Allegheny Together
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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.
Allegheny Together is a program of:
ALLEGHENY COUNTY
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
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Please Forward this 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!
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DOWNTOWN RECOGNITION AWARD
Thank You to Bellevue's Newest Businesses!
The Borough of Bellevue is pleased to recognize the following new businesses for having chosen to locate in our business district in the past two years. We understand the significance and importance of new businesses choosing to locate in downtown Bellevue. Through their investment in Bellevue, they are helping to build a stronger business district and community.
Around the Bend Bookstore
174 Lincoln Avenue
Muddy Cup Coffee House
541 Lincoln Avenue
Little Labels
8 Hawley Avenue
Rent A Center
600 Lincoln Avenue
Stew's Hobbie Shop
555 Lincoln Avenue
Man Cave
566 Lincoln Avenue
Curiosity Shop
8 N. Balph Avenue
Heirlooms Resale Shop
423 Lincoln Avenue
Bellevue Speed Wash
33 North Balph Avenue
Teri's Accents
405 Lincoln Avenue
Mike the Barber
423 Lincoln Avenue
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DOWNTOWN BELLEVUE CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Bellevue Farmer's Market
Location: Hawley Avenue between Lincoln Ave. and Citizen Way
Time:Wednesdays 3 pm to 7pm, May 26th through October
Vendors are available on Hawley Avenue and in the Municipal Parking Lot with variety of fresh vegetables, fruits, pasta, cheese, flowers and plants, and exceptional home-baked goods. Rain or shine, the market provides for the very best selections of the season! These farmers, gardeners, bakers, and other vendors make buying fresh items convenient. Located on the bus routes, it is an easy stop on the way home. Enjoy the bounty provided by the local farmers and purveyors of seasonal produce and foodstuffs. They look forward to seeing you each and every week.
New this year is the Weekly Raffle basket. Vendors contribute an item each week to the basket. Customers make a purchase from the vendors and receive a free raffle ticket. Customers deposit their tickets in a jar and the weekly winner is announced at the end of the day. Winner need not be present. The weekly winner walks away with the basket contents or will be contacted by phone to arrange for pick-up.
Summer Concert Series
When: Wednesdays July 14 through August 18th
Where: Bayne Park
Time: 7 PM
Summer Concert Series in Bayne Park sponsored by Allegheny General Hospital/Suburban Campus. Bring the whole family, a chair or blanket and enjoy music in the park!
To find out about fun events happening in other Allegheny Together communities, check out the Allegheny Together Events Calendar. |
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POSITIVE PROGRESS IN DOWNTOWN BELLEVUE!
Through the Allegheny Together program, Bellevue Borough has been working with Allegheny County Economic Development (ACED) and its team of consultants to begin a comprehensive revitalization initiative in our downtown business district. Perhaps you attended one of Town Center Associate's (TCA) three Key Issue Workshops during the initial phase of the program. The workshops included discussion and community feedback in three critical areas of downtown revitalization: architecture and design; business development; and promoting the business district as the center of community life.
After gathering input from the workshops, we have continued to make progress in this effort. A preliminary steering committee dedicated solely to the revitalization of the business district was formed. TCA has worked with the steering committee to put order and structure to the initiative by prioritizing key issues identified at the workshops; to assist in utilizing these issues in the formation of an annual strategic action plan; and to establish long-range goals and objectives for the downtown's revitalization efforts. After completing this process, a standing committee, the Bellevue Business District Advisory Committee (BDAC) was established. This committee is now underway with working on enhancing and strengthening downtown Bellevue.
On June 7th, the Bellevue Business District Advisory Committee invited area merchants and community members to attend an informational forum held at the borough building. The discussion focused on the committee's Business Development initiatives. Two new business development programs, Downtown First and Downtown Properties, were presented and discussed by Town Center Associates (TCA). These programs are being offered to Bellevue's businesses and property owners by TCA through Bellevue's participation in the Allegheny Together Program. TCA's innovative new programs are focused on supporting and retaining Bellevue's current businesses, as well as recruiting new businesses to the community.
To learn more about Downtown First and Downtown Properties, please see the specific articles about these programs in this e-newsletter. As you can see much work has been accomplished and many good, exciting things are happening in downtown Bellevue!
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YOUR WORK AND YOUR HEALTH
Health and wellness are receiving a lot more attention today than they have in the past for good reason: increasing healthcare costs are a burden and more and more people are looking for ways to take control of their health and feel better. Workplace wellness is the term for any activities and policies that a business adopts to support employees making healthy lifestyle choices. Focusing on workplace wellness makes sense because a worker spends more waking hours at work than at home or anywhere else.
Often very simple changes can improve employee wellness and morale. A well-designed wellness program can help businesses see positive results in their bottom line. The Allegheny County Health Department is offering to help businesses start their own workplace wellness programs and will provide resources and technical assistance to interested businesses. Even if you own a small business there are opportunities to partner with neighboring businesses to develop wellness programs. If you would like more information please contact Darija Wiswell at the Allegheny County Health Department 412-247-7815.
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TAKE THE DOWNTOWN FIRST PLEDGE TODAY!
Join the Movement. Put
Your Money Where Your House Is
"Homes located in communities with a walkable downtown business district are worth 10-20% more than homes in other communities"
The Downtown First Pledge is simple. All you have to do is try to choose businesses in your
downtown first. Before looking elsewhere, try to think about what local
restaurants, shops, or professionals in your community might offer the
service or product you are looking for.
When you take the Downtown First Pledge,
you'll quickly see the difference these simple decisions have on your
quality of life. You'll spend less time in your car, get to know local
business owners, and help ensure that good businesses remain in your
community.
Furthermore, the economic benefits of shopping locally will be felt throughout our region by strengthening our local economies. If
half the employed population spent just $50 each month in locally
owned, independent businesses, it would generate more then $42.6
billion in revenue. How's that for a return on your investment!*
CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE DOWNTOWN FIRST PLEDGE TODAY. It only takes a few seconds and demonstrates your support for your community!
DOWNTOWN FIRST PLEDGE:
I
PLEDGE that I will try to choose my downtown businesses FIRST. I will
try to think about what restaurants, shops or professionals in my
community might offer what I am looking for, before looking
elsewhere. By supporting this movement, I am helping to improve the
vibrancy of my community and our region.
Downtown First is a downtown business support and promotion program created by
Town Center Associates.
*According to a study by the US Department of Labor |
FIND AVAILABLE PROPERTIES IN DOWNTOWN BELLEVUE!
If
your business needed a retail storefront or office space in downtown Bellevue, how would you find a building currently available for sale or
lease?
Town Center Associates has the answer: a new website, www.downtownproperties.net. Think
of it as a multiple listing service just for downtown properties in
select towns in the Pittsburgh area. This site lets you search for
available commercial properties in nearly 30 area downtowns. Each
listing has a recent property photo and contact information, as well as
demographic information on the community, mapping, and other helpful
features.
If you own a downtown property that you would like to
sell, or if you have a storefront you would like to lease, contact Town
Center Associates at 724-728-0500 or 412-577-7447, or email us at tca@towncenter.info. Our
friendly staff will make sure that your property is placed on this
website for all to see. Best of all, your property will be promoted at
NO CHARGE to you! When you call or write, ask about receiving a FREE
poster that will help promote both your property and the site!
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PHLF UPDATE
Great businesses capture foot traffic, maintain their building's historical integrity, and are intensely focused on customer service. PHLF is offering technical assistance to business owners to help them make their businesses the best they can be.
As many property owners are aware, Allegheny County's Allegheny Restores program is a way for you to make capital improvements to the façade of your building. However, this is not the only assistance available to you. PHLF is offering the services of an interior designer to you and your business. Our designers can help you draw in more foot traffic through an eye-catching window display, improve the interior layout of your space, and offer suggestions for new paint colors or window treatments. This is a great opportunity for your business to get recommendations from a design professional, free of charge. To set up an appointment, please contact David Farkas at 412-471-5808.
As previously mentioned, Allegheny Restores is a great opportunity for property and business owners in the Allegheny Together communities to make improvements to their facades. PHLF will be stepping up its role in this area and assisting property and business owners in bidding the work out to subcontractors, as well as helping to advise about the construction phase. PHLF brings over 40 years of restoration and renovation experience, and we are excited about working with interested business and property owners.
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STAY UP TO DATE ON DOWNTOWN BELLEVUE
With Our Quarterly E-Newsletter
You are
reading the Bellevue FOCUS: your quarterly downtown e-newsletter. By using
e-newsletters instead of print newsletters, we can send the information about
our downtown revitalization efforts to a greater number of people and save
paper--a win for the community and the environment!
To
receive your copy of the e-newsletter via email, simply send an email to
tca@towncenter.info and indicate your email address, as well as the name of the
town or towns for which you'd like to receive the e-newsletters. You can
also call Town Center Associates to sign up at 412-577-7447.
Please also
take a moment to forward this email along to your friends, colleagues, family
and neighbors, and encourage them to sign up today! This will help to inform
(and involve) more citizens about the revitalization efforts taking place in
our downtown. |
This e-newsletter was created by Town Center Associates 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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