Target expected to drive East Liberty resurgence
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The new Target store on Penn Avenue in East Liberty.
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The grand opening of the Target store today in East Liberty is a "big moment" in the neighborhood's resurgence, but it's not by any stretch the conclusion of the community's bid to reinvent itself.
Next on tap for the re-emerging commercial center could be offices, hotels, apartments and even more retail, as developers, public officials and community groups seek to capitalize on the momentum created by Target, one of the nation's most successful discount retailers.
In fact, Rob Stephany, city Urban Redevelopment Authority executive director, believes the neighborhood has the potential to recapture its past, when it was one of the busiest commercial corridors in the state.
"East Liberty was the center of the East End at one point and it could be there again," said Mr. Stephany, who was instrumental in the community's revitalization during his tenure as director of development for East Liberty Development Inc.
Economics aside, the opening of the Target also has symbolic value for a neighborhood that has worked hard to overcome failed urban renewal and years of neglect and decay.
Audrey Guskey, an associate professor of marketing at Duquesne University, said the fact the retailer chose East Liberty over many other areas shows that it is a viable, economically growing market.
"It's almost a stamp of approval," she said.
Even before the paint has dried on Target's trademark bull's-eye, other retailers are expressing interest in locating near the 145,000-square-foot store, which will feature traditional offerings as well as an expanded grocery section.
Steve Mosites, president of the Mosites Co., the developer responsible for bringing Target and Whole Foods to the East End, said he is fielding calls from fashion retailers and junior department store retailers similar to T.J. Maxx and Kohl's that have an interest in being in the neighborhood.
"Target will drive retail around it," he said. "You see it everywhere. I know three or four family restaurants that are interested in being across from Target. We're talking to some of them."
But retail is by no means the only redevelopment in the works.
East Liberty Development Inc. is negotiating with Ace Hotel, a trendy chain with boutique hotels in New York, Seattle, Portland, Ore., and Palm Springs, Calif., to occupy the former YMCA building.
First Published July 24, 2011 12:00 am
