Albany’s Empire State Plaza Is Getting A Major Upgrade

Albany's Empire State Plaza is one of my favorite parts of the city. It acts as the centerpiece to the capital city, and constantly has something going on, no matter the date or time.

While it is quite popular, many residents of Albany have issues with its accessibility and architecture, so the city has devised a way to fix them...

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Championing Albany's Potential

Albany's latest project is the "Championing Albany's Potential (CAP) Initiative". It allocates $400 Million to revitalize the city's diminishing downtown, with $200 Million of that going towards the city core.

The office buildings at Empire State Plaza

The initiative is a labor of love from the city, with thousands of residents giving their input into what they want to see the city become. The initiative plans to run through 2035, with six key goals:

• Triple the Downtown’s core residential base to 3,500 by 2035
• Add 1,500 jobs Downtown in five years; 3,000 in 10 years
• Reach five million annual visitors, 90-minute stays, 150+ event days
• Achieve $3 in private investment for every dollar in CAP funding
• Put three catalytic sites under construction within three years
• Improve positive safety ratings by 15%

Reconnect the Empire State Plaza

The biggest part of this initiative is the upgrades to the Empire State Plaza. Currently, it is a Brutalist architectural masterpiece, but the city wants it to be more welcoming. As such, green space will be developed across the plaza.

Madison Avenue will be transformed into a gateway to the plaza, with a park leading you to the city center. The reflecting pool in the plaza will be transformed into a lawn, giving more space for community events. Lastly, Eagle and Lancaster streets will be repositioned into a walkway into the plaza, with more trees and greenery.

All in all, the plaza is planning on becoming more vibrant and community focused, while still maintaining the charm that brings so many people and events to it.