Tribune Review August 6 2010
A hotel and condo development in Mt. Washington has entrepreneurs
clamoring to set up shop in one of the neighborhood's business
districts.

"I think that as far as good places to develop, it's Mt. Washington,"
said Paul Martinez, 26, whose Latin-themed bar, Havana, at the corner
of Shiloh and Sycamore streets, could open as early as Sunday. "We
want to get people to stay here rather than going to South Side or
something like that."

The Shiloh Grill -- a spinoff of the Harris Grill in Shadyside -- will
open in October on Shiloh, said the owner, Gene Mangrum of
Whitehall. Several more businesses, including a bakery in the former
Eckerd drug store on Shiloh, a restaurant on Bigham Street and a
hardware store on Virginia Avenue, could open in the next year, said
Chris Beichner, executive director of the Mt. Washington Community
Development Corp. Agreements still need to be finalized, he said.

The business district is just a few blocks from the Monongahela
Incline, near where One Grandview Avenue, a $90 million, 20-story
development, will open at the former Edge Restaurant. It will include
163 hotel rooms, 59 condos, a below-ground parking garage and a public
overlook. The site could be cleared by the end of the year, and
construction should begin in spring and last two years.

"Now people know that it's coming closer to a reality, people want to
be established when it opens," Beichner said.

Business owners hope they can funnel the expected infusion of tourist
traffic into their shops, but J.T. Smith, the president of the
community development corporation's board, said that has been a
challenge.

The development corporation is looking at hosting more events like its
Saturday Art Marketplace, featuring artists and performers, which have
helped draw people, Smith said.

"I feel confident that with well-placed signage and events, and the
right kind of improvements, we can draw people down that street," he
said.

More than 90 percent of Shiloh Street's storefronts are occupied,
Beichner said, but eliminating any vacancies there and on nearby
streets would give the area a more welcoming feel, said Todd
DiFiore. He owns two small businesses on Shiloh, DiFiore's Ice Cream
Delight and the Grand Brew coffee shop.

"The more places open, the better it is for all the businesses," he
said. "I don't like to see one vacant building. It makes you wonder
about the area."

Grandview Avenue resident Diane Delmer, who spearheaded the community
group Citizens Against Irresponsible Property Management that worked
to get the former Edge property developed, said the hotel and condos
should propel Mt. Washington into becoming the "vibrant, progressive
neighborhood we all knew it could be."

"Mt. Washington has always had a lot energy, and now it's being put to
positive use," she said.

Peter Karlovich, the community development corporation's board vice
president, envisions Mt. Washington becoming the best parts of
Shadyside and Squirrel Hill.

"I love the walking business districts," he said. "Just the number of
shops and the variety of things they have there, it creates a vibrant
neighborhood experience that visitors and residents alike can enjoy."

The possibilities for further development in the neighborhood are
"boundless," said Joanna Doven, spokeswoman for Mayor Luke Ravenstahl.

"With development coming, it means there's a lot more work to do to
make sure we have solid recruitment and keep good businesses there,"
she said.