Avenues of Hope | Chartiers Avenue and Perrysville Avenue Business District Strategic Plan

CHARTIERS AVENUE + PERRYSVILLE AVENUE BUSINESS DISTRICT STRATEGIC PLAN DECEMBER 2022

AVENUES OF

HOPE

CHARTIERS AVENUE + PERRYSVILLE AVENUE BUSINESS DISTRICT STRATEGIC PLAN DECEMBER 2022

CHARTIERS AVENUE STAKEHOLDER COMMITTEE

URBAN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY Avenues of Hope Business District Strategic Plan December 2022 Executive Director

CHRISARAH JOHNSON Mayor’s Office - Community Liaison

LEA HUTSON Resident

DEBRA JAMES BAILEY Sheraden Community Council

LOLA SIMS Business Owner

EBONY LUNSFORD EVANS Farmer Ebony - Ebony Lunsford Evans

MARQUE STANSBERRY Jasmine Nyree, Development Org, RCO

JODI BERRY Resident

REBEKKAH RANALLO City of PGH - Neighborhood Services

JUSTIN DREWERY Resident

SHARONDA WHATLEY Department of City Planning

KAREN ABRAMS Department of City Planning

THERESA KAIL-SMITH Council District 2 - councilperson

KEYSHA GOMEZ H.O.P.E. for Tomorrow

THOMAS SCHARFF Department of City Planning

Susheela Nemani-Stanger

BUSINESS SOLUTIONS UNIT Manager Josette Fitzgibbons Staff Talia O’Brien Jamie Piotrowski Miranda Micire

DEVELOPMENT SERVICES UNIT Manager Aster Teclay Staff Jeff Morris

CITY OF PITTSBURGH COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES Council District 1 Bobby Wilson Council District 2 Theresa Kail-Smith, Council President Council District 6 R. Daniel Lavelle

CONSULTANT TEAM evolve environment::architecture Principal Christine Mondor Sr. Project Manager Ashley Cox Designer & Analyst Harisa Martinos David Ge

PERRYSVILLE AVENUE STAKEHOLDER COMMITTEE BOBBY WILSON District 1 - councilman

LATERESA BLACKWELL American Legion Building

CHRISARAH JOHNSON City of PGH Community Liason

LESLEE SCHAFFER Observatory Hill Inc.

CHRISTINE WHISPELL Fineview Citizens’ Council

MARK MASTERSON Neighborhood Community Devel. Fund

DANIEL LAVELLE District 6 - councilman

NANCY NOSZKA Fineview & Perry Hilltop Citizens Councils

ERICA SUMPTER Ida’s Sandwich Shop

REBEKKAH RANALLO City of PGH - Neighborhood Services

JEFFREY WAGNER Observatory Hill Inc.

SALLY STADELMAN District 1 - Chief of Staff

JOANA DEMING Fineview & Perry Hilltop Citizens Councils

STEPHANIE JOY EVERETT Department of City Planning

JUDY MELVIN Northside Leadership Conference

WENDY KRAMER Observatory Hill Inc.

KAREN ABRAMS Department of City Planning

CONTENTS Acknowledgments

01 INTRODUCTION Avenues of Hope Initiative Historic Background Equitable Growth Strategy Investment Areas + Partnerships

02 PERRYSVILLE AVENUE CORRIDOR Planning Process @ Baytree Street @ North Charles Street @ Wilson Avenue

03 CHARTIERS AVENUE CORRIDOR Planning Process @ Merle Street @ Allendale Street, Hillsboro Street, and Corliss Street @ Lorenz Avenue

Acknowledgments The URA’s Avenues of Hope Initiative (AOH) is designed to be a place-based, people-first approach for healthy and sustainable main street development in seven of Pittsburgh’s Black business corridors. The success of this initiative is a priority of the URA and is made possible through meaningful partnerships with community leadership, governmental organizations, faith institutions, businesses, and residents. Building and strengthening community relationships while identifying community priority investment opportunities was the goal of this Business District Strategic Plan for both Chartiers and Perrysville Avenues. The opportunities demonstrated throughout this plan aim to uplift the corridors and the diverse potential they each hold through intentional development.

This process involved input from residents and community stakeholders from multiple communities and guidance from the consultant team of evolveEA to create a plan that is reflective of the communities’ goals and values. We thank all the residents, business owners, community leaders, and representatives from the public, non-profit, and private sectors for all of the time and commitment dedicated to the development of this plan. Through this collaborative effort, we emphasize the importance of healthy communities and the community pride that will continue to inspire and drive Avenues of Hope.

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INTRODUCTION

Business districts are at the heart of Pittsburgh’s neighborhood fabric. A vibrant main street is essential to community identity and culture and is a destination for important goods and services. Main Street is also a place of economic opportunity where small businesses grow next to legacy enterprises that serve local and regional customers.

The Avenues of Hope program brings together people and places in historic African American communities to create opportunities for inclusive growth through housing investment, workforce development, and improvements to the commercial corridor. The “Black Communities Matter” Concept paper written by Reverend Ricky Burgess on behalf of Black Pittsbrgh’s Elected Officials Coalition created a framework to address the city’s “significant challenges with social, racial, and economic inequities that have persisted for decades, which have led to unequal access to housing, transportation, employment, and services.” The Avenues of Hope Initiative is now a program of the Urban Redevelopment Authority as part of the first phase of implementing the Pitsburgh Resilience Strategy in African American Communities.

The Perrysville Avenue and Chartiers Avenue commercial corridors wind through the neighborhoods in the Northside and the West End. Like many corridors subject to Pittsburgh’s hilly topography, commercial development often occurs at major intersections and the irregular geometries of roadways and parcels can be challenging for business and main street development. In addition, these communities have experienced little to no economic growth without significant private development investment and the residents are seeking entrepreneurship and employment opportunities within their communities.

This project examines the corridors and the identified nodes along Perrysville Avenue and Chartiers Avenue to find opportunities for public and private investment that will leverage community desires for amenities and services. This overview plan provides structure for others to align and act in the future.

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AVENUES OF HOPE INITIATIVE A Holistic Economic Development Program for Pittsburgh’s Black Main Streets

The Avenues of Hope (AOH) Initiative is a place-based, people-first approach that intervenes across all layers of successful, healthy, and sustainable Main Street development for the City of Pittsburgh’s seven historic African American commercial corridors. The goal for the seven business districts is to invest in existing small businesses and residents, supporting the inclusive growth of these neighborhoods.

“What would it mean to intentionally drive investment into Black neighborhoods in a way that centers the preservation and celebration of Black life in Pittsburgh?”

-Diamonte Walker, Former Deputy Executive Director of the URA

Avenues of Hope takes the first step towards this kind of holistic community revitalization, revealing economic justice is about action, not rhetoric. The Avenues of Hope Corridors will​be: • centers for black businesses, art and culture • centers for high quality built environments

For more information, visit the URA’s Avenues of Hope Initiative page here.

(Mixed-Use,

Transit-Oriented, and Pedestrian-Friendly)

• centers for black communities that are healthy (Education, Health Care, Senior Care, Recreation, and Human Supportive services)

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What makes this program different? www.ura.org/pages/avenues-of-hope

MWBE TARGETED PROGRAMMING

LONG-TERM COMMITMENTS

The Avenues of Hope program will directly address economic growth disparities in Black communities across the city of Pittsburgh.

Resources identified throughout this process will prioritize Minority- and/or Women-Owned Buesiness Enterprises (MWBE) that are underrepresented in entrepreneurship with a particular emphasis on black-owned businesses and black-led organizations within the identified neighborhood centers.

While immediate infusions of public resources are critical to the success of developing main streets, the Avenues of Hope program intends to build lasting relationships with all participating communities to ensure that any economic improvements will endure. All participating corridors will have access to URA capital, which includes publicly available economic impact reporting of all investments in the community over the long term. This allows the URA to stay accountable to community goals.

WRAP AROUND SUPPORT The Avenues of Hope program will provide a full suite of technical services that address operational needs to help businesses survive. The URA will be a hub for mentorship and consulting around topics like marketing, accounting, and permitting, which supports emerging and expanding businesses break into an industry supply chain. The URA will serve as a bridge between third party service providers and entrepreneurs.

INTER-AGENCY COORDINATION While the Avenues of Hope program is committed to equitable development models, the URA acknowledges its limitation both in resources and core technical services. In order to fully realize its goals, it is imperative that the URA has a streamlined mechanism to partner with other city agencies, city authorities, and other regional partners to address community needs.

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HISTORIC BACKGROUND LEFT MPI/Getty Images, “The Long-Lasting Legacy of the Great Migration,” (Accessed December 2022).

RIGHT U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (1918), (Accessed December 2022).

Pittsburgh developed with walkable, neighborhood-serving commercial districts, that reflected the communities in which they were located. In predominantly AfricanAmerican communities, these districts attracted people from around the city and even nationally to retail, commercial, and entertainment offerings. In the past, these commercial districts lent vibrancy and made cultural contributions to the city--the Avenues of Hope program is intended to rejuvenate these centers by channeling investment in both places and people to build wealth and repair the urban fabric. To address the gaps, it is essential to understand the physical, social, and economic histories that contributed to what we experience on main street today.

ABOVE: MAPPING THE FIRST GREAT MIGRATION Mr. Freeman’s US History, “US.40 Harlem Renaissance and Lost Generation,” (Accessed December 2022).

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Beginning around the turn of the 20th century, pioneering African-American businesspeople stepped forward to fill the needs of their communities. Thriving and successful black-owned businesses opened in Pittsburgh from approximately the 1920s to the 1960s. During the Great Migration, black people fled persecution in the south en masse. They saw that industrializing cities in the north and west needed a large labor force and they migrated to those cities, seeking economic opportunity.

The families who migrated to Pittsburgh often found themselves in neighborhoods that already had a diverse mix of Polish, Jewish and Italian immigrants who cultivated vibrant culture built on their shared struggles.

That began to shift in the 1930’s when two new housing agencies were created under the New Deal, which effectively cut-off people of color from any affordable homeownership opportunities in what we now call the suburbs, as well as urban areas.

Redlining Districts were areas that the federal government deemed too risky to receive federal funding, which included having significant populations of racial and ethnic minorities, and low income residents. This affected their ability to receive a federal home loan, or to have that loan be federally insured.

These practices have since been deemed unconstitutional but we still see how it has robbed Black families and neighborhoods in the following ways: • Lower appraisal values for homes in Black neighborhoods, and black-owned homes • Middle- and High-Income residents moving from urban centers to the suburbs • Tax dollars for public realm maintenance and public schools are chronically underfunded • Black families have no equity to start a business, pay for higher education, or to pass on to their children Segregation effectively cut off economic growth potential in black communities, and simultaneously limited where non-white consumers could patronize as well. Because of this, the deep reliance that residents have on black businesses has resulted in a very close relationship that extends beyond the transaction of goods and services. Black entrepreneurs depended on local Black wealth to sustain their businesses. When Pittsburgh was at the height of its dominance in steel manufacturing, communities with large black populations were able to support a local commercial district.

RIGHT Klingensmith James, “The Week the Hill Rose Up,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Accessed May, 2022).

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ABOVE Bailey, L .and Pacetti, E. G. (2019), “Strong Recovery for Whom?”, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Cleveland, (Accessed May, 2022).

(2021), “Quality of life and demographic racial dimensions of differences in most liveable Pittsburgh”, University Center for Social and Urban Research, (Accessed May, 2022).

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During the 1960s the Black community lost tangible public places representing the breadth of their successful lives despite the restrictions of segregation. Local and regional policies attempted to deal with poverty by seeking improvements to neighborhoods, but they ignored the issues of the people who lived there. Blight was not seen as a feature of systemic disinvestment but a feature of the residents who lived there. In 1950, Pittsburgh was the first major city to implement a Modern Urban-Renewal Program, which eradicated homes and neighborhoods.

It disrupted millions of relationships and uprooted some of its most economically tenuous populations in the name of progress.

In the 1980s, a combination of job stagnation in major industry and racial prejudice hit black communities particularly hard, which limited economic mobility. The association with poverty however is often referenced as causal to race rather than the shared external experience upon a group of people.

Neighborhood commercial districts were places where entrepreneurial-minded individuals could serve populations that worked in larger scaled industries, and so with time, black main streets began to suffer significantly as well. The effects of economic prejudice are so pervasive that they can still be seen today, as evidenced by these sobering employment statistics: • Between 2007 and 2017 white workers in Pittsburgh experienced a gain in earnings of 4%, while minority workers saw earnings decline by 14%.

• Pittsburgh’s economic gains in the ‘meds and eds’ and technology sectors have not benefited minority residents of the region.

• Minority workers continue to be more heavily represented in lower-paying occupations, such as in the service sector, while in faster-growing, higher-paid occupations, employment of white workers has grown by more than double that of minority workers.

LEFT Klingensmith James (1968), “The Week the Hill Rose Up,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Accessed May, 2022).

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In 2014, the Grosvenor, an international real estate and investment organization, put out a report that identified the city of Pittsburgh as one of the most resilient cities in the world for new investment. They defined resiliency as “the ability of a city to avoid or bounce back from an adverse event” that sits at the intersection of great vulnerability and greater adaptive capacity. After the height of the steel industry, Pittsburgh, like many legacy cities, struggled to find an identity that didn’t tie so closely to its past, and had since begun to embrace improvements to health and the environment that accompanied that economic change. That report, amongst others, marks the tremendous growth happening in Pittsburgh today as it becomes a thought leader in sustainable city planning for the 21st century. However, we can still see some of the last vestiges of its industrial past that need improvement, such as elevated levels of ozone and particulate matter. Many would agree that the city continues to make significant inroads into this new vision for itself, including earning accolades such as the most livable, walkable and affordable city.

RIGHT Tsarchopoulos, Panagiotis (May 18, 2014), “The 10 Most Resilient Cities In The World,” (Accessed May, 2022).

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Just five years after the Grovsenor report came out, and the city was gaining national and international press for its innovation, more cries could be heard from its people, “Livable for whom?” This question culminated in a study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Social Work that analyzed data pertaining to the growing conversations around disparities across gender and race. The “Pittsburgh’s Inequality across Gender and Race” report concluded that Pittsburgh’s black population, and particularly black women, consistently had the worst outcomes in the city, including income, health, and other quality of life indicators. This study prompted another that used a similar analysis to compare cities acrossthe United States to understand which cities were livable for black women. Here we see Pittsburgh is ranked among the worst major cities for black womens’ overall outcomes, and has become another beacon that has supported advocates across the city who have long rung the bell for change.

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Avenues of Hope

EQUITABLE GROWTH STRATEGY To create an Equitable Growth Strategy, the Avenues of Hope (AOH) program builds on main street best practices while centering the experience of people who have been historically excluded from past opportunity to build resources and address past harms.

This includes a multi-phased approach that fills immediate resource gaps in the shortterm, upends processes that are embedded in bias in the mid-term, and commits to intergenerational wealth building as the primary goal in the long-term. This project organizes these economic development principles under Placemaking, Community, and Business.

Through this planning process, we found some common issues that Black Main Streets are currently facing across the country: • Lower assessed property values make traditional loans for repair difficult • Disengaged or absentee landlords stall potential development • Foreclosed properties are difficult for local or small businesses to acquire • COVID-related reduction in capacity, foot traffic, and hours • Government-funded programs often do not reach black businesses or owners [1] [2]

[3] [4]

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McKinsey, “Building supportive ecosystems for Black-owned US businesses,” accessed April 10, 2022.

Brookings Institute, https://www.brookings.edu/research/blackowned-businesses-in-u-s-cities-the-challenges-solutions-andopportunities-for-prosperity/, Accessed April, 2022.

Bloomberg, “This Is How Hard It Is to Invest in Black Neighborhoods”, March 21, 2022.

Next City, “How Hard Is It To Create a Commercial Corridor for Black-Owned Businesses in Chicago?”, Accessed March 21, 2022.

PLACEMAKING Black Pittsburgh’s Places will be regarded as sacred space that supports desired business growth and sets the stage for the celebration of Black lives

COMMUNITY Black Pittsburgh’s Communities will have greater economic participation to support local wealth building that can be passed onto future generations

BUSINESS Black Pittsburgh’s Businesses will be owned and operated by entrepreneurs that support and reflect the community and their values

GOAL 1 Support sustainable infrastructure investments that prepare communities to adapt to a rapidly changing environment

METRICS

[#%] Commercial Vacancy [#sf] Indoor Community Space [#sf] Outdoor Community Space [#:#] Business to Employment Ratio

GOAL 2 Provide accessible commercial space for every phase of establishing and growing a business

GOAL 1 Support economic development at the household scale GOAL 2 Advocate for an equitable and efficient development process

GOAL 1 Provide non-traditional financial products for business owners and property developers GOAL 2 Support minority-owned and hyper-local businesses throughout their life-cycle

METRICS

[#%] Vacancy within Investment Area [#%] Renters within Investment Area [#%] Student Retention [$#] Median Income [#] Annual Main Street Events [#%] Highschool Graduate [$#] Resident Disposable Income

METRICS

[#%] Small Business Enterprise [#%] Local Business Enterprise [#%] Women-Owned Business Enterprise [#%] Minority-Owned Business Enterprise [#:#] Business to Resident Ratio [#:#] Employee to Resident Ratio Business Diversity

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EQUITABLE GROWTH STRATEGY

PLACEMAKING Black Pittsburgh’s Places will be regarded as sacred space that supports desired business growth and sets the stage for the celebration of Black lives.

SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS FOR MORE RESILIENT COMMUNITIES EP.1

OPEN SPACE SYSTEMS A series of public plazas or parks that are connected by welldesigned streets or trails that are safe for pedestrians and cyclists. Oftentimes consultants can be contacted to design an open space system that identifies key sites, connections, programming and infrastructure. For this program, the URA prioritizes sites that are within walking distance of the Avenues of Hope neighborhood centers.

EP.2 MOBILITY SYSTEMS Any routes, stops and infrastructure that supports general mobility around the city to safely meet basic needs. This includes all modes of transportation: walking, biking, driving, sailing, busing, etc. Any improvements to the right of way can be coordinated with the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI) or Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) to include things like traffic signals, road reconfiguration, bus shelters, street trees and street furniture (benches, tables etc.), curb bump-outs, parking meters, bike racks or bike lanes.

EP.3 BROADBAND NETWORK Infrastructure that provides the public with access to the internet within a set geography. Not only will this help to bridge the digital divide, it can support more informal business support for budding entrepreneurs looking for somewhere to work remotely.

EP.4 LOCAL ENERGY HUBS A district-scaled energy source that can supplement the energy demand of main street businesses. Individual buildings would use their property to generate energy (e.g. solar panels) that is stored in an anchor institution to be redistributed to all participating buildings in the event of an emergency power outage.

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PROVIDE ACCESSIBLE COMMERCIAL SPACE FOR ESTABLISHED AND GROWING BUSINESS EP.5 FACADE RENOVATIONS Improvements to the face of a commercial building that can include upgrades to windows, doors, signage, outdoor seating, brick pointing or painting. The URA is committed to providing grants for facade renovations for commercial business owners within the Avenues of Hope Neighborhood Centers.

EP.6 POP UP STOREFRONT Temporary business and community events that typically occur on publicly owned land or buildings. It is a strategy that allows for quick activation of underutilized properties and an easy introduction to new businesses on the main street.

EP.7 SUPPORT STREET VENDING Many communities have a legacy of street vending on their main street from ice cream carts, to news stands and food trucks. Streamlined permitting processes and business support for street vending are a couple ways that the Avenues of Hope program can help connect small businesses and business corridors.

EP.8 SHARED COMMERCIAL SPACE PROGRAM Flexible workspaces that allow for small businesses and remote workers to have access to an office environment at a reasonable price. The Avenues of Hope program can help determine the feasibility such of a program in a neighborhood center and connect interested communities to resources on how to develop a program.

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EQUITABLE GROWTH STRATEGY

COMMUNITY Black Pittsburgh’s Communities will have greater economic participation to support local wealth building that can be passed onto future generations.

SUPPORT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AT THE HOUSEHOLD SCALE Black businesses are intimately connected with the neighborhoods where they reside. Local businesses may have a regional draw due to their cultural offerings, but the ability of a business to meet the needs of local residents may determine whether they will experience true economic resilience. As such, prosperous neighborhoods are crucial to main street development. The strategies below support wealth creation and retention in black families.

EC.1 HOUSING INVESTMENT The URA can support homeownership through residential purchases and improvements, property development through housing construction and rehabilitation loans, and renting through housing stabilization programs that provide short-term assistance to households facing temporary nonreocurring housing crisis.

EC.2 ENTREPRENEURSHIP COACHING OR INCUBATOR Comprehensive support for budding entrepreneurs who are in the process of developing, organizing, and operating a new business. There are many organizations in the city that do this work, and the Avenues of Hope program will help connect communities to existing resources and service providers.

EC.3 WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT Training programs that focus on job readiness in high paying, growing industries can help wealth building efforts. The Avenues of Hope Program can connect communities to organizations in the region who are dealing with these issues, and who are listed in the city of Pittsburgh’s Welcoming Pittsburgh Workforce Development Resources.

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ADVOCATE FOR AN EQUITABLE AND EFFICIENT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS There have been many barriers that have prevented Avenues of Hope communities from developing. There has been an increased interest in developing communities that were historically disinvested. Too often new investment leaves long-term residents behind. This program seeks to provide resources and information that allows existing residents to play an active role in how their community maneuvers change.

EC.4 FAIR PROPERTY ASSESSMENT The algorithms for property assessment often artificially suppress property values in black communities. Undervalued property assessments in black neighborhoods make it difficult to secure a loan amount that can both acquire and renovate property. The URA can begin conversations around how to augment property assessments to address this disparity.

EC.5 PROPERTY ACQUISITION Disengaged or absentee landlords can stall potential property development, even when the need for more residential or commercial space is in high demand. Obtaining properties once they become foreclosed also becomes difficult for local or small businesses. The URA is able to purchase hard to reach properties if they are deemed critical to the public good.

EC.6 PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT The URA has a suite of programs designed to broker community-led property development. Sometimes the URA will act as the developer who creates a request for development proposals for city owned property, which includes requirements for accountability to the community.

EC.7 COMMUNITY BENEFITS AGREEMENT The URA can facilitate community benefits agreements between community representatives and developers. Some have included more stringent requirements on development accountability to the community, such as the Hill District Development Review Panel.

EC.8 COMMUNITY LAND TRUST A land conservation tool that can be used by community based-nonprofit organizations that ensures properties in the community remain permanently affordable and/or remain under community ownership. This strategy has been employed used in commercial district, such as the Kensington Corridor Trust in Philadelphia.

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EQUITABLE GROWTH STRATEGY

BUSINESS Black Pittsburgh’s Businesses will be owned and operated by entrepreneurs that support and reflect the community and their values.

PROVIDE NON-TRADITIONAL FINANCIAL PRODUCTS FOR BUSINESS OWNERS AND PROPERTY DEVELOPERS Difficulty securing traditional financial products from lenders due to a lack of comparables. Ensure government-funded programs target black and local residents. Government-funded programs often do not reach black businesses or owners. COVID related reduction in capacity, foot traffic, and hours. Insufficient aid from PPP loans.

The URA offers a variety of financing products for small- and medium-sized business development and commercial real estate development. These are gap financing products that work in conjunction with private equity and private debt to help your business close the financing gap.

EB.1 DEVELOPMENT FINANCING Competitive market-rate financing with flexible underwriting standards for construction companies or small- to mediumsized commercial businesses for real estate purchase, predevelopment, development or construction; furniture, fixtures, equipment, inventory, machinery; and working capital within the Avenues of Hope Neighborhood Center EB.2 BUSINESS FINANCING Venture Capital funding or financing that aims to make strategic investments and accelerate access and availability to historically disadvantaged small businesses for working capital, real estate, equipment, and leasehold improvements.

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SUPPORT MINORITY-OWNED AND HYPER-LOCAL BUSINESSES THROUGHOUT THEIR LIFE-CYCLE EB.3 BUSINESS RECRUITMENT Communities that think about their main street as a portfolio of businesses can develop a strategy that attracts the type of businesses that meet local needs and desires. A business recruitment team compiles information that is compelling to specific business prospects, and markets their area to those prospects.

EB.4 MAIN STREET PROGRAMMING Community-wide events held on the main street that allow existing and prospective businesses to connect with local and regional customers. Examples include music or arts festivals, competitions, or food fairs.

EB.5 SUNSETTING SERVICES There are some businesses in Avenues of Hope communities that have been a staple service for many years. When legacy owners reach retirement, sunsetting allows for a planned closing or phasing out of a business or transition of ownership.

EB.6 BUSINESS ASSOCIATION A coalition of businesses located in the same commercial corridor who look at the main street holistically. They often lead marketing and networking efforts, plan events, and advocate for grants that can support public realm improvements. The URA can facilitate initial conversations among Avenues of Hope businesses who are interested in collaboration among community stakeholders around main street goals.

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INVESTMENT AREAS + PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY. The seven (7) Avenues of Hope corridors that are included in this program were selected by former Mayor Peduto and City Council.

Eligible commercial corridors have a dense cluster of businesses and are within a 10 minute-walk (0.5-miles) of block groups that have a majority black population.

This report will address commercial corridor activation in two (2) of the seven (7) Avenues of Hope corridors: Perrysville Avenue and Chartiers Avenue, which are highlighted in yellow.

Augmented Community Services

Community Specific Avenue Transformation

NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS City of Pittsburgh Boundary City of Pittsburgh Neihborhood Parks + Cemetery Waterways STRATEGIC PLAN FOCUS Neighborhood Center Investment Areas AVENUES OF HOPE Neighborhood Center Investment Areas

CHARTIERS AVENUE Council President Theresa Kail-Smith

Financing .25 Miles

People & Places

HOLISTIC & SUSTAINED ENGAGEMENT

Small Businss Support Housing

Strategic Site Assembly

Ongoing Business & Social Support Services

PROGRAM COORDINATION. This effort will be led by the Urban Redevelopment Authority who will invite other agencies into the work. Coordination with all city agencies will be especially important to align URA investments with other agencies’ investments, and to avoid duplication of effort as much as possible. The URA is already working with the City of Pittsburgh to make operations more streamlined and efficient, with a focus on housing investment, workforce connectivity, commercial corridor activation, façade renovations, and other impactful Minority Women-owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) and small business support.

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REGIONAL PARTNERS • Allegheny County Economic Development • Pittsburgh Regional Transit • Allegheny Conference PUBLIC AUTHORITIES • Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh • Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority • Pittsburgh Parking Authority CITY AGENCIES • Department of City Planning • Department of Public Works • Permits Licensing & Inspections

PERRYSVILLE AVENUE (OBSERVATOR HILL) Councilman Bobby Wilson

PERRYSVILLE AVENUE (FINEVIEW) Councilman R. Daniel Lavelle

CENTRE AVENUE Councilman R. Daniel Lavelle

LARIMER AVENUE Councilman Reverend Ricky Burgess

HOMEWOOD AVENUE Councilman Reverend Ricky Burgess

EAST WARRNGTON AVENUE +BROWNSVILLE ROAD Councilman Bruce Kraus

SECOND AVENUE Councilman Bob Warwick

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PERRYSVILLE AVE CORRIDOR Perrysville Avenue is an extension of Federal Street and connects local neighborhood centers such as the Perrysville @Baytree Street in Observatory Hill (Perry North) and the Perrysville @North Charles Street and Perrysville @Wilson Avenue neighborhood center in Perry Hilltop (Perry South). While along the same corridor, the southern and northern parts of Perrysville Avenue have different challenges and opportunities to address through future investment opportunities.

Perrysville Avenue contains many historically relevant structures and was home to several notable people. This includes Hall of Fame catcher for the Homestead Grays, Josh Gibson. Dorothy Richardson, a notable community activist, lived in the Charles Street Valley who, with her neighbors, helped renters become homeowners and started a new model of community development for better housing.

Astronomer John Brashear also lived by the Perrysville @ Wilson Avenue neighborhood center and his home is currently a historic landmark. Other additional historic sites are the Venango Indian Trail, Western University of Pennsylvania, and the original Allegheny Observatory.

Due to white flight and the creation of the highway that connects Pittsburgh to the suburbs in the North Hills, population began to decline by the Perry South neighborhood centers starting in the 1960s, at which time the peak population was around 16,000 people. Between 1990 and 2010, the population declined at a higher rate than Pittsburgh in total, to about one-third of it’s peak population, about 5,200 people. As the population declined, the percentage of African Americans living there rose and were left to deal with the effects of the disinvestment that followed.

Main Street Goals 01 Create a business district that is organic, vibrant, equitable, and safe 02 Bring back businesses that are small and affordable 03 Aim to support a thriving community filled with laughter 26

NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS Main Street Corridor Neighborhood Center 1/4-Mile Buffer Edge of Pavement Rail Lines Building Footprint Industrial Building Footprint Anchor Building Footprint Parks + Cemeteries Waterways

AVENUES OF HOPE CENTER Main Street Building Footprint Building Footprint Commercial Cluster NON-AVENUES OF HOPE CENTER Main Street Building Footprint Building Footprint Commercial Cluster

.25 Miles

PERRYSVILLE

@BAYTREE STREET

PERRYSVILLE AVENUE

PERRYSVILLE

@NORTH CHARLES STREET

PERRYSVILLE

@WILSON AVENUE

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PLANNING PROCESS

This report is the result of a 10-month process, composed of there phases, which are described in the diagram below.

The process included stakeholder engagement (surveys and meetings), and review of past reports, and a market analysis.

This process engaged residents, business owners, patrons, and organizational leaders who shared their concerns with the existing conditions of their main streets and their hopes and wishes for the future.

RESIDENTS DESCRIBE THEIR MAIN STREET AS:

“New business owners.”

“Strong community capacity.”

“Much potential”

2022

FEB

PHASE 01

ARTICULATING A VISION

MAR

for a shared understanding of project goals and a clear process to get to the finish line.

APR

Phase 01 Deliverable: Business District Baseline Inventory

MAY PHASE 02

JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT

NOV

DEVELOPING A STRATEGY that identifies projects in the community that support our goals and how they can work in tandem with each other.

WHAT RESIDENTS ENJOY ABOUT THEIR MAIN STREET:

“Diversity”

“Old Architecture” “Shade Trees”

“Activity” “Playground”

WHAT RESIDENTS WOULD LIKE TO SEE CHANGED ABOUT THEIR MAIN STREET:

“No drug activity” “Bring diverse retail options”

Phase 02 Deliverable: Preliminary Main Street Strategy

“Cleanliness and lighting”

PHASE 03

“More spaces for celebration”

of proposals that identify the people, policies, places, and performance goals necessary to move forward.

WHAT IMPEDES BUSINESS AND DEVELOPMENT

CREATING AN ACTION PLAN

Avenues of Hope: Business District Strategy Final Report

Core Team Meeting Project Team Meeting Stakeholder Strategy Meeting Final Deliverable

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“Empty”

GROWTH:

“Vacancies”

Lack of investment.”

Responses are from residents of both the northern and southern parts of Perrysville Avenue. Observations, wants, and needs vary.

Residents asked to be in the loop regarding future development processes.

PLACEMAKING SURVEY QUESTION: In the future, which venues of activities would you like to see on Perrysville Avenue?

"We need a neighborhood full service restaurant as a third place for residents to gather."

Avenues of Hope Main Street Survey. Summer 2022.

PAST REPORTS: What past recommendations are still relevant to this process?

PERRYSVILLE AVENUE AT NORTH CHARLES STREET FOCUS AREA: URBAN DESIGN STRATEGY This strategy suggests acquiring one or more mixed-use buildings at the Perrysville at North Charles intersection. It also mentions that more than 100 units of affordable housing can be developed and Fowler Park’s visibility should be strengthened from the main street.

PERRYSVILLE AVENUE AT WILSON AVENUE FOCUS AREA: URBAN DESIGN STRATEGY This strategy suggests renovating and activating the existing vacant buildings as well as increasing pedestrian safety. It also mentions building new affordable housing units and storefronts here.

Studio for Spatial Practice, Valentina Vavasis Consulting, Ariam Ford Consulting. (March 2020). “A Five-YearAffordable Housing Plan for Fineview & Perry Hilltop.” Pgs 41, 43. (Accessed September 2022).

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COMMUNITY There is an overall desire to be outside. This can be supported through improved green spaces and streetscape improvements related to pedestrian safety and infrastructure.

SURVEY QUESTION: In the future, which public spaces and events would you like to see on Perrysville Avenue?

The majority of survey respondents think it is important for their main street to better connect residents to one another.

Avenues of Hope Main Street Survey.

Summer 2022.

PAST REPORTS: What past recommendations are still relevant to this process? “...Perry Hilltop would like there to be community-controlled commercial space in the neighborhoods.”

Studio for Spatial Practice, Valentina Vavasis Consulting, Ariam Ford Consulting. (March 2020).

“A Five-Year Affordable Housing Plan for Fineview & Perry Hilltop.” Pg 5. (Accessed September 2022).

FINEVIEW & PERRY HILLTOP CITIZENS COUNCIL COMMUNITY PLAN This plan mentions increasing public open space with amenities and programming for all residents, with an emphasis on using the space for play and celebrating history.

This includes leveraging, “natural features as an economic asset for neighborhood development.”

Deming, Joanna, Nina Young, and Ariam Ford.

(2018). Pgs 99, 120-121. (Accessed September 2022).

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BUSINESS

Esri and Data Axle. Esri 2021 Updated Demographics. Esri 2017 Retail MarketPlace. (Accessed May 10, 2022.)

There is an overall desire for more third spaces (places where people can gather that is not work or home). The majority of survey respondents think it is important for their main street to better connect residents to other economic hubs and for their business district to reflect community values.

Market Surplus/Leakage Data: Perry North

SURVEY QUESTION: In the future, which businesses would you like to see on Perrysville Avenue?

Market Surplus/Leakage Data: Perry South

Avenues of Hope Main Street Survey. Summer 2022.

SITE INVENTORY

Retail Commercial Industrial Civic + Recreational Government Other

31

PERRYSVILLE

@BAYTREE STREET “A neighborhood that offers something for everyone.” -Observatory Hill website

The Perrysville @Baytree neighborhood center is found within the Northside of Pittsburgh in the Observatory Hill neighborhood. The commercial district sits at the top of a 5-point intersection consisting of Perrysville Avenue, Baytree Street, Mairdale Avenue, East Street, and Semicir Street. Finding solutions to the commercial and residential vacancies and business retention is a work in progress. During the strategic planning process, input on the hopes, challenges, and recommendations were given primarily by members of Observatory Hill Incorporated (OHI).1 Residents are proud of their neighborhood and take pride in the restoration efforts happening around this neighborhood center. A walking tour, led by the community’s stakeholders, was conducted in the early summer of 2022.

Streetscape issues such as pedestrian safety, infrastructure issues related to sewer lines, curb cuts, and attaining street trees were addressed during the final stakeholder meeting. Investments in the public realm and streetscape can promote humanpowered mobility, such as walking or cycling modes of transportation and signal that this is a place of pause. Careful consideration for the intersections increase safety, and serve as a main street gateway for the parks just off the street. The parcels around these intersections should be prioritized for improvement. Residents mentioned investing in more third spaces that can host activities desirable by the youth, food spaces for gathering, as well as multimodal infrastructure to connect the neighborhood center’s assets to one another and the neighboring communities.

1 Observatory Hill, Inc. is a non-profit community based organization that works to preserve and revitalize the Observatory Hill neighborhood in order to improve the quality of life of residents.

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EXISTING CONDITIONS

Main Street Corridor Neighborhood Center 1/4-Mile Buffer Pittsburgh Neighborhood City Tree Canopy Greenways Parks + Cemeteries Waterways

BUILDING FOOTPRINT Commercial Food-Related Recreational + Institutional Industrial + Manufacturing Residential LAND USE Civic Services Cultural + Recreational Industrial + Manufacturing Retail + Commercial

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RENOVATED MIXED USE BUILDINGS

PERRY TRADITIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

BUS STOP

PERRYSVILLE AVENUE @BAYTREE STREET

STREET TREES PARKING LOT WHERE EVENTS OCCUR

PERRYSVILLE AVENUE + FRANKLIN RD

INTACT STRIPS OF COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS

5-WAY INTERSECTION

34 PERRYSVILLE AVENUE + BAYTREE ST

@Baytree Street

Existing Conditions

What We’ve Heard

The complex intersection at the top of the slope where Perrysville Avenue, Baytree Street, Mairdale Avenue, and East Street meet, creates both a unique arrangement of buildings and commercial district experience, as well as some complex challenges related to pedestrian safety and commercial acquisition and retainment.

This neighborhood center provides a variety of professional services such as beauty salons, accountants, chiropractors, food options such as a deli and bakery, and specialty stores for items such as fishing bait and party equipment rentals. Some businesses have been experimenting with pop-up shops and Observatory Hill Incorporated has helped plan community events such as a culture and arts festival. Being that the last area public high school with new recreational spaces and Riverview Park are nearby, this neighborhood center in Observatory Hill serves residents, neighbors, and outside visitors.

RESIDENTS DESCRIBE THEIR MAIN STREET AS:

Moving further north of Perrysville Avenue, the commercial stretch continues by Bonvue Street and beyond. These commercial areas are currently going through various building improvements and are looking for both residents and business owners to lease these spaces. Some of these spaces, such as the Land of God church on the corner of Perrysville Avenue and Waldorf Street will need to go through additional zoning processes and permits in order to use the space for business purposes, which was mentioned during meetings with the community.

EXISTING ASSETS Street Trees Intact Commercial Area Street Lighting Programming

Riverview Park Perry Traditional High School Allegheny Observatory Community Organization

To 279 North

“New business owners.”

“Strong community capacity.”

“Much progress.”

WHAT RESIDENTS ENJOY ABOUT THEIR MAIN STREET:

“Activity”

“Good infrastructure” PREFERRED COMMERCIAL SPACE There is an overall desire for more third spaces 1.

1.

Full-service Restaurants 2. Cafes and Coffee Shops 3. Art or Entertainment Venues 4. Laundromats and Dry Cleaning 5. Grocery Stores 2

"We need a neighborhood full service restaurant as a third place for residents to gather."

PREFERRED PUBLIC REALM IMPROVEMENTS There is an overall desire to be outside. This can be supported through improved green spaces and streetscape improvements related to pedestrian safety and infrastructure.

Giant Eagle: Brighton Road

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6 min drive \ 20 transit \ 40 walk Giant Eagle: West View 8 drive \ 23 transit \ 63 walk Kuhn’s Market: Bellevue 10 drive \ 41 transit \ 60 walk

To North Hills

Parks Hiking Trails Community Garden Bike Infrastructure Updated Street and Business Signs

Kuhn’s Market: McKnight Road 8 min drive \ 21 transit \ 66 walk

To East Street + Downtown To Soccer field, Northview Park, Wood’s Run

To North Side

Gas- Exxon: Marshall + Brighton

8 min drive \ 23 transit \ 63 walk

6 min drive

Giant Eagle: West View

Notes: 1 A third space is a space that is not a home or work environment. Typically, third spaces are where people can gather, socialize, and mobilize.

2 With fresh produce. There was some conversation around the need for a walkable grocery store that provides more food options, specifically fresh and healthy foods.

Google Earth image overlayed by Consultant EvolveEA

35

PERRYSVILLE

@BAYTREE STREET P.1 CHURCH REDEVELOPMENT

P.2 INTERSECTION REDESIGN P.3 BONVUE STREET OPENSPACE PLAN

FR

AN

KL

IN

RO AD

REET UE ST

BONV

TREE BAY

MAIRDALE AVENUE

T

EE STR

EAST STREET

T

EE

IR

IC

M SE

R ST

PERRYS

VILLE AV

Image retrieved from Google Earth. Overlay by Consultant EvolveEA

STREETSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS OPPORTUNITIES Building Facade Renovation Green Space Improvement Pedestrian Safety Improvement Area Road Reconfiguration

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IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS OPPORTUNITIES Strengthen Core Neighborhood Center Building OPEN SPACE PLAN Existing Public Amenities Public Amenities Corridor

ENUE

Action Items P.1

CHURCH REDEVELOPMENT The Lamb of God Lion of Judah Ministries owns two historic buildings at the corner of Perrysville Avenues and Franklin Road that serve as an anchor and entry into the Baytree Street neighborhood center. The community asset was constructed in 1925 but has fallen into disrepair in recent years. In 2019 the Observatory Hill Development Corporation sought to manage both properties under a conservatorship through the Blighted and Abandoned Conservatorship Act of 2008. This has allowed the neighborhood organization to return the property back to a productive use.

This properties were elevated as a priority project for this neighborhood center because of its architectural character, its history as a community serving institution and its prominence on Perrysville Avenue. Some ideas for new uses include coworking space to address a need for affordable commercial space for local entrepreneurs, multi-family apartment units, and a new centrally located, multi-generational community center. The existing commercial kitchen in the church building can be especially useful as a shared kitchen for businesses focused on food processing.

Under the conservatorship, the Observatory Hill, Inc. was able to address roof leaks and will likely need significant funding to stabilize the building. Recommendations for next steps include a feasibility study that results in a proposal for a full build out of both spaces that considers potential zoning changes, funding sources and a more in-depth public process around the programming for both properties.

P.2

SIX-POINTS INTERSECTION REDESIGN Perrysville Avenue will need careful consideration for its two major intersections to increase safety, and serve as a main street gateway for existing and potential public space just off the street. The Perrysville intersection at Baytree Street is a 6-point intersection that should be redesigned to be safer for both pedestrians and drivers to navigate. Simicir Street should be treated like a private parking lot that must yield to all incoming traffic, and a raised crosswalk onto Perrysville Avenue could further slow traffic. The intersection of Baytree Street and East Street could also undergo a realignment to provide a new plaza space that gives main street presence and provides a place for pedestrians to rest.

BEECHVIEW BUSINESS INCUBATOR Velazquez, Guillermo. “New Pittsburgh business incubator supports Latino entrepreneurs” (January 24, 2020). (Accessed August 2022).

CHURCH BREW WORKS Visit Pittsburgh. “The Church Brew Works” (Accessed August 2022).

STREET SAFETY: PAINT AND POSTS Chang, Dongho. “Our intersections are too dangerous. Here’s how to fix them.” (Accessed December 22, 2022).

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P.3

BONVUE STREET OPEN SPACE PLAN Investments to a pedestrian centered recreational corridor can promote more pedestrian-oriented modes of transportation and signal that this is a place of pause. There is currently a string of existing public amenities starting from Allen Place Community Services along Bonvue Street turning onto Perrysville Avenue and terminating at the Riverview Park soccer field on Mairdale Avenue. Incorporating new public plazas and parks along this new route will support the community’s desire for more third spaces where the community can support new outdoor programming and passive pedestrian occupation. The following public spaces will be better connected through this effort: A. The Riverview Park Soccer Field is the closest and most well-maintained open space near the neighborhood center and could host larger outdoor music events during the summer.

B. Observatory Hill Parking Lot is currently underutilized and could support main street-wide events that can attract small vendors and be marketed to the region.

C. The Bonvue Street Hops Gardens are currently owned by Observatory Hill Incorporated. These properties can be converted to a community garden operated by a neighborhood organization in the short term. There is also the opportunity for affordable or mixed-income residential infill to welcome new homeowners to the neighborhood.

D. Allen Place Community Services is already a strong community anchor that supports cross generational programming. There is an informal hardscaped park that could benefit from additional lighting and updated public realm infrastructure that could become a new play place for young people and outdoor event space for the Institution.

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P.3 BONVUE STREET OPENSPACE PLAN

OPEN SPACE PLAN Existing Public Amenities Public Amenities Corridor

C B

D C

A

Image retrieved from Google Maps. Overlay by Consultant EvolveEA

CODE

ACTION ITEM DESCRIPTION

TIMELINE Y1 Y2

Y3

Y4

STAKEHOLDERS

RESOURCES

Neighborhood Economic Development Grant

Y5

P.1

Church Redevelopment

The Lamb of God Lion of Judah Ministries, Observatory Hill Development Corporation

P.2

Six-Points Intersection Redesign

Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, Pittsburgh Regional Transit, Perry Traditional High School

P.3

Bonvue Street Open Space Plan

Northside Leadership Conference, Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, Bike Pittsburgh

P.3a

The Riverview Park Soccer Field

City of Pittsburgh

P.3b

Observatory Hill Parking Lot

Public Parking Authority of Pittsburgh

P.3c

The Bonvue Street Hops Gardens

Observatory Hill Development Corporation, Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh

P.3d

Allen Place Community Services

Pride Project Incorporated

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@Baytree Street

Main Street Analysis LAND USE

Land use types are dispersed throughout the 1/4-mile buffer area of the Perrysville @Baytree neighborhood center, giving it a foundation for many business and community oriented opportunities. Most of the business district is currently occupied by civic uses rather than retail and commercial. West of Perrysville is concentrated with larger parcels of civic service and open space uses. East of Perrysville is more residential with a couple of civic services dispersed within. While most parcels are residential, many residents run their own businesses from their homes.

LEGEND Residential - Single Family Residential - Multi Family Civic Services Cultural + Recreational Industrial + Manufacturing Retail + Commercial Parks + Open Space Vacant + Other

ZONING

The Business District is primarily made up of the local neighborhood commercial (LNC) zoning. This type of zone runs mostly along Perrysville Avenue and bleeds into some neighboring cross streets such as Baytree Street. Along areas that are zoned as residential and adjacent to local neighborhood commercial, Some vacant residential and civic buildings that are currently zoned residential (but are adjacent to the LNC zone), may have the infrastructure to support an extension of the local neighborhood commercial zone, but will have to follow additional standards.

LEGEND Single-Unit Detached Residential Local Neighborhood Commercial Parks + Hillside

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“I also hope that the team will include more bike infrastructure to connect parks, schools and the business district. And that there is recognition that this is an important gateway into the city for those traveling south on Route 19.” -Perrysville Avenue Resident MOBILITY

The vehicular traffic at the intersection of Perrysville and Baytree is busy and many larger vehicles, such as trucks, turn here. Throughout the day, there is some consistent traffic that flows through this center. The only Pittsburgh Regional Transit line that runs through Perrysville Avenue is the 8 bus, which has higher ridership to and from the neighborhood center. Dedicated bike lanes run through Mairdale Avenue into East Street and connect to bicycle friendly roads like Perrysville Avenue. The East Street bike lane connects cyclists to Riverview Park and past Parkway North to Northview Heights.

LEGEND PA DOT Improvement Project Bike + Pedestrian Trails Parking Average Weekly Riders PRT Stops (2019) Inbound Outbound Both On boarding Off boarding

SITE ACQUISITION

The city owns three parcels within the strategic planning area including: the public parking lot wedged between Mairdale Avenue and Perrysville Avenue, and the fire station at Bonvue Street.

Outside of that a majority of the parcels owned by the city are hillsides with steep slopes and the Riverview Soccer Field. All of the vacant parcels in and around this plan are off of Perrysville Avenue, with steep slopes in more residential parts of the neighborhood.

LEGEND Publicly Owned Parcel Vacant Parcel Tax Lien Parcel

41

PERRYSVILLE

@NORTH CHARLES STREET & @WILSON AVENUE “Prioritize investment here.” Residents of the Perrysville @North Charles Street and @Wilson Avenue neighborhood centers strongly desire to see life come back to these areas.

These neighborhood centers are located within Perry Hilltop (Perry South) and have several key organizations and partnerships that directly contribute to the overall quality of life of the community. Many of these organizations and residents live along the Charles Street Valley, which, historically, was known to be one of Pittsburgh’s earliest working class streetcar suburbs.

This neighborhood has historically been deeply impacted by substance abuse, which has lasting effects on the community to this day. The North Charles Street neighborhood center was impacted particularly hard until 2002. As substance abuse activity slowed, several properties and businesses along the commercial corridor started to close. These business closures led to a domino effect of decline for the rest of the businesses in the area and the community is still working to address substance abuse issues to this day.

Since then, many of these buildings have been demolished or are vacant, and only a couple of businesses stand. In response to this, the Perry Hilltop Citizen’s Council funded a grant to study what physical improvements can be made to help facilitate business development. Residents during the final stakeholder meeting asked to address the remnants of this history through more investment in the community to address the relationship between the business district and public safety and health concerns.

Being connected to nearby successful business districts and regional assets, and having public transportation options, both of these neighborhood centers have the potential to form their own stable and local business districts. Due to their locational relationships, the North Charles Street center acts as the commercial anchor with the Wilson center as a secondary anchor, providing space for neighborhoodserving businesses.

42

EXISTING CONDITIONS

Main Street Corridor Neighborhood Center 1/4-Mile Buffer Pittsburgh Neighborhood City Tree Canopy Greenways Parks + Cemeteries Waterways

BUILDING FOOTPRINT Commercial Food-Related Recreational + Institutional Industrial + Manufacturing Residential LAND USE Civic Services Cultural + Recreational Industrial + Manufacturing Retail + Commercial

“This area of Perrysville being the least invested of the other two locations will need the most Attention. There is much potential in this community to develop it into a great place for families with the potential to increase economic improvement through jobs, and security by offering something FRESH, NEWLY improved, and appealing. It’s a thoroughfare with easy access to connecting communities (Mcknight Road, East Street, Federal, Brighton, Charles) to list a few... with the funding sources in place we can begin to rebuild the desolate, undeserved, blighted Black communities again.”

Feedback from most recent survey on proposed projects

43

SCHOOL BUILDING BEING REUSED LACK OF STREET LIGHTING

BRIDGE THAT CONNECTS PERRY

FOR SERVICES AND PROGRAMMING

HILLTOP TO NORTHVIEW HEIGHTS

VACANT OLD MOVIE THEATER WITH ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER

PARCEL IS GOING THROUGH PLANS FOR DEVELOPMENT MANY EMPTY LOTS AND BUILDINGS AROUND CORNER

PERRYSVILLE AVENUE FACING CHARLES STREET

CHARLES STREET IS ON A STEEP SLOPE THAT MANY WALK AND DRIVE THROUGH

LARGE VACANT BUILDING ON PARK GROUNDS CLOSED COMMUNITY POOL AND POOL HOUSE

THREE BUSINESSES CAN BE FOUND AT THIS INTERSECTION

SHED FOR PAST FARMERS MARKETS

FOWLER PARK HAS MANY RESIDENCES

OUTDOOR RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

44

SMALL COMMUNITY GARDEN DUE TO ORGANIZATIONAL PARTNERSHIP

CHARLES STREET

T

T

@North Charles Street

Existing Conditions While this neighborhood center is zoned for local commercial use and has a couple of existing 1-3 story buildings standing, most of these spaces are left vacant and dilapidated due to historical disinvestment and demolitions. There is also plenty of open space between these properties. In surveys shared with the community, residents have stated that they do not think of this center as a “traditional main street,” nor do they feel as though a business district resides here. Currently, some residents are working hard to revive some of these remaining buildings to establish businesses and provide services.

While residents have expressed many issues to be solved, some believe that this area is strong for its diverse community, families, and architecture. There is hope that the Perrysville @North Charles Street neighborhood center will one day be a thriving district. In order for this to happen, more investment needs to be put into the main street and surrounding communities.

Stakeholders discussed prioritizing investment in addressing safety and drug use through programming, streetscape improvements and a rehabilitation center. Investment in affordable housing to help support the growth and economic stability of the area was also mentioned.

With a couple of senior centers and schools nearby, this neighborhood center has the potential to serve a variety of age groups. On Charles Street, many people, especially youth, walk up and down the hill that connects parts of Perrysville Avenue.

There are several organizations that provide programs in this area. Fowler Park is a crucial asset to the community and the ongoing masterplan proposal provides recreational space for people of all ages and preserves nature. The park, however, will need regular maintenance.

EXISTING ASSETS North Side Partnership Project Fowler Playground Fowler Park and Pool

Swindell Bridge Community Garden

To Riverview Park

To Northview Heights, East Street and 279

Allegheny Observatory: Riverview Park

Giant Eagle: Brighton Road

5 min drive \ 15 transit \ 33 walk

10 min drive / 30 transit / 60 walk

What We’ve Heard RESIDENTS DESCRIBE THEIR MAIN STREET AS:

“Empty”

“Much potential”

WHAT RESIDENTS ENJOY ABOUT THEIR MAIN STREET:

“Architecture”

“Diversity”

PREFERRED COMMERCIAL SPACE Most people hope to see “any” business type due to the lack of an intact commercial district.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Full-service Restaurants Cafes and Coffee Shops Art or Entertainment Venues Fast Food and Takeout Restaurants Pharmacies

PREFERRED PUBLIC REALM IMPROVEMENTS There is a general desire for streetscape improvements that help with the community’s connectivity and overall safety and beautification. Part of these desires can be expanded by Fowler Park.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Parks Hiking Trails Community Garden Bike Infrastructure Updated Street and Business Signs

Giant Eagle: West View 16 min drive / 23 transit / 90 walk

To North Side (Valley Road) Kuhn’s Market: Perrysville Ave

To North Side (Ridge Road)

5 min drive \ 23 transit \ 25 walk

Gas Station: Valero at Pennsylvania Ave 5 min drive Giant Eagle: Cedar Street 7 min drive / 12 transit / 35 walk

Most images from this page were retrieved from Google Earth overlayed by Consultant EvolveEA

45

PERRYSVILLE

@NORTH CHARLES STREET

P.3 CORE COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT P.2 NORTH CHARLES STREETSCAPE IMPROVEMENT P.1 MAPLE AVENUE BRIDGE IMPROVEMENT

P.4 FOWLER PARK GATEWAY P.5 MULTI-FAMILY INFILL DEVELOPMENT

Image retrieved from Google Earth. Overlay by Consultant EvolveEA

STREETSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS OPPORTUNITIES Building Facade Renovation Green Space Improvement Pedestrian Safety Improvement Area Road Reconfiguration

46

IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS OPPORTUNITIES Strengthen Core Neighborhood Center Building New Development

Action Items P.1

MAPLE AVENUE BRIDGE IMPROVEMENT This bridge is a major entryway into the North Charles neighborhood center, especially for the Northview Heights community. Improvements to this bridge should include pedestrian enhancements as well as local art and lighting in the trestle (which could be the basis of an updated main street graphic identity). This bridge connects vertically to the plaza at Mc Naugher Education Center, and upgrades to the plaza area should be coordinated to support hardscaped main street programming.

P.2

NORTH CHARLES STREETSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS Careful consideration should be given to increase safety at the intersections and to serve as a main street gateway for the surrounding parks. The community is concerned about speeding traffic, and have felt wary of walking. Since this neighborhood center is particularly tight, having a safe intersection becomes critical to the overall pedestrian experience.

P.3

CORE COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT One of the biggest priorities in this area is to address the aging building stock and growing vacancies in storefronts.

Most of the building stock around the North Charles Street intersection would benefit from a facade improvement program. Since there is a critical mass of developable properties, property owners and business owners can leverage a larger development package.

The community prioritized the stabilization and development of signature buildings like the former Atlas Theatre and the American Legion building. The former Atlas Theatre building has been closed for many years and has been used as a storage space for its ample square footage.

47

P4.

P.5

48

FOWLER PARK GATEWAY Fowler Park is a tremendous community asset with a lot of existing programming; however, the community has had concerns about harmful activity along Canter Way that makes it unsafe for young people. More prominent commercial uses on the 2500 block of Perrysville Avenue can mark another important gateway into the commercial neighborhood center, and put more eyes on street. Offsetting Canter Way a few feet can support future commercial development on this block by providing more space for a service road. The city of Pittsburgh has already begun work developing a Master plan for Fowler Park which includes a new pool house and pool area, gym and basketball court and a new connection to Perrysville Avenue at the corner of Kenwood Avenue. The community would also benefit from a new anchor building that is integrated with a park entrance plaza.

MULTI-FAMILY INFILL DEVELOPMENT We have heard that there is a lot of interest in living in and establishing roots in the neighborhood, but much of the vacant housing stock is un-occupiable. Just off of Perrysville Avenue are some large clusters of vacant property along Ellzey Street and North Charles Street that would be prime candidates for an affordable, multi-family infill development package. Providing additional units near the main street creates a built-in captive audience who would be willing to patron the commercial corridor. This would also address the high demand for affordable homeownership opportunities within the community.

FOWLER PARK MASTER PLAN Pashek MTR. (May 6, 2022).

(Accessed September 2022). < https://engage.pittsburghpa. gov/FPMP>.

C1.

SUPPORT FOR PEOPLE WITH SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER Throughout the process residents brought up safety concerns near the commercial district citing that while you can make the community beautiful, if there aren’t improvements to personal safety and well being, the project will miss a core challenge.

Much of the concern that we heard centered around how to best address people suffering with substance abuse disorders, particularly around Hough Way and Canter Way. What is most profound about this issue is how intimately substance use has connected to the commercial district’s story.

In 2002, a prominent business owner at the Perrysville @North Charles Street neighborhood center was arrested for operating the largest cocaine and heroin operation in western Pennsylvania. While at the time, this helped with the public safety concerns in the area, this also had a, “devastating effect on the commercial activity near the intersection, with the seizure of four significant properties along Perrysville Avenue.”

These business closures led to a domino effect of decline for the rest of the businesses in this area.

We have seen a shift in how the nation is dealing with substance abuse from punitive to focusing on safety and rehabilitation. The social determinants of people who are prone to substance use disorder are well documented, including factors like poverty, low neighborhood attachment and community disorganization and substance availability.

There is a general consensus around the fact that the public needs greater investment in supporting more empathetic community-based interventions, and needs further discussions with affected members of the community to determine the right solution.

CODE

ACTION ITEM DESCRIPTION

TIMELINE Y1 Y2

STAKEHOLDERS Y3

Y4

RESOURCES

Y5

P.1

Maple Avenue Bridge Improvement

Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, Southwestern Pennsylvania Conservancy

P.2

North Charles Streetscape Improvements

Department of Mobility and Infrastructure

P.3

Core Commercial Development

Property Owners, Business Owners, Fineview & Perry Hilltop Citizens Councils, Northside Leadership Conference,

P.4

Fowler Park Gateway

City of Pittsburgh

P.5

Multi-Family Infill Development

Southern Tier Environments for Living Incorporated, City of Pittsburgh, Fineview & Perry Hilltop Citizens Councils, Northside Leadership Conference,

Neighborhood Economic Development Grant

C.1

Support For People With Substance Use Disorder

Fineview & Perry Hilltop Citizens Councils, Northside Leadership Conference, Policy Link

Evidence Base Resoource Guide; Supporting Community-Based Substance Abuse Prevention; Public Service Grant

Neighborhood Economic Development Grant

49

@North Charles Street

Main Street Analysis LAND USE

The land uses at this neighborhood center speak much about the setbacks and opportunities the commercial area is facing. Areas that have retail and commercial as well as cultural and recreational land uses are currently sitting vacant. While the surrounding area feels more residential with vacancies throughout, it is also interspersed with civic, cultural, and recreational services. The largest park and open space in this area, Fowler Park, is located nearby.

LEGEND Residential - Single Family Residential - Multi Family Civic Services Cultural + Recreational Industrial + Manufacturing Retail + Commercial Parks + Open Space Vacant + Other

ZONING

Within a short walking distance from the intersection of Perrysville Avenue and North Charles Street, you can find both multi-unit and single-detached residential, local neighborhood commercial and park zoning uses, which allows for future opportunities for high-density development.

LEGEND Single-Unit Detached Residential Multi-Unit Residential Local Neighborhood Commercial Parks + Hillside

50

MOBLITY

This center is a gateway into the Perry Hilltop community because the intersection of Perrysville Avenue and North Charles is connected in every direction. Visitors can drive or walk from Northview Heights to this neighborhood center due to the Swindell Bridge that crosses Parkway North.

This market of people can play a crucial role in the success of the business district. Traveling south of Perrysville connects the district to other neighborhood centers in Perry Hilltop, Fineview, and the Mexican War Streets. Pittsburgh Regional Transit buses 8, 11, and 15 are accessible in this area.

LEGEND PA DOT Improvement Project Bike + Pedestrian Trails Parking PRT Stops (2019) Average Weekly Riders Inbound Outbound Both On boarding Off boarding

SITE ACQUISITION

This neighborhood center shows classic signs of disinvestment. There are many vacancies both within and around the neighborhood center, and a high incidence of tax liens, and more vacancies that, without intervention, increase the likelihood of demolition. Within the study area, tax-lien properties could be positioned as catalytic mixed use business district projects (between North Charles and Legion Streets on Perrysville) and would support increased business activity for the District and improve property values for property owners.

LEGEND Publicly Owned Parcel Vacant Parcel Tax Lien Parcel

51

MAJORITY VACANT MIXED USE BUILDING

RESIDENCES FACE EMPTY COMMERCIAL AREA

STREET TREE

PERRYSVILLE AVENUE + WILSON AVENUE CLOTHING DONATIONS

STRIP MALL WITH PARKING AND VACANT STOREFRONTS

ONE BUSINESS

SHARP STREET TURN

RETAINING WALL

INACCESSIBLE SIDEWALK

52

ONE-SIDED STREET PARKING

PERRYSVILLE AVENUE + CLAYTON AVENUE

@Wilson Avenue

Existing Conditions The existing fabric of this neighborhood center has much potential. Mature street trees, bus stops, trash cans, and curb cuts are elements of an active streetscape that other communities desire. Parts of the sidewalk are burdened by invasive landscapes that are not maintained and there are improperly parked cars, causing people to have to walk on the street. Three types of buildings are found in this center: Rows of low-rise buildings, a strip mall, and single-use 2-3 story buildings.

Most of the commercial area falls on one side of the street with only two active businesses, a funeral home and convenience store, on the other side of the street. These building types are all found within the local neighborhood commercial zone along the curve on Perrysville Avenue. Parking was identified by stakeholders as an issue. There are significant gaps between buildings, including parking areas and vacant lots, where former buildings may have once stood. Recently, two vacant residences collapsed along the corridor, creating an emergency safety issue.

Being part of the loop that connects to Perrysville @North Charles Street, this area is integral in connecting residents from different parts of the hill along Perrysville Avenue. People have commented that this area also feels quite disconnected from the North Charles Street neighborhood center. By prioritizing investment in essential businesses, we can address the needs of residents who live here and begin to connect the two nodes.

EXISTING ASSETS Robinson Funeral Home Clayton Academy Triangle Tech

Perry Hilltop Citizens Council Corner of Hope Parklet One Perry Place

What We’ve Heard *These responses taken from an initial community survey addressed for the Perry Hilltop area, specifically by the Perrysville @North Charles Street neighborhood center.

RESIDENTS DESCRIBE THEIR MAIN STREET AS:

“Much potential” “Nonexistent” WHAT RESIDENTS ENJOY ABOUT THEIR MAIN STREET:

“Community and Family-Oriented” “Architecture” PREFERRED COMMERCIAL SPACE Most people hope to see “any” business type due to the lack of an intact commercial district.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Full-service Restaurants Cafes and Coffee Shops Art or Entertainment Venues Fast Food and Takeout Restaurants Pharmacies

To Fowler Park PREFERRED PUBLIC REALM IMPROVEMENTS There is a general desire for streetscape improvements that help with the community’s connectivity and overall safety and beautification. Part of these desires can be expanded into Fowler Park: To Central Northside 4 min drive

To northern Perrysville Ave communities & 279

Kuhns Market: Highwood St

Giant Eagle: Brighton Road

5 min drive / 15 transit / 26 walk Giant

10 min drive / 30 transit / 70 walk

Eagle: Cedar Street

Giant Eagle: West View

7 min drive / 11 transit / 30 walk

16 min drive / 26 transit / 120 walk

Gas Station: Valero at Pennsylvania Ave

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Parks Hiking Trails Community Garden Bike Infrastructure Updated Street and Business Signs

All images on this page were retrieved from Google Earth overlayed by Consultant EvolveEA

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PERRYSVILLE

@WILSON AVENUE P.1 ROBINSON FUNERAL HOME IMPROVEMENT P.2 WILSON AVENUE CONNECTION

P.3 CORE COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT

P.4 CORNER PLAZA IMPROVEMENTS

Image retrieved from Google Earth. Overlay by Consultant EvolveEA

STREETSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS OPPORTUNITIES Facade Renovation Green Space Improvement Pedestrian Safety Improvement Area Road Reconfiguration

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P.5 ONE PERRY PLACE DEVELOPMENT

IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS OPPORTUNITIES Strengthen Core Neighborhood Center Building New Development

Action Items P.1

ROBINSON FUNERAL HOME IMPROVEMENT This neighborhood anchor has served the community for over 50 years. They have made recent updates to their property that have positively impacted the public realm at this center.

Its strategic location warrants additional consideration for streetscape strategies, namely a taller plant canopy to help buffer the parking lot from the street.

P.2

WILSON AVENUE CONNECTIONS Wilson Avenue connects this commercial center to Fowler Park’s pool at the North Charles center. Many kids walk down Wilson Avenue to go to the pool but ther sidewalks are in need of some maintenance to reinforce this connection, and traffic calming strategies for the intersection at Perrysville Avenue. Finally, there are some parcels that are in disrepair or vacant on this street that should also be looked at for scattered site affordable single family development potential.

P.3

CORE COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT This area plays a crucial role in supporting Perry Hilltop’s business districts. While the building stock here has significant architectural quality many have fallen into disrepair, and pose a safety hazard. There are several large lots that can support new commercial development with apartments above. The URA currently owns and has plans to activate these lots in the shortterm as an outdoor accessory use to the adjacent buildings and businesses.

P.4

CORNER PLAZA IMPROVEMENTS This is a great corner for possible public use and beautification of the street. A new parklet with uses that relate to the adjacent buildings, such as dining patios, can add to greater pedestrian occupation, and signal to a passerby that this is a place to stop and stay.

The URA currently owns these parcels and plans to activate vacant lots for this purpose.

A & P FOOD STORES AND ROBINSON’S PHARMACY Historic Pittsburgh (University of Pittsburgh’s Digital Research Library). (July 24, 1962).

(Accessed August 2022).

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P.5

ONE PERRY PLACE DEVELOPMENT One Perry Place is a prime area for development improvements for its prominent location, existing community offerings, and as a gateway for Clayton Academy students via Clayton street. It has access to both Perrysville Avenue and Federal Street - two major connectors that lead directly into Allegheny Commons Park. This property is owned by Perry Partners through Triangle Tech, who uses the site as a satellite location, along with a number of other business that also lease space in the building. The community has fond memories of this shopping center being the home to a laundromat, breakfast restaurant and small grocery store.

Presently Allegheny County Adult Probation office is here and there is a welding shop in the back.

Recommendations for this site include a parking study to understand what is needed for the shopping center and what could possibly be reused for a potential plaza and woonerf, a roadway shared with pedestrians, that connect Perrysville Avenue and Federal Street Extension. Other recommendations seek to connect the strip mall to the rest of the commercial area with a safer intersection where there is a curb cut, updating the retaining wall to include more steps to the sidewalk, and incorporating a commercial corridor graphic identity with an expressive wall.

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AERIAL: ONE PERRY PLACE BUILDING AND SITE LAYOUT Moore, Meagan (HANNA Langolz Wilson Ellis), “Unique Office/Retail Space for Lease: One Perry Place.” (Accessed August 2022).

ALLEGHENY COUNTY COURT OF COMMON PLEAS CHILDREN’S COURT, LOCATED IN THE ONE PERRY PLACE STRIP MALL ALONG PERRYSVILLE AVENUE. Moore, Meagan (HANNA Langolz Wilson Ellis), “Unique Office/Retail Space for Lease: One Perry Place.” (Accessed August 2022).

CODE

ACTION ITEM DESCRIPTION

TIMELINE Y1 Y2

STAKEHOLDERS Y3

Y4

RESOURCES

Y5

P.1

Robinson Funeral Home Improvement

Robinson Funeral Home

P.2

Wilson Avenue Connections

Department of Mobility and Infrastructure

P.3

Core Commercial Development

Perry Hilltop Farm, Urban Redevelopment Authority, Property Owners, Business Owners, Fineview & Perry Hilltop Citizens Councils, Northside Leadership Conference

P.4

Corner Plaza improvements

Urban Redevelopment Authority, Property Owners, Business Owners

P.5

One Perry Place Development

Triangle Tech, Fineview & Perry Hilltop Citizens Councils, Northside Leadership Conferenc

Neighborhood Economic Development Grant

Neighborhood Economic Development Grant

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@Wilson Avenue

Main Street Analysis LAND USE

The neighborhood center currently has a variety of land uses. Residents mentioned how One Perry Place used to be home to a variety of retail such as a Foodland and laundromat that directly served the community. There are also some standalone land uses such as industrial and manufacturing with an empty parcel and two educational institutions, including Triangle Tech and Clayton Academy.

LEGEND Residential - Single Family Residential - Multi Family Civic Services Cultural + Recreational Industrial + Manufacturing Retail + Commercial Parks + Open Space Vacant + Other

ZONING

A Local Neighborhood Commercial (LNC) zone can be found mostly on one side of this section of Perrysville Avenue.The residential zone contains mostly single detached houses that are in varying condition. Single detached houses on the residential zone are in varying condition states. A unique use within the LNC zone is One Perry Place where there is a large intact one-story building with parking off of the main street.

LEGEND Single-Unit Detached Residential Multi-Unit Residential Local Neighborhood Commercial Parks + Hillside Educational or Medical Institution

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MOBLITY

For a small neighborhood center, one can find multiple public transit stops for Pittsburgh Regional Transit buses 8 and 11 with medium to high average weekly ridership. While the area feels more residential, there are numerous vehicles that drive by this center everyday. The harsh curves along this center call for a road diet which can improve pedestrian safety.

LEGEND PA DOT Improvement Project Bike + Pedestrian Trails Parking PRT Stops (2019) Average Weekly Riders Inbound Outbound Both On boarding Off boarding

SITE ACQUISITION

Following conversations with the community throughout the business district strategic planning process, the URA has included an additional neighborhood center along the Perrysville corridor for prioritized commercial investment.

The intersection at Wilson Street already has buildings with significant architectural character that appears to have once had a commercial storefront, and connects students of Clayton Academy and Triangle Tech directly to the west end of Fowler Park.

LEGEND Publicly Owned Parcel Vacant Parcel Tax Lien Parcel

59

CHARTIERS AVE CORRIDOR Chartiers Avenue serves as the business center for many neighborhoods in the West End of Pittsburgh, and those diverse needs are reflected in the scale of commercial offerings along the corridor. Across the avenue there are diverse development opportunities, providing move-in ready commercial space for local businesses and new communal spaces where residents can host events and programming.

As a prominent avenue of the West End, Chartiers Avenue is home to many business districts that serve the residents within and around this area. The neighborhood centers are notable business districts along the corridor that typically connect to at least 2 streets and are close in proximity to city assets such as large green spaces and the busway.

The most common sentiment by stakeholders about the neighborhood centers along Chartiers Avenue was a feeling that the business district lacked diversity of types of businesses. Stakeholders were surprised by the number of businesses recorded in the statistics and felt that there might be latent demand for space on main street if these businesses needed storefronts. Residents would like to see their business districts be brought back to how they once were, thriving with diverse and quality options that addressed their needs. Stakeholders in these meetings asked for more education related to becoming a business owner and for existing vacant land to be prioritized for acquisition by the URA. Focusing on how these new investment opportunities can bring experiences and affordable care for youth and elder populations was another ask.

Main Street Goals 01 Invest in high quality businesses that address local needs, such as access to fresh food.

02 Invest is third spaces for community members to work, collaborate, and gather.

03 Further support existing businesses and spaces that are assets to the community and region.

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NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS Main Street Corridor Neighborhood Center 1/4-Mile Buffer Edge of Pavement Rail Lines Building Footprint Industrial Building Footprint Anchor Building Footprint Parks + Cemeteries Waterways

AVENUES OF HOPE CENTER Main Street Building Footprint Building Footprint Commercial Cluster NON-AVENUES OF HOPE CENTER Main Street Building Footprint Building Footprint Commercial Cluster

.25 Miles

CHARTIERS

@MERLE STREET

CHARTIERS

@ALLENDALE STREET

CHARTIERS

@CORLISS STREET

CHARTIERS

@HILLSBORO STREET

CHARTIERS AVENUE

CHARTIERS

@LORENZ AVENUE

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PLANNING PROCESS

This report is the result of a 10-month process, composed of there phases, which are described in the diagram below.

The process included stakeholder engagement (surveys and meetings), and review of past reports, and a market analysis.

This process engaged residents, business owners, patrons, and organizational leaders who shared their concerns with the existing conditions of their main streets and their hopes and wishes for the future.

2022

RESIDENTS DESCRIBE THEIR MAIN STREET AS:

“Immense potential”

“Lacking but hopeful”

“Desolate”

WHAT RESIDENTS ENJOY ABOUT THEIR MAIN STREET: “Good

transportation”

PHASE 01

ARTICULATING A VISION

“Community Garden”

MAR

for a shared understanding of project goals and a clear process to get to the finish line.

“Christmas tree lighting”

APR

Phase 01 Deliverable: Business District Baseline Inventory

FEB

PHASE 02

JUL AUG SEP OCT

NOV

“Views of downtown, rivers + Ohio river valley”

WHAT RESIDENTS WOULD LIKE TO SEE CHANGED ABOUT THEIR MAIN STREET:

MAY

JUN

“Present small businesses”

DEVELOPING A STRATEGY that identifies projects in the community that support our goals and how they can work in tandem with each other.

Phase 02 Deliverable: Preliminary Main Street Strategy

PHASE 03

CREATING AN ACTION PLAN of proposals that identify the people, policies, places, and performance goals necessary to move forward.

Avenues of Hope: Business District Strategy Final Report

“More business diversity” “Surveillance and lighting ” “Bring diverse retail options” “Restore city steps “Increase community pride and property values”

WHAT IMPEDES BUSINESS AND DEVELOPMENT GROWTH:

“Loitering” “Lack of tax benefits and support for small businesses and startups.”

Core Team Meeting Project Team Meeting Stakeholder Strategy Meeting Final Deliverable

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“Unaffordable land” “Violence, drugs, blight”

PLACEMAKING SURVEY QUESTION: In the future, which venues of activities would you like to see on Perrysville Avenue?

There is an overall desire for more opportunities to be outside through improved infrastructure and spontaneous events.

Avenues of Hope Main Street Survey. Summer 2022.

PAST REPORTS: What past recommendations are still relevant to this process?

SHERADEN PARK MASTER PLAN The Sheraden Park Master Plan proposes new recreational areas and facilities that will provide quality greenspace for future programming and places.

Studio Bryan Hanes, Brean Associates, Sci-Tek Consultants, Inc. (March 2020).

(Accessed September 2022). <https:// pittsburghpa.gov/dcp/sheraden-park>.

WEST PITTSBURGH COMMUNITY ACTION PLAN: A COLLABORATIVE VISION FOR FUTURE GROWTH AND ENHANCEMENT

“Undertake a storefront art program to provide immediate improvements to vacant retail district spaces.

Engage local students, artists, cultural nonprofits and universities.

Promote local artists with events, tours and partnerships.”

Jackson/Clark Partners and Studio for Spatial Practice (Spring 2010). Pg 19.

(Accessed September 2022).

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COMMUNITY SURVEY QUESTION: In the future, which public spaces and events would you like to see on Chartiers Avenue?

The majority of survey respondents think it is important for their main street to better connect residents to one another.

Avenues of Hope Main Street Survey. Summer 2022.

PAST REPORTS: What past recommendations are still relevant to this process?

WEST PITTSBURGH COMMUNITY ACTION PLAN: A COLLABORATIVE VISION FOR FUTURE GROWTH AND ENHANCEMENT

“Develop a retail market assessment and recruitment plan that provides a strategy for neighborhood business district improvements, leverages Transportation Oriented Development planning, and establishes redevelopment plans for a Sheraden Market Square and a West End Village Elliott Overlook approach.”

Jackson/Clark Partners and Studio for Spatial Practice (Spring 2010). Pgs 19, 21. (Accessed Sept.2022).

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"Establish neighborhood youth centers providing accessible afterschool resources and recreation for neighborhood students.”

BUSINESS There is an overall desire for a balance of more ‘third spaces’ and businesses that provide daily amenities. The majority of survey respondents think it is important for their main street to better connect residents to other economic hubs.

SURVEY QUESTION: In the future, which businesses would you like to see on Chartiers Avenue?

MARKET SURPLUS/LEAKAGE DATA

Avenues of Hope Main Street Survey. Summer 2022.

SITE INVENTORY

Retail Commercial Industrial Civic + Recreational Government Other

65

CHARTIERS

@MERLE STREET The Chartiers @Merle Street neighborhood center is located within the Windgap neighborhood and is close to Chartiers City of West Pittsburgh. This neighborhood center is within a stable, suburban part of the Chartiers Avenue corridor and is home to a small number of businesses. Critical next steps include engaging existing businesses within the center and nearby to expand their offerings to better address local needs, and to support new business owners who are interested in locating here.

Being at the tail-end of the Chartiers corridor, the Chartiers @Merle Street neighborhood center is quiet and disconnected. Residents utilize services and businesses in areas that provide more options and are close in proximity, such as McKees Rocks and Ingram.

Supporting a strong local business district here, that has its own unique identity similar to the neighborhood itself, will ultimately provide for both current and new residents.

This community is family-oriented and has a critical mass of child-friendly amenities. The existing neighborhood center’s business district speaks to this and these services should continue to be supported.

That leaves little square footage of available space for new businesses, which should prioritize core businesses that address the immediate needs of the surrounding community and attract new visitors.

Bringing core business here while residents continue to support the existing ones will create a stabilized business district, which will also help with the overall market value of the surrounding residential area.

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EXISTING CONDITIONS

Main Street Corridor Neighborhood Center 1/4-Mile Buffer Pittsburgh Neighborhood City Tree Canopy Greenways Parks + Cemeteries Waterways

BUILDING FOOTPRINT Commercial Food-Related Recreational + Institutional Industrial + Manufacturing Residential LAND USE Civic Services Cultural + Recreational Industrial + Manufacturing Retail + Commercial

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A BUSINESS AND YOUTH NONPROFIT OUTSIDE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER

DESTINATION BUSINESS WITH MANY BUSINESSES HAVE SETBACKS

LARGE SETBACK

BEAUTY SALON ADJACENT TO A VACANT STOREFRONT

CORNER VACANT LOT WIDE INTERSECTION

WARFLE STREET AND VEDAS WAY FACING CHARTIERS @MERLE INTERSECTION

LACK OF STREET LIGHTING PLAYGROUND

SPRAY PARK FEATURE

GREEN SPACES ALONG QUIET STREET EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER

68 CHARTIERS AVENUE @SUTER STREET AND EYRE WAY

@Merle Street

Existing Conditions This neighborhood center’s zoning supports a small commercial area, encouraging dense commercial amenities that can directly serve the surrounding residential area. The neighborhood center has 5 streets segments that intersect in a pentagon form. The surrounding 1- to 3-story commercial buildings are only located within this area, limiting the amount of space for buildings, but also creating an interesting and connected district. These buildings have setbacks from the street that can be utilized for parking, outdoor seating, or additional support space for the businesses. Some vacant buildings in this area can be developed to provide additional services and retail. Currently, the businesses that serve this area include a daycare, hair salon and pest control. There is an industrial park nearby that has businesses that do not directly serve community members.

Reflecting the demographics and character of the surrounding neighborhood, services here are mostly family-oriented. By the early childhood center is a new spray park with a water park feature and playground. While there are amenities for young children, the area is lacking in amenities for teens, adults and seniors. For groceries, residents drive to McKees Rocks or Ingram to shop for food. Stakeholders have mentioned the desire to bring restaurants to the area.

EXISTING ASSETS Quality housing Proximity to greenspace Win Char Community Center

McKees Rocks business district Chartiers Early Childhood Center Chartiers Playground

What We’ve Heard *These responses are taken from an initial community survey addressing the overall Chartiers corridor neighborhood centers.

RESIDENTS DESCRIBE THEIR MAIN STREET AS:

“Immense potential”

“Lacking but hopeful”

“Desolate”

WHAT RESIDENTS ENJOY ABOUT THEIR MAIN STREET:

“Good transportation”

“Old architecture”

“Small Businesses”

PREFERRED COMMERCIAL SPACE There is an overall desire for a balance of more ‘third spaces’ and businesses that provide daily amenities.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Full-service Restaurants Cafe/Coffee Shop Grocery Stores Fast-Food/Takeout Restaurants Pharmacies Laundromats

to McKees Rocks Giant Eagle McKees Rocks 6 min drive / 30 transit / 44 walk Giant

to Fairywood

ALDI @Chartiers 6 min drive / 20 transit / 29 walk Gas: GetGo @Vine + Chartiers

Ingram Shopping Center

PREFERRED PUBLIC REALM IMPROVEMENTS Desire for more opportunities to be outside through improved infrastructure and spontaneous events.

4 min drive

Giant Eagle 5 min drive / 12 transit / 40 walk Gas: GetGo 6 min drive

to Chartiers City and Sheraden + W. Busway

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Food Festivals Places to sit, stand, chat Pop-up Shops Outdoor Exercise Classes Street Trees Cook Off

Chartiers Playground 7 min walk

All images on this page were retrieved from Google Earth overlayed by Consultant EvolveEA

69

CHARTIERS

@MERLE STREET P.2 FACADE RENOVATIONS

P.1 MERLE STREET INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENT

Image retrieved from Google Earth. Overlay by Consultant EvolveEA

STREETSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS OPPORTUNITIES Building Facade Renovation Green Space Improvement Pedestrian Safety Improvement Area Road Reconfiguration

70

IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS OPPORTUNITIES Strengthen Core Neighborhood Center Building New Development

Action Items P.1

MERLE STREET INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS Being that this neighborhood center is relatively small, how well the intersection functions becomes even more critical.

The treatment of branding and signage on this main street will define the area and create a sense of arrival. One major concern from the community was around intersection safety.

There are currently no designated crosswalks or traffic lights across Perrysville Avenue and as a result the few businesse that are located here don’t appear tied together and instead look like one-off businesses. A road diet at this intersection can begin to perceptually pull together these main street assets, and seeing people cross the street alerts a passerby that this is indeed a place to stop and stay. Intersection improvements can also benefit the daycare by clarifying the parking and drop-off requirements and can benefit PRT through the addition of a memorable bus stop.

P.2

FACADE RENOVATIONS Building off of the intersection improvements in the public realm, there are strategies that property owners can also employ to create a more unified commercial center. Facade renovations, supported by the URA, can improve building faces so the existing building stock can have a more updated ground floor design. The development of open space in front of or adjacent to these existing buildings can also be part of the streetscape improvements. Small cafe seating, general street furniture and public art installations and murals can all be included in a facade renovation package to assist existing and new businesses.

B.1

BUSINESS RECRUITMENT FOCUS: LOCAL ENTREPRENEURS There are local and legacy businesses that are actively interested in moving their businesses here. Due to the small amount of space for development and the center’s distance from other amenities, priority businesses must address basic needs. A few businesses that have reached out to the community include an ice cream stand, a barbecue restaurant, and a Jamaican restaurant.

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C.1

CODE

WARFLE STREET YOUTH CORRIDOR Just outside of the neighborhood center there is the Chartiers Early Childhood Center and Chartiers Playground. These two community assets coupled with the Child Daycare center on Chartiers presents an opportunity for this area to develop into a child friendly neighborhood that has walkable destinations, eyes on the street and programming centered around children and parents. Chartiers Playground has plans for a new spray park and there has been interest in opening up a celebratory space for the community. Warfle Street connects all of these assets off of the main throughway, and improvements should emphasize pedestrian safety.

ACTION ITEM DESCRIPTION

TIMELINE Y1 Y2

STAKEHOLDERS Y3

Y4

Base image from Google; Maps overlayed by consultant EvolveEA

RESOURCES

Y5

P.1

Merle Street Intersection Improvements

Department of Mobility and Infrastructure

P.2

Facade Renovations

Property Owners, Business Owners

B.1

Business Recruitment Focus: Local Entrepreneurs

Idea Foundry, Win-Char Civic Association

C.3

Warfle Street Youth Corridor

Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, Chartiers Elementary School

72

WARFLE STREET CONNECTION TO PARK

Neighborhood Economic Development Grant

Chartiers Park Plan

73

@Merle Street

Main Street Analysis LAND USE

The Chartiers Avenue at Merle Street neighborhood center is located within a neighborhood with mostly single family residential units. The neighborhood center itself mostly contains buildings used for services and one for retail. The stretch of vacant parcels on Youghiogheny Street creates a vast open greenspace that buffers the residential area from the industrial park across the bridge, which houses some of the businesses that are part of Windgap.

LEGEND Residential - Single Family Residential - Multi Family Civic Services Cultural + Recreational Industrial + Manufacturing Retail + Commercial Parks + Open Space Vacant + Other

ZONING

A majority of the neighborhood center is zoned as Local Neighborhood Commercial, which gives the area an opportunity to add commercial spaces that help directly support the surrounding residents. Local Neighborhood Commercial zoning is also found north on Youghiogheny Street, which is considered to be civic service land use. Currently, telling by the abandoned vehicles and overgrown landscape over hardscaped area, this open lot appears to have had a prior use, and it is not currently active civic space that can directly benefit the community.

LEGEND Single-Unit Detached Residential Low Density Local Neighborhood Commercial Parks + Hillside

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MOBLITY

Being detached from the rest of the neighborhoods along Chartiers Avenue, most people travel by car in this area. Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus 27 is the only usable public bus. Bus 27 has stops at the heart of the neighborhood center and has bus shelters for most of the inbound stops, but not the outbound stops towards Crafton-Ingram. Since traffic is low, biking here is more accessible without the proper infrastructure. On game days at Chartiers Playground, parking overflows by the Chartiers Early Childhood Center.

LEGEND PA DOT Improvement Project Bike + Pedestrian Trails Parking PRT Stops (2019) Average Weekly Riders Inbound Outbound Both On boarding Off boarding

SITE ACQUISITION

There aren’t many vacant parcels within the neighborhood center but there are some scattered vacancies around the commercial area that might be viable for residential infill development. There are also a few clusters of tax-lien parcels along Windgap Avenue and Pinney Way that the URA may want to evaluate for long-term stability.

LEGEND Publicly Owned Parcel Vacant Parcel Tax Lien Parcel

75

CHARTIERS

@ALLENDALE STREET @HILLSBORO STREET @CORLISS STREET It is not a coincidence that these three neighborhood centers are at the middle of the Chartiers Avenue corridor, as they play a central role in providing for both surrounding residents and regional consumers. Currently, the Chartiers @Corliss Street neighborhood center provides regional services; the Chartiers @Hillsboro Street center provides civic services to the general area; and the Chartiers @Allendale Street center consists of more local, support businesses and services.

There is an overall desire for a balance of third spaces and businesses that provide for people’s basic needs. Examples of these businesses are: Fullservice restaurants, grocery stores, pharmacies, cafes, coffee shops, fast food restaurants, and laundromats.

During stakeholder meetings, participants considered experimenting with pop-up shops as a tactic to identify what businesses will be most successful along Chartiers Avenue.

It is apparent that residents care for their community through streetscape improvements such as the Weed and Seed flower gardens happening By Universal and Sherwood Avenue and Allendale Street, and the overall participation from residents in the surrounding neighborhoods. Stakeholders have mentioned that the Jasmine Nyree campus in Sheraden serves as a Recovery Community Organization (RCO), renovating vacant properties to provide housing and cultural amenities such as a museum within Sheraden’s civic center. The resident survey shows an overall desire for more programming opportunities such as spontaneous events, specifically food-related events. Examples of this are food festivals, cooks off, pop-up shops, and outdoor exercise classes, as well as dedicated places to stand, sit and chat.

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EXISTING CONDITIONS

Main Street Corridor Neighborhood Center 1/4-Mile Buffer Pittsburgh Neighborhood City Tree Canopy Greenways Parks + Cemeteries Waterways

BUILDING FOOTPRINT Commercial Food-Related Recreational + Institutional Industrial + Manufacturing Residential LAND USE Civic Services Cultural + Recreational Industrial + Manufacturing Retail + Commercial

77

BUILDING WITH MULTIPLE

PLUMBERS TRAINING FACILITY WALKING TRAIL TO SERIES OF SMALL BUSINESSES

STOREFRONTS AND SETBACK

SHERADEN PARK + POOL

LOTS ADJACENT TO

SCHOOL CHILDREN PICK UP AT

BUSINESSES

BUS STOP SHELTER

CHARTIERS AVE @ALLENDALE STREET

MANY BUSINESSES ALONG THIS STRETCH

HISTORIC GAS STATION, NOW A BARBER SHOP

MANY CARS PARK ON THE SIDEWALK, PUBLICLY OWNED PARCEL

FORCING PEOPLE TO WALK IN THE ROAD

“BOOKEND” OF CHARTIERS @

78

ALLENDALE STREET CENTER

CHARTIERS AVENUE @HOOVER STREET

@Allendale Street

Existing Conditions

What We’ve Heard

Chartiers @Allendale Street is one of the three neighborhood centers found within the Sheraden neighborhood. The commercial area consists of three blocks that are concentrated mostly on one side of Chartiers Avenue. Cars park on the street in front of the businesses, in lots behind the businesses, or illegally parked on sidewalks on Chartiers Avenue across from the businesses. Due to vacancies and a lack of proper signage and identity, the bookends of this neighborhood center feel forgotten.

*These responses are taken from an initial community survey addressing the overall Chartiers corridor neighborhood centers.

Some buildings off of Chartiers Avenue have started going through facade renovations. Stakeholders have mentioned that a big limitation in acquiring buildings and renovations here has been maintenance costs since some buildings are known to have asbestos issues that need to be addressed. Recent demolitions have created some gaps between businesses that can bring future opportunities for accessory business support such as parking or outdoor seating, or future development of commercial or residential spaces.

The neighborhood center has a foundation of elements that are opportunities for stability and future growth. Most of the neighborhood center is less than a 15-minute walk away from a greenspace such as a park or parklet, which is both a great asset to the residents as well as the business district.

ALDI @Chartiers 6 min drive / 26 transit / 27 walk Giant Eagle McKees Rocks

“Immense potential”

“Lacking but hopeful”

“Desolate”

WHAT RESIDENTS ENJOY ABOUT THEIR MAIN STREET:

“Good transportation”

“Old architecture”

“Small Businesses”

PREFERRED COMMERCIAL SPACE There is an overall desire for a balance of more ‘third spaces’ and businesses that provide daily amenities.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

EXISTING ASSETS Sheraden Park Workforce Development Programming Food Spaces Skateboard Park McGonigle Park

to Windgap + Chartiers City

RESIDENTS DESCRIBE THEIR MAIN STREET AS:

Full-service Restaurants Cafe/Coffee Shop Grocery Stores Fast-Food/Takeout Restaurants Pharmacies Laundromats

PREFERRED PUBLIC REALM IMPROVEMENTS Desire for more opportunities to be outside through improved infrastructure and spontaneous events.

9 min drive / 40 transit / 65 walk

Mutual Parklet 11 min walk

Sheraden Park

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Food Festivals Places to sit, stand, chat Pop-up Shops Outdoor Exercise Classes Street Trees Cook Off

9 min walk

to Ingram Giant Eagle @Ingram

to Sheraden Civic Center

6 min drive / 7 transit / 35 walk

Gas Station @Corliss 2 min drive

All images on this page were retrieved from Google Earth overlayed by Consultant EvolveEA

79

CHARTIERS

@ALLENDALE STREET P.2 STREETSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS

P.2 COMMERCIAL CORE INFILL

P.3 SHERADEN PARK ENTRANCE

Image retrieved from Google Earth. Overlay by Consultant EvolveEA

STREETSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS OPPORTUNITIES Building Facade Renovation Green Space Improvement Pedestrian Safety Improvement Area Road Reconfiguration

80

IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS OPPORTUNITIES Strengthen Core Neighborhood Center Building Open Lot Activation

Action Items P.1

STREETSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS This section of Chartiers has commercial uses on one side of the street and a residential bluff on the other. At each of the three key intersections (Allendale Street, Universal Street, and Huxley Street) there are some hard to reach city steps that are critical connections to the residential area to the south.

The sidewalks will need to be renovated with prominent curbs so pedestrians have a clear walkway and to prevent sidewalk parking. Finally, the Allendale Street bus stop is located on hardscaped land that could have a more prominent shelter with amenities, which would also support school bus drop offs.

P.2

COMMERCIAL CORE INFILL This commercial area is passed over since a combination of building vacancy and understated storefronts don’t signal to passerbys what it has to offer. This part of Chartiers has many more food options including small restaurants and convenience stores.

Development opportunities might include a new open space in the short term that can later transition into new retail space on the ground floor with apartments above. This area would also benefit from facade improvements like overhangs, signage and lighting to give more attention to commercial offerings. The community would also like help with overall renovations for older building stock to make additional leasable commercial space viable.

P.3

SHERADEN PARK ENTRANCE Sheraden Park is a huge asset to both the Sheraden community but also the city at large. It not only has recreational opportunities but serves a huge ecological benefit that provides natural habitats for flora and fauna, in addition to acting as a natural stormwater basin for may parts of the west end. In 2020 the city of Pittsburgh completed the Sheraden Park Master plan to “Consider new facilities for this site... with the purpose of creating a critical mass of outdoor recreation facilities that take advantage of the site’s expansiveness and sinuous character.”

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The plan calls for a new bike lane from Chartiers Avenue that makes its way into the park from Adon Street all the way to the bottom of the alley. The plan also proposed slope stabilization and stair repairs on Fairdale Street.

B.1

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT FOCUS: MANUFACTURING This part of the corridor has a huge educational asset in the Associate Plumbers of Allegheny County Training School.

Not only is this site publicly owned, but it is also in a qualified opportunity zone for capital improvements. There is an opportunity to create additional workforce development space for youth and teens that can contribute to long term wealth building. There is also the option for a new housing development on this site. More discussions with the community and property owner are needed regarding the feasibility of new uses.

TIMELINE

CODE

ACTION ITEM DESCRIPTION

STAKEHOLDERS Y1

Y2

Y3

Y4

P.1

Streetscape Improvements

Department of Mobility and Infrastructure

P.2

Commercial Core Infill

Property Owners and Business Owners, Win-Char Civic Association

P.3

Sheraden Park Entrance

Department of Mobility and Infrastructure

B.1

Workforce Development Focus: Manufacturing

Regional Industrial Development Corporation, Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, ARM Institute, Innovation Works

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RESOURCES

Y5

Neighborhood Economic Development Grant

Manufacturing Intern Program (MIP) Grants; Diversity & Inclusion Intern Program

SHERADEN PARK MASTER PLAN PROPOSAL Studio Bryan Hanes, Brean Associates, Sci-Tek Consultants, Inc. (March 2020). Pg 100. (Accessed October 2022). <https:// pittsburghpa.gov/dcp/sheraden-park>.

1. Paved Designated Bicycle Lane 2. Park and Road Connection 3. Parking Improvements Park Vehicular Access

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@Allendale Street

Main Street Analysis LAND USE

This neighborhood center has somewhat diverse land uses within a primarily residential neighborhood. Towards Allendale Street, there are larger parcels zoned for cultural and recreational uses that support workforce development or have religious affiliations. The longer cultural and recreational strip on Allendale and Chartiers currently holds both retail and service uses.

Towards Huxley Street, there are more retail and services. Sheraden Park is also a walk away.

LEGEND Residential - Single Family Residential - Multi Family Civic Services Cultural + Recreational Industrial + Manufacturing Retail + Commercial Parks + Open Space Vacant + Other

ZONING

The Local Neighborhood commercial zone is connected to the Hillsboro business district and is currently used for a variety of business types, including services, food, and retail. This neighborhood center is also surrounded by lots of greenspace, some of which is used for recreational opportunities such as the swimming pool in Sheraden Park or the skate park on Tuxedo Street. The area zoned multiunit residential has a low density of units.

LEGEND Single-Unit Detached Residential High Density Two-Unit Residential Moderate Density Local Neighborhood Commercial Parks + Hillside

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MOBLITY

Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus 26 runs through this neighborhood center and connects residents to Downtown and Crafton-Ingram Shopping Center.

The highest weekly bus ridership is at the stop across from the fire station. Similar to most bus stops in this area, this bus stop is not sheltered and is located on a narrow sidewalk without much maintenance to the surrounding area. People who drive here tend to park on the sidewalk showing that there is a parking issue for people who may want to access nearby businesses. Allendale, Adon, and Chartiers are all bicycle-friendly roads.

LEGEND PA DOT Improvement Project Bike + Pedestrian Trails Parking PRT Stops (2019) Average Weekly Riders Inbound Outbound Both On boarding Off boarding

SITE ACQUISITION

Two parcels occupy key locations that may be difficult for private sector development. The small historic gas station at the corner of Chartiers and Huxley is highly visible and will require creative reuse due to its small size. Similarly, the URA should monitor the former school on Allendale Street for stable occupancy and possible development assistance for the unused parts of the site (parking area/schoolyard). URA acquisition might assist infill redevelopment of vacant parcels in the Local Neighborhood Commercial zone and on scattered sites outside of the study area. A cluster of vacancies around Emporia Street and Huxley Street may need closer attention for long term stability due to the steep slopes.

LEGEND Publicly Owned Parcel Vacant Parcel Tax Lien Parcel

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SCHOOL BUILDING BEING REUSED FUTURE HOUSING

FOR SERVICES AND PROGRAMMING

LIBRARY

CHURCH

JASMINE NYREE CAMPUS

STREET WITH SIGNIFICANT RELIGIOUS BUILDINGS AND RESIDENCES

SHERWOOD AVENUE @ASHLYN STREET

FAMILY DOLLAR GENERATES FOOT AND AUTO TRAFFIC

MIXED USE COMMERCIAL

ELDER TOWER

AND RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

BUSWAY AND PARK+RIDE

LANGLEY SCHOOL

CROSSINGS ARE NOT UPGRADED FUTURE GAS STATION

LOTS OF PARKING

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COMPARED TO NEED

CHARTIERS AVE @HILLSBORO STREET

@Hillsboro Street

Existing Conditions

What We’ve Heard

Chartiers @Hillsboro Street is a core neighborhood center due to its proximity to many existing assets, and existing successful civic projects like Jasmine Nyree. This entrepreneurial hub has spaces for people to convene and brainstorm ideas while further supporting both business and community growth owned by the community. From residences like the elder tower to schools like Langley, this neighborhood center is home to people of all ages and backgrounds, while also being connected to other parts of Pittsburgh due to its proximity to the West busway.

*These responses are taken from an initial community survey addressing the overall Chartiers corridor neighborhood centers.

This civic and commercial center has a variety of building types and scales. The center is linked to the busway with pedestrian bridges, expanding the area south. While Chartiers @Hillsboro Street has diverse assets and a community that is civic focused, the community would still benefit from investment programs and development that supports stable business growth and addresses disrepair, population growth, vacancies, and safety.

During stakeholder meetings it has been stated that this area still lacks businesses that address residents’ direct needs, such as access to fresh food. There are local business owners interested in opening a grocery store who may need additional support.

Currently, residents have to travel 5-10 minutes by car or 12-40 minutes by bus to get groceries.

EXISTING ASSETS Carnegie Library Jasmine Nyree Campus Langley K-8

Affordable Housing West Busway Stop Churches

B&M Market 11 min drive /6 walk

to Northside

y to th

ALDI @McKees Rocks Chartiers

e Airpo

Giant Eagle @Ingram

rt

“Immense potential”

“Lacking but hopeful”

“Desolate”

WHAT RESIDENTS ENJOY ABOUT THEIR MAIN STREET:

“Good transportation”

“Old architecture”

“Small Businesses”

PREFERRED COMMERCIAL SPACE There is an overall desire for a balance of more ‘third spaces’ and businesses that provide daily amenities.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Sheraden Park

to Allendale Node

Buswa

RESIDENTS DESCRIBE THEIR MAIN STREET AS:

Full-service Restaurants Cafe/Coffee Shop Grocery Stores Fast-Food/Takeout Restaurants Pharmacies Laundromats

PREFERRED PUBLIC REALM IMPROVEMENTS Desire for more opportunities to be outside through improved infrastructure and spontaneous events.

6 min drive / 22 transit / 26 walk

5 min drive / 12 transit / 35 walk

Sunoco Gas Station @Stanhope 6 min drive

Bus

way

Mutual Parklet 11 min walk

to D

own

tow

n

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Food Festivals Places to sit, stand, chat Pop-up Shops Outdoor Exercise Classes Street Trees Cook Off

to Elliott & the West End Marathon Gas @Corliss 2 min drive All images on this page were retrieved from Google Earth overlayed by Consultant EvolveEA

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CHARTIERS

@HILLSBORO STREET C.1 CIVIC AND RECREATIONAL LOOP

P.1 SHERADEN STATION AREA IMPROVEMENT P.3 COMMERCIAL CORE INFILL

P.2 TOD MASTER PLAN SITE

Image retrieved from Google Earth. Overlay by Consultant EvolveEA

STREETSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS OPPORTUNITIES Building Facade Renovation Green Space Improvement Pedestrian Safety Improvement Area Road Reconfiguration

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IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS OPPORTUNITIES Strengthen Core Neighborhood Center Building Open Lot Activation Transit Oriented Development

Action Items P.2

P.1

SHERADEN STATION AREA IMPROVEMENT The stations proximity to institutions, connective transportation corridors, and parks is a good reason to make this area more walkable for all with streetscape improvements that are youthfriendly, memorable, celebrated, and safe. There should be improved bike access to the area by installing bike racks and evaluating the potential placement of a shared lane on Chartiers Avenue.

There is also the potential for a new pedestrian bridge over the busway that can connect the neighborhood north and south of the busway.

TOD MASTER PLAN SITE The Sheraden Busway Stop is Pittsburgh’s gateway into the West End and has the opportunity to set the tone for transit oriented development on this side of the city. While the current land uses are more institutional and industrial, the zoning suggests that there is a big opportunity to connect this bus top to dense multi-use development and commercial offerings. With a comprehensive development proposal and cooperation among all community stakeholders, this area could spur dramatic long term economic benefits for the community.

This area was evaluated for Transit Oriented Development potential in the 2010 West Busway TOD Assessment and Plan by both the Allegheny County Economic Development and Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission. This plan determined that Sheraden Station has the highest overall potential for Transit Oriented Development on the West Busway line and noted that “In addition to the park-and ride lot, just a few other properties appear available for development”.

SHERADEN BUSWAY STATION AREA MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT

SHERADEN BUSWAY STATION AREA ENHANCED LIGHT INDUSTRIAL CONCEPT

Develop a retail market assessment and recruitment plan that provides a strategy for neighborhood business district improvements, leverages Transportation Oriented Development planning, and establishes redevelopment plans for a Sheraden Market Square and a West End Village Elliott Overlook approach that ties into the local business districts.

SHERADEN BUSWAY STATION AREA MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT URS, 4ward Planning llc (July 30, 2010). “West Busway Area Transit-Oriented Development Assessment and Plan.”

Pg 114, 119, and 122. (Accessed September 2022).

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P.3

COMMERCIAL CORE INFILL This is the “town center” of Chartiers that connects transit and large community institutions, nonprofits and public school facilities. This area is an expansion of the TOD and should be celebrated. This area is in need of a targeted investment strategy for public space, infrastructure, and should attract/coordinate private development. It has the potential for significant redevelopment by public and private entities.

Renovation and scattered site development can also occur along Hilsboro Street and the 2800 block of Chartiers Avenue where there are a mix of historic buildings and vacant lots. Some uses prioritized by the community included a laundromat, restaurants, child care, a grocery store, bakery, coffee shop, medical offices/pharmacy, and performance venue, which would all work well in transit oriented development.

A storefront art program can provide immediate improvements to vacant retail district spaces. Engage local students, artists, cultural nonprofits and universities and promote their work with events, tours and partnerships.

B.1

BUSINESS RECRUITMENT FOCUS: FOOD SERVICE AND RETAIL Sheraden is considered to be a food desert, and the community would love to bring in a fresh food grocery store. The Family Dollar has some food offerings and demonstrates that customers are willing to travel to this area to have their needs met. There is currently a farmers markets that happens periodically at the shelter on Hilsboro, but there i a desire to have a more permanent solution. The park and ride footprint at Sheraden Station could potentially support a grocery store as the ground floor of a multi-story development.

TARGET @EAST LIBERTY

GIANT EAGLE @SOUTHSIDE

ALDI @NEGLEY

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ALDI @PENN

CHAIN GROCERY STORE LOT AND BUILDING SIZE REQUIREMENTS Google Image base with overlay by Consultant EvolveEA

C.1

CIVIC AND RECREATIONAL LOOP Highlight the existing network of open spaces, brick-and-mortar locations, community serving assets, and third spaces with a branded pedestrian trail that supports personal and civic life within the community. The trail can integrate communal meeting spaces such as coffee shops, cafes and parklets.

Vacant Lot Reuse. Improvements to existing amenities for youth such as basketball courts, gathering space on Greenway Drive, and programming for adjacent parking lots that are not heavily used.

Sheraden Park. The city of Pittsburgh conducted a study for a master plan proposal for Sheraden Park. Some improvements include slope stabilization and stair repair located on Sherwood Avenue next to Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Jasmine Nyree Community Center. This organization has been working in the Sheraden community to address multiple community needs, including residential services and programs in the special needs community, child care, and recreational, educational, and other human service-related services. In 2019 they purchased the 180,000 sf former Holy Innocents Church and School campus with plans to turn it into a community center. Once completed it will include a learning center, a gym, housing and a fresh food farm.

Langley K-8 School. A core community anchor with significant historical architectural quality. This facility provides the main street with its most stable source of vitality as a school day node. Necessary infrastructure to support this area include safer crossings, and a drop off zone.

TIMELINE Y1 Y2

CODE

ACTION ITEM DESCRIPTION

Y3

Y4

Y5

STAKEHOLDERS

RESOURCES

P.1

Sheraden Station Area Improvement

Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, Pittsburgh Regional Transit

P.2

TOD Master Plan Site

Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, Property + Business Owners, Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh, Win-Char Civic Association

Neighborhood Economic Development Grant

P.3

Commercial Core Infill

Property Owners, Business Owners, Win-Char Civic Association

Neighborhood Economic Development Grant

B.1

Business Recruitment Focus: Food Service And Retail

Pittsburgh Regional Transit, Win-Char Civic Association

Catapult: Startup to Storefront Program

C.1

Civic And Recreational Loop

Department of Mobility and Infrastructure,

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@Hillsboro Street

Main Street Analysis LAND USE

Most of the identified land use in this neighborhood center is civic service which comes in the form of a school, busway, library, and more. The surrounding area is mostly residential with both single and multi-family units. North of the center is more usable open space such as Sheraden Park. Other uses that support a diverse and strong neighborhood center are retail, industrial, and cultural and recreational.

There are a few vacancies.

LEGEND Residential - Single Family Residential - Multi Family Civic Services Cultural + Recreational Industrial + Manufacturing Retail + Commercial Parks + Open Space Vacant + Other

ZONING

A large portion of this area is zoned as Local Neighborhood Commercial. Both Pittsburgh Langley K-8 and the busway Park and Ride make this zone appear to be larger than it is. While limited, the assets that surround this zone give it an advantage to be a strong neighborhood commercial center. Moderate to high density housing surrounding this area will also help support future development.

LEGEND Single-Unit Detached Residential High Density Two-Unit Residential Moderate Density Local Neighborhood Commercial Parks + Hillside

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MOBLITY

This neighborhood center has many bus stops that are mostly unsheltered along Chartiers Avenue for Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus 26. A big mobility asset found here is the park and ride for the West Busway with buses going to the airport, Downtown, and neighboring places outside of the city. A pedestrian bridge connects people north of the site.

Most vehicle traffic is found on Sheraden Boulevard and Sherwood Avenue during the day due to its proximity to the school.

LEGEND PA DOT Improvement Project Bike + Pedestrian Trails Parking PRT Stops (2019) Average Weekly Riders Inbound Outbound Both On boarding Off boarding

SITE ACQUISITION

The URA should evaluate the Hillsboro site for future uses that would benefit from development assistance. There are a few vacant or tax lien parcels around the school that should be evaluated for infill commercial development. The URA should monitor a cluster of parcels along Landis Street (to the north of Langley School) for future development that might benefit from URA assistance.

LEGEND Publicly Owned Parcel Vacant Parcel Tax Lien Parcel

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BUSINESSES WITH VACANT PARCELS ALONG BACKYARDS TO DOWNTOWN AND OHIO RIVER MURAL BY SIDEWALK

TO ELLIOTT

BILLBOARDS ADVERTISING OTHER BUSINESSES

BUS STOP ON ISLAND

LARGE PARKING LOT WITH MANY REGIONAL SERVING INDUSTRIAL BUSINESSES VACANT HILLSIDES

CHARTIERS AVE FACING CORLISS STREET

SCHOOL DISTRICT BUSWAY PARK AND RIDE AT END OF THE STREET

FORMER SPACE FOR SOCIAL EVENTS

SMALL SCALE HISTORIC URBAN INDUSTRIAL ALONG DRIVE

94 GREENWAY DRIVE FACING CHARTIERS AVENUE

@Corliss Street

Existing Conditions

What We’ve Heard

Chartiers @Corliss Street is one of the three neighborhood centers found within Sheraden and it is at the corner of multiple communities such as Elliott, Crafton Heights, and Sheraden, serving and connecting people to the rest of the neighborhood centers along Chartiers Avenue. This neighborhood center is unique among the others along Chartiers Avenue since its role is more of a connector to other centers versus a destination. This center feels quite hostile and car-centric due to its wide streets, unmaintained sidewalks, numerous billboards, parking lots, and fences. Between the hillsides, this center holds some of the largest buildings in the corridor. As an old rail-yard, this area sees a diversity of traffic through the corridor, such as industrial rail, commercial trucks, Bus Rapid Transit, bikes, buses, and private vehicles. There are no residential areas within a safe walking distance of the center, showing how disconnected this center iss from its local consumer base.

*These responses are taken from an initial community survey addressing the overall Chartiers corridor neighborhood centers.

The businesses in this center serve both local and regional customers. Most of the neighborhood center is home to larger industrial business with vast parking lots. Services and community organizations such as a car repair shop, education partnership, and family dentistry are also located in this center.

Most vacancies in the area could help to define the “back of house”. While Chartiers @Corliss Street is not seen as a local commercial area, it is an important neighborhood center that can contribute to the overall economic stability and connectivity of Chartiers Avenue.

EXISTING ASSETS West Busway Large building stock

Greenway Drive Residential Planned Unit Development (PUD) zone

to Sheraden Civic Center Family Dollar - Sheraden 2 min drive / 7 transit / 14 walk

Busway to Downtown

Giant Eagle @Ingram 6 min drive / 20 transit

to Downtown + McKees Rocks

/ 44 walk

ALDI @McKees Rocks - Chartiers

RESIDENTS DESCRIBE THEIR MAIN STREET AS:

“Immense potential”

“Lacking but hopeful”

“Desolate”

WHAT RESIDENTS ENJOY ABOUT THEIR MAIN STREET:

“Good transportation”

“Old architecture”

“Small Businesses”

PREFERRED COMMERCIAL SPACE There is an overall desire for a balance of more ‘third spaces’ and businesses that provide daily amenities.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Full-service Restaurants Cafe/Coffee Shop Grocery Stores Fast-Food/Takeout Restaurants Pharmacies Laundromats

PREFERRED PUBLIC REALM IMPROVEMENTS Desire for more opportunities to be outside through improved infrastructure and spontaneous events.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Food Festivals Places to sit, stand, chat Pop-up Shops Outdoor Exercise Classes Street Trees Cook Off

4 min drive / 24 transit / 37 walk

to Elliott + the West End

W.N. Grocery @North Avenue

Family Dollar - Chartiers

8 min drive / 44 transit / 56 walk

1 min drive / 7 transit / 8 walk

All images on this page were retrieved from Google Earth overlayed by Consultant EvolveEA

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CHARTIERS

@CORLISS STREET P.1 INDUSTRIAL FLEX SPACE

P.2 INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENT

P.3 CORLISS STREET GATEWAY

Image retrieved from Google Earth. Overlay by Consultant EvolveEA

STREETSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS OPPORTUNITIES Building Facade Renovation Green Space Improvement Pedestrian Safety Improvement Area Road Reconfiguration

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IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS OPPORTUNITIES Strengthen Core Neighborhood Center Building

Action Items P.1

INDUSTRIAL FLEX SPACE This area feels more like a connector than a destination due to the width of the street and the types of businesses here.

It contains many billboards advertising other businesses.

Owned by the Buncher company, this site connects three different west end communities, and developing this property into a mixed use urban industrial project will have regional impacts.

Use this development to address local needs and to better connect the neighboring communities. Use back-of-house vacancies for both business support and new transportation methods to connect the nodes. Work closely with industrial property owners to understand land use (e.g. too much parking could be an opportunity for parcel densification), business types, local employment opportunities across the West End

P.2

INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENT Create a safer and pleasant streetscape experience throughout this connector and gateway node. Intersection and bus stop improvements. This includes intersection and bus stop improvements, gateway improvements, and controlling visual blight (auto yards) at the gateway. There are also opportunities for traffic calming and a ped-bikeway as discussed in the West Pittsburgh Community Action Plan.

P.3

CORLISS STREET GATEWAY The tunnel to West Carson Street is a major gateway for all modes of traffic. Gateway improvements that include a creative transition could set the stage for the rest of the development.

Jackson/Clark Partners and Studio for Spatial Practice (Spring 2010). Pg 17. (Accessed September 2022).

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SHERADEN TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT SCENARIO

SHERADEN DEVELOPMENT SCENARIOS DEVELOPMENT TYPE Residential Units Retail (Square Feet) Office (Square Feet) Flex Space (Square Feet) 4ward Planning llc (July 30, 2010). “West Busway Area Transit-Oriented Development Assessment and Plan.”

Pg 108. (Accessed October 2022).

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SLOW GROWTH 1,131 100,000 10,000 15,000

FLAT GROWTH 814 50,000 10,000 5,000

CODE

ACTION ITEM DESCRIPTION

TIMELINE Y1 Y2

STAKEHOLDERS Y3

Y4

RESOURCES

Y5

P.1

Industrial Flex Space

Win-Char Civic Association, Regional Industrial Development Corporation, Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, ARM Institute, Innovation Works, Buncher Company

P.2

Intersection Improvement

Department of Mobility and Infrastructure

P.3

Corliss Street Gateway

Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, Buncher Company, Penndel Company

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@Corliss Street

Main Street Analysis LAND USE

Compared to the other neighborhood centers, this center lacks residential areas and focuses on providing both civic services and industrial and manufacturing uses for the neighboring communities and beyond. Greenspace is mostly found on the hillsides that corner the main intersection and frames the perimeter of the industrial areas.

LEGEND Residential - Single Family Residential - Multi Family Civic Services Cultural + Recreational Industrial + Manufacturing Retail + Commercial Parks + Open Space Vacant + Other

ZONING

This is the only neighborhood center that lacks a local neighborhood commercial zone and is one of the most unique areas along Chartiers Avenue. Instead, urban industrial is found below the surrounding hillsides and is somewhat detached from the rest of the neighborhood. Across from the urban industrial area is a Residential Planned Unit Development zone, which provides flexible site planning for a large-scale development that can help create amenities that are, according to the municipal code, “efficient, functional, and attractive.”

LEGEND Single-Unit Detached Residential Low Density Two-Unit Residential Low Density Urban Industrial Parks + Hillside Residential Planned Unit Development

100

MOBLITY

This neighborhood center is a gateway to other areas in the West End and Southside due to its direct connection to West Carson Street. Even though Chartiers Avenue is identified as a bicyclefriendly route, this area is ultimately defined by the vehicle. There is a cautionary bike route along Corliss Street leading up to the tunnel. Traffic is also slower along Chartiers and Corliss. There is a bus shelter and stop is on an island at the 3-way intersection of Chartiers and Corliss for bus 26.

LEGEND PA DOT Improvement Project Bike + Pedestrian Trails Parking PRT Stops (2019) Average Weekly Riders Inbound Outbound Both On boarding Off boarding

SITE ACQUISITION

There are currently a few small to mid sized industrial uses along Greenway Drive that seem to be viable and might benefit from URA programs or development assistance. The URA should also maintain situational awareness of the status of the Urban Industrial uses at the intersection of Chartiers Avenue and Corliss Street. The current uses appear to be stable but the size of the properties might warrant URA assistance if the businesses were to vacate. Lastly, the small parcels at the intersection of Chartiers and Corliss have some nuisance uses (salvage yards) that might be better controlled with redevelopment assistance.

LEGEND Publicly Owned Parcel Vacant Parcel Tax Lien Parcel

101

CHARTIERS

@LORENZ AVENUE The Chartiers @Lorenz Avenue neighborhood center is a gateway into the rest of the Chartiers Avenue neighborhood centers, making it a crucial area for investment.

This neighborhood center is located in Elliott, a hilly neighborhood known for its view and proximity to downtown. For the past couple of decades, the Elliott neighborhood has experienced decline due to population loss. Community leaders have united to create organizations that directly serve the area such as the Elliott Community Group. Residents would like to see their vacancy issues both in the residential and commercial areas addressed. Families have to travel outside of the neighborhood to access most amenities.

The neighborhood public school, Thaddeus Stevens Elementary, which was open for at least 70 years, no longer serves the youth in this area and many have to travel outside of Elliott for an education.

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EXISTING CONDITIONS

Main Street Corridor Neighborhood Center 1/4-Mile Buffer Pittsburgh Neighborhood City Tree Canopy Greenways Parks + Cemeteries Waterways

BUILDING FOOTPRINT Commercial Food-Related Recreational + Institutional Industrial + Manufacturing Residential LAND USE Civic Services Cultural + Recreational Industrial + Manufacturing Retail + Commercial

103

NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER

MANY BUSINESSES ARE ON THE FIRST FLOOR OF 2-3 STORY BUILDING

THERE IS SOME COMMERCIAL VACANCY MANY TRAVEL UP THE HILL ON LORENZ AVE TO ACCESS THE WEST END OVERLOOK

LORENZ STREET FACING CHARTIERS AVENUE

NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER WITH HIGHEST DENSITY OF BUSINESSES

WAYFINDING

OPEN LOTS LEAVE GAPS IN THE COMMERCIAL DISTRICT

104

SOME SURVIVING STREET TREES

CHARTIERS AVENUE FACING LORENZ STREET

@Lorenz Avenue

Existing Conditions

What We’ve Heard

The neighborhood center consists of two lengthy streets, Chartiers Avenue and Lorenz Avenue, which intersect and connect people to neighboring communities off of Steuben Street and regional destinations such as the West End Overlook.

Within this business district are multi-story low-rise mixed-use buildings that are either vacant or are used by businesses or as houses. Many of the businesses here host professional services or focus on maintenance and construction. Vacancy in the business district is significant, especially along Lorenz Avenue.

*These responses are taken from an initial community survey addressing the overall Chartiers corridor neighborhood centers.

The existing variety of 2-3 story buildings make for a dense and lively commercial area. If this neighborhood center became more attractive to consumers and people were given the resources to renovate and inhabit the existing vacant residential and commercial buildings, this business district would become more stable. Stakeholders have mentioned how much the sense of community has been lost due to disinvestment which has caused blight.

EXISTING ASSETS Downtown views Townsend Parklet Thaddeus Elementary building Family Dollar West End Overlook

Local history Events and programming Elliott Park

RESIDENTS DESCRIBE THEIR MAIN STREET AS:

to West End Overlook

Family Dollar - Sheraden

2 min drive / 12 walk

1 min drive / 4 walk

ALDI @McKees Rocks

Marathon Gas @Corliss

6 min drive / 19 transit / 47 walk

“Good transportation”

“Old architecture”

Elliott Park 5 min walk

to Crafton

“Small Businesses”

PREFERRED COMMERCIAL SPACE There is an overall desire for a balance of more ‘third spaces’ and businesses that provide daily amenities.

Full-service Restaurants Cafe/Coffee Shop Grocery Stores Fast-Food/Takeout Restaurants Pharmacies Laundromats

PREFERRED PUBLIC REALM IMPROVEMENTS Desire for more opportunities to be outside through improved infrastructure and spontaneous events.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

1 min drive

“Desolate”

WHAT RESIDENTS ENJOY ABOUT THEIR MAIN STREET:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

to Sheraden

“Immense potential”

“Lacking but hopeful”

Food Festivals Places to sit, stand, chat Pop-up Shops Outdoor Exercise Classes Street Trees Cook Off

Sunoco Gas Station 5 min drive West End Park

Giant Eagle @Parkway Center Mall

4 min drive / 17 walk

7 min drive / 27 transit / 51 walk Carnegie Library - West End 2 min drive / 4 transit / 10 walk

All images on this page were retrieved from Google Earth overlayed by Consultant EvolveEA

105

CHARTIERS

@LORENZ AVENUE

P.2 LORENZ STREET SCATTERED SITES DEVELOPMENT P.1 INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENT

P.3 OVERLOOK TRAIL

Image retrieved from Google Earth. Overlay by Consultant EvolveEA

STREETSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS OPPORTUNITIES Building Facade Renovation Green Space Improvement Pedestrian Safety Improvement Area Road Reconfiguration

106

IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS OPPORTUNITIES Strengthen Core Neighborhood Center Building New Development Open Lot Activation

Action Items P.1

INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS Use facade renovations, better lighting, neighborhood branding, defined crosswalks, and more greenspace to improve the commercial district experience for locals and people visiting the area. Integrate places to sit and a school bus stop at the intersection of Chartiers Avenue and Lorenz Avenue.

P.2

LORENZ STREET SCATTERED SITES DEVELOPMENT This perpendicular business district has a lot of potential to develop.

Prioritize development on the corner of Chartiers and Lorenz and fill in the vacancies along Lorenz using a vacant lot infill strategy and/or vacancy acquisition. Define the business district with a strong grouping of businesses and main street branding and signage.

Filling in vacant spaces with mixed use housing, businesses, and third spaces can serve both the residing community and regional visitors who would enter the corridor from this route. Many of the businesses on the first floor are professional services, maintenance or construction.

Many businesses are located in people’s homes and with new commercial lease offerings, the community can support transitions into storefronts in the neighborhood center.

P.3

CODE

OVERLOOK TRAIL Connect West End Overlook to other parklets such as Townsend Park through street trees and bike/ped infrastructure. Thaddeus Steven Elementary School and Townsend parklet campus (both owned by the city of Pittsburgh) is not vacant but has potential to support future programming and businesses. The community has already raised money for substantial improvements to the almost two-acre site.

The funding will support renovation of pedestrian walkways and a basketball court, installation of play equipment with required safety surfacing, fencing, lighting and utilities; ADA access; landscaping; and other improvements.

ACTION ITEM DESCRIPTION

TIMELINE Y1 Y2

STAKEHOLDERS Y3

Y4

RESOURCES

Y5

P.1

Intersection Improvements

Department of Mobility and Infrastructure

P.2

Lorenz Street Scattered Sites Development

Win-Char Civic Association, Property + Business Owners

Public Service Grant; Neighborhood Economic Development Grant

P.3

Overlook Trail

Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, WinChar Civic Association

Public Service Grant

107

@Lorenz Avenue

Main Street Analysis LAND USE

Within the neighborhood center, the land uses are mixed. People live here and are connected to some services as well as cultural and recreational spots.

Most of these areas are vacant and the current land uses are not suitable enough to fully support the surrounding residents as well as visitors. Small and large parks as well as occasional commercial spaces are found outside of the dedicated neighborhood center.

LEGEND Residential - Single Family Residential - Multi Family Civic Services Cultural + Recreational Industrial + Manufacturing Retail + Commercial Parks + Open Space Vacant + Other

ZONING

This neighborhood center is surrounded by a vast residential zone with parks and hillsides in every direction. The Local Neighborhood Commercial zone is a decent size and stretches across Lorenz and Chartiers Avenues. A new type of zone found here is Neighborhood Industrial, which is where the Family Dollar is currently located. Similar to Local Neighborhood Commercial, a Neighborhood Industrial zone is mixed-use and allows for a broad range of industrial uses with the flexibility to accommodate different land uses and development.

LEGEND Single-Unit Detached Residential High Density Two-Unit Residential Low Density Local Neighborhood Commercial Parks + Hillside Neighborhood Industrial

108

MOBLITY

Many vehicles travel through this neighborhood center, and several stop at destinations within it. For instance, vehicular traffic slows down along Lorenz Avenue towards Elkton Street, which is where the West End Overlook is located. Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus 26 runs along Chartiers Avenue, with the highest ridership at the Lorenz Avenue intersection and Azalia Street intersection. Both stops connect to both the residential and commercial areas of the neighborhood. Steuben Street which is at the other end of Lorenz connects people to neighboring business districts with buses 27 and 29.

LEGEND PA DOT Improvement Project Bike + Pedestrian Trails Parking PRT Stops (2019) Average Weekly Riders Inbound Outbound Both On boarding Off boarding

SITE ACQUISITION

Neither the URA or the city have any significant holdings within or around the neighborhood centers. While the plan area has one of the densest clusters of businesses along the Chartiers corridor, there are also many properties that are vacant or have tax liens along Lorenz Avenue.

LEGEND Publicly Owned Parcel Vacant Parcel Tax Lien Parcel

109