Swissvale Residents and Leaders Discuss Future of Business District

Swissvale residents, business owners and elected officials came together Monday night to discuss and analyze the strengths, weaknesses and future of the business district to create a plan for improvement.

While Swissvale Council recently decided to end its affiliation with Allegheny Together because of costs and a lack of progress, Councilman Mike Epitropoulos is leading a newly formed group called the Economic Development Advisory Committee.

The group hopes to form a vision for a revitalized business district in the heart of Swissvale, along Monongahela Avenue, Noble Street and the Waverly area.

“This is a foundation for us to move forward after discontinuing our involvement with Allegheny Together,” Epitropoulos said.

Allegheny Together is a program that was launched in 2007 by Allegheny County in an effort to help revitalize communities through "community organization and data driven planning," according to its website.

Hosted by , the meeting included local residents along with , Swissvale Council President , Councilman and business owner .

Epitropoulos led a traditional "SWOT" analysis brainstorming session, where attendees discussed the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats facing Swissvale’s business district.

The strengths discussed included easy access to the parkway, a core infrastructure, strong borough maintenance and an area that is easily used by pedestrians.

“We have an asset here that could be better than Regent Square if it’s done right,” Epitropoulos said.

Petrarca added that there are many medical businesses in the immediate area of Swissvale’s business district, including doctors and dentists.

“It’s all good for the people living here because they can get all of that right here,” Petrarca said.

An abundance of young families and a diverse population also were named the strengths of the business district.

Weaknesses discussed included Swissvale’s negative image, empty businesses and difficult navigation for those unfamiliar with the neighborhood. Poor lighting, loitering and litter also were named weaknesses in the area.

Epitropoulos also said that while Regent Square has a destination spot like D’s Six Pax and Dogz, Swissvale’s business area lacks just that. Petrarca agreed and also noted a social shift in the neighborhood.

“This town is a different town at night,” Petrarca said. “People don’t want to go out late and they’re not walking around, so a restaurant doesn’t want to come here.”

Swissvale United Methodist’s Pastor Dai Morgan addressed the issue of a lack of activities for youth.

“We’re always looking at demographics and it’s a transient population,” Morgan said. “Average income has gone down and also there are a lot of children and teens – that issue of how do you serve young people is something we struggle with.”

The opportunities presented by the business district included grants, higher newsletter distribution and increasing the visibility of Swissvale’s website, along with incentives to bring in new businesses.

“We want to be cheerleaders, retain the businesses we have and attract new businesses in a way that makes sense so people can go to one street and do five different things,” Epitropoulos said.