PHOTO BY DAVE DICELLO

Keeping the Golden Triangle spic and span, keeping it safe and creating more Downtown events are among the immediate priorities in the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership’s new three-year strategic vision.

The 2025-2028 vision — developed with input from 100 stakeholders — builds on Gov. Josh Shapiro’s $600 million 10-year revitalization master plan, announced last fall, to create 1,000 more housing units Downtown through building conversions and to make other major improvements.

The PDP aims to address immediate needs of the city and to accelerate growth through “three tiers of focused action:” core, activation and transformation.

A central long-term goal in all of this is to double the residential square footage to boost the population living Downtown to 15,000 and to increase retail occupancy by 10% within the next decade, according to the PDP report. There are fewer than 7,000 people living Downtown today.

“This strategy leverages our past achievements and introduces forward-thinking solutions to fully realize Downtown’s potential through collaboration, action, and a collective commitment to revitalization,” said Jeremy Waldrup, president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, in a statement.

In the short term, the PDP is expanding the size of its clean team and plans to seek long-term funding to keep these essential services. There is more power washing of alleys. It has also employed a team of Downtown “ambassadors” to provide directions and other assistance to visitors. Overall it wants to enhance the hospitality to visitors and to make public spaces safer and more inviting.

It also has created a team to help homeless individuals get support services and includes shuttle runs offered in the morning and evening to transport homeless individuals to shelters.

PHOTO COURTESY DOWNTOWN PITTSBURGH PARTNERSHIP

In its activation goals, the PDP hopes to create more vibrant spaces for art, culture and community and reduce blight. It plans to host at least 300 activities a year, as well as four large-scale celebrations such as Picklesburgh — which marks its 10th event this coming summer — and the new 11-day Oktoberfest introduced last fall.

It also will oversee the redesign of key spaces such as Market Square and the medians on Liberty Avenue through Gateway Center to integrate public art and greenery. It plans to install 10 major public art pieces throughout Downtown and to expand landscaping elements by 20%, according to the vision plan.

For transformation, the PDP will be working to accelerate Downtown’s economic growth by attracting more retailers and other businesses and holding on to the ones already in place. Long-term plans are underway to revitalize Smithfield Street — once the city’s busiest retail stretch — and to assist developers in converting office buildings to residential.

It believes much of this can be accomplished with enhanced partnerships and collaborations with stakeholders, developers, business owners, retailers and more.