There are an estimated 59 empty storefronts Downtown according to what Allegheny County Representative Rich Fitzgerald said in a September press conference.
Within the coming months, The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership plans to decrease the empty storefront number by at least 4. With help from The Hillman Foundation, Project Pop-Up plans to place eligible applicants in vacant storefronts, rent free, for a term of 6-12 months according to Kate Irvin, director of economic development for the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership.
According to Irvin, the purpose is to revitalize underutilized spaces in the city in preparation for the holiday season and encourage a long-term investment in the selected locations.
In a trip with his family from Clarington Canada to Pittsburgh, 22-year-old Nolan Robinson has seen the effect of these underutilized spaces.
“Last night we realized that there’s nothing to do after a certain time,” Robinson said. “One side of town seemed abandoned.” He spoke about the area in front of the Heinz History Center which appeared to be empty.
Saturday night around 9, Robinson and his family walked around for 30 minutes and after finding nothing to do, decided to go back to their hotel room.
In a post COVID-19 world, Mayor Ed Gainey noted in a September press conference that while there may be less people coming back to work, there are still tourists like Robinson that come to the city to be entertained.
“The more entertainment we have Downtown, the more people we attract Downtown,” Gainey said. “We have to rethink how we design Downtown. We have buildings that just don’t work no more, and there has to be a conversation about what we do with these buildings.”
Irvin said that Project Pop-Up is targeting to potentially open at least 4 storefronts in time for Light Up Night and the holiday season in order to utilize higher foot traffic for business.
“The exact timing of their opening dates will depend on a number of factors, including obtaining the necessary operating permits, outfitting their spaces and stocking their storefronts,” Irvin said.
To enhance the street level environment by increasing foot traffic, the project aims to assist existing businesses and foster more economic growth, Irvin said. According to the Broken Windows Theory, the more an area looks abandoned or empty, the more likely it is to attract crime. While the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership does not endorse the broken windows theory, Point Park Police Sergeant Mathew Mays said he believes that the partnership puts effort into making the city look more vibrant to reduce crime.
“In our lifetime, Downtown has been a center of business,” Mays said. “I think we’re going to see residential as the wave of the future for Downtown, and with that, you’re gonna see long term stores, restaurants, again that cater to a residential crowd, we’re just in this cold, transitionary period or gap period where there’s going for empty office space.”
According to Irvan, applicants that are selected for Project Pop-Up will be awarded grants of up to $15,000 per storefront depending on the scale of their operation.
