NORTHERN MANHATTAN COMMERCIAL
REVITALIZATION PROGRAM

The Audubon Partnership for Economic Development

In the Fall of 1996, the Audubon Partnership for Economic Development (APED), an initiative under the auspices of the Hispanic Federation of New York City, together with the Washington Heights Business Improvement District Management Association; Community League of West 159th Street; Community Association of Progressive Dominicans; and UTAP submitted, in response to a RFP from the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation (UMEZDC), a proposal to work on developing a comprehensive approach to commercial redevelopment in the Washington Heights and Inwood communities of Northern Manhattan.

The proposal, the Northern Manhattan Commercial Revitalization Program, was aimed at revitalizing the commercial assets and businesses in Washington Heights and Inwood through the use of several community-level interventions. Central to this goal is the need to develop a district plan which includes a coordinating structure to leverage additional funds and provides guidance for future interventions. The community level interventions consists of:

• assessments and a database of the character of the area;
• technical assistance in planning and design;
• financial investments and construction management;
• a coordinating partnership;
• formation/expansion of Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) to carry out an ongoing maintenance and technical assistance program; and
• an entrepreneur, business and franchise development program.

UTAP's role to inform the proposal process with research and preliminary assessments assisted in the identification of targeted locations and issues to assure immediate and tangible results. The proposed sites include the commercial corridors of Broadway, St. Nicholas and Amsterdam avenues, W. 181st Street and W. 207th / Dyckman streets. Special attention was given to the community's key retail nodes and sites such as the George Washington Bridge and Bus Complex, Sherman Creek and United Palace.

As part of the proposal's development, UTAP sponsored the Urban Design Program of the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation to conduct a studio using the Revitalization Program as its focus. Specifically, the Urban Design Studio was asked to evaluate the architectural and urban implications of various development proposals through "build out" studies at particular sites identified for development in the proposal. As part of the Studio's demonstration, built form scenarios and street perspectives were created based on growth potential and balance of priorities.

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