one together, and move forward.
Those who believe in this city have already begun.
Look to Upper Madison Avenue, Delaware Avenue and New Scotland Avenue. Because of the combined efforts of business owners, community leaders and government, they thrive. Because of that collaboration, I am within a five-minute walk of a movie theater, library, grocery store, three restaurants, a coffeehouse and a host of other establishments. These are examples that can and should be replicated all over the city.
Downtown, there is a movement toward condominium and apartment living. Places like 17 Chapel look to reinvent the idea of downtown Albany. The city government must build and foster the infrastructure to support these new residents. Businesses — besides just bars and restaurants — must be assured that patrons will frequent their stores. Albany 2030 — the city's comprehensive plan for the future — serves as a foundation for growth, but more needs to be done now. If it is not, then Albany will have thrown away a once-in-a-generation opportunity.
Some 77 percent of generation Y plans to live in an urban core. The region's technological boom has created a pool of high-paying professionals. These things are happening now, and big ideas must follow these developments. Right now, Albany lacks those big ideas.
So, let's take the U.S. Department of Transportation's $240,000 federal planning grant and reconfigure the 787 exits in a way that returns citizens to their waterfront. Let's use a revitalized North Albany as a new corridor of residential and commercial development to that waterfront. Let's push for a pedestrian Livingston Avenue Bridge so we may better collaborate with our neighbors across the river. Let's create land banks so over 850 abandoned buildings can be rehabilitated. Let's say to businesses, "we will support you if you open in Albany," and then do it, even if it means putting a couple of quarters into a meter. Most importantly, let's open the door to new and fresh ideas that can move this city forward.
Make an effort. Vow, if even for a day, to shop in the City of Albany. Take your children to the Empire State Plaza. Have a picnic in Washington Park. Go for a family dinner at one of those restaurants you haven't been to in a while because it's downtown. Catch a movie in a theater that doesn't have IMAX, but can take you back in time for half the price. Because, the booming areas that surround Albany were born from our Capital City. She provides thousands with work every day; repay her with a small investment of time and treasure. Because this is our city, and it's time we began to act like it.
Whether Albany is experiencing a Renaissance or decline is yet to be seen. But let's not fool ourselves into thinking that it is a matter of fate. It is the exact opposite; we get to decide her path.
Joseph Giannetto is an Albany resident.