PHOTO: DAVE DICELLO

The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership is turning to the general public and local nonprofits and civic groups for creative ideas to help revitalize the Golden Triangle.

The partnership is offering Downtown Placemaking Grants of $1,000 to $5,000 for proposals of creative projects and activities that would help create vibrant and welcoming experiences Downtown.

“We recognize the transformative power of placemaking and know it can be a little intimidating to do that Downtown,” said Jeremy Waldrup, the partnership’s president and CEO, in a release. “This initiative is a unique call to action for anyone who has an idea and is invested in shaping our Downtown through experiences that inspire, connect and enrich the lives of all who live, work and visit our city.”

Parts of Downtown and its street life are still reeling from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, when a majority of office workers left Downtown to work remotely from home. Many have never returned. 

According to the partnership’s monthly activity dashboard, there was an average daily count of 93,670 Downtown users in December 2023, meaning that activity was 75% recovered compared with 2019 December levels, before the pandemic hit.

A report released late last year by the Jones Lang LaSalle real estate firm and reported by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette showed that Downtown Pittsburgh’s overall vacancy rate had jumped from 11.4% in 2015 to 20.5% last year. And based on leases signed since 2020, JLL estimated that the average Downtown tenant has cut its footprint by 19.3%. For those that have signed leases for at least 10 years, the reduction is even greater — 23.1%.

The grant applications will be reviewed by the partnership on a rolling basis so the projects can be implemented throughout the year. You can find the online application here.

Partnership officials hope that successful projects will help find new ways to make Downtown “fun, entertaining and engaging.”