As ribbons fall this morning to open the ambitious 34-acre SouthSide Works project on the former LTV steel plant site, local development officials are working to make sure the new shops help -- not hurt -- the already well established retail corridor along historic Carson Street.

Tony Tye, Post-Gazette Rick Belloli, executive director of the nonprofit South Side Local Development Co. along Carson Street -- "We're not going to let a $450 million development come into the neighborhood and just ignore it." Click photo for larger image.

Plans call for nudging the eclectic mix of South Side merchants into putting on their best company faces by improving window displays, getting feedback from secret shoppers, perhaps even adding architectural lighting to facades to highlight the historic details that SouthSide Works can't replicate. There's even talk of running a shuttle between Station Square and SouthSide Works next spring to test whether that will encourage the flow of customers along the business corridor.

"We're not going to let a $450 million development come into the neighborhood and just ignore it," said Rick Belloli, executive director of the nonprofit South Side Local Development Co., a major player in the rehabbing of old homes and sites and construction of new ones in the trendy, yet in many ways still traditional, neighborhood.

Various South Side groups have been involved in the LTV site almost from the day the defunct steel plant began coming down in the early 1990s. Community input ensured that the new buildings mimicked an existing urban setting by coming right up to the sidewalks, for example, unlike the Waterfront shopping center that sits across a railroad track isolated from its neighbors in Homestead, West Homestead and Munhall.

The developers of the new South Side project also promised not to recruit tenants from Carson Street. Rynn's Luggage is moving over, but there are few signs of a mass exodus. Roberta Weissburg Leathers, a Shadyside retailer that years ago had South Side space, plans to open a second location at the new development.

With retailers such as Kenneth Cole, Urban Outfitters, outdoor store REI and Joseph-Beth Booksellers moving in, the concern now is that thousands will go to those shops and then head straight back home across the Birmingham and Hot Metal bridges. While that in-and-out pattern is common at the Waterfront, Carson Street is generally seen as more vibrant economically than Eighth Avenue and in a stronger position to take advantage of the increased attention.

"I think the trick of it's going to be to see how we can feed off it and feed each other," said Michael Nee, owner of Ethnic Artz Inc. at 1102 E. Carson. Nee, who sells decorative home accessories, planned to attend an opening party at Z Gallerie, a new home furnishings store in SouthSide Works. He might even be able to supply his neighbor with some items.

The landscape between the new development and existing shops isn't pedestrian-oriented. An analysis done last year of the stretch between SouthSide Works and the Birmingham Bridge produced a $9 million to $10 million plan for improvements such as sidewalks, lighting and signs. With no funding in place, less expensive steps such as clearing out trash and dead foliage are in the works.

Despite beautification efforts, the distance would discourage most shoppers from walking even if they're tempted to leave their cars in the roomy parking garages at SouthSide Works. That's where a shuttle could help and a test run could come early next year.

"We're not committed to it yet," said Tom Schneck, marketing director for Station Square, the entertainment and office complex at the western edge of the South Side corridor. Heavy traffic and numerous stop lights tend to make Carson Street a slow ride. Realistically, that might not be useful for the 7 million to 8 million annual Station Square's visitors, many of whom use the center as an extension of Downtown anyway.

Station Square sees potential in a new marina that it expects to complete next year. That could make the Monongahela River an option for moving people along the shoreline. South Side's Belloli said his group had made some inquiries about recruiting water taxi service.

Demand for any transportation service is likely to be uneven depending on the season and the day of the week.

Pittsburgh Jeans Co., at 2222 E. Carson, doesn't get much casual, drop-in business. Owner Lawrence Scott said his customers were destination shoppers, coming to the South Side for his unusual denim mix. Many tell him they've had to walk 10 blocks because parking is so tight.

The shop has already been discovered by new customers as a result of an ad Scott bought in The Cheesecake Factory's menu. The 12,600-square-foot restaurant opened at SouthSide Works in mid-August.

Pittsburgh Jeans sits at a sort of gateway onto Carson Street. Scott has been approached about being a pilot for the South Side development company's architectural lighting project. The nonprofit group has about $5,000 in funding from the Urban Redevelopment Authority's Main Street program and hopes to help light two or three buildings as a way to inspire others to follow suit.

Scott's frustration is that, despite the area's historic district restrictions, there's so much variation in how buildings owners and merchants present their properties. "I just wish they were a little more strict and enforced the codes," he said, noting that color choices can be pretty extravagant.

Talks are going on now with designers who could consult with merchants on sprucing up storefronts and window displays. In a few weeks, the local development group plans to start offering small grants -- probably $100 or less -- to those interested on a first-come, first-served basis.

Getting a secret shopper through would require merchants to pay a fee, but the South Side group hopes to make that easier by directing them to services offered by the Pennsylvania Downtown Center, a Harrisburg nonprofit organization focused on main street revitalization.

In the meantime, the printer was scheduled to drop off 15,000 copies of a new South Side shopping guide this week. It will be handed out at the SouthSide Works information booth as well as at various events. Past guides usually ran out at 3,000 copies.

Though the grand opening celebration for the new development's retail section and movie theater are scheduled this week, Belloli isn't panicked about not being completely ready. A number of store openings are planned over the next year or so, keeping attention focused on the new development and the South Side.