2025 Alternative Development
Scenario Description
*It is important to remember that the 2025 Trend Scenario and the Alternative Theme Descriptions are by no means a recommended plan or set of policies for the County.

Like the 2025 Trend Scenario…
• Alternative Themes are informed conjectures as to what the County could look like in 20 years.

Unlike the 2025 Trend Scenario…
• Alternative Themes are free to depart from recent custom.
• Alternative Themes propose a wide variety of patterns of growth, types of land uses, densities and additions to transportation and utilities.

As part of the Visioning phase of the project, we have considered how Allegheny County has evolved over the past 10-13 years and what it will look like if we continue to evolve this way for the next 20 years – this is called the 2025 Trend Scenario.

We considered information gathered at 19 resource panel meetings; 26 special interest group meetings; field views; economic and demographic studies for this project done by the University Center for Social and Urban Research at Pitt; as well as various other local studies.

The following Alternative Themes form the basis for the development of the alternative growth concepts (alternatives). The names of these themes should capture the type of development proposed in each. These themes will be combined and collapsed from four to two to one Final Preferred Alternative. As we take public comments and refine the first round of alternatives, a shared vision for Allegheny County will emerge.
Again, it is important to remember that the themes are not the recommended plan for the future.

Good Old Places
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Development will be mainly directed to existing boroughs and towns through revitalization of brownfields, infill construction, and rehabilitation/reuse of existing structures.

This Theme also focuses development in the “hubs” identified in the Mon Valley Economic Development Strategy, which includes the City of Pittsburgh, Carrie Furnace, McKeesport / Duquesne, and Clairton. In order to be considered a hub in the Mon Valley Economic Strategy, the areas must meet specified criteria which include being an area of economic need, high population density, developable land, convenient location, serviced by mass transit, high visibility, and in need of revitalization.

While these areas may already be functioning as commercial and social hubs, commercial development will be directed to established downtowns and central business districts to assist with the revitalization of older communities. This Theme also promotes conservation of green space by focusing development in areas that have access to adequate infrastructure, including roads, public water, and public sewer while maximizing open space preservation.

Hot New Places
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This Theme focuses development at two types of centers. The first type is areas surrounding or adjacent to selected interchanges of limited access highways. These locations offer excellent regional access. Over the planning period, these locations are targeted for mixed-use, relatively high-density development, as well as relatively compact moderate-intensity residential development.

This concept also acknowledges planned transportation improvements along certain corridors, such as PA Route 910, by distributing new development to this area. Development is also shown near the Allegheny County border with Butler, Washington and Westmoreland Counties.

The second kind of center builds upon the 2025 Trend Scenario and responds to where the market is showing interest in areas around the perimeter of the county, especially the southwest and northwest portions of the county that are currently receiving growth pressures. These locations are targeted for mixed-use, medium-density development.

River Places
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This Theme focuses development on the riverfronts of Allegheny County, including the Allegheny, Monongahela, Ohio as well as the Youghiogheny. While flood prone areas and steep slopes will be avoided, the main thrust is to revitalize the communities on the riverfronts, which includes many of the County’s brownfields and established boroughs and villages.
This Theme promotes preservation of green space as well as equitable development as the majority of development is concentrated in established communities.

Transit Places
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This Theme includes utilizing the TOD concept, which clusters walkable, mixed-use, relatively high-density residential and non-residential development around existing transit stations. In Allegheny County, the existing transit stations are on the “T” and the East, South and West Busways. In addition to the existing stations, this Theme also designates a significant number of new TOD developments along proposed transit lines through the Allegheny Valley, Mon Valley and Airport Corridor. This Theme promotes preservation of green space as well as equitable development as the majority of development is concentrated in areas with access to existing infrastructure including roads, transit, water and sewer.

Assumptions
It is important to note that the Alternative Themes use the same assumptions as the 2025 Trend Scenario:

• The scenarios illustrate development over the next 20 years
• 25,000 acres of residential development, which translates into 50,000 new residential units
• 10,000 acres of non-residential development
• New development is shown as 100 acre chips, which translates into 200 Residential units, 1,000 Retail jobs and 2,500 Employment Center jobs

• Yellow = Residential
• Red = Retail
• Pink = Employment Center, which includes office and industrial development