Councilman Wilson: Investing in East Ohio Street’s infrastructure could give it the potential to be a ‘bustling main street.’

Hello everyone, 

At the start of this new year, I want to talk about $50,000 that I allocated to create a streetscape plan and design for East Ohio Street. East Ohio Street is the biggest business district on the Northside. It has the potential to be a bustling main street, where small businesses, neighborhood residents, and visitors from all over can come together to shop, eat, and gather. Making East Ohio Street that much more attractive to entrepreneurs, residents, and visitors starts by investing public dollars in its infrastructure. The $50,000 I allocated will allow us to create a community-driven design for East Ohio Street. Bringing the community together to create this design will allow me to secure funds for its construction in the future. My office is looking forward to making East Ohio Street safer and more friendly for visitors, business owners, and residents by improving lighting, constructing sidewalk bump-outs, and installing larger tree pits. 

Another exciting investment coming to East Ohio Street is the URA and Historic Deutschtown Development Corporation have selected two partners, R. Kyndall and Fulani Development Group, to redevelop the long empty structures at 620, 624, and 628 East Ohio Street. This $4.9 million proposed redevelopment of the 13,240 square-feet combined parcel will bring retail space to the first floor and add second and third floor commercial office space with ADA accessibility. These are just a few ways in which public and private investment on East Ohio Street can make it more attractive, both as part of East Allegheny and as a business district.

I also want to announce that I worked with the City Council to allocate $650,000 for the Spring Hill Park. This smaller neighborhood park on the Northside has not had investment in many years. We were able to allocate $650,000 to this park from the money raised by the new parks tax. This money will be spent to completely upgrade Spring Hill Park. Thanks to the Parks Tax trust fund, I was able to bring these funds back to our neighborhood, so that we can improve this important green space for our neighbors and children. Keep an eye out this year for opportunities to share your thoughts and vision for Spring Hill Park as we begin a community-driven process to upgrade this important community asset.

I also want to share the good news that the water fountain at Catalano Parklet, on Spring Garden Avenue, has been installed. I know this was a huge priority for the residents of Spring Garden, and they have been strong advocates for bringing it back. I am very appreciative of the hard work that Chris Hornstein, the Director of the City’s Department of Public Works, and his crew did to bring this water fountain back to Catalano Parklet.

If you have any questions or concerns, call us at 412-255-2135, email us at district1@pittsburghpa.gov, or find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. My staff and I are looking forward to serving all of you in this new year! 

BOBBY WILSON 

COUNCILMAN, DISTRICT 1