Westmoreland eyes life after blight removal

As Westmoreland officials spend more than $10 million to tackle the county’s blight problem, they find themselves faced with a new conundrum: What do to with the hundreds of properties once they are cleared?

A $20,000 study was commissioned by the county redevelopment authority this week to address that issue.

“We want to build off this effort and figure out what comes after,” said redevelopment authority Executive Director Brian Lawrence. “We’ve never embarked on a project on such a scale before, and, in a lot of our communities, some of these properties have been languishing for decades. We want to be proactive because there will be a whole lot of vacant lots at once.”

Commissioners last year allocated $10.4 million in American Rescue Plan funds for the demolition and remediation of more than 300 blighted properties in seven local communities: Arnold, Greensburg, Jeannette, Monessen, New Kensington, Penn Borough and Vandergrift.

Work already has started. Lawrence said 13 demolition projects are complete and another 30 are under contract. In all, county officials estimate as many as 30 blighted structures will be demolished as part of the project.

The study to evaluate uses for the properties will be done by Stromberg Garrigan & Associates of Somerset. It is being paid for with a $20,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County.

The Somerset firm specializes in comprehensive landscape architecture, urban planning and design and has worked on projects throughout Western Pennsylvania and the U.S.

“This country has bit of a legacy of tearing stuff down without thinking about what happens next. The fact that the county and these communities are thinking about this is a positive sign,” said Sean Garrigan, a partner with the consulting firm.

Garrigan said communities could consider a variety of projects, including modern housing and new business space.

Consultants will meet with representatives from the communities starting June to help craft a blueprint for how those vacant properties can be reused.

“We want to find out what Detroit has done, what Youngstown, Ohio, has done. How these properties might be reused. We want to uncover lots of ideas,” Lawrence said.

He suggested uses such as storm water management facilities, solar- or wind-powered neighborhood electrical grids or other community improvement projects could be on the table if supported by local leaders.

Once completed, the study could be used to leverage additional grant funds to pay for projects designed to reinvigorate local communities.

“We need to bring in resources in our communities in many ways and want communities to view this as their baby,” Lawrence said. “We want to do it all, everywhere and all at once.”