Mount Lebanon Partnership highlights 750,000 annual Uptown visits and new grants

The Mount Lebanon Partnership told the commission it is shifting from event programming to community economic development, citing visitor-tracking data and new grant pilots. "We can estimate that Uptown attracts over 750,000 visitors each year," said Kate Irvin, executive director of the Mount Lebanon Partnership, noting an average visit length of about 76 minutes and peak months in July, August and May.

The presentation framed five strategic priorities: strengthening public spaces (including Clearview Common), activating Uptown during evening hours, improving streetscape and pedestrian safety, supporting community-serving businesses through recruitment and retention programs, and building organizational sustainability. Irvin said events remain important but are being leveraged toward longer-term goals such as business attraction and placemaking. The Partnership said it wants to work closely with municipal redevelopment projects (including the South Garage and Clearview Common) and help pursue grants and private sponsorships that the borough cannot pursue alone.

Commissioners praised the Partnership's facade grant pilot and asked for more data on who benefits and how funds are spent. One commissioner requested a more specific, program-by-program budget ask rather than a single baseline subsidy so the commission can judge outcomes during budget deliberations. The Partnership said its website hosts program guidelines and applications and that staff will share outcome data as grants are implemented.

The presentation concluded with an invitation for continued collaboration on redevelopment projects and grant applications; no formal municipal action was taken during the session.