Officials looking to revamp Brownsville
BROWNSVILLE – Fayette County is accepting proposals from developers interested in contributing to the revitalization of a string of rundown buildings it owns in historic downtown Brownsville, including the five-story Union Station, the former headquarters of Monongahela Railway.
Andrew P. French, executive director of the Redevelopment Authority of Fayette County, has said the brick building on Market Street in a section of Brownsville known as The Neck offers the best opportunity for a reuse plan.
The county has taken ownership of 28 blighted properties in the Mon Valley borough from a developer who abandoned them when a proposal to use them for a shopping district alongside riverboat gambling sites never came to fruition.
French said a 2012 study conducted by the National Road Heritage Corridor and others concluded the historic district is well-positioned for development.
Because many of these properties are contributing buildings to an area listed on the National Register of Historic Districts, the authority is inviting developers to submit plans to rehabilitate the properties and create new commercial, residential and economic development opportunities in them, he said.
A list of the properties, financial estimates for their restorations and documents needed to submit requests for proposals can be found at www.racfpa.org.