Development Along Allegheny Gets Multi-Municipal Boost

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
24 January 2011

All seven communities in the Allegheny River Towns Enterprise Zone, or ARTEZ, have agreed to change their zoning to make way to riverfront development.

Communities participating are Aspinwall, Blawnox, Millvale, Etna, O'Hara, Shaler and Sharpsburg.

John Stephen, executive director of ARTEZ, said community officials have agreed to a multimunicipal riverfront overlay district.

The zoning changes will make the Allegheny River frontage more appealing to developers while controlling the type of new development, Stephen said.

"Clearly the riverfront is an important asset for these communities and will attract the next generation of development," Stephen said. "We want to follow the model of O'Hara Chapel Harbor development. The local riverfronts are attractive places to live and work.

"And a lot of people would love to live and work along the river," he said.

The end product for the communities is new zoning guidelines for new investment in riverfront areas for orderly and desired development such as housing and high-tech businesses.

"The communities themselves will end up with a better designed development," Stephen said.

But he cautioned that the zoning changes are for long-term planning and the new zoning itself will not lead to new development but will guide future development in the long run.

The zoning changes come as the Pennsylvania Environmental Council is working with many of the same communities to revitalize the towns, with a focus on the riverfront development.

"The rivers towns projects hopefully will create some interested citizens who would then work on our multimunicipal initiative," Stephen said.

In addition, the proposed walking and biking trail from Pittsburgh to Freeport along the Allegheny River plays into the plans as well because the river town communities will be attractive to residents who can bike to work and to other places.

ARTEZ plans to hold meetings about the riverfront zones and development in the spring.