Public Officials Design Institute

 

Main Street Redevelopment

November 17, 2006

Borough Of Greentree Municipal Building

Hosted by Sustainable Pittsburgh and AIA, Pittsburgh

 

The fourth Public Officials Design Institute, established to provide solutions to community design issues for urban, suburban and rural communities in Southwestern Pennsylvania was held on Friday, November 17 at the Borough of Greentree. Co-sponsored by Sustainable Pittsburgh and the American institute of Architects, Pittsburgh Chapter, this Institute session marked the first of many events to celebrate the American Institute of Architect’s 200th anniversary.

 

Public officials from four municipalities, the Boroughs of Homewood and Sewickley, the City of Butler and South Fayette Township presented specific design or development challenges facing their communities. An interdisciplinary team of professional land use and transportation planners, architects, municipal staff, and public officials provided technical assistance and facilitated discussions to explore solutions to these issues.

Session Synopsis

City of Butler

Identify strategies to improve, manage, promote, and coordinate assets including access for both cars and pedestrians, improving traffic circulation, identifying marketing strategies.  Presented by Alva Hill and Rick Hardman, representing the Main Street Design Committee.

Challenges

Maintaining the presence of anchor facilities downtown, encouraging new mixed-use, and preserving historic properties while planning for future growth.

Opportunities

 

  • Identify opportunities to add second stories on main street buildings to encourage residential on main streets

  • Complete design guidelines for unified main street image

  • Encourage hospitals and other anchor institutions to remain downtown by identifying additional property or create incentives

  • Explore expansion of public transportation, bike routes

 

Borough of Homewood 

 

Project:  Maintain historic character, enhance recreational opportunities.

 

Challenges

 

This 18th century village is completely surrounded by a larger municipality experiencing a variety of commercial and residential growth. The borough wishes to maintain its historic character and image, restore some of its underused historic structures by converting them to cultural or commercial use and capitalize on the surrounding natural and recreational amenities and assets.

Presented by Allan DeSanzo, Borough council member.

 

Opportunities

 

  • Identify bike and pedestrian trails through and surrounding the borough to connect with the regional trail system

  • Identify water trails for canoeist and kayakers

  • Initiate an outdoor festival

  • Revisit the mix of retail in the commercial strip located on sate Route 18 for possible arts and crafts destination

  • Identify preservation funding opportunities to rehab the St. Could Hotel

  • Install borough identification signs at gateways

 

Borough of Sewickley

 

Project:  Improve Sewickley’s general bicycling amenities and conditions through the downtown area and create connections to the waterfront. Presented by Sharon Pillar, Borough Planning Commission member.

 

Challenges

 

Beaver Ave (the main road through the business district) is too busy for safe bicycle travel and too narrow for a separate bike lane. State Route 65 presents a heavily trafficked, dangerous barrier between the central business district and the riverfront. Bicyclers in Sewickley are a recent phenomenon, and drivers are not necessarily accustomed to them

 

Opportunities 

 

  • Establish a designated bike loop surrounding the central business district and composed of calmer side streets and alleys

  • Provide ample bike parking at various points along the bike loop, so that bicyclists can park off of Beaver Avenue and explore its shops by foot

  • Explore a variety of options for easing bicyclist’s crossing of Route 65; possibilities include additional traffic lights, crosswalks, graduated crossings

  • Convert existing Route 65 underpass to mixed automobile/bicycle

  • Incorporate bicycling amenities into wetlands preservation/park development along the riverfront                                                                                                                                                                               

  • Employ new street signs to establish an awareness of bicyclists’ presence and of general bike safety

 

South Fayette Township

 

Project: The Township lacks a “main street’ and desires to create a community identity. Presented by Mike Hoy, Township manager.

 

Challenges

 

Predominately a residential /bedroom community for both south Allegheny County and northern Washington County, the township lacks a main street or central civic space. The municipal building is located off of SR 50 in a medium density industrial area.  Discussions are underway to construct new library and other civic buildings near municipal building.

 

Opportunities

 

·        Create a focal point/campus for municipal and civic operations together along SR. 50.

·        Consider improvements to access road through industrial district

·        Improved walkable connections to schools and neighborhoods

·        Create identity through new signage and gateways to municipality and municipal complex

·        Consider amending zoning code to permit additional uses along State Route 50 to encourage clustering of retail, service

 

Resource Team:

Kim Adams, Sustainable Pittsburgh

Bill Campbell, Marshall Township

Rich Feder, Port Authority of Allegheny County

Sheldon Goettel, Perfido Weiskopf Architects

Maureen Guttman, Pa Turnpike Commission

Mark Hoffman, Strada Architecture

Dan Holland, Young Preservationist Association

Jacob Levine, CMU Heinz School

Ron Pfaffman, Pfaffman and Associates

Steve Quick, Perkins Eastman Architects

Jim Radock, RSSC Architects

Ed Shriver, Strada Architecture

Anne Swager, AIA Pittsburgh