Uniontown authority trying to figure out how to draw people downtown”How do we bring people downtown?”
That is the question that volunteer members of a Uniontown Downtown Business District Authority task force will attempt to answer as they begin a “charting” process to plan improvements downtown. It was one of several “framing questions” suggested during the task force meeting, which followed Tuesday’s monthly DBDA meeting.
The framing question will serve as the keystone of charting process, said Lucinda Baron Robbins, the Penn State Cooperative Extension’s economic and community development specialist and the DBDA’s charting coordinator.
Robbins said the answers to the question will serve as guides for making downtown a center for commerce and activities.
“The question should be, ‘How do we get people downtown?'” newly appointed board member Steve Neubauer said.
After task force members agreed with Neubauer’s suggestion, he asked, “Bring them for what? Shopping. We need an activity.”
Board member Gregory Parsons said business would be more likely to open on evenings and weekends if more people lived in town. He said more living space would be available if building owners converted the second floors of their buildings for residential use.
Neubauer said the DBDA should set standards for business hours and suggested selecting one night per week when stores would remain open.
The lack of activities was not the only issue identified as an obstacle to attracting people to downtown. Parking, public safety, nuisance properties and the cleanliness and appearance of buildings also were considered problems that have to be fixed to increase activity downtown.
City Councilman Joe Giachetti suggested making Church Street a downtown bypass, allowing parking on one side of Main Street and having police patrol downtown on foot.
The board also conducted the following business:
– Approved extending the city’s Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance ordinance for another five years after the current initiative expires Jan. 1, 2003.
– Agreed to contact the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce about scheduling light-up night and asked any bands interested in participating in a light-up night parade to contact the authority by Nov. 1.
– Named authority secretary Patricia Kelly as events director.