By Mary Ann Thomas
ASPINWALL HERALD
Sunday, December 5, 2010

Officials of at least two local communities have adopted new zoning ordinances that promote riverfront development along the Allegheny River as part of a pilot program to revitalize river towns.

Sharpsburg and Blawnox approved the ordinances earlier this month to help put together the pieces for potential development in an approximately seven-mile swatch of riverfront that includes those boroughs along with O'Hara, Aspinwall, Etna and Millvale.

The six communities along the lower Allegheny River were chosen by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council for a free program to analyze and identify redevelopment projects and funding sources.

The program is part of the overall county master plan for redevelopment, which includes doing more with the region's riverfronts.

The environmental council will hold meetings in each community in January to present their recommendations and accept public comments and suggestions.

Environmental council representatives visited all six towns in November to walk through the communities and talk with public officials and residents about how to make their towns better.

Although there are many river towns along the region's waterways, the six chosen are close to a major hub such as Pittsburgh and are the last communities downriver from a watershed, pointed out Jim Segedy, director of community planning for the Pennsylvania Environmental Council's Pittsburgh office.

As residents already know, this makes the towns vulnerable to flooding, but also provides potential for riverfront development, he said.

"All of the communities have challenges to have access to the riverfront," said Segedy. "In some cases it's because the riverfront was used for something else, it was where industry was or there's a steep drop off."

Segedy went on to say that each community has its own unique opportunities to revitalize.

"Millvale, without realizing it, is somewhat of an artist community with its theater and other businesses," he said. "And Aspinwall has this unique downtown, with an almost European feel."

Each town has varying potential for making them more walkable and friendly to cyclists.

More details on each town's development plan will available early next year.