Fire Department Takes Lead in Rejuvenating Homewood, Beaver County

 At a time when small town life is being eroded by suburban sprawl, Homewood, Beaver County, maintains a distinctive sense of place.

Brick signposts mark the entrances to the town, old-fashioned lampposts line the streets, and the town center contains a park with a gazebo for community gatherings. The tiny storefront that serves as the village post office bears a handwritten "closed" sign on Sundays. But beneath its quaint exterior, the village is the beneficiary of some very forward-thinking economic development initiatives.

More than 15 years ago, the Homewood Volunteer Fire Department began purchasing run-down houses and vacant lots in the village. In the last few years, two homes have been restored, and another was built from scratch. The restored homes were eventually sold or rented at affordable rates to help support the fire department, while the new house remains on the market. The fire department plans to embark on other renovations and constructions this year.

 In addition to being an important source of revenue, the restorations preserve the old-fashioned feel of the community, and create an incentive for new residents to gradually move to the village, population 200. This combination of economic growth with historic preservation is a hallmark of sustainable development.

 "We don't want to lose the original architecture," said Alan DeSanzo, the fire chief. "We want to encourage new people to move in, who would appreciate the security of a small town."

 In addition to renovating private homes, the fire department has plans to restore a hotel that is more than 150 years old that once catered to railroad travelers. Architectural plans call for dividing the hotel into a bed and breakfast with six rooms, a tavern, and a general store.

"Hopefully it will be catalyst for other things to happen in our community," said DeSanzo, who hopes that other tourist attractions and specialty stores will follow the lead set by the hotel, which is adjacent to the village's most impressive natural feature: a 40-foot waterfall at the heart of Buttermilk Falls County Park. The park is already a destination for rock-climbers and other nature enthusiasts, and is the focal point of the community's annual Heritage Days festival in the fall.

In addition to the internal efforts at preservation and economic development, Homewood is also participating in a multi-municipal plan with its neighbors, Big Beaver and New Galley. Working together will allow the three communities to share the benefits of economic development, and have more power to prevent sprawl.

"It's essential to look at the big picture," said DeSanzo. "We hope to influence a sense of controlled development around us and prevent the result of sprawl. It's not that we want to stifle growth. We want to direct it."

While Homewood is a haven from the sprawling suburban development of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, the community is just one Turnpike exit away from Cranberry to the east, and Youngstown to the west. Smart planning now may spare the community from strip mall developments later.

One section of Homewood, along Route 18, already contains a strip area with an inn, a restaurant, a landscaping business, and a trucking firm. DeSanzo said that local officials would like to renovate the buildings with more attractive facades and add in landscaping that would soften the appearance of the area.

This summer, the fire department will begin two more house renovations, and there are plans in the future to build additional homes on vacant property the department owns. In the meantime, DeSanzo is eager to sell Homewood's newest house, a sage green wood frame house, with three bedrooms, two full baths, a cathedral ceiling, a custom-made stained glass window, and a working fireplace for the very reasonable price of $153,000.

"If you're looking for small town way of life, we have the place for you," he said.

In addition to the aesthetic charms, new residents can join in monthly communal potluck dinners in the summer, and weekly bingo games at the fire hall, which is large enough to accommodate the entire population of the town, and then some.

DeSanzo said that Homewood has always had these amenities, but is learning how to use its strengths to its advantage.

"We've ignored the things that make a place great," he said. Thanks to the development measures already in place, Homewood is on the right track to becoming a model of sustainable development.

Susan Jacobs for Sustainable Pittsburgh