The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership has entered the next phase of its plan to revitalize the downtown corridor.
Many of the city-owned retail spaces that remain empty along Smithfield Street under Mellon Square have been boarded up.
Up until yesterday, the empty storefronts had been fenced off, but they increasingly became eyesores and attracted homeless people.
The Partnership says it wanted to make improvements to the physical appearance of the city while its leaders determine a long-term plan.