Officials unveil development plan

ALBANY — It will take “unified, coordinated and communitywide efforts” for Albany-Dougherty County to transform itself from what it is to what it wants to be, an official with a development strategies firm that drafted a new community plan said Wednesday.

Albany-Dougherty County is no different than many other communities looking into the future and opting for change and progress in education, government, quality of life, infrastructure and other key areas of community and economic development, creators of the plan concluded.

Atlanta-based Market Street was hired by the Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission, for about $125,000, to draft the “All Together Albany” strategic plan for a revitalized community.

“This is a new kind of plan for Albany-Dougherty County,” said Market Street project manager Alex Pearlstein. “This is the first time that the dynamics of community and economic (development) have been compiled under one umbrella.

“Community,” he said, “is the product you’re selling on the economic side.”

“There never has been a more competitive time,” said Market Street founder and CEO Mac Holladay.

Since October, a steering committee of about 40 leaders — ranging in sectors from media to government to education to business — has met regularly to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the community and to create a vision of a new Albany-Dougherty County.

“This is our work plan moving forward,” Martin said.

The five-year plan calls for an estimated $2.84 million in additional investment.

Martin said it can be done, and cited the EDC’s Imagine Albany campaign as an example.

The committee’s ideas were drafted into four reports: competitive realities, target business analysis, community and economic development strategy and the implementation plan, the latter of which was presented Wednesday afternoon. More here.