A new business district master plan is being unveiled by the
Mt. Washington Community Development Corporation (MCDC) at a public meeting on Feb. 11.
Residents, business and property owners and developers are invited to attend the 7:00 p.m. meeting at Mt. Washington Senior Center located at 122 Virginia Ave.
The plan, which will be adopted by the end of February, marks Mt. Washington’s first comprehensive main street vision, and was supported by a $10,000 grant from
Community Design Center of Pittsburgh.
Encompassing Shiloh St. and parts of Southern, Virginia, Boggs, and Bailey Aves., the plan calls for redevelopment projects, capital improvements and landscape enhancements. “We want get this out in front of the larger development community—the idea is to come to an agreement about what kind of development can comfortably expand our business district, and attract developers. Through design, we can help people visualize what those developments can be,” says Panza. “There’s a lot of opportunity up here to make an investment and be profitable, with someone who has a good grasp of the main street model.”
At the meeting, master plan designer
Pashek Associates will share 3-D models, photographic simulations and aerial plans created via Google Earth.
“We don’t have a long thoroughfare like Carson or Butler; we have loosely connected business district segments. This plan defines the beginnings, ends and gateways, and how to connect them and make it more of a cohesive village. Our topography is in our DNA, which makes us unique,” says Panza. “It’s critical to have community input. We intersect with perhaps Pittsburgh's largest tourist attraction and are ripe for development.”
Writer:
Jennifer BaronSource: Greg Panza, MWCDC
Image courtesy Mount Washington Community Development Corporation