Nearly 200 developers, investors, individuals with entrepreneurial spirit, property owners, and lending institutions attended a Downtown Albany Development Forum on March 19, a collaborative effort of the city, the Albany Local Development Corp. (ALDC) and the Downtown Albany Business Improvement District (BID) presenting detailed information on available resources for rehabilitating vacant or under-utilized mixed-use projects in the downtown area. The presenting sponsor was Berkshire Bank.
In addition to mayor Jerry Jennings, Michael Yevoli (president, ALDC), and Pamela Tobin (executive director, Downtown Albany BID), representatives from organizations administering the incentive and grant programs were featured and included:  Chris Leo representing Joseph Rabito, deputy commissioner, NYS Division of Housing and Community Renewal; Daniel Mackay, public policy director, NYS Preservation League; Linda Hill, principal economic developer, National Grid; Steven Weiss, managing partner, Cannon, Heyman & Weiss, LLP; Megan Daly and Maria Pidgeon (from the city's Department of Development and Planning). Tags: