What brownfield development is planned for Beaver Falls and Rochester?
Areas in both Beaver Falls and Rochester will look to see new development and revitalization.
In 2021, Beaver County, through the county Office of Planning and Redevelopment, received a $600,000 three-year Brownfields Assessment Coalition Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
From there, the office reached out to municipalities in the county to see which areas would be interested in using the funding to develop brownfield areas, which is land that had previous developments that is not currently in use.
With the grant, environmental site assessments and area-wide planning were implemented for the two municipalities, leading to study areas to be identified for revitalization planning.
In Beaver Falls, the target areas are Lower Beaver Falls and West College Hill, with the target areas in Rochester being the Riverfront area and the Brighton Avenue Corridor.
Somerset-based Stromberg, Garrigan & Associates serves as the main consultant for the initiative, while Philadelphia-based 4ward Planning Inc. serves as an additional consultant.
Public open houses were held on Wednesday and Thursday to gauge public opinion and show the targeted areas to them.
Lower Beaver Falls
For Lower Beaver Falls, the area extends north of the Beaver Falls-New Brighton Bridge, and is from Seventh Avenue to the west, and 15th Street to the north.
Stromberg, Garrigan & Associates Principal Sean Garrigan said that area includes the older industrial section and was part of a city 2015 plan.
He said the goal of the area would be to expand manufacturing jobs, incorporate new housing, do rehabilitation for existing housing and incorporate new infrastructure to create new businesses.
4Ward Planning President and Managing Principal Todd Poole said Lower Beaver Falls can serve as the “next frontier” where young couples and/or individuals out of college can move to.
Poole said the area is in “desperate need” of new housing, particularly “infill” housing in alleys in between existing housing.
He said in the beginning, the area wouldn’t be able to charge market price, and the new housing would largely be targeted at low-to-moderate income individuals.
Poole said once more people come in, new businesses, manufacturing, and industries can open up, stabilizing the area, which could then lead to new housing that can charge market price.
He also said he expects, with proper planning and reasonable goals, the area can make a full recovery within 5-7 years.
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West College Hill
The area of West College Hill is bound by Sixth Avenue and 24th Street between 35th Street to the north, and the intersection of Sixth Avenue and 24th Street to the south.
Poole said due to the area being in a floodplain, there isn’t much in the way of new businesses and industries that can be built.
Therefore, he said he envisions new green spaces and recreational areas that can be used by the community for different events throughout the year.
Poole also said he could see the city partnering with nearby Geneva College to create incubator spaces in the area.
City Manager Charles Jones said these two areas were chosen by city officials as the two with the greatest potential for redevelopment with the funding.
Rochester
For Rochester, the target areas for development include properties between Railroad Street and the Ohio River from Harrison Street to the west, to the municipal boundary on the east, which includes the New York Avenue connection from the riverfront to Brighton Avenue, and the Brighton Avenue Corridor between Route 51 and Adams Street.
Garrigan and Poole said they and borough officials want to see new development along the riverfront, with Garrigan stating there have been proposed development projects along the riverfront for 20 years, but nothing has moved forward.
Poole said he could envision an entertainment hub along the riverfront with a possible amphitheater.
He also said he would like to see the old Beaver Valley Bowl building, which is currently vacant and in disrepair, renovated, rather than torn down.
Poole said the ground floor of the building can be retooled and refurbished for different food and entertainment businesses.
As far as the downtown area, Poole said the two keys would be to get new and maintain existing businesses/entrepreneurs, as well as get new housing/rental options to support those businesses.
He said in the old vacant properties, the key is to convert the first floors to businesses and convert the upper floors to rentals.
“You need people in the street,” Poole said. “You need to populate the commercial district with people.”
Poole said he expects it will take longer for the areas in Rochester to recover than Beaver Falls, given it is in more “dire straits” than the city.
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Next steps moving forward
Garrigan said the public open houses were part of the introduction phase for these projects.
He and S/G/A Project Planner Anna Leisher said the consultants and the municipal officials want to hear from the public about what they would and would not like to see in those areas.
Leisher said the goal is to reuse the old properties to support economic development and economic revitalization.
“We want to hear from everyone,” Leisher said.
As such, Garrigan said the firm has already begun reaching out to different business owners and stakeholders in the target areas as well.
Garrigan said more information and updates will be available in the future on the Beaver County Planning and Development Office tab on the county’s website, beavercountypa.gov.
He said the consultants will be working with the Planning and the Redevelopment Office, and the municipal leaders, throughout the spring and summer, and will present draft recommendations to the communities, on potential ideas, in the fall.
Past work and program background
According to the EPA, a brownfield is defined as real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.
Garrigan said a lot of the time, the materials include asbestos and lead paint.
He also said contrary to popular belief, brownfields are more than old industrial buildings and fields, and can include traditional residential areas.
Garrigan said the consultants and the Planning and Redevelopment Office are currently working on projects in Monaca and Midland, that were funded through different EPA grants.
Steering committees have been installed with representatives for all four municipalities.
Garrigan said in Monaca, they are working on transportation improvements, such as along Pennsylvania Avenue and 17th Street, in line with the ongoing Monaca Gateway Project.
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They are also planning streetscape and environmental work at different brownfield locations that will be determined.
Garrigan said they have ideas for redevelopment in Midland, particularly along Main Street.
He said for all of the municipalities, the goal is to present reasonable or “doable” recommendations, and hope to implement programs and partnerships in order to accomplish them.
For more information, reach out to Joe West, the assistant director for the Beaver County Office of Planning and Development at jwest@beavercountypa.gov.
Nicholas Vercilla is a staff reporter for the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at nvercilla@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Brownfield development planned for Beaver Falls and Rochester
