The Downtown Albany Strategy is committed to a transparent, inclusive engagement process that includes residents, community leaders, local partners and elected officials. Engagement activities will align with key phases of the Strategy—beginning with growth and positioning, moving into catalytic project development, and continuing through implementation planning.

All engagement activities will adhere to the core principles of transparency, accessibility, flexibility, and trust, and every phase of public input will shape project selection, prioritize catalytic investments, and inform visible outcomes, including early wins.

Phase 1 connected with the community through:

12 focus groups
During these focus groups, conducted in July 2025, the project team engaged with approximately 100 people from 50 different organizations to identify community needs, issues, and transformative investments in Arbor Hill, Central Business District, South End, Central Ave/Lark St, and the Warehouse District.

Visits to 55 businesses 

The project team shared information about Public Workshop #1 and invited business owners and interested/impacted parties on Henry Johnson Boulevard, Lark Street, Central Avenue, Pearl Street, Madison Avenue, and Broadway to participate in focus group sessions.

700-person Public Workshop
The first public workshop was held on August 6, 2025, at the Albany Capital Center where attendees shared their hopes for positive change and priorities for investment in Downtown Albany. State and local partners also joined the open house portion of the public workshop to share resources, funding, and information related to Downtown Albany’s revitalization.

Phase 1 Materials

• Presentation Deck
• Workshop Summary
• Engagement Summary