Dover, Kohl & Partners Continues its Work in Albany, NY

In what is proving to be a rewarding collaboration between consultant, the City, and community, Dover, Kohl & Partners is once again at work with the community of Albany, New York. Back in May of this year, Dover-Kohl worked closely with Clarion and the City for ReZone Albany's Warehous District Design Workshop. Dover-Kohl and the City have now turned their attention to the South End community this week. As part of the workshop, members of the public got together in small groups to discuss the community's future and what that could look like. 

Albany’s “South End” is bounded by the City limits to the south, the Hudson River to the east, and following Frisbee Avenue to Empire State Plaza along the west. The South End includes a diverse community with a mix of residential neighborhoods, public and private investments, as well as commercial and industrial areas.  
As Christopher Spencer, Albany's planning director said to us of the overall Rezone Albany project: "We want to have the right rules in place to get what the community is looking for." 

The Warehouse District Design Workshop is in Full Swing!

ReZone Albany’s Warehouse District Design Workshop is in full swing. Beginning Tuesday, the workshop opened with a presentation and guided questions to foster community ideas on what the area can become, drawing from examples of renaissance occurring in similar industrial-type areas.

Working closely with Clarion, Dover-Kohl is helping lead this event, and the team is making substantial progress. Throughout the Open Design Studio, held yesterday and continuing today, the community has been stopping by and holding discussions with the planners, and seeing how the potential for change is being materialized through engaging illustrations that capture and further advance this new vision.

“This is the first major public event of the ReZone Albany initiative to redraw Albany’s outdated zoning map,” said City of Albany Mayor Kathy M. Sheehan. “The public, the planning department staff, and the design consultant [are] working together to draft a vision that will responsibly build upon what already is a fast-growing neighborhood. For a positive vision to be created, and for the Warehouse District to reach its full potential, we need the community to participate.”

The workshop will conclude Friday May 29, where the Work-in-Progress presentation will describe the work that has been accomplished throughout the week by this collaborative effort between the public and design team. This is the first of likely several more future events planned that will focus on 3-5 more areas of the city as part of this initiative.   

To read more about what's been taking place during the workshop in the news, go to:

http://alloveralbany.com/archive/2015/06/01/one-early-version-of-the-next-warehouse-district#main-content
http://www.twcnews.com/nys/capital-region/news/2015/05/26/druthers-in-albanys-warehouse-district.html
http://m.timesunion.com/news/article/Albany-wants-input-this-week-on-the-warehouse-6284615.php

For more information regarding the City of Albany's rezoning and visioning efforts, visit: www.rezonealbany.com.

The Warehouse District Design Workshop Begins Today!

Beginning today May 26, Dover-Kohl is leading the Warehouse District Design Workshop, a four-day visioning, zoning, and form-based coding discussion that will inform the City’s ReZone Albany initiative. This workshop will focus on the Warehouse District, gathering input from members of the public in order to arrive at a collaborative solution, with future workshops focusing on other areas within the City of Albany. 

The rezoning and visioning effort is being led by the City of Albany’s Department of Planning, with participation by various other department, boards and commissions, and professionals comprised of responsible, well-known leaders in the community to ensure alignment with existing community and economic-development plans. 

The workshop will be held at  981 Broadway Albany, NY, 12207; and the schedule is as follows:

For more information regarding the City of Albany's rezoning and visioning efforts, visit: www.ReZoneAlbany.com