Downtown Albany stakeholder input sought during visioning meeting

ALBANY — It spoke volumes when Albany City Commissioner B.J. Fletcher, who’s recognized in the community for her business acumen, chose to discontinue weekday service at her downtown Cafe 230 restaurant almost two years ago.

It says even more that Fletcher is preparing to re-open the business.

“When we left downtown, it wasn’t that we weren’t getting by,” said Fletcher, who owns and operates B.J.’s Country Buffet at 2401 Dawson Road and has an in-demand catering business as well. “It’s just that we were pretty much working for the man. And I didn’t know who this man was.”

Now, Fletcher says, the business climate downtown is such that she’s ready to make another go in a district that she’s grown to love.

“I never stopped believing in downtown Albany,” she said. “I think anyone who knows me knows that I think a thriving downtown is the heartbeat of any successful city. I believe, with the work that Sharlene Cannon, Tom Berry and others in our city are now doing, we are on the verge of making our downtown viable again.”

Cannon, who worked with Berry in transforming Thomasville’s once-downtrodden downtown into a showcase community and is recognized as one of the state’s premiere downtown developers, knows she has her work cut out for her as she tries to spread the same magic in Albany. But she’s seen enough in her brief time here to be optimistic.

“We have a development group (North Carolina-based Shandon Development) that’s raring to go, and there is a commitment in the city to do what needs to be done,” Cannon said. “But the million-dollar question remains: What do we have to do to make sure all the chips fall in the right place?

“Generally, private investment in a community follows public investment. And there has been a tremendous amount of public investment. There are some wonderful buildings, from the Government Center to the police headquarters to the library to the School Board building. I guess the $64,000 question is why private investment hasn’t followed.”

Those big-money questions will be on all participants’ minds Tuesday as Cannon and the Albany-Dougherty Inner City Authority — which she heads — host a public “visioning” meeting at the Candy Room of the 125 Pine Ave. Riverfront Resource Center.

The meeting, which starts at 5 p.m. and is open to the public, is being held to gather input from downtown stakeholders who have an interest in seeing redevelopment continue in Albany’s inner city. It follows on the heels of last week’s successful “Downtowns on the Rise” panel discussion, which brought a standing-room-only audience to the Government Center.

“I think everyone who has a part in this was on an absolute high when they walked out of that meeting,” Cannon said. “Standing at that podium and looking out at the audience, seeing people standing at the back of the room, was exhilarating. And it was such a great cross-section of our region — people from all segments of our community, people from Sylvester, Leesburg and Camilla.

“I don’t think a lot of folks in our community realize the stature we hold in this region. A lot of the smaller communities around here look to us for entertainment, retail and so much more.”

Certainly there are a number of businesses — and potential businesses — whose principals see the value of Albany’s demographics. Teresa Salter, the area manager for the national Dunkin’ Donuts chain, said the company has been pleased with its decision to open a store at 311 W. Oglethorpe Blvd.

“We’ve been very well-received, and I believe the franchise owners and the corporate offices have been happy with the results we’ve gotten here,” Salter said during a busy Saturday afternoon at the restaurant. “The Dunkin’ Donuts brand is growing like crazy, and our first month here has been a successful one.”

Asked if efforts to redevelop downtown would impact the Albany Dunkin’ Donuts franchise’s bottom line, Salter said any good economic news is important communitywide.

“When you start seeing more successful businesses opening downtown, it’s very important for the entire community,” she said. “Certainly if there are more people shopping downtown, that’s going to increase the number of potential customers we’d see.”

Eric and Becky Elder say they also see the promise of downtown Albany. The couple, who were recognized over the weekend as “Top Gun A” (top 5 percent nationally) award recipients for the success of their national Liberty Tax Service franchises, plan to open a pair of franchises in Albany in mid-November, including one in the heart of downtown at 101 N. Jackson St. The Elders, who already have franchises in the Albany and Lee County Walmart locations, will open their fourth local Liberty Tax Service franchise at 110 Highway 300.

The new franchises will give the Elders eight in a territory that stretches from Douglas, Ga., to Lake City, Fla.

“Liberty is now the No. 2 tax preparation company in the country behind H&R Block,” Becky Elder said. “I don’t know of any other company, though, that has a licensed health insurance agent in each office to either enroll customers or answer their questions, particularly about the Affordable Care Act.

“We’re excited about opening new locations in Albany and really excited to be a part of the historic downtown district. We’ve had a mural painted on the wall of our Jackson Street location depicting some of the famous scenes of historic Albany. We think we’re going to be part of a thriving downtown district.”

Cannon said there are still issues that must be addressed downtown, including the shoddy condition of some vacant properties.

“Many cities have minimum maintenance codes,” she said. “They’re not very popular at first, but in the long run everyone benefits. Property owners are less likely to sell their vacant buildings, and they hinder other nearby properties, when they’re allowed to deteriorate, when they aren’t upheld to some standards.

“If property owners refuse to do what they should do as far as the condition of their properties, that should force the city to lead them in that direction.”

Fletcher has openly called for enforcement of minimum-standard codes during Albany City Commission meetings.

“I absolutely think landlords have been given plenty of time to fix up their properties,” Fletcher said. “I challenge anyone to go onto Front Street and call some of those structures ‘buildings.’ They’re hulls is all they are.

“I don’t mean this to make anyone mad — I’m not talking about all the vacant buildings downtown — but we need to create a vacancy tax like the one they did in Valdosta a few years ago. I’m actually sitting in a (Valdosta) restaurant right now in a city that, 12 years ago, you could have bought any downtown building at a reasonable price. They implemented these vacancy taxes, and now there are no vacant buildings.”

Cannon also said Albany State University, whose campus is located just across the Flint River from the central downtown business district, must be a vital part of redevelopment. She said she’s already had several conversations with ASU interim Vice President for Student Affairs Rhonda Bryant about that issue.

“Our young people — our college-age students and younger — are our residents and business owners of the future,” Cannon said. “They are the foundation of a vibrant downtown. I plan to have a listening session like the one we’re having Tuesday for our Albany State, Darton and Albany Tech students. They’re the ones we should be listening to.”

Fletcher agrees. But she says there are other residents who should be a major part of the discussion.

“There are a lot of people in this community who are financially able to help with our efforts,” she said. “A lot of them are no doubt thinking about the legacy they’re going to leave behind. For people like that, people who Albany has been good to, maybe it’s time for them to be good to Albany.”