New Parking Lot Takes Shape on West Liberty

#1 Cochran’s former used car lot is being reconstructed as a public parking lot, to be owned by Dormont Borough.

A new parking lot is taking shape on West Liberty Avenue, across from the Cochran Nissan dealership, and soon that lot will belong to Dormont Borough. #1 Cochran Automotive Group is overseeing the reconstruction of the parking lot in preparation for an upcoming land swap, a key first step of the West Liberty Avenue Reconstruction project. The land swap will give the borough ownership of the former used car lot, and will give #1 Cochran ownership of the triangle lot at the corner of West Liberty Avenue and McFarland Road. Dormont borough manager Jeff Naftal said the land swap will occur when construction on the new parking lot is complete, and the lot is ready for public use. The new parking lot will have a kiosk-style pay system rather …

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Erin Faulk

10:43 am on Thursday, May 16, 2013

Joseph, Yes - most of what you're talking about here is part of the long-term plan for this project. This particular land swap is one of the first steps of the long-term plans. If you click the "West Liberty Avenue reconstruction project" link within the second paragraph of this article, it will take you to a previous article I wrote that explains the entire reconstruction plan in more detail. …   more ›

Expect Delays on West Liberty Monday and Tuesday

Sign-related work will take place between Peola Road and Pauline Avenue.

Drivers should expect delays on West Liberty Avenue on Monday and Tuesday, May 6 and 7, weather permitting. Accel Sign Group, Inc. will be performing sign-related work on West Liberty between between Peola Road and Pauline Avenue. Traffic on southbound West Liberty Avenue will be shifted onto the middle turning lane from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days. Northbound traffic will be unaffected. Motorists are asked to use caution, slow down and be aware of changing traffic patterns when driving through the area.

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Rush-Hour Towing Increases on West Liberty Avenue

Dormont police are asking drivers to remember that parking is not allowed on West Liberty Avenue during rush hour.

Dormont police are again warning drivers not to park on West Liberty Avenue during rush hour, after seeing an increase in the number of citations issued for the offense in the past few weeks. "It seems to be happening more often again, and when people do that it creates a major traffic problem," said Dormont police Sgt. James Burke. Burke said the police have had a number of vehicles towed from West Liberty because they were parked on the street during rush hour. Burke said the quickest way to report illegally parked cars is to call 911 and tell the responder it is not an emergency. The responder will then contact a member of the police department to address the issue, he said. Drivers also can report issues via smart phone or computer …

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Biz Spotlight: Eljay's Used Books

Lots of Dormont-Brookline restaurants, shops and other great places can be found in our directory. Review them here!

This week's local business spotlight is Eljay's Used Books of West Liberty Avenue in Dormont Borough. The store has been serving customers for more than 12 years and sells used books from genres like science fiction, history and horror, as well as cookbooks. There are also some new selections, including local books. Daily specials and sales are offered. Eljay's moved to Dormont in April 2011 from Pittsburgh's South Side area. Read more about the store here. Have you been to Eljay's? Review this store on its directory listing. Follow Dormont-Brookline Patch on Facebook and Twitter. For more news, sign up for our email Newsletter.

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Former Ruth’s Chris Manager Comes to Franco’s

Larry Stakes became the operations manager of Franco’s in Dormont on Jan. 1, and he’s working to ramp up the location’s reputation as a neighborhood favorite.

Patrons at Franco’s Trattoria might see a familiar face in the establishment’s new operations manager. Larry Stakes, a Dormont resident who has been the general manager of Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse for the past 18 years, became the operations manager of Franco’s on Jan. 1. The restaurant is still under the same ownership, but Stakes will oversee operations for both the Dormont and Peters Township locations. Stakes said he embraced the opportunity to manage Franco’s because the restaurant is one of his own favorite local places. “This was one of my favorite restaurants anyway,” he said. “I live right around the corner, and we’d come up all the time.” “In the restaurant business, you always have to change and be relevant,” Stakes said. “I look…

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Police Search for Suspect in Wine & Spirits Window Smashing

Dormont officers are investing an incident in which someone smashed the window of the West Liberty Wine & Spirits store.

Dormont police are searching for the man who smashed the window of the Wine & Spirits store in Dormont Village on April 3. According to the police report, a Dormont officer was sitting in his car in the parking lot of Dormont Public Library at 2:27 a.m. when he saw a man walk from the alleyway behind Tom’s Diner into the Dormont Village parking lot and stop in front of the Wine & Spirits store. Officers said the man looked around, then threw a brick at the store’s front window. The window cracked but did not break. According to the report, the officer drove across the street into the parking lot, and the man ran back down the alleyway. Officers from Dormont and Mt. Lebanon searched the area, but did not find the suspect. The incident is …

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T&B T

5:49 pm on Tuesday, April 9, 2013

They need plexiglas windows in that Wine & Spirits store so the brick would have bounced off and hit the idiot in the head! Then the policeman would only need to wake him and then take him to the jail.   more ›

KO Grad Takes Over Former ‘Charm’ Salon

Lyndsay Lewis, a Keystone Oaks graduate and Dormont native, has opened Salon Atmosphere in the building that used to house Charm Beauty Shoppe.

There are new faces behind the windows of the former Charm Beauty Shoppe on West Liberty Avenue, but the salon still has hometown roots. Lyndsay Lewis has set up shop in the iconic Dormont storefront with a new business, Salon Atmosphere, and she hopes to maintain the classic look and feel of the popular and historic salon. “I’ve passed this place every day for my entire life,” the Dormont native said. “I didn’t expect to be right back in Dormont, but I love doing something to give back to the area. So many people have come here to support me because they’ve known me.” Lewis graduated from Keystone Oaks High School in 2001, then attended South Hills Beauty Academy. She also studied and worked with Bumble and Bumble in New York City, before…

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Tuesday Fire Destroy's Angelina A's Pizzeria

The fire gutted the West Liberty Avenue building, destroying the business and two apartments.

Early-Morning Fire Destroys Dormont Business

A fire Tuesday morning shut down West Liberty Avenue and destroyed a local pizza shop.

There were no injuries after a fire destroyed a West Liberty Avenue business and apartment building Tuesday morning, but for building owner Francesco Varrati, the fire meant watching part of his livelihood go up in smoke. "I'm dumbfounded," said Varrati, who has owned the building since 1989. "It's total shock. That's all there is to say." Varrati, who used to own Varrati's Pizza—now Angelina's Pizzeria—on the first floor of the building, is retired and said the building was his main source of income. He does have insurance, he said. Dormont Volunteer Fire Department Chief Jeff Arnold said the fire call came in at 5:15 a.m. March 26. Several local departments were at the scene within minutes, but Arnold said the fire was particularly …

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Erin Faulk

11:15 am on Tuesday, March 26, 2013

So are we. Thoughts are with the people who lost their homes and business today.   more ›