The Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has opened an office in Beechview to attract Latino investors to the languishing Broadway Avenue business corridor.

Victor Diaz, the chamber's representative in Beechview, said the agency's focus is now on Beechview development and entrepreneurial services in general. It is seeking individual business plans and investors, he said.

"From a business perspective, this is a phenomenal location" -- close to the city, with the T running down Broadway and relatively affordable housing, he said.

PNC Bank "is in the early stages of talking with the Hispanic chamber," said Andrew Russell, a market manager for the bank. "If there are opportunities for us to contribute in a way that makes sense, we will step up."

Beechview's Latino population is very small but somewhat notable in light of the greater metropolitan population. In the 2000 census, 0.09 percent of the metropolitan population identified itself as "Hispanic or Latino." In Beechview, 1.7 percent of 8,700 residents checked that category.

One Latino investor found Beechview ahead of the Hispanic chamber two years ago and has since fueled divisive debate and antagonism among some residents.

Bernardo Katz, a Brazilian developer who lives in Mt. Lebanon, has bought most of the properties along the business corridor. Two were nuisance bars that he closed. Most of the properties are now vacant.

Two years ago, Mr. Katz ran afoul of some residents when he sued Alpine Tavern owner Rupert Aumer for breach of contract, claiming Mr. Aumer reneged on a deal to sell the bar to him. Mr. Aumer is a longtime neighborhood resident and business owner whose family still owns the bar. Mr. Katz dropped his lawsuit several months later, with no written proof of the deal.

Since opening the chamber office in early March on Beechview Avenue, Mr. Diaz has met with neighborhood stakeholders and with Mr. Katz to get acquainted, he said, adding that he realizes his role may be as diplomat. He said adamantly that the chamber will have nothing to do with politics.

Chamber members include Latino and non-Latino banking and business executives, attorneys, small and large business owners, and people interested in Latin America.

"We don't care who owns what," said Mr. Diaz. "We care about making something good happen in Beechview."

The fact that Mr. Katz owns most of the commercial properties means the chamber and the Beechview Merchants Association will have to deal with his vacancies if either is to influence Beechview's vitality.

Charles Fedel, solicitor for the Beechview Merchants Association, said that group would like to "go out and beat the bushes" to drum up investment, "but every time we've tried to get some information we could work with, [such as] the type of leases he [Mr. Katz] would offer, he has just said, 'Bring me an offer.' We want to share the effort, because his success is our success. We're craving investment."

Don Bell, president of the Beechview Merchants Association, said his meeting with Mr. Diaz was positive, informal and an effort "to find common ground." He said it remains to be seen if the chamber's presence is a positive thing, adding, "I certainly hope so."

Residents rejoiced when the Brazilian-born developer eliminated two nuisance bars they had worked to get rid of, but at the same time other businesses have vacated the street. The trend began before he showed up, but two of the properties he bought had been a drugstore and a hardware store.

Two new businesses opened last year in property owned by Mr. Katz, a Mexican restaurant that closed within the year and a Mexican grocery and goods store. He has tried to find upscale shops and cafes similar to ones he helped locate on Washington Road in Mt. Lebanon.

"I want an upscale deli, Strip District-style," he said, enumerating the kind of places that would stimulate Beechview: a coffeehouse, a casual bistro, unique shops.

His project manager, Ame Bahan, who has been in contact with residents at neighborhood meetings, said it has been hard convincing potential businesses to invest in a neighborhood that doesn't have buzz, "but I am staying hopeful."