Main Street Hudson Valley Annual Conference 2021: Why Main Street Matters
December 8, 2021
9:00AM – Opening Remarks
Jonathan Drapkin, President & CEO at Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress, opens the inaugural Main Street Hudson Valley conference with an overview of Why Main Street Matters.
Jonathan Drapkin
President & CEO | Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress
Jonathan Drapkin is President and CEO of Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress. At Pattern he has developed a portfolio of projects and assistance to the region in community and economic development.
Under Jonathan’s leadership Pattern has been recognized on numerous occasions including Orange County Association of Realtors Excellence in Innovation Award (2008), President’s Award for analysis and leadership on the MTA Payroll Tax from the Orange County Chamber of Commerce (2009), President’s Award for Service to the Rockland Business Association for analysis of the County’s finances (2013) and Hudson River Housing’s Community Builder Award (2014).
As executive director of the Gerry Foundation in Sullivan County from 2000 to 2006, Drapkin guided the creation of Bethel Woods performing arts center at the site of the 1969 Woodstock Festival. Prior to that, he was county manager of Sullivan County. Jonathan has been awarded the Sullivan County Partnership’s Distinguished Service Award (2006), the Walter Rhulen Award as Businessman of the Year (2001), the Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce’s Distinguished Service Award (2000), and the American Society for Public Administration’s Award for Outstanding Administrator for the New York Metropolitan Chapter (1996).
Jonathan spent his earlier years in New York City where he worked in the administration of Mayor Ed Koch and as Director of the New York City Council’s Office of Oversight and Investigation.
Jonathan has served as a member of two Governors’ Commissions focusing on the restructuring of local government and currently serves on the executive committee of the Mid Hudson Regional Economic Development Council. Drapkin has also taught government efficiency and effectiveness in Baruch College’s Masters Degree in Public Administration for 7 years.
Jonathan graduated from Washington University, after completing a year abroad at Durham University in Northern England; he then earned a Master’s degree in economics from Long Island University, and a law degree from Benjamin Cardozo School of Law.
9:05 AM – Keynote
David Dixon is Vice President at Stantec, an organization of designers, engineers, scientists, and project managers, innovating together at the intersection of community, creativity, and client relationships. Mr. Dixon joins Pattern for Progress as Keynote Speaker for the inaugural Main Street Hudson Valley Conference, to deliver a brilliant overview of why main streets matter. His talk will illuminate the importance of vibrant main street hubs, where they were pre-COVID, and explore post-Pandemic momentum, as community priorities have shifted.
David Dixon
Vice President | Stantec
Residential Architecture Magazine named David to their Hall of Fame as “the person we call to ask about cities.” In recent years he’s led planning in post-Katrina New Orleans, transformed strip malls into new suburban downtowns, and initiated a broad reappraisal of the role of density in building more livable, resilient, and equitable communities.
A sought-after expert in urban planning and design, David is well known for helping create new, mixed-use urban districts (in both cities and suburbs) and the planning, revitalization, and redevelopment of downtowns.
His current and recent work focuses on urban transformations, including the reemergence of the long-depressed East Franklinton neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio, as an arts/innovation district; creation of a master plan for the nine-million-square-foot, mixed-use Water Street District adjacent to downtown Tampa; and market-driven redevelopment of a public housing site into One Charlestown—a 3,200-unit, mixed-income neighborhood with no displacement in one of Boston’s most historic neighborhoods.
David’s impact hasn’t gone unnoticed—he’s won dozens of awards from the likes of the American Institute of Architects, the American Planning Association, the Congress for the New Urbanism, and the International Downtown Association. A Fellow of the AIA, David was honored with their Thomas Jefferson Medal for “a lifetime of creating livable neighborhoods, vibrant civic spaces, and vital downtowns.”
Always eager to hear about the needs and challenges of cities, David encourages you to get in touch.
9:35 AM – SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
As we approach post-Pandemic recovery, Main Street hubs across the Hudson Valley are rebuilding. Main Streets are often a crucial component of a community’s identity, a physical representation of how a community wants to be perceived. In recognition of the importance of main streets as drivers of economic growth, social connectivity, and cultural experiences, Pattern for Progress is pleased to introduce a new initiative called MAIN STREET: Hudson Valley, a regional resource center for information, research, data analysis, tools, training, and assistance for the revitalization of main street hubs. The MAIN STREET: Hudson Valley Center provides a comprehensive approach to strengthen communities through commerce, community and culture.
9:50 AM – Panel Discussion
The conversation about the importance of Main Streets continues with a panel of regional experts in this lively panel discussion focusing on strengthening Main Streets through commerce, community and culture. Joe Czajka, Pattern’s Senior Vice President for Research, Development, & Community Planning and Executive Director, Center for Housing Solutions and Community Initiatives moderates the discussion with Denise Frangipane, Larisa Ortiz, Mary Paden, and Jared Rodriguez.
Denise Frangipane is the Executive Director of Sullivan Renaissance, an organization offering technical assistance and support to volunteers, organizations and municipalities working on a variety of projects and initiatives to enhance the communities of Sullivan County. Larisa Ortiz is Managing Director of Public Non-Profit Solutions at Streetsense, an organization that creates, transforms, and activates brands and places. Mary Paden is Senior Vice President of Community Preservation Corporation, providing innovative capital solutions, fresh thinking, and a collaborative approach to the often complex challenges that owners and developers of multifamily housing face. Jared Rodriguez, Principal at Emergent Urban Concepts, a firm that helps communities and small businesses in the Hudson Valley plan for a better future while also advising the State of New York on energy- and environment-related issues.
Joe Czajka
Senior Vice President for Research, Development & Community Planning | Pattern for Progress
Joe Czajka is Senior Vice President for Research, Development & Community Planning at Pattern and Executive Director of the Center for Housing Solutions and Urban Initiatives. Joe is recognized throughout the Hudson Valley for his expertise on housing policy and data analytics and has been asked to serve on numerous community development and housing commissions, boards and task forces. With more than 30 years of experience in the field of community and economic development, housing, and neighborhood revitalization, he is much sought after for his ability to analyze real estate markets and demographic trends in the context of the unique history and geography of the Hudson Valley counties, cities, towns, villages, and neighborhoods.
Denise Frangipane
Executive Director | Sullivan Renaissance
Denise Frangipane, Executive Director of Sullivan Renaissance, oversees the organization and operational activities of the organization. She facilitates collaborations and represents Sullivan Renaissance through its many community partnerships.
Larisa Ortiz
Managing Director, Public Non-Profit Solutions | Streetsense
Larisa brings over 25 years of experience advising public, private, and non-profit sector clients on retail real estate strategy in urban environments. She has led hundreds of comprehensive retail planning efforts across communities large and small, both nationally and internationally. Larisa is the author of Improving Tenant Mix, published by the International Council of Shopping Centers, and currently serves as a Mayoral Appointee to the NYC Planning Commission. A Fulbright Scholar and Watson Fellow, Larisa has traveled the world studying successful downtown and mixed use environments. She holds an undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University and a master’s in city planning with a certificate in urban design from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Mary Paden
Senior Vice President | Community Preservation Corporation
With over 25 years of banking experience, Mary Paden has spent the past several years responsible for Community Development Lending in the Hudson Valley, NY area. She has extensive lending experience in affordable housing projects including multifamily and mixed-use rental properties and the use of low income housing tax credits, historic tax credits and new markets tax credits as well as numerous State and Federal Grants and Funding available for these projects.
Jared Rodriguez
Principal | Emergent Urban Concepts
Jared Rodriguezlives in Downtown Sleepy Hollow, just off Beekman Avenue, the Village’s main street. Jaredattended Tufts University for civil engineering and architecture and NYU for a Masters in sustainable real estate development. With his work at the LeFrak Organization and in his consulting business, Jared has made a big impact on reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions in very large multifamily and commercial buildings in the New York region. Jareds firm Emergent Urban Concepts helps communities and businesses in the Hudson Valley plan for a better future while also advising the State of New York and New York City on energy- and climate-related issues. As Citizens Representative alternate of the NJTPA, a federally recognized Municipal Planning Organization, Jared protects the transportation interests of a significant portion of citizens in the metropolitan area. Jared is also deeply involved in the Haverstraw Brick Museum and Center for Historic Preservation and he serves as Vice President of Garner Arts Center.Jared’s planning and advisory efforts helped the Villages of Haverstraw and Ossining secure the NYS Downtown RevitalizationInitiative (DRI) award of $10M each, and spurred an innovative approach to the program by advocating for joint applications with a focus on the Villages’ Hudson River ferry link. Jaredalso currently serves as Trustee in the Village of Sleepy Hollow where he is enacting changes to the zoning code including form-based regulations and making improvements to public space, which were requested by the community during a recent Comprehensive Plan update process.
10:35 AM – Presentation
New York State Homes and Community Renewal’s New York Main Street works to strengthen the economic vitality of New York’s traditional Main Streets and neighborhoods, providing financial resources and technical assistance to communities to strengthen the economic vitality of the State’s traditional Main Streets and neighborhoods. The New York Main Street grant program provides funds to units of local government, and not-for-profit organizations that are committed to revitalizing historic downtowns, mixed-use neighborhood commercial districts, and village centers. Join Program Director Patricia O’Reilly to learn more about financial resources available through New York Main Street grant program.
Patricia O’Reilly
Program Director | NYS Office of Community Renewal
Patricia O’Reilly is the Director of the New York Main Street (NYMS) Program at New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR). In addition to overseeing the NYMS portfolio, she also supervises the NYS Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) projects that are assigned to HCR as well as the Buffalo Main Streets Initiative program developed through the Better Buffalo Fund. Over her 13 years at HCR, she has worked with over 175 communities throughout New York State, providing financial resources and technical assistance to support their downtown neighborhoods. Patricia received a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse with a focus in Urban Planning. She also studied in Sydney, Australia, conducting a self-developed undergraduate thesis that investigated how human scale design components enhance the pedestrian experience and generate a stronger public realm in an urban streetscape environment. Patricia grew up in the Hudson Valley and currently resides in Central New York.
10:55 AM – Closing Remarks
Pattern for Progress’ Eric Pierson wraps up the conference program with final insights on Why Main Streets Matter and provides additional details about Pattern’s community initiatives.
