posted by Mike Madison at 4:30 PM /
Nope, Linda, I've never bought a piece of art. Nothing against art, or Planet Art Gallery, or galleries; that's just me. But in the hopes of moving this conversation forward (great comments everyone!), let me ask a different question:
What kind of business district does Mt. Lebanon want to be? What kind of business district does it want to have? I look at businesses like Aldo Coffee and Uptown Coffee, and Il Pizzoiolo, and, yes, Planet Art (just for starters), and I think: Mt. Lebanon has the makings of a cool, even hip, retail stretch -- sort of a South Hills version of Butler Street in Larryville, which I think is an incredible success story. Larryville has some of the best neighborhood buzz in Pittsburgh these days, just about all of it generated by hip and happening galleries, restaurants, and coffee houses -- not to mention some modestly-priced real estate. Butler Street is worth wandering up and down, just to see what's going on in the stores and storefronts. I don't need a specific reason to go.
Washington Road in Mt. Lebanon isn't there yet. For every cool shop (pick your own -- how about Empire Music?), there's a physician's storefront. The density of "interesting retail" is too low to make Washington Road really engaging. I go if I have a specific reason to go; I go to wander on First Fridays (thanks for the music!), but not otherwise.
Is Mt. Lebanon ready to change that? Is Mt. Lebanon ready to complement PA Gallery and Aldo's and Empire and (pick your own -- how about Anne Gregory? My wife and I have fun critiquing the dresses in the window) with more local restaurants, more galleries, more hip, cool retail? I may not be a PA Gallery kind of shopper, but I'm much more likely to browse through the store if PA sits in the middle of a couple of blocks worth of similar shops. I write "Is Mt. Lebanon ready" because this isn't just a question for those of us who live here and vote with our wallets; it's a question for the township and local landlords and the merchants association. How about lowering rents, easing out some long-time tenants, and bringing in edgier, more speculative businesses -- like art galleries that handle local artists?
There's a downside to that, of course: Moving older businesses and services businesses out of the district alienates a meaningful part of the population. People need services. People need the day-to-day stuff they can get at Rollier's, or at the tailors.
Obviously, in some sense, the town needs a balance. Has Mt. Lebanon reached a point where that balance has shifted (or should shift) away from some of the traditional stuff, and toward more "happening" stuff? Is the balance "just right" now? Or how about this: Has the balance already shifted *too far* in the direction of hip and cool?
Thoughts?
What kind of business district does Mt. Lebanon want to be? What kind of business district does it want to have? I look at businesses like Aldo Coffee and Uptown Coffee, and Il Pizzoiolo, and, yes, Planet Art (just for starters), and I think: Mt. Lebanon has the makings of a cool, even hip, retail stretch -- sort of a South Hills version of Butler Street in Larryville, which I think is an incredible success story. Larryville has some of the best neighborhood buzz in Pittsburgh these days, just about all of it generated by hip and happening galleries, restaurants, and coffee houses -- not to mention some modestly-priced real estate. Butler Street is worth wandering up and down, just to see what's going on in the stores and storefronts. I don't need a specific reason to go.
Washington Road in Mt. Lebanon isn't there yet. For every cool shop (pick your own -- how about Empire Music?), there's a physician's storefront. The density of "interesting retail" is too low to make Washington Road really engaging. I go if I have a specific reason to go; I go to wander on First Fridays (thanks for the music!), but not otherwise.
Is Mt. Lebanon ready to change that? Is Mt. Lebanon ready to complement PA Gallery and Aldo's and Empire and (pick your own -- how about Anne Gregory? My wife and I have fun critiquing the dresses in the window) with more local restaurants, more galleries, more hip, cool retail? I may not be a PA Gallery kind of shopper, but I'm much more likely to browse through the store if PA sits in the middle of a couple of blocks worth of similar shops. I write "Is Mt. Lebanon ready" because this isn't just a question for those of us who live here and vote with our wallets; it's a question for the township and local landlords and the merchants association. How about lowering rents, easing out some long-time tenants, and bringing in edgier, more speculative businesses -- like art galleries that handle local artists?
There's a downside to that, of course: Moving older businesses and services businesses out of the district alienates a meaningful part of the population. People need services. People need the day-to-day stuff they can get at Rollier's, or at the tailors.
Obviously, in some sense, the town needs a balance. Has Mt. Lebanon reached a point where that balance has shifted (or should shift) away from some of the traditional stuff, and toward more "happening" stuff? Is the balance "just right" now? Or how about this: Has the balance already shifted *too far* in the direction of hip and cool?
Thoughts?
17 Comments:
OK: Wish list time. Wouldn't it be great if there were an "X" on Washington Road?
I'll start:
"X" = Ice cream fountain.
If people chime in, I'll move the discussion to a new post.
X = An art cinema that shows small, independent films that don't make it to the multiplexes...
Oh wait, I forgot, we used to have one of those...
x= an organic or quirky food store...
X = 50's style burger joint (think Johnny Rockets in the Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills)
I really don't know what's so wrong with Washington Road as it is now. I mean -- we're one of the few towns around us that actually has a "main street" to walk down. There's nowhere to walk like that in Upper St. Clair, Bethel Park, Castle Shannon or Peters Township.
Dormont has West Liberty Avenue, but it's so gosh darn long and its businesses are spread too far apart to make any particular part of it a destination.
I think we have a nice blend of places right now on Washington Road -- three coffee shops, six restaurants (with a seventh on the way), two pizza shops, three banks and a bar. Add in a bakery, gift shops, dress shops and other assorted places and I think that our main street is just fine.
Could it be improved? Of course. I think that a bookstore or grocery store would be a great idea. It's been over 20 years since there was a grocery store. Wouldn't it be great to have a small market that people can go to?
Uptown's biggest issue is traffic and lights. I don't want to go near those stores because before I get there, I would need to stop at at least 4 lights in a 50 foot area, each timed so I have to stop for the maximum amount of time. GENIUS!
x=trader joes
As long as we're dreaming: Thai restaurant, CD store, movie house, upscale grocery, metaphysical bookstore, bubble tea shop, hash bar.
The question is - who's your market? I live about 3 blocks off of Washington Rd, and like that I can come home from work, park the car, and walk to the bank, the PO, the hardware store, the eye doctor, the coffee shop, a restaurant, a cool boutique. The drs won't bring in new visitors, but on the flip side they service people who may live in Lebo for the convenience of walking. Obviously that's not good for Planet Art, but it's rather nice for some of the rest of us. It strikes me that before you start booting out existing tenants, someone should be checking into renting out the storefronts that are empty, and maybe leasing some of those second floor spaces for retail. (or are they all apartments? I'm never sure)
NEW LEBO TAXES
Lebo has new taxes - $10,000 in subsidy and a special tax district for Washington Road business to promote themselves (Opinion Divided on Business District, PG, South 10/06/2006, pg S-7). The new special tax district from Rollier’s to Washington Square should go backwards to Zamagias Park not Mellon Bank. That would ameliorate the fleecing of the school district for $10,000,000 to pay for heated sidewalks to melt snow for millionaire condo owners. LEBO could use the $6,425,000 bond issue for Zamagias Park to pay for residents’ heated sidewalks and reduce the risk of heart attacks – sorry, only Zamagias need apply.
Exempting the North Garage, 17% of the property in the special tax district, will dump extra taxes on other merchants but will probably happen because the Parking Authority earns only 88% of debt service. Why not raise the parking rates to pay the debt service and fund the business development on Washington Road?
An attorney for EJB properties objected to higher taxes. EJB received tax subsidies from the School and Municipality when adding two stories to his building. EJB is objecting to taxes at one end of Washington Road and Zamagias is begging at the other. You get to pay extra taxes for both!
John Ewing
x
= reasonably priced Thai or Viet restaurant
= greengrocer
= unique ethnic craft shops (e.g. Turkish, Peruvian, etc.)
= indie movie house
= Taco Loco type authentic (and that's vitally important) Mexican street food (or would really like an Azul-type place)
= place that caters to vegans (because we'll cater to vegetarians, but we're never going to soy burgers)
= leather crafts store
= someplace with a photocopier!
AND
= all businesses on same page as to how to better promote the street.
ok...so who's in on opening an organic or some kind of grocery store?? I think it's a great idea :-)
If you want people to come to shop, I think you'll probably not gain a lot by adding more restaurants - unless the current stores want to be open in the evenings when the restaurants are really hopping. Yes, it adds a nice atmosphere to the area, but you have a limited amount of retail space, and it seems like you don't have enough stores (yet) to really have critical mass for this to be a place to go shopping.
I think that it's funny that everyone now thinks of Lawrenceville as hip! I just moved from Lawrenceville to Mt. Lebo. (It was a school thing.) In the 'Ville, I liked that I could walk to the bank, grocery store, coffee shop, post office and pizza joint. I also enjoyed the diversity of the people.
BTW Rich W. I think that it is funny that you wish for a vegan restaurant and a leather shop ;>!
Anon said: "BTW Rich W. I think that it is funny that you wish for a vegan restaurant and a leather shop ;>!"
Good business districts are all about diversity!
Heck, using Linda's advice, we could also use a tatt parlor on street level with a dermatologist on the second floor...
Wow. As a Brookline resident who used to live in Mt. Lebanon, it's hard for me to understand your concerns. Washington Road isn't perfect, but it's developed quite nicely since I left three years ago, and even then I thought it was pretty good. (It's too bad the Denis closed, although there was briefly an ice cream parlor.) It's never going to be all things to all people, and if you don't think it's hip enough, try spending time on Brookline Boulevard.
Then you have Beverly Road, which is quite functional in its own right.
As soon as the condo project at Washington and Bower Hill is built, using your tax dollars to guarantee a profit to the developer, the merchants on Washington Road will see more business - the township has estimated that each resident of Washington Plaza will spend $13,000 per year in Uptown.
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