Mayoral Candidate Portrays Plans for Pittsburgh's Grand Boulevard

Local boutiques, small shops, a dedicated bike lane and new sidewalks and street furniture are all part of city councilman Bill Peduto's vision for transforming Smithfield Street in Downtown Pittsburgh.

"'I want to make Smithfield Street from Station Square to the convention center a grand boulevard of Pittsburgh, bring in small shops and boutiques from all throughout Western Pennsylvania and give them a presence on a Downtown location that becomes a calling card,' Mr. Peduto, the Democratic nominee for mayor and prohibitive favorite in next month's election, said in a recent interview."

With a number of redevelopment and restoration projects in the works for the corridor, Peduto is considering establishing a tax increment financing (TIF) district to fund the infrastructure improvements.