People stop at the Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation tent during September’s First Friday Unblurred event to learn about a survey to help guide the future of the Penn Avenue Arts and Commercial District.

By Jamie Kelly, Bulletin editor

The Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation is part way through its effort to create an updated strategic plan for the Penn Avenue Arts and Commercial District, with the goal of completing the plan by the end of the year.
So far, there have been two public listening sessions, which happened in August, and a survey about the future of the district, which closed at the end of September.
Focus groups with business owners, artists and young people were all scheduled for late September and early October.
Rebekkah Ranallo, the consultant putting the strategic plan together, said she’s also having one-on-one meetings with elected officials who represent parts of the district, which currently runs from Negley Avenue to Mathilda Street.
Anyone who’s spent time on Penn Avenue knows it has changed dramatically over the last several decades. Part of the goal of the strategic plan is to see where the district is heading.
“How do we preserve this incredibly unique place in the city, despite all the challenges? “ Ranallo said. “How can it remain a welcoming place for people from all backgrounds?”
The final report will have recommendations about economic development, arts and culture, marketing, branding, physical improvements and inclusivity.
In August, a team from the BGC went door-to-door in the district during First Fridays Unblurred, making sure people were aware of the listening sessions that month.
In September, a pop-up tent at First Friday helped to advertise the survey, and a tent is also planned for a different location, likely near Pittsburgh Glass Center, in the 5400 block of Penn Avenue, for the October event.
As the survey wraps up, Ranallo said she and her team are looking through the information the sessions have produced. There are transcripts of both listening sessions, and both sessions also produced a series of ideas through virtual and physical posters and Post-It notes.
The one-on-one and focus group sessions also produced additional ideas, and the survey results will provide even more data to consider.
“We’re still in learning mode,” Ranallo said of the process.
Learning is the point, because the goal of the plan is to create something that reflects the community.
Ranallo’s team is excited to engage young people in the project, and they’re working to collect input from participants in Assemble, Garfield Gators and BGC’s College and Career Readiness programs.
“We want to hear what the next generation of community members envision for themselves in this community,” Ranallo said. “Do they see themselves owning a business on the avenue? Do they see themselves buying a home nearby?”
That also includes finding out what business owners along Penn Avenue see as their role in the community.
While it’s still early in the process, Ranallo said one thing has already emerged: There is still a strong identification with the arts, even as new types of businesses have opened in the district.
After the information gathering is finished, Ranallo and her team will put together a series of recommendations in a report. She hopes to have a community event to give an overview of the report, get community feedback on it and make final changes by the end of the year.

Your tax dollars at work. Financial assistance provided by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and governor Josh Shapiro’s main streets matter program.