Rivertowns Partnership revitalizes Beaver County Main Streets

Riverfront recreation, pedestrian-friendly business districts, and diverse architecture have long been part of the history of Beaver County's municipalities. Thanks to a partnership of ten communities, these details will also be part of the future.

The Rivertowns Partnership of Beaver County was created to jointly address the financial and development needs of Aliquippa, Ambridge, Beaver, Beaver Falls, Bridgewater, Freedom, Midland, Monaca, New Brighton and Rochester.

These traditional riverfront communities contain walk-able Main Street business districts and dense residential neighborhoods, in contrast to the sprawling suburban communities that now dominate much of the county. The partnership was formed in the interest of preserving these urban communities and in promoting cooperation, rather than competition between them.

The partnership embodies the values of sustainable development by revitalizing previously developed areas, reinvigorating older communities, and providing housing and employment opportunities in a region that has suffered for decades from population decline and the loss of local industries.

Some of the communities have been working to restore and revitalize their central business districts for close to 20 years. Lisa Troiani, Assistant Director of the Community Development Program of Beaver County, noticed a few years ago that several Beaver County municipalities were competing for funding for similar projects -- mostly downtown restorations. In addition, some municipalities were receiving small grants at a time, so they were only able to revitalize in small phases, which meant that the overall appearance of a street improvement, for example, might not be uniform. It took Rochester 12 years to complete improvements to its Main Street. The end result is an area with a fragmented look and feel.

It became clear that by working together, the municipalities would be eligible for larger grants, would be able to share resources to quicken the pace of redevelopment, and could conduct revitalization projects more consistently. After much discussion with municipal administrators in each of the towns, the partnership was formed. Periodically, the partnership members meet to determine which projects in which towns are the most pressing.

"We try to do a combination of big and little projects," Troiani said.

Driving between the towns that line the banks of the Ohio and Beaver rivers, Troiani can point out individual success stories in each of the towns, but she stresses that continued cooperation and communication between the municipalities is essential for the ongoing success of the program.

"We need the volunteer boards and borough leaders involved so everyone is working together for the same goals," Troiani said.

New Brighton Borough Manager Larry Morley chairs the partnership.

"We have a lot of common issues," he said. "It's worth working together to better the whole community."

Each of the ten towns was at its height around the turn of the twentieth century, when the steel industry was booming. In the decades since then, the population of the towns has declined. Many of the downtown regions became neglected and depressed, and Bridgewater faced the potential demolition of its entire Main Street. But thanks to the Rivertowns Partnership and other initiatives, these towns are on the rise again.

"Bridgewater is a true success story," said Troiani. Twenty years ago, the town was nearly vacant. Today, it contains marinas and trendy riverside restaurants, plus diverse housing options, from subsidized apartments for low-income families, to luxury townhouses for retirees.

Many of the Rivertowns communities are still in transition from decades of poor planning and neglect.

Half of Freedom's Main Street was wiped out by the construction of Route 65 along the Ohio River. The remaining side of the street is home to a modest park and an attractive gazebo. The vicary mansion of the town's founder also stands there proudly, but further along the street, there are gaps in development and a string of small businesses that could be helped by more attractive signs and awnings. Freedom's best hope to counter the blight brought on by Route 65 is to buttress the sides of the highway with trees and shrubs and trellises like those in parks, which would both conceal the appearance of the road, and muffle the sound of traffic.

Freedom contains the third largest railroad switching station in the country, and is already a tourist destination for railroad enthusiasts. A redeveloped business district could feed that interest. 

New Brighton has capitalized on its riverfront location by developing a fishing park on what was once an industrial area. The Beaver River spills over a dam there, and the riverbanks are buffered by clusters of trees, which conceal the appearance of the town's center a few blocks away.

"You forget you're in the middle of a town," said Morley, as he noted the serenity of the park, where visitors can bask in the sounds of birds chirping and water rushing over the dam.

Most of the Rivertowns are in close proximity to one another, so improvements in one municipality can be planned to blend seamlessly with improvements going on in neighboring towns.

As you cross the Beaver River to enter Beaver, one of the first buildings you see is an old-fashioned looking red-brick building, which houses a trendy coffee shop and other popular businesses. Though it was built in the style of existing buildings in the town, the building is only about two years old. New buildings in each of the ten communities are now built to blend in with historic architecture. As Main Street restorations are completed, utilitarian light poles are replaced with old-fashioned street lamps.

In Beaver Falls, Geneva College is strengthening its relationship with the community, and plans to use the historic Grenada Theatre downtown as a performing arts center. With a 12-block business district, Beaver Falls is a popular shopping destination, with potential to grow.

"Each town has its little treasures," said Troiani. "Everything we're doing in the downtowns moves toward sustainability, and focuses on pedestrian communities. We still have a long way to go until people's needs can be met in their community."

Although there is still a lot of work to be done, Troiani said the Beaver Rivertowns have all the elements city planners seek in developing with the design philosophy of New Urbanism, which calls for building communities that satisfy residential, commercial and social needs, all within walking distance. 

"We have all of that here," Troiani said of the Rivertowns. 

Susan Jacobs for Sustainable Pittsburgh.