Update: The Wilkinsburg Plan
After months of research, public outreach, scheduled meetings, and strategy sessions, the Wilkinsburg Plan is in a preliminary draft format and will be presented to the public over the next few months. The background research that is presented in the Plan includes information about the Borough's socioeconomics, neighborhoods and housing, transportation, current land use, and community facilities. Extensive public outreach was conducted through the regular Steering Committee and Planning Commission meetings, 6 neighborhood outreach meetings, a week-long business district charette process, and 10 individual stakeholder interviews. Additional input was received from residents via the electronic survey that was posted at the Borough's website. After careful analysis and synthesis of the results and public input, specific strategies were developed and recommended for consideration.
Strategies and recommendations that are included in the Plan are categorized as follows:
1. Safe, Clean, and Green - These strategies include a new focus on public safety and community policing practices, aggressive code enforcement, and the development and implementation of sustainable practices.
2. Livable Neighborhoods - These strategies include leveraging existing transit facilities to support transit oriented development (TOD) and a renewed effort for code enforcement and redevelopment in Borough neighborhoods.
3. Open for Business - Strategies in this section are derived primarily from the business district section of the Plan which emphasizes transit oriented development, the preparation of code compliant space, and a renewed focus on business recruitment and development that will create "critical mass" for the retail and service center at Penn Avenue and Wood Street.
4. Organize for Success - These strategies focus on creating the appropriate organizational structure to maximize the ability of the Borough to implement recommendations from the Plan and to use a more regional approach to help with capacity building.
5. Vision to Reality - The strategies in this section focus on implementation by establishing appropriate future land use classifications and developing funding strategies to support the implementation process.
Next steps for the Wilkinsburg Plan include additional review and revisions by the Steering Committee and the Planning Commission over the next several weeks including final decisions about future land use. During that time, the Plan will also be submitted and reviewed for consistency with the Allegheny County Plan by the Allegheny County Planning Department. A final public hearing will be scheduled at which time the Plan will be presented and there will be an opportunity for additional public input. Once the Plan is in its final version, it will be submitted to the Planning Commission for consideration and recommendation and then scheduled for adoption by the Wilkinsburg Borough Council. It is expected that the final Plan will be adopted sometime in late March or early April 2010.