Allegheny Together Consultants Encourage Dormont To Envision Downtown Plans

Rome wasn’t built in a day and won’t be revitalized overnight.

But economic redevelopment consultants encouraged residents, business owners and officials to begin thinking about what they want their business district to look like.

Some 40 people turned out for the first of three community workshops on the Allegheny Together economic revitalization program

 “I think Dormont’s really poised to take advantage of this opportunity,” Lance Chimka, manager of business development for Allegheny County, said Wednesday.

Borough Manager Gino Rizza said he was encouraged by the turnout—especially considering it was a Penguins playoff night.

As part of the borough’s acceptance into the program, parking and traffic analyses will be conducted, along with a zoning ordinance review, a real estate analysis and help developing design guidelines, according to Dave Farkas, of Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation.

One of the goals of the program is to promote the use of existing buildings and, when possible, restore them so they appear more like they did when they were originally built, Farkas said.

That may mean retrofitting windows or otherwise altering existing facades that may have been modernized over the years.

To that end, Allegheny Together will offer a façade matching grant program in which property owners can apply for up to $12,500 for improvements. That part of the program will be available in about a year.

Mark Peluso, executive director of Town Center Associates, showed slides of buildings in various communities to demonstrate what can be done with a focused plan and what can happen without planning.

Some slides showed charming and inviting storefronts, but others were austere and forbidding.

“The way a community treats its architecture makes a statement, I believe,” he said.

Peluso encouraged attendees to begin thinking about issues such as streetscaping, building facades and signage.

In response to the audience’s assessment that Dormont’s sidewalks are narrow, he said choosing the right kinds of trees and accent lighting can help direct attention up instead of down.

While replacing sidewalks is extremely costly, he said the creative use of window displays, planters, paint schemes and awnings can also have a strong visual impact without requiring a lot of money.

The next meetings are:

"Promoting Downtown Dormont as the Center of Community Life" May 11.

"Business Development in Downtown Dormont" June 1.

Meetings are 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m. at the municipal center.