posted by Joe Polk at 1:11 PM /
A new pavilion, some new concrete and banners urging people to "shop local" in Mt. Lebanon have some residents feeling a swell of pride in their little business district, while others are wondering if the face-lift was truly needed for the bustling Uptown area.
Last week, the municipality cut the ribbon on the $727,000 revitalization project during the last of the "First Fridays" celebrations, marking the official completion of the effort that included electrical work, lighting, plumbing, banners, signs and a new covered pavilion in the Clearview Common parklet along Washington Road.
Read the full article:
Last week, the municipality cut the ribbon on the $727,000 revitalization project during the last of the "First Fridays" celebrations, marking the official completion of the effort that included electrical work, lighting, plumbing, banners, signs and a new covered pavilion in the Clearview Common parklet along Washington Road.
Read the full article:
- www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_703013.html (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
Labels: central business district, clearview common, washington road
8 Comments:
I'm glad that we're making an effort but in my opinion Steve Feller's staff that has been assigned to economic development has done a horrible job. I think that we need new people with a new outlook to jump-start our community revitalization efforts.
Those that feel that Mt Lebanon is comparable to Coral Gables, FL or Santa Monica, CA should examine the level of annual investment in each community and make a comparison - you'll see what I mean.
It seems to me that the revitalizations efforts undertaken by the municpality are the kinds of things that ought to be done during an economic downturn. You do not want to let your main business area look scruffy on the way to deriliction. The actions were not "necessary" but are beneficial.
I agree with John Hendrick that Mt. Lebanon is nowhere close to being Coral Gables or Snata Monica. Pittsburgh is not Miami or Los Angeles. It does raise the issue of what type of community is Mt. Lebanon. To me, Lebo is an established inner ring suburb and the economic activity within Lebo caters primarily to serving the needs of local residents. While there are a couple of office buildings Uptown, Lebo is not a regional economic hub or generator.
I would be interested to hear about revitalization ideas for the community. However, I am doubtful on Mt. Lebanon's ability to be a significant economic player in the greater Pittsburgh area.
Michael Goodin
Is the plan to bring a hotel to the Uptown area dead?
As far as I know the hotel is dead. I wanted to buy the building that was For Sale at Shady and Washington, tear down the structure, and develop something new. Unfortunately, I learned very quickly that Mt Lebanon is not a very friendly community when it comes to economic development.
Out of 15 or so calls that I placed to our friends in the Codes and Zoning I had one returned, and the responses that I got were less than helpful.
If we are going to get serious about economic development and improving our community, we need to start by developing a set of clear building codes to replace the contradictory set of codes that nobody in the municipality seems to understand; streamline the building permit process; and enourage development with processes that are targeted at increasing property values and (as a by-product) increasing tax revenues.
I also think that Steve Feller's time has come. In my opinion we don't need a technocrat that only inwardly focused on his internal service metrics. I think that we should hire a new municipal manager.
I think that we need a new municipal manager that will take us to a new level. We need someone with a new outlook. We need someone who can get a handle on how to manage municipal personnel, and get a handle on the spending.
I think that economic development needs to be treated like a priority rather than a big fat joke.
I think a comprehensive economic plan for the Uptown area (say, from the Dormont border to the Library on Washington Road) is warranted. An issue to address is what to do with the empty houses mixed in with the business district. John Kendrick mentioned the empty house at Shady and Washington. In addition, there is the small house next to the parking garage on Washington that used to be a floral shop. Those two places are great locations for economic development opportunities. I have heard that it is nearly impossible to get persmission to knock down houses in Mt. Lebanon, but I think that needs to be rethought for older, empty houses in a business district.
I think that the Uptown area is generally a nice place, but there is a lot of room for additional growth and development proportionate to the size of Mt. Lebanon.
Michael Goodin
I asked the question about the hotel a while back. Joe or Tom can probably find the answer one of the 'regulars' posted. But apparently the hotel was nixed by the developer because his plan was slightly out of code or variance. And I mean slightly. A few feet or a few parking spaces high or low.
To think that this or any cash-strapped municipality would do anything but welcome an (ethical) for-profit business into town with open arms is beyond me. However, if you want to build a fancy new fire station (sorry Joe) or renovate an old one there is no issue there.
They sure are pretty, though.....
I also think that we have WAY WAY WAY too many bs commissions that have zero authority and get nothing done. At best, the commissions are an opportunity for attornies who need business in their private practice to network, and for residents to vent. The sad reality is that most residents don't understand that these commissions are useless. Further, I have watched municipal employees listen to someone complain about an issue, and then refer that person to the commission. After the resident thanked the municipal employee and left, the municipal employees laughed so hard that they couldn't even stand up!
The time has come to streamline the enormous bureaucracy, cut the red tape, and wipe-out the useless commissions.
My God, we're only a community of 35,000 people - why is our municipal government so huge?
The developer has indicated they will break ground for the hotel in November...had originally intended to start this summer, but delayed by having to deal with PennDot & PAT.
Bill Lewis
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