The Big Questions

This shouldn't be news, but it's worth repeating

From the new report from CEOs for Cities on how "the gas price spike popped the housing bubble":

The new landscape of housing prices and high fuel costs has important implications for public policy.  Cities that offer attractive urban living opportunities in close-in neighborhoods, enabling people to drive shorter distances and make convenient use of alternatives to car travel, are likely to be more affordable and economically successful than places that continue to follow sprawling development patterns.

Something to keep well in mind as we commence to plan.

We have a comp plan board! (belated post)

As Richard Conti so helpfully posted in the comments, the Comp Plan Board was selected on 4/21/08 (text of the resolution below), right in the midst of a number of things that kept me from finding out about or being at the meeting. Alas. But now that this means the process is moving forward again, I shall get back in the saddle and try to keep on top of it.

RESOLUTION NUMBER 40.42.08R
RESOLUTION OF THE COMMON COUNCIL APPOINTING ADDITIONAL MEMBERS TO THE CITY OF ALBANY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN BOARD

WHEREAS, on May 7, 2007 the Common Council adopted Resolution 25.31.07R (as amended) establishing the “City of Albany Comprehensive Plan Board” with the charge of developing a comprehensive plan in accordance with section 28-a of the NYS General City Law; and,
WHEREAS, such Board is to be comprised of 30 members to be appointed by the Common Council; and
WHEREAS, Resolution 25.31.07R (as amended) designated 10 ex-officio members, one of whom shall be a member of the Planning Board; and
WHEREAS, upwards of 100 individuals expressed interest in appointment to one of the remaining 20 openings and a joint committee representative of the Executive and Legislative branches of government interviewed nearly 50 applicants; and
WHEREAS, such committee through consensus has identified a diverse and representative slate of nominees for appointment to the 20 openings on the Comprehensive Plan Board.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the following named individuals are hereby appointed members of the “City of Albany Comprehensive Plan Board” as established by and in accordance with Resolution 25.31.07R (as amended):
Matthew Baumgartner
Samantha Bosshart
Kathleen Cloutier
Elizabeth Doran
Maxine Fantroy-Ford
Jeffery Gritsavage
Christopher Hawver
Helen Klaeysen
Herbert McLaughlin
Louise McNeilly
Jeffery Mirel
Sandra Misiewicz
Dennis Mosley
Brenda Motley
Robert Schofield
Gene Solan
Joseph Stellato
Karen Strong
Scott Townsend
Arlene Way
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Ryan Hancox is appointed a member of the “City of Albany Comprehensive Plan Board” representing the Planning Board.

Not dead yet!

Hey everyone. I'm sorry for the radio silence. Partly it has been my own busyness, but partly that there was, well, little to report. But things may be creaking into gear into again:

From Cathy Fahey, an update on the Comp Plan board: "The City received over 100 applications for the Comprehensive Plan Board. Upwards of 30-plus individuals were chosen to be interviewed. Most of the interviews took place late last year. Council leadership stated that there was a long delay by City administration in scheduling the completion of the interviews. The last several interviews are being conducted this week so the upshot is that this slow moving process is moving forward once again."

From Alan Mallach on the final, more detailed report from the Sustainable Design Assessment Team process last summer: "In answer to your unasked question, the SDAT report has been finished for some time, and seems to be stuck in some design/production black hole at AIA. The short answer is 'any day now.'"

Nothing earth-shattering, but perhaps we're all about to come out of hibernation. I'll try to find out more as it happens. As usual, anyone with more details, especially anyone who participated in a Comp Plan Board interview, feel free to pipe up and offer your thoughts.

Block by Block...

The Times Union reports on how Chief Tuffey describes the new anti-blight initiative. (Link only good for 1 week.)

As with the initial announcement, I think this sounds mixed. Departments sharing information and putting it in one place is awesome. Can you really build the level of centralized database you need to track this stuff with no new resources dedicated to it? I'm skeptical. But you can make a start I guess.

Just actually paying attention to blighted properties in a sustained way will be huge. (Although if I had to choose, work going on without a permit wouldn't be my one example of a problem to highlight.)

I just really want to see this paired with prevention and different incentives, or the APD won't be able to keep up.

My elevator pitch for Albany, take 1

I'm egregiously behind in writing this, largely because I just want to second most of what was said in response to my original post and here. But here's one idea. This isn't anything new really, just with an organizing principle:

Albany encompasses the best of both worlds. (I originally wrote "middle ground," which, while more accurate, sounded so not exciting enough for a sales pitch.)
--Size: Albany is large enough to have a wide range of neighborhoods and growing retail and a decent bus system and a lot of culture and downtown jobs, but it's also small enough that you get to know people, that both daily living and going out are fairly affordable, and there's a little space to breath.
--Location: Albany's a true city itself, has quick access to great natural areas, both very nearby (Hudson River, Tivoli Preserve) and in the surrounding area (Adirondacks, Catskills, Berkshires), and has quick access to several big cities.
--(what to call this item?): Albany is fairly cosmopolitan, tolerant of diversity, and full of activists and intellectuals, and yet it's not pretentious. You don't have to be a fashion plate to feel comfortable walking down the street, nor do you need to drive a Prius with the right bumper stickers. (Someone told me the other day, "I don't feel dirty in Albany. I felt dirty in Ithaca.")
--Livability: Albany has an incredible amount of history, gorgeous views, and  great old architecture. Much of the city has a great quality of life while still being affordable.
--Future: Albany is neither a disaster or a "success story." In many ways its future is wide open, and it has a lot of choices and opportunities in front of it.

This, however, is still more list making than getting at the essence of the city, as Sarah talked about in the comments to the last post. I think I'll have to give it another try with that lens. Another day.

Jennings and abandoned buildings

Sorry for the hiatus. While my attention was elsewhere:

Mayor Jennings, along with Attorney General Cuomo and DA Soares talked about abandoned buildings. Specifically, they announced a plan that involves targeting 50 blocks, establishing a Division of Neighborhood Revitalization, and creating a special court to address building code violations. They also plan to crack down legally on owners of buildings where crime is regularly taking place. These are all good things, and it's good to see Soares and Jennings appearing behind the same podium on something important.

However, the Times Union editorial about it was on point: It's good they're talking about it; it should be one of Jennings' major focuses for the rest of his term; the actual plan is not bad; and yet, talk isn't enough.

Point one: The plan needs money, and no one has said where its coming from.

Point two, which the TU didn't make: Until we change the incentives creating abandonment, all these clean-up programs are going to be a losing battle. Luckily, a team of planners the mayor invited to the city over the summer included some national experts in dealing with abandonment, and they offered a detailed, point-by-point agenda for both reducing and preventing abandonment. It wasn't even that expensive, and parts of it would pay for themselves before long.

Perhaps re-jiggering the details of the city-county foreclosure process, creating a detailed and functional database of abandoned properties, enforcing existing regulations, upping fees, and providing real rehab money to homeowners isn't as sexy a list as what this press conference was announcing, but it has the advantage of being well-tested and likely to make a long-term different in the pattern, not just a short-term difference in specific properties.

It's sad that there doesn't appear to have been any mention of any of this in the Jennings' plan. Does he remember that he said he'd move to implement the SDAT recommendations?

I suppose we have achieved recognition of abandoned properties as a major issue at least.

For more info on the topic at large: National Vacant Properties Campaign.

"Forgotten Cities"

One of the things that I think is crucial for those of us trying to figure out how to plan for and grow a better Albany is not to work in a vacuum. While every city is unique, we also share a lot of things in common, and there are great lessons to be learned from creative people overcoming what seemed like insurmountable obstacles in similar cities. These stories are  useful for generating ideas and learning lessons, and also a good response to nay-sayers and cynics.

One great report in that vein that I recently had the pleasure to copyedit is Voices From Forgotten Cites: Innovative Revitalization Coalitions in America's Older Small Cities (pdf file). It comes out of a seminar series at MIT, and is peppered with quotes from real folks doing revitalization work on the ground. It describes a small handful of places making some really great turnarounds, and gives some analysis of why.  The tantalizingly hopeful and yet difficult conclusion they offer is that the most important thing to do is  gather a wide coalition together to do something well. Almost anything, as long as it's meaningful and people might not have expected it to go well.  Then capture that excitement and keep going.  Sounds easy. Isn't. But isn't impossible either.

Perhaps as, or even more, important, the report is also particularly good at making those of us in "older small cities" feel not alone. It travels through the psychological effects on a place that has lost clout and population over the past several decades, and doesn't pull any punches when it talks about the dysfunctional patterns in local government that that leads to. Much as it's fun to glorify in Albany's seedy machine history, I actually found it comforting to be reminded that a lot of what happens here is not that unusual.

Worth a read. I'll collect a few other resources in another post soon. (And I haven't forgotten that I owe you my own elevator pitch. Though ya'll said it so well, I'm not so sure what I have to add.) 

Planner Running for County Leg

At the October 9 meeting on the comprehensive plan, a number of people in the audience talked about the need for better city and county coordination in handling vacant and abandoned properties, and the problems caused by the current system where the county takes over foreclosed properties and auctions them off.

Anyone who has an interest in that might want to pay attention to the race for the District 7 County legislature seat. With no Republican and the incumbent not running on a third line, the race is, interestingly, between an unappealing Democratic candidate (more on that in my next column, it's not so relevant here), Brian Scavo, and Green Party candidate David Lussier. Lussier is a student in the SUNY urban planning masters program, and one of his primary platform pieces is reforming the abandoned buildings procedures. He knows Albany inside out (the "Dave tour of Albany" is well-known among his friends and includes fascinating bits of history and context about every neighborhood), is familiar with the SDAT plan recommendations, and has a shot at winning the seat.

Given that cities cannot operate in isolation, someone at the county level who's interested in thinking about ways in which the county can support better planning and development in the city would be a huge boon during, and especially after, a comprehensive planning effort.

(full disclosure: I vote in District 7 and I am actively supporting Lussier as a candidate.)

The pieces we need to stitch together

Because everyone keep talking about them, for your background reading, here are some links to existing plans or the starts of plans in Albany:

Neighborhood Plans: South End/"Capital South," Arbor Hill, Midtown, and Park South
There are also a number of older neighborhood plans not listed on this site. I'm not sure if they're available in electronic format or not. I'll work on that.

Special area/projects: Harriman Campus, Albany Pine Bush Preserve Management Plans

Economic development/downtown: Capitalize Albany and ReCapitalize Albany

Sustainable Design Assessment Team (inital PowerPoint, not final report)

Not a plan, but relevant: Albany Convention Center

Which ones am I missing?

Good Government

So I am way behind on picking up on this because I have been relying on contact info I already had for members of the Common Council, but I was please to see that the printed pamphlet with the 2007 Albany Common Council calendar and contact info for the council members has a lot more information it in than previous iterations. Things like:

• a description of how to comment at council meetings and public hearings
• an explanation of who the people sitting up at the dais during council meetings are
• a description of how the president pro tempore and majority leader are chosen and what they do
• a listing not only of the committees and their chairs, but also the city boards, their purposes, and when they meet

It's a small thing, but it's one of those small symbolic things that can a lot about governmental attitudes toward participation. Kudos to whoever added it in there.

(You can pick up your own copy at the Common Council office of City Hall, Room 206.)