One big sale sped East Ohio Street’s transformation to restaurant row

The 400 block of East Ohio Street, Monday, May 13, 2024, in East Allegheny. The block is a mix of storefronts under construction and existing businesses. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg/PublicSource) When the Northside Leadership Conference sold a handful of properties to an LLC, one block of dowdy East Ohio transformed. This change has stirred concern about gentrification and the involvement of nonprofits in backing for-profit development. “PublicSource is an independent nonprofit newsroom serving the Pittsburgh region.& Sign up for our free newsletters.” by Eric Jankiewicz, PublicSource June 3, 2024 The East Ohio Street commercial strip is undergoing a transformation, with empty storefronts on the 400 block east of Cedar Avenue slated for restaurants and businesses. The owner of Bistro to Go Cafe is planning a BYOB farm-to-table restaurant, while a wine bar, a gelato store and a Filipino restaurant are set to open over the next two years. Empty storefronts remain, but they’re surrounded by a constant swirl of construction. “Two years ago, I wasn’t excited about the prospects here. Businesses would open and close. Now I’m really hopeful,” said Nikki Heckman, the owner of Bistro to Go, which opened on East Ohio in East Allegheny in 2007. “The fire...