DOWNTOWN NEEDS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE KNICK.(CAPITALAND REPORT)

Byline: Michael McKeon Staff writer

By nearly all accounts, the Knickerbocker Arena is expected to be a boon to the economic health of downtown Albany, but just how much an impact it makes may depend on the actions of local merchants.

"Downtown business men and women are independent business people, but, in point of fact, if the downtown businesses are to become fully what they are capable of being, they are going to have to draw together," said James Stewart, president of the Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce.

The arena, if it meets the expectations it raised in its first weeks of operation, consistently will bring people to downtown Albany. But that alone will not cure all that ails the downtown business community, Stewart said.

"There is strong …