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E-Newsletter!
Spread the word about the great things happening in YOUR downtown by clicking on "Forward Email" located at the bottom of this column. Thank you! |
| T-BAAC's MISSION |
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To serve as a an action-oriented community -based group, committed to advising and supporting the Borough through a comprehensive initiative to revitalize Tarentum's central business district.
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| ALLEGHENY TOGETHER |
Allegheny Together endeavors to encourage well-planned, well-designed and geographically-focused investment in the established, urban commercial districts of Allegheny County while respecting the unique history, character, and built environment of each. The program aims to help organize and empower each community to fulfill its collective vision. |
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A PROGRAM OF
Alleghenty County Economic Development |
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Welcome to Our New Businesses!
The Tarentum Business Area Advisory Committee welcomes the following new businesses:
Ziggy's Lounge.com
201 East Sixth Avenue
Bamboo by the Piece
414 Corbet Street
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Downtown Tarentum Recognition Award
Tarentum Toasts JG's Tarentum Station Grille
Tarentum once again has a casual, fine-dining restaurant in its landmark train station along the Borough's busy Sixth Avenue corridor, thanks to the efforts of local businessman John Greco.
The closing of the Tarentum Station restaurant in August of 2007 left a notable void in the local dining scene and Tarentum without one of its flagship retail businesses.
Thankfully, the building's historic architecture and its reputation as a top dining destination in the A-K Valley and beyond proved to be a draw to potential new owners, Greco among them. Fortunately, the building did not sit idle for long.
Working with the Borough who owns the building, Greco led an extensive renovation of the structure that included a new kitchen, flooring, televisions and, most recently, a small ground level addition that houses new office and storage space.
While the restaurant's updated warm décor is inviting, people still flock to the restaurant for one thing-the great food and always excellent service.
"The reception by the community has been outstanding. We're so happy to have a tremendous amount of support from the Borough, local businesses and area residents," said Kelly Madison, one of the restaurants managers.
Congrats to JG's Tarentum Station Grille on its first successful year. Cheers to many, many more!
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Allegheny Restores Program Update
Allegheny County was excited to launch the much anticipated Allegheny Restores Program in 2008. The program provides dollar-for-dollar matching grants for façade renovation projects totaling up to $25,000. In November we received twenty applications for projects ranging from new signs and awnings to full storefront renovations.
In partnership with the Community Design Center of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County will provide design assistance to those applicants who need architectural services to complete their project. All projects will be limited to exterior renovations consistent with design guidelines developed in each community. These design guidelines are in place to preserve and enhance the historic character of the buildings. We plan to begin construction this spring.
Our next round of applications will be due on March 27th, 2009 by 4pm. Verona and Bridgeville, our two new communities who have just joined the program this year, will be eligible for this exciting program beginning in year 2 of their program. Please refer to alleghenytogether.com for program guidelines and application. If you have any questions about the program please contact Lance Chimka (412-350-1018) or Jessica Mooney (412-350-3300). We look forward to receiving your application! |
10 Reasons to Buy Locally Keep Money in Tarentum
For every $100 spent at a locally owned business, $45 goes back into the community and tax base. For every $100 spent at a chain store, only $14 comes back.
Embrace What Makes Us Different
One-of-a-kind independent businesses are real. Where we shop, eat and hang out makes our neighborhood home. Get Better Service
Local businesses often hire people who are better informed about the product they are selling and take time to get to know their customers. Buy What You Want, Not What Someone Wants You to Buy
Small businesses tend to stock what their customers love and need, guaranteeing more product choices. Create More Good Jobs
Small local businesses are one of the largest employers nationally and offer greater loyalty to their employees. Help Out the Environment
Independent businesses tend to make purchases locally and usually set up shop in town. This means less sprawl, congestion, habitat loss and pollution. Support Community Groups
Nonprofits receive an average of 350% more support from local businesses than from non-locally owned businesses. Invest in the Community
Local businesses are owned by people who live and work there and are more invested in their future. Put Your Taxes to Good Use
Local businesses tend to need and use less infrastructure money and make more efficient use of public services. Show Everyone You Believe in Tarentum
In an increasingly homogenized world, people are more inclined to invest in or move to communities that preserve their unique businesses and ambiance.
*Sources: The Economic Impact of Locally Owned Businesses vs. Chains, The Institute for Local Self-reliance and Friends of Midcoast Maine, September 2003; and Economic Impact Analysis: Civic Economics, December 2002 |
Free Storefront & Interior Design Consultation
PHLF is pleased to be able to offer to business owners in all of the Allegheny Together communities a free design consultation on storefront and window displays, as well as interior design and layout.
PHLF offers this service through Sheri Kosh, owner of Interiors by Decorating Den and a PHLF member and volunteer. Sheri provides expert design services for commercial and residential properties throughout the Pittsburgh region. She can help businesses maximize exposure with high impact window displays and make sure you are effectively welcoming your customers with a distinctive interior.
This service is available until the end of April, 2009. Please call Ethan Raup at PHLF at 412-471-5808 for more details or to set an appointment.
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Great Online Downtown Resources
Check out these great online resources Town Center Associates has compiled to help you to identify and learn lots more about opportunities to assist in the revitalization of your downtown. We encourage you to begin your search at www.alleghenytogether.com. Here you will not only find a personal webpage for your town's downtown program, but you will also find a host of fantastic online resources for locating information that is particularly valuable to you.
In the left hand column, check out the section entitled, "Reference Center." Here you can click on "Architecture and Design" for links that will lead you to interesting and inspiring ideas about using architectural tools in the revitalization of your downtown. You'll also find links that focus on all aspects of downtown revitalization including business development, community life, and building organizational capacity. You'll find resources such as:
Community Design Center of Pittsburgh
www.cdcp.org
Entrepreneurial Lifelines
Pittsburgh based Entrepreneur Mentoring Program
http://www.elifelines.org/mentee-info.php
Sprout Fund (regional)
Public Art & Mural Program
http://www.sproutfund.org/publicart/
The Community Toolbox
Offers a vast array of free resources to help support you in
organizational capacity building
http://ctb.ku.edu/en/
These and a multitude of other online resources are available at your fingertips. Simply log on to www.alleghenytogether.com and discover a world of possibilities!
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PHLF UPDATE 
As Tarentum, Elizabeth, Stowe and Swissvale head into their second year in Allegheny Together, the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation (PHLF) is encouraged by the implementation steps underway and we are proud to be a partner in several of these efforts. We want to share some early highlights with you.
Tarentum Town Center: During the Allegheny Together planning phase, PHLF brought in Urban Design Associates (UDA), an internationally known urban design firm headquartered in Pittsburgh, and their summer interns to provide design recommendations for the Tarentum central business district. One of the big ideas they proposed was to create a direct connection between the Tarentum Train Station, which is home to a destination restaurant and serves as the hub of downtown, and Riverfront Park, a remarkable regional amenity four blocks away.
To make this connection, UDA suggested removing an industrial building across the tracks from the train station on 4th Ave. This building is currently home to F-Squared, a machine shop and metals fabrication business. While the business is critical to Tarentum, the building is misplaced in the middle of the central business district. It offers a blank wall to 4th Ave, creating a dead-zone in the middle of a block that is otherwise well leased with professional services and retail businesses. It also blocks the view of Riverfront Park from the train station and the downtown.
As it happens, the owner of F-Squared has seen steady growth in the past two years and is interested in moving to a significantly larger space. He is now working with the Borough, Tarentum's Business Area Advisory Committee and PHLF to determine the feasibility of relocating to an industrial area in Tarentum that will be better suited to his business and give him the room he needs to expand and grow his business. If we are able to relocate F-Squared, it will provide an opportunity to replace the current building with a public space below the train station that would serve as a town center, with room for new construction facing the newly created public space.
Model Sign Ordinance: As TCA's workshops highlighted, a vibrant downtown business district takes time and effort on multiple fronts. While it can include expensive restoration and infrastructure projects, it can also include coordinated design efforts that do not require a huge investment. Attention to details can really make a difference. That has to include well designed and coordinated storefront signage. At the request of Elizabeth's Business District Advisory Committee, PHLF is drafting a model sign ordinance, which can be custom tailored to other communities as well. This ordinance provides comprehensive guidance for all types of signage within the central business district with the goal of encouraging the kind of signage that will really highlight and compliment the towns character, architecture and businesses.
Business Recruitment: Each of the Allegheny Together Business District Advisory Committees has spent time discussing what an optimal mix of different types of businesses would be in their downtowns and how to fill prominent gaps and vacancies. Business recruitment can be challenging, particularly in tough economic times. But PHLF can be a partner in this effort. We have launched an on-going outreach effort to quality main street businesses in 12 business districts in Allegheny County. This includes direct contact with over 125 businesses, including a wide range of retail stores and restaurants. If your main street committee has identified specific business types and segments you want to recruit, then please let PHLF know and we will work to help you with this. We have also started distributing a quarterly e-newsletter targeting local retail and restaurant businesses and communicating to them opportunities that exist in the main street districts where we are working. If you would like to receive this publication, or if there are businesses you think would benefit from getting it, then please contact Dave Farkas at david@phlf.org. | |
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| This e-newsletter was created by Town Center Asociates for the Allegheny Together Program of Allegheny County Economic Development. For more information about the Allegheny Together program, please visit www.alleghenytogether.com. |
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