While the Arlington area of Poughkeepsie will never be confused with a booming metropolis, developments over the past few years have turned it into a desirable landing spot for small business owners. Many of those developments can be credited to the hard work of the Arlington Business Improvement District, a 5-year-old group of small business owners, residents, schools and others located in and around the Arlington District. According to the District’s Web site, the main goals of the BID are to enhance the community life and economic potential of the area as well as the general atmosphere of the streets.
“2008 is a pivotal year for Arlington,” said Michael Gordon, the president of the BID. “The third roundabout is going in (at the intersection of Raymond, Fulton and Collegeview avenues), there are improvements planned for Collegeview and a municipal parking lot is being built adjacent to the post office on Raymond.”
That’s not all. Vassar College – Arlington’s star attraction – recently announced plans for 2009 to move its on-campus bookstore into the building currently occupied by the Juliet Billiard Café. And Raymond Avenue will undergo a comprehensive overhaul that will include the construction of a mountable median from Collegeview to the eastbound arterial. There will also be lighting additions and other aesthetic improvements that have not yet been determined.
“It’s going to be a much safer stretch of road,” said Gordon.
Improvements have been ongoing in other parts of Arlington as well. In 2006, town councilman Todd Tancredi (R-6th Ward) helped secure a community grant that went toward lighting, park benches and plantings along Main Street.
“The revitalization of the area really helped us get some nice PR,” said John Frazee, owner of the Arlington Art Gallery, which opened its doors on Raymond last January. “It really coincided with our opening. The roundabouts showed the public (the town) was serious (about revitalization) and a lot of small business owners became more aware of the possibilities.”
“I love the area,” said Jenn Sullivan, owner of Waddle n Swaddle, a maternity clothing store on Raymond Avenue that opened in September. “It’s very safe and family-friendly and there’s a lot of growth happening. It’s encouraging to hear about other businesses coming into the neighborhood. Hopefully they’ll be of (a high) caliber, so people will have more incentive to come to the area.”
“Right now, this is starting to become a hot spot,” said Frazee. “And the walls are coming down at Vassar. The college is starting to have some more interaction with the community and that will help spur business owners to invest in this area.”
Evoking the past
“We have more of the boutique kinds of businesses in Arlington,” said Bob Raisch, the BID’s executive director. “They survive better in a smaller, mixed neighborhood like ours. Some places are still like that (besides Arlington): Millbrook, Beacon, Rhinebeck. It reminds me of when I was a kid and we didn’t need a car to go to the store. It’s a nice thing to be able to walk to the corner deli, pick up a paper, a cup of coffee and chat with friends.”
“There are a lot of positive things happening here,” said Gordon. “A lot of people are coming to the area. And the traffic is better than it was. It’s so difficult to locate on Route 9 because the rents are so high. Many entrepreneurs have come to Arlington and there are more on the way.”
“There are quite a few properties available,” said Frazee. “People are definitely looking in this area.”
Sullivan agreed. “I was waiting for a space to open for a while. When one opened up, it was a no-brainer.”
Raisch thinks the improved aesthetics have played a big factor in enticing small business owners to come to Arlington.
“It’s more picturesque now,” he said. “Because of the roundabouts, Raymond Avenue looks more like a Parisian boulevard than a highway. And we’re trying to make that atmosphere continue into the Main Street corridor.”
Raisch added that even more exciting additions are on the way.
“We’re going to put a four-face clock once we secure a series of approvals,” he said. “Our goal is to make people realize they’ve crossed over from the City of Poughkeepsie into the area known as Arlington.”