[UrbaniDesDev]

You are looking at it from the wrong perspective. It is an
achievement for the city of Pittsburgh, not big box store architects!

It is not the 1950's anymore and that old style of mom-and-pop store
shopping is largely long gone. Stores like Target are a part of
modern life. If we want to make living in the city of Pittsburgh more
attractive (e.g. to reduce spral) and convenient then we need this
kind of retail option. And Target is alot better than some of the
previous options floated for that area (e.g. when they wanted to put a
K Mart where Home Depot currently is).


My problem with this project is its location. Not that its in E liberty, but the fact that it is across the street from Mellon Park. I feel it will be a lost opportunity to not have taken advantage of a park setting (a rare animal) with dense residential development. This area would sustain more residential development. A big box store could go in to any vacant lot around E Liberty.

This being said they have done a fantastic job in preserving the old Nabisco Building and it looks like they are taking great care in doing everything to detail. Perhaps this will attract development to the lots just to the the east, around the intersection of Fifth & Penn Avenues.

[themaguffin]

Their union dooms them to failure. It's the same with what is currently going on in the U.S. auto industry.

Once can rightfully blame a lot of things on the auto industry's failings in recent years (and decades) but the real failures are not the result of unions.

Unions didn't jam redneck trucks (and yes that includes the redneck trucks that people call SUV's) down oour throats.

Unions are not the CEO's and management and lobby firms who objected to better cars for fuel etc.

Please don't confuse the massive historic failings of the Big 3 executives with the unions.

and it has nothing to do with PAT's issues.

And the only "reagan" we need to pull is any law benefitting these corporate assholes who are killing lives and cities from the law books that reagan and the bushes supported..

[Bill Widdoes]

hey... we finally found a use for the former LTV site in Hazelwood: dirt depository!


Hi Evergrey- forgive me for quoting only the sarcastic part of your post. You do have the right idea about the site and the development potential, but I wanted to clear up a few misconceptions about the "fill" operation.
There are 3 main goals of the fill importation project on the site. The site, as you mentioned, is flat, but that is a man-made topography. The mill (formerly LTV, after Jones and Laughlin and originally B. F. Jones Corp.) site was made flat by cutting a bench into the adjacent hillside and filling the 2 valleys that bordered the hill. Also, the riverbank was elevated (flood proofed) by pouring hot slag along a majority of the site. The site today bares little resemblance to its "natural" topography, and the interest of the partnership that owns the site (RIDC is not the owner- as stated by the Trib Rev, but the general partner in the ALMONO Partnership) is to reintegrate the site and the river bank with the Hazelwood neighborhood. A more natural slope will facilitate that.
The second goal is to provide a “workable” medium for the development. When LTV demolished the structures on site (furnaces, rolling mills, coke batteries, etc.) they only brought the buildings down to grade. The very heavy concrete foundations remain. While any significant vertical development will require the removal of (at least) portions of these foundations, the fill that is being added to the site will allow for lesser structures and below-grade infrastructure to be installed in this “new” dirt, without having to break apart steel-reinforced concrete every time you want to install a water line or a catch basin.
Finally, the site was remediated (environmentally) by LTV to site-specific standards required by the PA DEP for non-residential development. While the site is essentially clean, the desire for some element of residential development will require additional remediation in the form of additional soil cover. So, the dirt is necessary to allow for the neighborhood development that we all agree is appropriate for the site.
And- the best news of all- is that the dirt is essentially free. When the original master plan for the site was developed in 2003, the engineers estimate was that 1 million cu. yds of fill would be required- actually, we capped it a million yards because, at $15/yd. (2003 cost!) to buy and place the material, we knew that the cost was going to bury the project. That $15MM over 178 acres added almost $85,000 per acre to the site development cost- before a building was ever built! With the current arrangement, the dirt is free to us, and the projects that are bringing the dirt are saving tremendous amounts in hauling and tipping fees. It’s a win-win scenario.
The site is large and we are all very anxious to see it redeveloped, but the ALMONO Partners believe that it is far too important of a site to develop poorly. The goal is for a “world-class” model in brownfield redevelopment that is uniquely Pittsburgh, exhibits all of the most advanced principals in “Green” development strategies, incorporates alternative energy technology, and gives the Hazelwood neighborhood and the city and region a chance to access the river in ways it has not had in over 100 years.
I thank you for your interest in the site and I promise that I will try to be as open with information as I can in the coming months and years as the development takes shape.
Bill Widdoes
Project Coordinator
RIDC

[PA Pride]

Wow, thanks Bill for that thorough explanation. It is exciting to hear about the win-win situation that emerged with the dirt. And I am proud to hear about a brownfield redevelopment in Pittsburgh that is world class in its execution. Thank you. We look forward to any other information you give to us.

[Evergrey]

thank you for that detailed post, Bill

I was just gazing down at the Hazelwood site from a hillside in Greenfield yesterday... dreaming of what it could be...

[dugdogmaster]

thank you for that detailed post, Bill

I was just gazing down at the Hazelwood site from a hillside in Greenfield yesterday... dreaming of what it could be...

More big box stores!:haha: Ah, just kidding.

[Evergrey]

I'm sure some of you will enjoy this

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/11/pittsburghs_renaissance_holds.html

Pittsburgh's renaissance holds lesson for Cleveland

Posted by Scott Stephens/Plain Dealer Reporter November 23, 2008 06:30AM

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/11/large_Pitt-1.jpg
Thomas Ondrey/The Plain Dealer
Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, left, and developer Jack Benoff admire the downtown landscape from the balcony of a penthouse in one of Benoff's 941 Penn Ave. condominiums. "The city is just great to work with," Benoff said.

PITTSBURGH -- The city that once defined rust belt decay might show the rest of the nation how to weather a recession.

When steel and heavy manufacturing vanished a quarter-century ago, Pittsburgh lost 200,000 jobs in three years. Hulks of deserted mills, their furnaces dead-cold, glowered from the banks of the city's three rivers like the eerie stone faces on Easter Island. Young people fled, turning the town's fabled black-and-gold color scheme to gray.

Fast-forward 25 years. As most of the nation reels in debt and despair, Pittsburgh is on the move: A new $200 million downtown office tower, upscale condos, a casino, a new hockey arena and a riverfront convention center.

Its air and water are clean, and its waterfront is lined with bike trails and entertainment complexes. Six Fortune 500 firms hang their hats here. Carnegie Mellon University serves as a magnet for some of the world's best and brainiest young people.

A downtown cultural district boasts 14 blocks of theaters, restaurants and galleries. Macy's and Saks Fifth Avenue anchor a growing downtown shopping corridor. Foreclosures declined 20 percent compared with a year ago, and home prices are steady.

Last year, Places Rated Almanac named Pittsburgh America's most livable city. Forbes magazine included it among the world's 10 cleanest cities. Kiplinger's Personal Finance rated Pittsburgh among the 10 smartest cities to live and work in. An affiliate of the Financial Times called it one of North America's top three cities of the future.

Even the beloved Steelers, who won four Super Bowls during the salad days of the '70s, are back among the National Football League elite. And as they dominate the rival Browns on the gridiron, Pittsburgh seems to be colonizing Cleveland on other playing fields.

Last month, the Pittsburgh-based PNC Financial Services Group gobbled up National City Corp. Then, Howard Hanna Real Estate Services grabbed Real Living Realty One, giving the Pittsburgh-based firm nearly 40 percent of Northeast Ohio's home sales.

Oglebay Norton Co., a fixture in Cleveland for 154 years, shuttered its headquarters this year and moved about 50 employees to Pittsburgh. The storied minerals company had once hired John D. Rockefeller and had owned the Edmund Fitzgerald, the freighter that sank in Lake Superior.

Giant Eagle now dominates Northeast Ohio with 95 supermarkets and 52 convenience stores and gas stations. The grocery chain is based in -- you guessed it -- Pittsburgh.

"The reports over and over again say things are not good, but there's good news taking place here," said Pittsburgh's 28-year-old mayor, Luke Ravenstahl. "People are moving here. We continue to be well-positioned to survive an economic downturn."

Analysts say the boom is occurring -- at least in part -- because the city already had its bust. The loss of heavy industry in the early 1980s forced Pittsburgh to diversify its economic base. As was the case with Cleveland, health and education emerged as the new sources for breadwinner jobs. But Pittsburgh also managed to attract and nurture entrepreneurs specializing in global markets for technology, research and development and environmental science.

"The diversity of the economy in Pittsburgh puts us in a better place than many cities in the country," said Mike Langley, chief executive of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, a nonprofit, private-sector development group. "We've been through and worked through problems. It's actually kind of hardened us like steel."

The bust also caused a seemingly disastrous -- but ultimately beneficial -- shift in demographics. When the jobs left Pittsburgh, so did a generation of baby boomers. Today, that void has been filled by "millennials" -- those 27 years old and younger. It's no accident that Pittsburgh is one of the few cities to offer free Wi-Fi within its borders.

Meanwhile, the city's substantial elderly population, living on the safety net of Social Security, pensions and Medicare, is less affected by a recession than younger working folks.

"The city has done a remarkable job of reinventing itself because it had to," said Michael Edwards, president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, a nonprofit group that works with businesses, civic organizations, foundations and elected leaders on developing the city's 100-block downtown. "We're trying to build a city for the future."

Much of that future is moored in the past. The Pittsburgh Technology Center, an office park on the site of a former Jones & Laughlin steel mill, is a research hub employing 1,000 people and one of the best examples of brownfield redevelopment in the nation.

U.S. Steel Corp. is spending $1.2 billion to turn its aging Clairton Coke Works in the gritty Mon Valley into a site producing specialty metals and tubing. The project will reduce emissions, create 600 construction jobs and guarantee continued employment for the mill's 1,300 workers.

Westinghouse Electric Co. is hiring 1,000 engineers in suburban Cranberry Township to build 33 nuclear reactors around the world.

And General Electric and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center are joining forces to open 25 cancer-care centers in Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/11/large_Pitt-Tech-Park.jpg
Thomas Ondrey/The Plain Dealer
Hugging the banks of the Monongahela River, the Pittsburgh Technology Center is considered one of the best examples of brownfield redevelopment in the nation. The research hub occupies the site of an old Jones & Laughlin steel mill.

Even the city's iconic hometown beer, Iron City, has a new lease on life. The 147-year-old brewery, the nation's third-oldest, went into bankruptcy in 2006 after it couldn't pay its water bill. Private investors, helped by a state economic development grant, rescued the business. It's now a smaller, leaner operation, but 100 jobs were saved and the suds still flow.

"Folks here in Pittsburgh don't want to see the brand go away," said Timothy Hickman, Iron City's new president. "It's part of the roots and fabric of this town."

Developers are turning some of those roots into upscale digs for well-heeled city dwellers. In the Strip District, an ecclectic mix of produce stands, dance clubs and boutiques on the banks of the Allegheny River, the long-forgotten Armstrong Cork Co. building has been transformed into the trendy Cork Factory loft apartments.

Nearby, the old Otto Milk Co. building is now the new Otto Milk Condos: 60 one-, two- and three-bedroom units going for $183,000 to $1.3 million.

They are the kinds of fashionable addresses that attract couples such as John and Nasrin Jordan. The Jordans, who are both managed-care consultants, enjoy the excitement and culture of downtown but tired of the hourlong drive between the city and their home in Upper Burrell.

When Pittsburgh began offering generous tax abatements for new downtown housing, the Jordans were among the first in line. They settled on a place in 941 Penn Ave., a refurbished 10-story building with 18 luxury condos about a block from the city's new convention center.

"We were looking toward the future," said Nasrin Jordan. "We spend a lot of time downtown. We love the city, and we love being here."

Jack Benoff, the Philadelphia-based developer of both Otto Milk and 941 Penn Ave., said downtown Pittsburgh is an economic hothouse in which investments like his can bloom into profits. Benoff said his 941 Penn Ave., which hasn't yet opened, has all but one unit sold.

"I looked at Columbus also, but I liked Pittsburgh," Benoff said. "The city is just great to work with. The only skeptical people, to be truthful, were the banks."

There are other skeptics, to be sure. While acknowledging Pittsburgh's considerable gains, some observers say the city is far from recession-proof. Like Cleveland, Pittsburgh is losing population. Vacant storefronts still mar Fifth and Forbes avenues, two major downtown arteries. A recent police crackdown in the downtown Market Square netted 117 arrests in a single month, but crime remains a problem in many neighborhoods. (Evergrey's note concerning population loss: the difference being PGH's loss today is due to unique phenomenon of deaths outnumbering births due to 70s/80s exodus whereas Cleveland's is due to acute out-migration)

And while it's true that housing values in Pittsburgh haven't fallen the way they have in the rest of the country, its also true that there never really was a housing boom here.

"When you dig into the numbers, it doesn't seem that different from Cleveland," said David Bergholz, former executive director of the Cleveland-based George Gund Foundation and someone who has lived and worked in both cities. "Cut away some of the froth, and it's hard to see where they are better positioned."

Critics also point out that not all Pittsburghers have shared in their city's successes. Most data show black residents of the city face far more severe poverty than any other racial group. In many cases, the quality of life for blacks in Pittsburgh is below national averages, according to a 2007 study by the University of Pittsburgh's Center on Race and Social Problems.

One reason for the gap: Bigger cities like Detroit and Washington have a larger, more politically active black middle class that can push for policy change.

Still, Bergholz and others acknowledge a growing gulf between Pittsburgh and Cleveland in at least one area: Higher education. Once neighborhood rivals, Carnegie Mellon and Pitt are now collaborative partners, twin forces in research, science and technology.

http://blog.cleveland.com/pdgraphics/2008/11/large_23CGPITTMAP.jpg

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, a $7 billion health-care conglomerate, is the city's largest employer with 50,000 workers and hospitals in Ireland, Italy and Qatar. Seventy-five miles south, West Virginia University gives the region a third first-tier research institution.

"You don't have an equivalent of Pitt in Cleveland," Bergholz said. "It's a big engine, both regionally and nationally." (Evergrey's note: I suppose this is that "froth" you were speaking off, Bergholz?)

So is Carnegie Mellon. The university's Heinz College was the first in the nation to require its public-policy curriculum to include information technology courses. Google chose the university as a site for one of its research and development offices.

Recent CMU grads started a nonprofit company that plants sunflowers in abandoned urban fields and converts oil from the flowers into clean-burning biodiesel fuel. The firm, which has 100 volunteers, began as a research project.

"We attract a group of talented students from all over the world who impact all aspects of the community," said Ann English, senior director of operations at Heinz College.

Locals admit that the city's unusual topography -- a bad dream for out-of-town drivers -- has been a catalyst for the city's revival. Crisscrossed by the famous three rivers and surrounded by steep hills, Pittsburgh's downtown is compact. An unusually high percentage of the region's residents work downtown, and half of them use public transportation to get there. (Evergrey's note: I totally agree on topography being a huge asset here!)

But the political landscape is equally important. A few years ago, Allegheny County scrapped its creaky system of three elected commissioners, opting instead for a county executive. The setup is imperfect, but the streamlined system appears to be blending well with Ravenstahl, who has worked hard to forge ties with the county's 127 other municipalities.

That cooperative approach extends beyond the county's boundaries. As part of a 10-county regional coalition, Allegheny County's interests don't go unnoticed in Harrisburg.

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/11/large_Pitt-bill.jpg
Thomas Ondrey/The Plain Dealer
A billboard outside the construction site for a new PNC office tower in downtown Pittsburgh advertises the city's charms. Economists believe the city and its leadership are well-positioned to weather a recession.

"When we put our political muscle together, we have more votes than Philadelphia," said Richard Stafford, a professor at Heinz College and former CEO of the Allegheny Conference.

Stafford said that regional cooperation mirrors the city's ability to persuade diverse and powerful interests -- gray-haired CEOs, union bosses and deep-pocketed philanthropic leaders-- to row in the same direction.

"If you improve government, education and your infrastructure, at some point you will turn things around," Stafford said. "It's almost a mathematical certainty."

That turnaround is most obvious to the people who live and work here. Karen Duganier, a commercial contract manager who lives in Pittsburgh but spends substantial time in Cleveland, said the Steel City has done the better job of remaking itself for a new economy.

"Pittsburgh made the transition," Duganier said. "They adjusted to change better than Cleveland."

http://blog.cleveland.com/pdgraphics/2008/11/medium_23CGPITTCHARTS.jpg


...

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/11/medium_ALCOA-Building.jpg
Thomas Ondrey/The Plain DealerThe 10-year-old aluminum-and-glass Alcoa Corporate Center on Pittsburgh's North Shore features a wave-form glass facade that opens the entire building to the river. The structure is considered a pioneer of "green" buildings.

The Pittsburgh Plan: Five things that could work here

1. Regionalize. Pittsburgh has lost population, but regional ties give it as much -- or more -- clout in Harrisburg as Philadelphia. Cuyahoga County could streamline county government and forge a regional coalition for more power in Columbus.

2. Develop and use the waterfront. From Pittsburgh's old convention center, there wasn't a window that allowed a glimpse of the river. The new waterfront convention center has a boat dock from which visitors can catch a pleasure cruise.

3. Develop educational leadership. Carnegie Mellon University was once a good regional school. Now it's a great university of international renown. Plagued by abrupt changes in leadership and budget woes, Case Western Reserve University has not grabbed that mantle.

4. Cooperate. Recognizing that their fates are entwined, corporate and labor leaders in Pittsburgh have been successful at setting aside many of their differences to work for a common good.

5. Strategize. Like Cleveland, Pittsburgh's philanthropic and business communities have had open checkbooks. Pittsburgh often has had a sharper vision of how the money should be spent.

[Atlantan]

I was waiting for an article like this to be posted. I am sure so many in Pittsburgh are loving this, but if the tables were turned, and this were posted in the Cleveland development thread, you would see so many people complaining about it.

Once again, Cleveland gets put down on here.

Sorry, it is just annoying sometimes.

[P!tt$bur&h]

Bravo Evergrey!

That article was a great find. As a (temporary) transplant Western Pennsylvanian I can see that Pittsburgh and the surrounding region are growing MUCH faster and more effectively than NE Ohio. There is much Cleveland can and will learn from us, the important thing is that we stay on top!

[Johnland]

Those articles really sing the praises of Pittsburgh. With so many good qualities, it is iritating that there is the constant population loss. As pointed out, the underlying cause seems more to do now with deaths outnumbering births, which means at least it isn't due to blatant out-migration.

Population stabilazation, or even (gasp) growth, would do wonders to help plug those holes in the urban fabric caused by vacancies.

I would have to think that eventually, value-oriented migration trends should shift more people into the area. I've read the Hispanic population growth has largely by-passed Pittsburgh. That's a huge opportunity right there for in-migration.

I have my eye on Pittsburgh for a relocation. Job-wise I am stuck in Florida. But I want out of here desperately. I am really looking to Pittsburgh to keep addressing it's problem issues to grow it's economy and improve its infrastructure. It aleady has the invaluable asset of urban density, history, textured fabric, etc. As soon it it begins to leverage these assets to bring in new comers, things will burst out and really shine.

[Evergrey]

Those articles really sing the praises of Pittsburgh. With so many good qualities, it is iritating that there is the constant population loss. As pointed out, the underlying cause seems more to do now with deaths outnumbering births, which means at least it isn't due to blatant out-migration.

Population stabilazation, or even (gasp) growth, would do wonders to help plug those holes in the urban fabric caused by vacancies.

I would have to think that eventually, value-oriented migration trends should shift more people into the area. I've read the Hispanic population growth has largely by-passed Pittsburgh. That's a huge opportunity right there for in-migration.

I have my eye on Pittsburgh for a relocation. Job-wise I am stuck in Florida. But I want out of here desperately. I am really looking to Pittsburgh to keep addressing it's problem issues to grow it's economy and improve its infrastructure. It aleady has the invaluable asset of urban density, history, textured fabric, etc. As soon it it begins to leverage these assets to bring in new comers, things will burst out and really shine.

According to Bureau of Labor Statistics... Sept. 2008 Labor Force for Pittsburgh MSA grew year-over-year by almost 24k... an astonishing increase... labor force growth had generally been flat for the 15 prior years... netting only 6k. This leads me to believe that Pittsburgh's ever-improving economic strength in the face of the national downturn is attracting people from beyond the region... and this will have long term benefits for our population growth overcoming the legacy birth deficit.

[Johnland]

Wow...24K increase is astonishing. That is such a good sign for Pittsburgh.

[UrbaniDesDev]

Thank you Bill for the info. It's easy to get the wrong idea of a possible development and Im grateful that you shared this knowledge.

[UrbaniDesDev]

Great aticle Evergrey...
Loving it!

[Evergrey]

an article on Pittsburgh from the New Orleans Times-Picayune of all places...

http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/11/smaller_smarter_pittsburgh_tur.html

Smaller, smarter: Pittsburgh turns scars into revenue magnets

by Gordon Russell, Staff writer, The Times-Picayune
Sunday November 23, 2008, 6:01 PM

http://blog.nola.com/news_impact/2008/11/large_24Pittsburgh2.JPG
MICHAEL DeMOCKER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE
A mural by urban artists towers above the sidewalk in the rebounding East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh.

For Pittsburgh, the prescription for a rebound from the utter implosion of the city's steel-based economy was simple: From lemons, make lemonade.

As devastating as the crash was -- and Pittsburgh may never fully recover from the loss of 150,000 well-paying jobs in the late 1970s and early '80s -- the mill shutdowns brought opportunities.

Land once needed to feed insatiable blast furnaces was now available for reuse, though it often required intensive remediation. The closures also have made much of Pittsburgh more attractive: Smoke and grime that once cloaked the city are gone.

There's no better example of such a complete turnaround than Summerset at Frick Park, an upscale subdivision of new homes along a hillside above the Monongahela River that was once an industrial slag heap.

The once-contaminated and denuded landscape, now dotted with trees and crossed by a cleaned-up creek, is not the only tainted site in the steel city to be reborn with public aid.

Washington's Landing, on Herr's Island in the Allegheny River, is home to several members of the Pittsburgh Steelers football team. Not so long ago, the little spit of land was contaminated, having hosted stockyards and a rendering plant, among other unsavory uses.

A few miles away, on the flats alongside the Monongahela, the site of what was once the city's largest mill has also been refashioned. Today, the only clue to South Side Works' past is its name.

The former industrial site is now a slightly citified, and hugely popular, version of a suburban mall. It has a multiscreen cinema and parking garages that wouldn't be out of place in Metairie.

"We had to be able to create a retail space that met people's needs," said Jerry Dettore, the recently retired director of the Urban Redevelopment Authority. "Everyone was getting in their cars and going to shopping malls in the suburbs. That's why downtowns struggled. So we built an urban center with five garages."

The mall has actually had a symbiotic relationship with the nearby South Side Flats, a funky stretch of urbanity that resembles Magazine Street.

The projects, all of them shepherded through and subsidized by the redevelopment authority and the state, which helped clean up pollution, aren't for everyone. They share a suburban aesthetic -- Summerset even has cul-de-sacs -- that tend to annoy city purists.

And they are unapologetically aimed at capturing members of the middle class and even the affluent. Homes in Summerset and Washington's Landing can fetch prices of more than a half-million dollars.

Maureen and Jim Kudis are typical of the first group of buyers. They moved to Summerset after spending seven years in the suburb of Penn Hills, and they couldn't be happier. They had missed the city, but not the work of rehabbing an old house.

"Now, we're at the Steelers game in 10 minutes," Jim Kudis said. "If we want to see a play, it's right there. In the suburbs, you had to drive 10 miles to get to anything."

Tom Murphy, who was mayor of Pittsburgh when those projects were pushed through, insisted that the city try to appeal to people from all walks of life. About half of the redevelopment authority's money was spent on low- and moderate-income housing, he said. The rest went to market-rate homes.

"The true liberals said, 'Why are you using public money to build Summerset?' " Murphy said. "My view was the city needs to get the middle class back, and you do that by building value. You need to have them in the city. You can't say we're going to be a city that just has poor people, because the economics won't work. It's also very condescending."

http://blog.nola.com/news_impact/2008/11/large_24Pittsburgh1.JPG
MICHAEL DeMOCKER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE
New residential developments on Pittsburghs riverfront are drawing former suburbanites to the downtown district. In its redevelopment plan, the city tried to create housing for all income levels

[Evergrey]

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_599848.html

East Liberty split on special tax proposal

By Jeremy Boren
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, November 24, 2008

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/photos/2008-11-23/1124pelbob-a.jpg
Station Street Hot Dog & Sandwich Shop owner Bob Tortorete says he does not want to pay higher property taxes to finance neighborhood improvements. He let an artist paint the mural on his East Liberty shop.
Andrew Russell/Tribune-Review

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/photos/2008-11-23/1124pelwendy-a.jpg
Wendy Miller of Miller Frame in East Liberty is willing to pay higher property taxes to finance neighborhood improvements.
Andrew Russell/Tribune-Review

Trendy grocers and big-box retailers have performed the economic equivalent of CPR on East Liberty's once-dying business district.

Now the neighborhood's gritty stretch of Penn Avenue needs a makeover to match its revival, said Wendy Miller, operator of Miller Frame on Penn Circle for the past 27 years.

"It's amazing what has happened with development here," Miller said. "But it is disgusting at times. The trash really can start to pile up in places, and I'd love to see it picked up."

A high tax zone -- known as a Neighborhood Improvement District -- on both sides of Penn and Highland avenues would charge owners of 304 commercial and residential properties additional real estate taxes that range from 1.25 to 5 mills, depending on their proximity to the central business district.

The assessed value of the properties is almost $100 million. A 1-mill tax costs the property owner $1 for every $1,000 of property value.

The proposed tax would bring in an estimated $400,000 a year and would pay for extra police protection, graffiti cleaning, litter removal and, eventually, perks such as neighborhood ambassadors and hanging flower baskets, according to a 12-page proposal circulating among property owners.

Miller, who would pay about $600 more a year, said the benefits of a cleaner, safer East Liberty justify the extra costs.

Not everyone agrees.

"At this time, the economy is in a downturn, we don't need an additional layer of taxes that, in my mind, only benefits a select few," said Jim Rosenbloom, who owns a Penn Avenue building that houses Club One, a fitness center, a few blocks from East Liberty's main drag.

Rosenbloom, who would pay $2,860 more a year, said he doesn't trust East Liberty Development Inc. and the East Liberty Chamber of Commerce, the proposal's biggest backers, to design the tax district fairly. The organizations could hold two spots on a nine-member governing board.

City Councilman Ricky Burgess, who represents East Liberty, said he wants to introduce legislation to create the tax district by January. A similar proposal failed last year after Rosenbloom and other business owners voiced their objections to council.

"We must do all we can to encourage development in East Liberty," Burgess said.

He faces stiff opposition from some small-business owners.

At a meeting last week in the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater, Burgess told a group of property owners that if they didn't agree on an acceptable tax district plan within two months, he would raise their taxes 25 percent.

Burgess said he was joking and doesn't intend to do that, but Station Street Hot Dog & Sandwich Shop owner Bob Tortorete took it as a threat.

"The last thing I need is the government to come in and say we need another $1,200 a year. That could be money for another employee for me," he said.

State law leaves property owners recourse even if council approves the district. They can terminate it if at least 40 percent inform the city clerk of their opposition.

Ernie Hogan, deputy director of the East Liberty Development Inc., said all business owners in East Liberty stand to benefit, even those on the fringes of the business district.

"We want to get it in place and up and running because we're already starting to see a little bit of vacancy in the core from the decline of the economy," Hogan said.

"We have a lot of (businesses) looking at East Liberty, but we have people saying, 'Maybe you're not ready yet.' "

Hogan said East Liberty Development would pay the extra assessment on the dozens of properties it owns in East Liberty, even though the nonprofit association would not be obligated to do so.

The special tax district would be the only one of its kind in Pittsburgh because residential properties could be taxed.

Business Improvement Districts exist in Oakland, Downtown and the North Side along Western Avenue, but they levy additional taxes only on commercial property owners.

Oakland's district nets about $250,000 a year. Sales have improved for most business owners since it was established in 1999, said Georgia Petropolous, the district's executive director.

Western Avenue is getting a $1.7 million makeover thanks, in part, to $536,000 in contributions from the Urban Redevelopment Authority and business owners.

Jeremy Boren can be reached at jboren@tribweb.com or 412-765-2312.

[themaguffin]

I was waiting for an article like this to be posted. I am sure so many in Pittsburgh are loving this, but if the tables were turned, and this were posted in the Cleveland development thread, you would see so many people complaining about it.

Once again, Cleveland gets put down on here.

Sorry, it is just annoying sometimes.

Put down???

[AaronPGH]

Put down???

Seriously. I don't see any "Put Down" going on here. Pittsburghers are notorious for self-loathing. It's nice to get recognition from outside cities for the good things going on here and I think it's perfectly acceptable to post these good stories up. This city has come a LONG way in 25 years and I think we've earned the right to be a little proud of our accomplishments. And when you say you were waiting for something like this to be posted here, boy, you must have been waiting a LONG TIME for us to post something you didn't like. 262 pages is QUITE a lot of posts to sift through waiting for your chance to come in here and leave a condescending message.

I'm glad we could finally accommodate you. :)

[Wheelingman04]

Great aticle Evergrey...
Loving it!

Me too.:yes:

[cdc]

Also, I think people Like Johnland (using him as an example with his descriptions of Tampa), and myself enjoy Pittsburgh for the fact that it has Mom and Pa stores to walk to on Murray and Forbes avenue. When I moved into my apartment, I needed nails to hang paintings. I loved the fact of being able to walk a few blocks to that hardware store to buy nails for 2 bucks and walk back and not even get into my car. When I lived in east Denver, my only choice was Target. Yeah, it was nice to get eggs, bread, nails, and paint in the same store, but I personally like just walking down my neighborhood streets. I will pay an extra 50 cents for nails for being able to walk and enjoy my neighborhood. Something that is lost in America.


Actually, I like the fact that the east end is walkable too. In fact,
thats one of the great things about living in Sq Hill: you get walkable
neighborhoods and retail (e.g. Forbes/Murray) _and_ you get nearby
larger scale retail (e.g. East Liberty). I think you want both, so
you can have the best of both worlds!

(At least, that's what I want... I value being able to walk to work,
walk to my kids' schools/restaurants/the library/Carnegie Museums, and
still be able to do all my Target-style shopping without having to
drive out of the East End.)

[Evergrey]

here's the chat session concerning this article from the Plain Dealer:
http://www.cleveland.com/podcast_files/pitts_cleve.mp3

this is what the front page of the Sunday Cleveland Plain Dealer looked like!

http://www.cleveland.com/frontpage/images/sunday.jpg


....


not sure if this will show up... but here's a comparison of Per Capita Income growth from a Cleveland economics blog
http://www.brewedfreshdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/cle-pitt3.png
http://www.brewedfreshdaily.com/2008/pds-reporting-on-the-economy

[PA Pride]

Ohio State Trounces Lowly Michigan!

[Evergrey]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08330/930491-147.stm

New bridge opens; hailed as gateway to Oakland

Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/images/200811/mh_bridgeopening_02_330.jpg
Michael Henninger/Post-Gazette
Tom Beres, left, and James Henderson, employees of AWK Consulting Engineers walk up the southbound lane of the Boulevard of the Allies toward the staging area of a press conference announcing the boulevard's reopening yesterday.

Officials opened the new $29 million Boulevard of the Allies bridge over Forbes Avenue in Oakland yesterday.

"This new span is a beautiful new gateway into Oakland," said state Transportation Secretary Allen D. Biehler.

The former span, built in 1928, was structurally deficient and weight-restricted. The new structure will carry about 28,000 vehicles a day.

The project, which started Jan. 3, included demolition and reconstruction of the bridge over Forbes Avenue, replacement of the south and north ramps, and elimination of a lane that flowed against traffic on Forbes.

Minor work, including sidewalks and landscaping, still needs to be finished and the project is expected to be complete in the spring, officials said. Lane closures during off-peak hours are expected.

McDevitt Place will be closed for about two weeks. When it reopens, motorists won't be able to make a left turn from McDevitt onto Allies, said PennDOT spokesman Jim Struzzi.

Hamlet Street, a one-way street that had been switched to the opposite direction during construction to make it easier to get to local businesses, was restored to its original southbound flow yesterday.

[Minivan Werner]

Very cool. I drive that road a couple times a week in the winter, and boy was that a hideous stretch. Looking forward to the trip now.

[JackStraw]

I wanted to come on here and just express my happiness that Blvd. of the Allies is finally complete. I come from across the Vets bridge to just sit in traffic with all the suburbinites waiting to get through the tunnel.

Finally it is no longer. I can shot up through Oakland no Blvd. of the Allies and go through the park to my apartment.

No more sitting in traffic with suburbinites!

[EventHorizon]

Happy Birthday (http://kdka.com/pittsburgh250/Pittsburgh.250.birthday.2.873730.html), Pittsburgh!

http://www.clipartof.com/images/thumbnail/1990.gif

[tooluther]

FYI, the Plain Dealer reporter interviewed a couple of us in the office for the article (the project map is courtesy of yours truly). He's originally from Pittsburgh but moved when he was pretty young.

Man, things are tough up there right now. I do sympathies (I always said that if PNC were to get bought, I'd move back down South) but it sure would be nice to capitalize further!

[PA Pride]

I wanted to come on here and just express my happiness that Blvd. of the Allies is finally complete. I come from across the Vets bridge to just sit in traffic with all the suburbinites waiting to get through the tunnel.

Finally it is no longer. I can shot up through Oakland no Blvd. of the Allies and go through the park to my apartment.

No more sitting in traffic with suburbinites!

Hey you gotta problem with suburbanites?? I am a suburbanite! (Self-loathing)

Pittsburgh is really shaping up! This is so exciting to have a new entrance to oakland!! I hope fifth and forbes between this new ramp and the new arena gets developed and cleaned up in the next few years. That is a prime location with lots of great old structures.

[PA Pride]

FYI, the Plain Dealer reporter interviewed a couple of us in the office for the article (the project map is courtesy of yours truly). He's originally from Pittsburgh but moved when he was pretty young.

Man, things are tough up there right now. I do sympathies (I always said that if PNC were to get bought, I'd move back down South) but it sure would be nice to capitalize further!

great map tooluther. You da man.

[PA Pride]

Happy Birthday (http://kdka.com/pittsburgh250/Pittsburgh.250.birthday.2.873730.html), Pittsburgh!

http://www.clipartof.com/images/thumbnail/1990.gif:cheers: :notacrook: :upload_71700: :upload_71700: :upload_71700: :upload_71700: :skyscraper: :notacrook: :worship: :upload_71700: :upload_71700: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :banana: :banana: :banana: :skyscraper: :skyscraper: :upload_71700: :upload_71700: :upload_71700: :upload_71700: :upload_71700: :upload_71700: :upload_71700: :upload_71700: :upload_71700: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :awesome: :awesome: :awesome: :awesome:

Happy Birthday Pittsburgh!

[JackStraw]

^only sitting in traffic with them. I am not hating on suburbinites, just the frustration of trying to drive two miles and my only route is on a traffic filled highway, and the city streets that could get me home quick are closed.

I agree with fifth and forbes. These buildings have so much potential, and its just depressing going through uptown in this section.

I may get drunk at Reds bar tonight.

[Evergrey]

http://www.centredaily.com/news/state/story/984122.html

Pittsburgh transit labor dispute settled
- The Associated Press

PITTSBURGH — A tentative agreement to settle the labor dispute at Pittsburgh's transit agency has been reached, both sides announced Tuesday night, averting the threat of a strike to begin next week.

Terms of the agreement weren't released in a joint statement by the Port Authority of Allegheny County and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 85.

The 2,200 employees represented by the union are continuing to work under the terms of the contract that expired June 30. The new agreement is to take effect once the union membership and the Port Authority board ratify it. It was not immediately clear how long ratification will take.

Before the tentative agreement, the Port Authority had been threatening to impose new conditions of employment on Monday. The union contended that would be illegal and threatened to strike if the transit agency did so.

Port Authority buses, trolleys and subways carry nearly 220,000 riders on an average weekday.

[Evergrey]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08331/930864-53.stm

Penguins won't have to pay for land for hotel project

Wednesday, November 26, 2008
By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Penguins could end up securing public-owned land for a proposed hotel development next to their new arena without paying a dime for it.

That's because they likely will tap a portion of the $15 million in development credits they won as part of the March 2007 deal to keep the team in Pittsburgh.

Under the agreement, the Penguins can use credits to buy Mellon Arena land, which is owned by the city-Allegheny County Sports & Exhibition Authority, or any portion of the former St. Francis Central Hospital site, which is available for development.

Part of the new arena and an adjacent parking garage are being built on the St. Francis site, also owned by the sports authority. The hotel will be located on Centre Avenue, at the eastern edge of the site closest to the Hill District.

Sports Authority Executive Director Mary Conturo said yesterday she expects the team to use development credits to buy the land, about one acre in size, for the hotel. No price has been established; that is being done through an appraisal process.

"Whatever we agree on as a purchase price for that property, it will be the first amount to count toward that [$15 million] credit," she said.

The Penguins declined comment.

The credit ended up being an integral part of the overall arena deal, in part to compensate the Penguins for parking revenue that will be lost as the 28-acre Mellon Arena site is developed after the new arena opens in 2010.

Development credits are not common in arena or stadium deals, said Marc Ganis, president of Sportscorp Ltd., a Chicago-based sports business consultant.

But, he added, in the case of the Penguins, the arena deal as a whole had to be a "bit more creative to make up for some of the limitations in the market and the local tax base."

He noted that arenas typically aren't financed on the public side through gambling revenues, as is the case in Pittsburgh.

Neil deMause, co-author of "Field of Schemes," a book that examines the public financing of stadiums and arenas, said he has never heard of development credits being awarded as part of a deal. He said they definitely qualify as a perk.

"Free land is as good as free money," he said.

Nonetheless, Mr. deMause said, awarding credits encourages the team to redevelop land. Under the arena agreement, if the Penguins don't develop at least 2.8 acres of the Mellon Arena site each year, they forfeit the rights to the land.

The Penguins are working with developer Horizon Properties Group on the proposed seven-story, 132-room hotel. Once it has the land, the team could sell it to the developer, retain it or become part of a joint venture with Horizon.

Mark Belko can be reached at mbelko@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1262.

[tooluther]

Given the holiday its a mighty slow day for me in the office today. Thus I've been reading up on the route evaluations from the Port Authority's "Transit Development Plan"

Here is some calculations by tooluther:

The operating cost/passenger between the EBA and the 42 LRT routes is $.42. That roughly works out to a savings of $1,931,580/year (a high estimate because of ridership differences between weekday and weekends).

The cost to covert the 9.1 mile East Busway was estimated at $535,294,114 (58 million/mile) so we'll use that. The Port Authority would have to come up with 20% or $107,058,822 for the project.

Therefore, it would take about 55 years to see a return on the investment. However, this calculation is based only on the ridership of the EBA (12,600/weekday) and not on the total ridership of the busway (25,000). If you use the larger number the number of years to return the investment drops 28 years.

This also doesn't include "intangible" benefits such as the fact the LRT creates better air quality!

Just some numbers I've been playing around with. Do with them what you will.

[Evergrey]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08334/931560-53.stm

East Allegheny residents taking neighborhood to new heights

Saturday, November 29, 2008
By Diana Nelson Jones, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/images/200811/85v00kh9_500.jpg
Erin Conley in front of the home she purchased on Suismon Street on Pittsburgh's North Side. The home was rehabilitated by Allie DePasquale of October Development.East Allegheny's wallflower days may be over.

The North Side neighborhood has seen a boomlet of new arrivals in the past two years, and one developer is putting his stamp on the future with a 30-property construction blitz.

In 2006, after renovating seven scattered houses in Lawrenceville, October Development wanted to amass properties for a stronger impact. It found them in East Allegheny, which includes the business district along East Ohio Street and the residential areas around it on both sides of Interstate 279.

Meanwhile, the North Side Leadership Conference has focused its efforts on the neighborhood, starting with pushing its old name -- Deutschtown -- as its new name.

Over the past two years, the conference's development fund has focused its investment in new businesses and its state Main and Elm Street money on the neighborhood while calling for more police presence in the business corridor.

"Deutschtown is the front doorstep of the entire North Side," said conference Director Mark Fatla, whose organization is applying for funds to rehabilitate and build 25 homes on both sides of Deutschtown, east and west of Interstate 279.

October's partners, Allie DePasquale and Joey Scoleri, bought 17 properties two years ago from two owners and have since acquired 13 more. All but one in the first of six phases is pre-sold, three of them new townhouses on James Street. Not only do they have a waiting list, but Mr. DePasquale said he decided to keep one of the homes as his own.

He decided to move to Deutschtown "after getting a feel for the neighborhood after three months."

The city's 10-year tax abatement on investment, which applies in about 20 neighborhoods, "is helping us a whole lot."

The tax break may have been the spur, but a group of residents have pulled the horse for years.

Realtor Susan Meadowcroft said the East Allegheny Community Council has been "a corps of dedicated, active people whose day-to-day work makes the neighborhood better. That catches on."

Nicholas Kyriazi, a longtime resident and council member, said the council's 1982 project, Deutschtown Square, attracted a great mix of people -- gays, straights, couples, couples with kids, singles, blacks and whites and a wide range of incomes.

"The three new tenants in my newly restored apartment building all moved here to be able to walk to work," he said. "One moved from Squirrel Hill, one moved from Shadyside, and the other moved from Michigan."

He said the council prefers that a private developer take over renovations. "We are attempting to get Al DePasquale to do more interior restoration than he has done so far, but other than that, we are pleased with his work."

"And we have lost some slumlords" because of him, said Lynn Glorieux, secretary of the community council. She persuaded her husband 16 years ago to move from Wexford, "and it wasn't for investment," she said. "I wanted to be in a place where I could make a difference."

At the end of the first year in the neighborhood, she said, "I remember saying in church that my wish in the new year was for people to live in the houses on my street. One-third of the houses were empty. Now, two are."

Residents Ed and Mary Ann Graf invested first in the Priory Hotel and Grand Hall in 1986 and opened Priory Fine Pastries on East Ohio Street four years ago, hoping to encourage others. Since then, an art gallery, a leather shop, a bistro and a Rita's franchise have arrived.

"The neighborhood feels very upbeat about what we're now calling Deutschtown," said Mr. Graf. "When people used to say they were moving to the North Side, it was always the Mexican War Streets." Deutschtown was a bit of a wallflower before, he admitted, "but now I think we're probably more hip than they are."

One difference is real estate prices. A solid rehab might still sell for $150,000 in Deutschtown. That price was no longer realistic in the Mexican War Streets by 1999.

Bostonians Steve Morse, 29 and Ann Kraus, 26, could afford to buy in Deutschtown "without borrowing a lot of money," said Mr. Morse. "I had visited Pittsburgh on a job several times, and when we were looking for places to go, it fit our criteria. We still have city living and don't have to drive our car on days off." He works for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and she is studying architectural engineering.

Among their neighbors are -- or soon will be -- a young doctor from the Midwest; a transplanted Californian; a couple of boomerangs in their 20s; and an engineer from England, whose wife went on the Deutschtown House Tour last year and asked him to buy her a house.

Eric Ellsworth and Holly O'Donnell, both 34, moved from Washington, D.C., two years ago when he took a job with a cancer diagnostics start-up.

"It reminds me of the neighborhood I grew up in," Adams-Morgan, which went from rough to fashionable in the past 20 years, said Mr. Ellsworth. "We got a great house for a great price. Holly has a book club in the neighborhood, and there's a lot of hanging out on people's porches" and stoops.

"There's no way that if people start thinking about living in the city these neighborhoods won't turn back into great places."

"It definitely feels like things are on the move," said Ms. O'Donnell, a career developer for the Jewish Healthcare Foundation. "A lot of young people, people from other parts of Pittsburgh, from out of town, with kids and without and interracial couples. It's exciting to be part of it."

Selena Schmidt, 39, administrative assistant to City Council President Doug Shields, recently moved back to the neighborhood and likes it for its possibilities. Deutschtown's new residents "are still trying to figure out what their role is," she said. "There's a spirit here of things still to be done."

Erin Conley, 39, a sales rep for ThyssenKrupp Elevator Co., moved from Bloomfield into a house the October team renovated. "Our Rotary meets at Max's Allegheny Tavern, and my friends hang out there on Fridays. So now I can leave my car parked in front of my house after work on Fridays."

Her price, $165,000 with a soft second mortgage from the Urban Redevelopment Authority plus the tax abatement, "made it very affordable," she said.

Mr. DePasquale said his clients aren't hung up on old neighborhood reputations. "This is an extension of Downtown to them, and they want the access. They don't have biases against the North Side" like so many non-North Siders do. "They're judging it on its merits."

[Evergrey]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08335/931774-53.stm

Morningside attracts families, businesses

Sunday, November 30, 2008
By Diana Nelson Jones, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/images/200811/7sc00k6r_500.jpg
Bob Donaldson

Aluminum awnings on homes in the 1700 block of Morningside Avenue.

Morningside's Chislett Street got back one of its old storefronts when Jeffrey Alexander opened the neighborhood's first coffeehouse late last month. Morning Glory coffee drinkers soon will be able to yell "Hey!" to patrons of the Bulldog Grill, a nearby pub that will even welcome dogs at its outdoor cafe.

From these additions to the neighborhood's tiny business district to Big Wheels on the sidewalks to the quick transition to "SOLD" on houses offered for sale, the signs are everywhere: Morningside is on the radar.

For generations, the neighborhood maintained the narrative of a small town, where everyone knew each other, families passed homes to the kids and everyone celebrated the Festival of St. Rocco, with Italian Mass, dancing and fireworks. The 2000 Census counted 3,549 Morningsiders.

Today, a growing number of people are new to the story. They are young, first-time home buyers discouraged by prices in Highland Park and Squirrel Hill.

A thin strip between Highland Park and Stanton Heights, Morningside began developing its farmland in the early 1900s and turning more urban in the 1930s. Most of its houses are brick and two story, with small yards and porches, or flat-roofed rowhouses.

Although few homes are sources of embarrassment, Realtor Justin Cummings said many need updating, with 1960s-era kitchens and bathrooms without showers. Houses that need significant updating are still going for less than $100,000, he said, but larger, spruced-up homes are selling for $150,000 to $200,000. Those prices stagger the long-timers.

Tim Pantano, a native of the neighborhood who has been cutting hair on Chislett Street for 51 years, marveled as he told a customer recently that one house had just sold for $179,000.

Marcella and Dale King bought on Antietam Street after having looked in "a lot of neighborhoods."

"This was the right place," Ms. King said.

The couple, with three children, paid $100,000 for a three-story, four-bedroom house almost five years ago. Their small yard overlooks the Pittsburgh Zoo's parking lot.

A few doors down, a house that had sold for $78,000 in 2005 sold for $124,9000 in April.

Until this summer, interest in the business district -- which occupies little pieces of three parallel streets -- had not kept pace. A Rite Aid and the Morningside Market sell a variety of items. The latter is a throwback: a corner store with a tin-stamped ceiling and vintage ceiling fan. It sells a little bit of a lot, from wiffleballs and gift wrap to cereal and other basic groceries.

Eddie's Pizza Haus is the only restaurant. Maroni's Bar is the only tavern. Residents have three places to get a hair cut, one bank, a mechanic, a dentist, a law office, a real estate office and a Veterans of Foreign Wars post.

A restaurant tops almost everyone's wish list. The Bulldog Grill -- a restaurant and pub with a dog-friendly outdoor cafe -- is set to open in the summer.

Among the relative newcomers, Grant Ervin, 31, a policy planner for 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania, a land use alliance, is a buoyant neighborhood advocate who recruited the partners of the Bulldog Grill to the former Stagnos bakery. As head of planning and development for the Morningside Area Community Council, he is trying to find good fits for other vacant storefronts.

He and his wife, Amy, found the neighborhood four years ago on a bike ride and were able to buy their first house. She is head of the council's beautification committee.

In 2005, state Sen. Jim Ferlo's community affairs liaison, Joe Kramer, joined the council to help it "take on more of a community development role."

The council had two weighty goals for its neighborhood plan, which was paid for with grants from Mr. Ferlo and the Community Design Center of Pittsburgh. At each of a series of meetings, more than 100 people weighed in on ways to perk up the business district and use the empty elementary school. The top choices are a community center and condos.

The council hired Pat Clark, a community planning consultant, and Bob Graddeck, community projects director at the Heinz School at Carnegie Mellon University, to conduct a market study and a survey of new home buyers.

Mr. Graddeck said 40 people responded to a new-resident survey of 200 households. Most had been living either in other East End neighborhoods or other cities. Most of the people from other cities had relocated to work at universities and hospitals, he said.

The newcomers said Morningside's traditional narrative appeals to them, said Mr. Clark.

"There's a lot of ethnic pride from the days when it was a strong Italian neighborhood, and people find that cool," he said. "I was pleasantly surprised that there was less tension between the 'old school' and the 'new' " than in many neighborhoods.

Mr. Pantano said he has never remembered so many young people showing up eager to make the neighborhood better.

"Their ideas are fantastic," he said one day in his barbershop. "It's the first time we've had young people making things happen. 'Course, most will probably only stay a few years."

Considering the pending mini-boom of gathering places on Chislett, he put in a word for his choice: "We need a deli real bad, any kind of deli."

Olga Watkins, a partner in the Bulldog Grill, said the restaurant's concept is "a family-friendly historic Pittsburgh-themed pub serving contemporary comfort food." The partners are committed to buying as much food as possible from local farmers and vendors.

"We want it to reflect the folks in the neighborhood and be a casual, laid-back, community place," she said.

Mr. Alexander's small coffeehouse on Chislett Street replaces a dry cleaner whose owners retired.

He relocated earlier this year from Providence, R.I. where he had directed an arts venue in a cafe.

"I wanted to do something along those lines but on my own and smaller," he said.

Like so many newcomers, he found the neighborhood through friends who have moved there.

Morningside "offers a good lesson to other neighborhoods," said Mr. Clark.

"It's so common in this city that when someone dies, a place sits empty. That's the importance of the hand-off. Morningside is really good at the hand-off."

[Evergrey]

oy... Ricky Burgess going all god-nut on Pittsburgh again... certainly a huge step up from Twanda Carlisle... but I knew his religiosity would have negative repercussions (only councilman to vote against gay rights legislation and failed to support last year's Pridefest, supporting demolition of one-of-a-kind historic structures by quasi-religious organizations, etc.)

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_600847.html

Wrecking ball could hit historic buildings

By Jeremy Boren
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, December 1, 2008

Owners of three historic buildings could be free to bulldoze them under a controversial proposal Pittsburgh's Historic Review Commission is set to consider Wednesday.

City Councilman Ricky Burgess wants to loosen local restrictions that have prohibited the demolition of the shuttered St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church in Troy Hill and the Malta Temple Building on the North Side owned by the Salvation Army. City Council is considering whether to give historic status to a third building, St. Mary's Academy in Lawrenceville, owned by the Catholic Cemeteries Association.

"Those rules violate federal law," Burgess said, arguing that religious organizations are exempt from local zoning rules by the federal Religious Land Use Act of 2000.

"I believe in historic preservation, but I also believe people have a right to control the destiny of their own property," said Burgess, who is pastor of Nazarene Baptist Church in Homewood.

Burgess' proposal must be approved by City Council before it can take effect.

Beth Marcello, former president of the South Side Local Development Corp., fought for protections on St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church near her home on Pius Street in February 2001. The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh resisted, arguing that restrictions on renovating the church would make it harder to sell.

Not so, said Marcello, who calls Burgess' proposal "so anti-neighborhood, so anti-community."

The former church is home to the Angel's Arms Condominiums, a complex of custom-built condos overlooking the South Side Slopes that retains many of the church's historic architectural details.

"St. Michael's is an intrinsic part of the South Side," Marcello said. "What if it wasn't there because some greedy developer decided to buy it from the diocese and tore it down instead of preserving it?"

Burgess' legislation would not give religious organizations blanket power over their property. It would require them to submit a statement to city zoning officials that explains why imposing historic protection on a building would hamper their ability to exercise their religion -- such as by creating a financial hardship.

The legislation contains a provision for religious organizations to apply to rescind historic protections imposed on their buildings since September 2000.

In an e-mail, the Rev. Ron Lengwin, spokesman for the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese, said the diocese has "always supported the basic principles" of Burgess' proposal.

David McMunn, president of the Mexican War Streets Society, opposes the legislation. He lobbied city officials to prevent the Malta Temple Building's demolition and called its architecture part of the neighborhood's historic fabric.

City planners must find ways to reuse buildings such as St. Nicholas, McMunn said, particularly as churches throughout the region are closed or consolidated as their membership declines.

"People should not be oblivious to the fact that these buildings are being left to decay or are being demolished," McMunn said. "Many of them won't be reused as churches, but they could become something else if they're saved."

Jeremy Boren can be reached at jboren@tribweb.com or 412-765-2312.

[Minivan Werner]

http://www.udi-hk.com/products_p1.php?id=3

Anyone know what this is about?

The topography resembles the northern end of the LTV site across from SSW a little bit.

Musta been just some entry for a design competition or something that never got past the drawing table. Looks kinda cool though.

[Black-n-Gold]

http://www.udi-hk.com/products_p1.php?id=3

Anyone know what this is about?

The topography resembles the northern end of the LTV site across from SSW a little bit.

Musta been just some entry for a design competition or something that never got past the drawing table. Looks kinda cool though.

It's the area just to the east of South Side Works. A proposed project that isn't happening to that extent (just a hotel now). The buildings on the right are Quantum I and the current American Eagle building (the QIII / new American Eagle building isn't shown). The rendering also doesn't show the Pitt / Steelers facility along the river.

[biscuit]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08335/931774-53.stm

Morningside attracts families, businesses

Sunday, November 30, 2008
By Diana Nelson Jones, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/images/200811/7sc00k6r_500.jpg
Bob Donaldson

Aluminum awnings on homes in the 1700 block of Morningside Avenue.

Curious that the article describes the predominant housing types as, "Two-story brick with small yards or flat-roof row houses," but the accompanying picture shows aluminum clad rows with pitch-roofs.

Regardless, it's good to read good things about a neighborhood that is accomplishing many good things that seem to have gone unnoticed to outsiders.

[Evergrey]

one of the ugliest buildings downtown is for sale

http://pittsburgh.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2008/12/01/story4.html?b=1228107600^1740237

California investment group puts Downtown Pittsburgh Verizon building up for sale

285,000-square-foot building is 50 percent vacant

Pittsburgh Business Times - by Ben Semmes

http://assets.bizjournals.com/story_image/213484-0-0-2.jpg

A prominent California investment company, which entered the market four years ago with the more than $50 million purchase of Gateway Center, is putting its only other Pittsburgh property on the market.

Los Angeles-based Hertz Investment Group is marketing for sale the 12-story, 285,000-square-foot Verizon Building at 201 Stanwix St., Downtown.

“If there is nobody buying, then we won’t sell,” said Judah Hertz, Hertz Investment’s president and the investor who famously bought up much of Downtown New Orleans’ Class A office space in the years leading up to Hurricane Katrina.

The offering price is unlisted, Hertz said.

Hertz Investment Group snapped up the Verizon Building for about $6 million in early 2006 near the height of a commercial real estate buying frenzy that led some out-of-state investors to consider Pittsburgh’s relatively cheap investment opportunities.

Verizon Pennsylvania Inc., which sold Hertz the property, agreed to stay on as the building’s only tenant, leasing about half of the building, but the remainder has failed to attract other tenants.

Hertz said that once Verizon’s lease expires in about two years, the building will require a major renovation.

The real estate market and economy as a whole have changed drastically since Hertz Investment first entered the market four years ago. Years of loose lending and easy credit came to an abrupt end last summer when a crisis in the subprime mortgage market spilled into commercial real estate and, then, the economy at-large.

Jeffrey Ackerman, a broker with the Downtown office of CB Richard Ellis Inc., which is marketing the Verizon building, struck an optimistic note.

“The real estate environment is challenging, but we still have tremendous interest in Pittsburgh as a whole and Downtown specifically,” Ackerman said.

Jon Harrigan, CEO of Downtown-based Pennsylvania Commercial Real Estate Inc., which is not involved in the deal, said prospects for the Downtown market are positive but the Verizon building has its share of challenges.

“I think that you are going to find the Downtown market continuing to solidify,” he said. “On the other hand, you are going to have an empty building with a lot of work to do.”

Hertz has no plans to sell his other Pittsburgh property — four Gateway Center office buildings, which have a combined 1.5 million square feet — that his firm acquired for $55 million in late 2004.

“The other property is doing very well,” Hertz said of Gateway Center.

bsemmes@bizjournals.com | (412) 208-3829

[Minivan Werner]

Level it!

[dugdogmaster]

:previous: Yeah, PNC needs to build another sweet looking tower now!

[Minivan Werner]

I think a good-sized high rise could fit in that spot without disrupting sight-lines or the overall asthetics of the skyline. Like 350-400 feet.

[AaronPGH]

I'm never one to scream for demolition of buildings, but that one sucks some serious ass. With that park right behind it and the general lack of modern looking buildings around that area I say go for it. That section of downtown needs a shot in the arm.

[Minivan Werner]

A lot of the buildings in Gateway Center I'm actually OK with. But that's one spot that seriously needs an upgrade.

[Johnland]

Wow, I guess I had the same thought as all the other posters between this and the photo above of the Verizon Bldg. I thought I knew most of the major buildings in Downtown, but this one doesn't ring any bells. It is really non-desript and non-contributing to the urban landscape.

I agree with others above - once Verizon leaves in two years, hopefully the market will be such that it would be razed and replaced with a much, much better building.

[Johnland]

I just read in the Post Gazette that the Target planned for East Liberty will be unique in the whole country due to a particular aspect: the sales floor will have windows to the outside. The blank walls of the big box store has always been one of their most urban-fabric destroying features. The fact that this store will put windows somewhere in the exterior walls in a major, major step forward in the evolution of both big box retail and Pittsburgh. I'm even more impressed that this is occuring in Pittsburgh. Great, great news!!

[Evergrey]

I just read in the Post Gazette that the Target planned for East Liberty will be unique in the whole country due to a particular aspect: the sales floor will have windows to the outside. The blank walls of the big box store has always been one of their most urban-fabric destroying features. The fact that this store will put windows somewhere in the exterior walls in a major, major step forward in the evolution of both big box retail and Pittsburgh. I'm even more impressed that this is occuring in Pittsburgh. Great, great news!!

KDKA video on Target... which may block the view of a local hot dog shoppe

http://kdka.com/video/?id=49716@kdka.dayport.com

...

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08338/932264-53.stm

Planning commission OKs East Liberty Target store

Wednesday, December 03, 2008
By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The city planning commission had its hands full with major development projects yesterday, giving the go-ahead for the proposed East Liberty Target store, while wrestling with public access issues related to the $800 million North Shore casino.

It also got its first glimpse of plans for the hotel to be built adjacent to the new arena.

In a unanimous vote, commission members approved a final land development plan for the Target store, to be built on a five-acre site that borders Penn Avenue, Penn Circle South and Broad Street.

Not only would the new store be one of the few in the country with two levels, it would be the only one with windows in sections of the sales floor, a design feature Target added to accommodate city officials.

Target officials hope to open the store by fall 2010. Site work, including the demolition of a vacant high-rise apartment building, is expected to begin almost immediately.

Ronald C. Bailey, Target senior development manager, said the commission's approval was a "big milestone," but added there were still hurdles to clear, including the need for city variances, before the project can become a reality.

East Liberty officials see the store as the anchor for a burgeoning commercial corridor that includes a Whole Foods Market, Home Depot, Borders bookstore and plans for three hotels.

"I think this is a great project," said commission member Todd Reidbord, whose Walnut Capital Management firm is redeveloping the old Nabisco plant in nearby Larimer. "This is really going to be a continued catalyst for the neighborhood."

Not everyone was happy, though. Robert Tortorete, owner of the Station Street Hot Dog and Sandwich Shop on Broad Street, said he feared the store would block the visibility of his establishment and hinder business. He was skeptical of claims that Target would increase traffic around his shop.

"I have to wait and see. That don't feel good. My life's invested there. I just can't afford to have any potential problems," he said.

Visibility won't be an issue for the casino, being built on the Ohio River just west of Carnegie Science Center.

But public access to a riverfront promenade and an amphitheater could be an issue unless the proper agreements are in place, Riverlife Task Force officials argued during a public hearing.

They urged the commission to get formal easements so the public would be guaranteed access to the promenade, which will serve as a link in the North Shore trail network, and the amphitheater, which would be built on the riverfront. The casino has pledged to open both to the public.

It and casino officials are expected to meet later this week to try to iron out an accord.

Meanwhile, the new arena hotel is expected to feature 142 rooms, all suites, six conference rooms, and an executive board room. Developer Horizon Properties Group LLC hopes to reach a deal with a hotel operator by the end of the week.

The hotel, on Centre Avenue, Uptown, will range from seven to eight stories. Like the arena, it is expected to open before the start of the 2010-11 hockey season. There will be 143 parking spaces reserved for hotel patrons at an adjacent garage.

Mark Belko can be reached at mbelko@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1262.

[Evergrey]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08338/932272-147.stm

In new pact, transit workers get four yearly raises

Wednesday, December 03, 2008
By Joe Grata, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Port Authority bus-trolley operators would receive four wage increases within 37 months under terms of a proposed contract to be put to a union ratification vote Sunday.

By Jan. 1, 2012, the pact would raise hourly pay by a total of $2.67 an hour, to about $26, and cover the majority of 2,300 rank-and-file operators at the top of the pay scale.

Overall, they would receive compounded increases of 3 percent effective Jan. 1, followed by 2 percent, 3 percent and 3 percent raises on Jan. 1 of each following year.

Details of the agreement, hammered out over four days in Washington, D.C., before some of the nation's top labor leaders, were revealed yesterday when officials of Local 85, Amalgamated Transit Union, distributed a seven-page letter to their members, who also include mechanics, maintenance personnel and a separate bargaining unit of first-level supervisors.

Union members are to vote at sessions scheduled for 10:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. Sunday at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall in Oakland, a schedule set up to accommodate employees working shifts.

If the union approves the pact, the eight-member authority board will meet later next week to consider it.

The pact mirrors many recommendations made in August by a state-appointed fact-finder.

But it is a four-year contract instead of three; continues a controversial $500-a-month "pension supplement" for some who retire early; and provides fully paid, lifetime health care benefits for a number of employees who, because of their age and years of service, would have been forced to work longer or pay part of the premiums out of their own pockets.

The short- and long-term cost implications of the contract have not been disclosed. Neither authority Chief Executive Officer Steve Bland nor Local 85 President-Business Agent Patrick McMahon returned phone calls yesterday.

While County Executive Dan Onorato last week said he believed that the tentative agreement addressed some of the growing legacy costs that have concerned both him and authority management, he, too, declined to comment yesterday.

Mr. Onorato has been withholding $27.7 million in drink and car rental taxes that the Port Authority needs to qualify for state funding and remain in operation beyond the end of this month.

The agreement incrementally increases the union employees' contribution for health care from the current 1 percent to 3 percent of base pay by Jan. 1, 2011, which is what management and non-represented authority employees are already paying.

It also increases the union employees' pension contribution from the current 4.5 percent to 5.5 percent of wages in any year in which the authority's contribution to the Local 85 pension plan exceeds $20 million.

Retirees whose pensions are $10,400 a year or less are to receive a $100-a-month increase.

Here are other highlights and changes from the fact-finder's report and from a contract that the authority board unilaterally adopted and intended to impose on Local 85 on Monday until the four days of hard bargaining at the International AFL-CIO headquarters in Washington Nov. 22-26 produced the latest tentative agreement:

• The proposal contains a union cost-saving proposal that recognizes Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday, President's Day, Good Friday and Veterans Day as "minor holidays" and gives the authority the right to set and adjust service based on lower ridership on those days.

• A management-union committee is to be established to deal with employee absenteeism. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Aug. 4 that employees who were on leave or reporting off work increased from 6 percent to 11 percent of the work force between 2002 and 2007, including up to 50 employees habitually absent anywhere from 40 to 60 days a year.

• A "Service System Design Committee" is to be formed to address management plans to dramatically reconfigure system service starting next year. It would change some traditional routes that have been in operation since the authority began in 1964.

Union employees will retroactively receive wage increases to which they would have been entitled as a result of normal job progression and benefits that were frozen as of July 1, when the previous contract expired.

A copy of the letter dated yesterday and distributed to members of Local 85 outlining the tentative agreement is available at www.post-gazette.com.

Joe Grata can be reached at jgrata@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1985.

[JackStraw]

is there any skematic sketches of this Target Store?

I hated designing lighting/electrical for big box retail like Dicks. It was copy and pasting.

But doing retail buildings such as book stores, Lord and Tailors, and other higher end retail that allowed for a complete new design every store was actually fun. There is a lot more to retail buildings than high rise office buildings.

Just too bad big box retailers will never design each store differently. They want prototypes since they are cheap and easy to do. Design one store at one design fee and build it in over 100 locations. Then all they do is alter them bit by bit each year.

[dugdogmaster]

KDKA video on Target... which may block the view of a local hot dog shoppe

http://kdka.com/video/?id=49716@kdka.dayport.com

...

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08338/932264-53.stm

Planning commission OKs East Liberty Target store

Wednesday, December 03, 2008
By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The city planning commission had its hands full with major development projects yesterday, giving the go-ahead for the proposed East Liberty Target store, while wrestling with public access issues related to the $800 million North Shore casino.

It also got its first glimpse of plans for the hotel to be built adjacent to the new arena.

In a unanimous vote, commission members approved a final land development plan for the Target store, to be built on a five-acre site that borders Penn Avenue, Penn Circle South and Broad Street.

Not only would the new store be one of the few in the country with two levels, it would be the only one with windows in sections of the sales floor, a design feature Target added to accommodate city officials.

Target officials hope to open the store by fall 2010. Site work, including the demolition of a vacant high-rise apartment building, is expected to begin almost immediately.

Ronald C. Bailey, Target senior development manager, said the commission's approval was a "big milestone," but added there were still hurdles to clear, including the need for city variances, before the project can become a reality.

East Liberty officials see the store as the anchor for a burgeoning commercial corridor that includes a Whole Foods Market, Home Depot, Borders bookstore and plans for three hotels.

"I think this is a great project," said commission member Todd Reidbord, whose Walnut Capital Management firm is redeveloping the old Nabisco plant in nearby Larimer. "This is really going to be a continued catalyst for the neighborhood."

Not everyone was happy, though. Robert Tortorete, owner of the Station Street Hot Dog and Sandwich Shop on Broad Street, said he feared the store would block the visibility of his establishment and hinder business. He was skeptical of claims that Target would increase traffic around his shop.

"I have to wait and see. That don't feel good. My life's invested there. I just can't afford to have any potential problems," he said.

Visibility won't be an issue for the casino, being built on the Ohio River just west of Carnegie Science Center.

But public access to a riverfront promenade and an amphitheater could be an issue unless the proper agreements are in place, Riverlife Task Force officials argued during a public hearing.

They urged the commission to get formal easements so the public would be guaranteed access to the promenade, which will serve as a link in the North Shore trail network, and the amphitheater, which would be built on the riverfront. The casino has pledged to open both to the public.

It and casino officials are expected to meet later this week to try to iron out an accord.

Meanwhile, the new arena hotel is expected to feature 142 rooms, all suites, six conference rooms, and an executive board room. Developer Horizon Properties Group LLC hopes to reach a deal with a hotel operator by the end of the week.

The hotel, on Centre Avenue, Uptown, will range from seven to eight stories. Like the arena, it is expected to open before the start of the 2010-11 hockey season. There will be 143 parking spaces reserved for hotel patrons at an adjacent garage.

Mark Belko can be reached at mbelko@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1262.

What's wrong with this picture; A business owner of a hot dog shop is not welcoming more traffic and people to the area, possibly(scratch that), more than likely creating a HELL OF A LOT more business for him, as opposed to the empty 15 story building that sits in the area now?

[dugdogmaster]

is there any skematic sketches of this Target Store?

I hated designing lighting/electrical for big box retail like Dicks. It was copy and pasting.

But doing retail buildings such as book stores, Lord and Tailors, and other higher end retail that allowed for a complete new design every store was actually fun. There is a lot more to retail buildings than high rise office buildings.

Just too bad big box retailers will never design each store differently. They want prototypes since they are cheap and easy to do. Design one store at one design fee and build it in over 100 locations. Then all they do is alter them bit by bit each year.

With this building being different, all the windows and being two stories, I'm sure they'll need different lighting lay-outs.

[JackStraw]

What's wrong with this picture; A business owner of a hot dog shop is not welcoming more traffic and people to the area, possibly(scratch that), more than likely creating a HELL OF A LOT more business for him, as opposed to the empty 15 story building that sits in the area now?

Target has hot dogs and a food vendor inside if I recall right? Most people will be driving to the parking lot and than right into Target. I don't know if it will actually help him as much as say something like a outdoor open mall.

I don't mind retail like this if it is designed right. I lived next to Target(on my right) and Home Depot (on the left) with other chain stores around in my first apartment in east Denver and it was like living in a new cookie cutter apartment slapped in the middle of the parking lots of Moronville. I use to hate walking in the "neighborhood" where I would walk large endless Parking lots to check out books at Barnes and Noble or go to get a six pack or something. :brickwall:

I don't want East Liberty to have this feel. I don't think it will though.

[AaronPGH]

I don't want East Liberty to have this feel. I don't think it will though.

I think we'll be safe from that. East Liberty has enough old buildings around that even if you plugged new ones into all the openings it wouldn't feel like that. Not to mention the Eastside development is a VERY attractive complex.

One thing that I've always thought is that Target stores are easily the most attractive big box stores out there. They really lend themselves more to urban areas than any other big box. I've seen a couple urban stores and they generally look pretty slick.

[AaronPGH]

Even though this isn't a city store, take this one for instance:

http://i.treehugger.com/images/2007/10/24/target%20store-jj-001.jpg

All of the new stores have that style. Throw in more glass, remove the massive parking lots, and wedge that in close to other stuff and you've got yourself a pretty decent looking store.

[Brentsters]

Target proposes 'green' store for East Liberty

Tuesday, December 2, 2008 - 4:40 PM EST
Pittsburgh Business Times - by Ben Semmes
http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2008/12/01/daily24.html

Target Corp. is coming to East Liberty and going green in the process.

Pittsburgh’s Planning Commission gave unanimous approval Tuesday to the Minneapolis-based retailer’s plan for a 152,000-square-foot store on the site of East Liberty’s last remaining public housing high-rise.

Plans call for the high-rise to be demolished to make way for the Target store, which “will be one of our most green buildings we’ve done to date,” said Ron Bailey, development manager with Target.

The store, which is expected to be complete within a year and a half, is seeking a silver rating from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification program, Bailey said.

As opposed to a suburban Target store, usually built on 10 to 12 acres of land, the East Liberty store will sit on five acres above a 470-space ground-level parking lot.

Of the company’s 1,600 stores in 48 states, only about half a dozen are built in this configuration, Bailey said.

Taking cues from Pittsburgh’s Contextual Design Advisory Panel, Target will design the store with a stretch of large windows and a mix of design styles to break up the look of the exterior of the building.

Robert Tortorete, owner of the nearby Station Street Hot Dog & Sandwich Shop, expressed concerns about decreased visibility and increased shadows caused by the 42-foot tall building.

But the site’s developer said studies indicated these issues should not be a problem.

“It doesn’t shade his store,” said Mark Minnerly, director of real estate for Downtown-based The Mosites Co., which is the project’s lead developer. “The visibility issue is more than counter-balanced by the increased traffic.”

[Steel Boy]

I love the way East Liberty is turning out. It's becoming a good shopping district with practical stores for all income levels. It's a natural location, since most East End streets and buses go through or near East Liberty. I'm looking forward to the new Target - looks like it will be a great addition to the retail options. Nightlife in East Liberty is on the rise, too, with Shadow Lounge, the new upscale Chinese Restaurant, Red Room, Abay, Kelly's, and many other places.

[JackStraw]

Kelly's is neato!

[Vette60]

Also, I think people Like Johnland (using him as an example with his descriptions of Tampa), and myself enjoy Pittsburgh for the fact that it has Mom and Pa stores to walk to on Murray and Forbes avenue. When I moved into my apartment, I needed nails to hang paintings. I loved the fact of being able to walk a few blocks to that hardware store to buy nails for 2 bucks and walk back and not even get into my car. When I lived in east Denver, my only choice was Target. Yeah, it was nice to get eggs, bread, nails, and paint in the same store, but I personally like just walking down my neighborhood streets. I will pay an extra 50 cents for nails for being able to walk and enjoy my neighborhood. Something that is lost in America.


Hey Folks...just catching up on things. Just spent the past week in PGH for the Turkey Day Holiday and this comment is very true. Although my folks don't live in a city neighborhood, it's very walkable. My Dad and I walked up the street the the corner hardware store, chatted with the owners who know my Dad by first name, got what we needed for a small project at home and walked home. It's really nice to be able to do that.

We're I'm at in the burbs of Richmond, I don't have a chance. Gotta get in the car to do anything...

My 2-1/2 year old enjoyed the Dinosaurs at the Museum too. He went with my wife and Mother-in-law when I was out dropping off some old windows at Construction Junction. He found out really fast that his voice echos in the Hall...had to make a quick exit and settled down and were back after lunch...

Always nice to come HOME.

Later.

[Grego43]

For what its worth, here are a few shots of the new Target in the South Loop, Chicago...a neighborhood in many ways similar to East Liberty: (from flickr.com & chicagolandnewhomes.com)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2217/2286356769_a083464a4d.jpg

http://chicagolandnewhomes.com/NHNew/Neighborhoods/SouthLoopWinter05-06/Target.jpg

[dugdogmaster]

For what its worth, here are a few shots of the new Target in the South Loop, Chicago...a neighborhood in many was similar to East Liberty: (from flickr.com & chicagolandnewhomes.com)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2217/2286356769_a083464a4d.jpg

http://chicagolandnewhomes.com/NHNew/Neighborhoods/SouthLoopWinter05-06/Target.jpg

If it even comes close to resembling that, or the one a few posts ago, I'd be pleased.

[JackStraw]

whats nice about it is they can re-use the building when Targets arn't cool any more like Kmart and falls to the next big box toaster/cheap clothes retailier.

To many of these damn big box stores put up their signature boxes around towns like Moronville, they go out of buisiness in a decade and you have that signature box stuck there, and most likely will be demolished. Why not put up a building with quality that can be sold for more value in the long run.

[UrbaniDesDev]

one of the ugliest buildings downtown is for sale

http://pittsburgh.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2008/12/01/story4.html?b=1228107600^1740237

California investment group puts Downtown Pittsburgh Verizon building up for sale

285,000-square-foot building is 50 percent vacant

Pittsburgh Business Times - by Ben Semmes

http://assets.bizjournals.com/story_image/213484-0-0-2.jpg

A prominent California investment company, which entered the market four years ago with the more than $50 million purchase of Gateway Center, is putting its only other Pittsburgh property on the market.

Los Angeles-based Hertz Investment Group is marketing for sale the 12-story, 285,000-square-foot Verizon Building at 201 Stanwix St., Downtown.

“If there is nobody buying, then we won’t sell,” said Judah Hertz, Hertz Investment’s president and the investor who famously bought up much of Downtown New Orleans’ Class A office space in the years leading up to Hurricane Katrina.

The offering price is unlisted, Hertz said.

Hertz Investment Group snapped up the Verizon Building for about $6 million in early 2006 near the height of a commercial real estate buying frenzy that led some out-of-state investors to consider Pittsburgh’s relatively cheap investment opportunities.

Verizon Pennsylvania Inc., which sold Hertz the property, agreed to stay on as the building’s only tenant, leasing about half of the building, but the remainder has failed to attract other tenants.

Hertz said that once Verizon’s lease expires in about two years, the building will require a major renovation.

The real estate market and economy as a whole have changed drastically since Hertz Investment first entered the market four years ago. Years of loose lending and easy credit came to an abrupt end last summer when a crisis in the subprime mortgage market spilled into commercial real estate and, then, the economy at-large.

Jeffrey Ackerman, a broker with the Downtown office of CB Richard Ellis Inc., which is marketing the Verizon building, struck an optimistic note.

“The real estate environment is challenging, but we still have tremendous interest in Pittsburgh as a whole and Downtown specifically,” Ackerman said.

Jon Harrigan, CEO of Downtown-based Pennsylvania Commercial Real Estate Inc., which is not involved in the deal, said prospects for the Downtown market are positive but the Verizon building has its share of challenges.

“I think that you are going to find the Downtown market continuing to solidify,” he said. “On the other hand, you are going to have an empty building with a lot of work to do.”

Hertz has no plans to sell his other Pittsburgh property — four Gateway Center office buildings, which have a combined 1.5 million square feet — that his firm acquired for $55 million in late 2004.

“The other property is doing very well,” Hertz said of Gateway Center.

bsemmes@bizjournals.com | (412) 208-3829

What a great site!
Looks like a great place for a residential tower.
What a location!
What a view!
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/61a.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/61-1.jpg

[Evergrey]

http://pittsburgh.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2007/11/26/daily42.html?surround=lfn&brthrs=1

Financing in place for East Liberty mixed-use project

Pittsburgh Business Times - by Tim Schooley

Financing has fallen into place to redevelop a key gateway site of East Liberty's business district that was formerly occupied by a blighted high-rise that straddled Penn Avenue.

The Community Builders Inc., a national nonprofit housing development firm, announced it is pushing forward on a $11.7 million mixed-use, mixed-income building at 5801 Penn Avenue where the 17-story East Mall apartment building was demolished in 2006.

Community Builders expects to break ground next spring.

Called 5801 Penn Avenue, the initial project will be developed on the north side of Penn Avenue and consist of a four-story building that will feature 54 one- and two-bedroom apartments above 11,000 square feet of street-level retail.

Planned for certification under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program of the U.S. Green Building Council, 5801 Penn Avenue will be built by Sota Construction, with Strada Architecture LLC designing the project.

To pursue the project, Community Builders received financing from the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (URA), the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh, as well as through private equity and loans.

The development will be the fourth in East Liberty for the Community Builders, which has been working to revitalize the neighborhood's residential community by redeveloping failed public housing facilities of the past into new, mixed-income housing. The Community Builders has already developed New Pennley Place and the recently completed Penn Manor Apartments only a short walk from the 5801 Penn site.

"With each new development we undertake in East Liberty, TCB also seeks to attract new market rate renters as well as to replace run-down housing with first-rate replacement housing for lower income households," said Tamara Dudukovich, The Community Builder's Director of Development for the Mid-Atlantic Region, based in Pittsburgh. "We do this with quality buildings that have rent structuring to accommodate a healthy, broad mix of resident household incomes."

The Community Builders continues to plan and work toward the redevelopment of the East Mall site to the South of Penn Avenue as well, 5800 Penn Avenue, with tentative plans calling for 74 apartments or condominiums above 24,000 square feet of retail.

tschooley@bizjournals.com | (412) 208-3826

[Evergrey]

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_601733.html

Developer mulls buying Salvation Army building

By Ron DaParma
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, December 6, 2008

The Salvation Army is preparing for the move of its Western Division headquarters from Downtown to a 36,500-square-foot office building along the Parkway West this month.

At the same time, a local developer is said to be eyeing a deal to buy the nonprofit, Christian-based organization's nine-story headquarters building on the Boulevard of the Allies, and convert the site into student housing or some other educational use.

If that is the case, the Art Institute of Pittsburgh says it will be interested in a development that would serve its expanding student population.

About 75 administrative employees and other staff based Downtown will be moving on Dec. 22 to the two-story Building 4 at the Carnegie Office Park, said Salvation Army spokeswoman Ginny Knor.

The organization in January paid $3.3 million to acquire the building on a two-acre site at the Parkway and the Rosslyn Farms interchange. The structure has been renovated to prepare for the move.

"They liked the site because it a high-profile location with easy access to both Pittsburgh International Airport and Downtown," said Edward P. Doran, executive vice president of GVA Oxford, who helped broker the sale. "It also has ample parking."

The move is one of a series of changes the Salvation Army will make over the next several years to better serve communities in its 28-county territory.

Plans are to keep most of the social services offered at the Downtown headquarters building in place for the time being, although a family caring center will be moving to East Liberty, Knor said.

As the organization prepares for its move, a local developer recently contacted the Art Institute of Pittsburgh about housing some of its students at the 85,000-square-foot headquarters complex, said George Pry, the institute's president.

The institute houses students in three Downtown buildings, but those facilities are full, said Pry.

"It is a vintage building but more importantly, it is across the Boulevard of the Allies from the Art Institute and would centralize our housing," Pry said.

Pry declined to identify the developer, and Knor declined to comment.

Ron DaParma can be reached at rdaparma@tribweb.com or 412-320-7907.

[Minivan Werner]

I don't feel that building holds enough architectural value to make it worth refurbing and I think the fact that it takes up one whole block along Grant makes it more suited for high-rise office space. If the market doesn't dictate that, they should wait until it does.

[Evergrey]

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_601244.html

RIDC plays big part in economic development

By Ron DaParma
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, December 7, 2008

Donald F. Smith is joining a regional economic development corporation as president, but that doesn't mean he'll disconnect completely from the two universities where he's been director of economic development since 2002.

Smith is leaving the joint post he held for the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University to become president of the Regional Industrial Development Corp. of Southwestern Pennsylvania sometime in January.

Still, Smith likely will continue to deal with Pitt, CMU and other schools that foster development of spinoff companies.

The RIDC historically has played a key role in development of some of the commercial buildings that served the needs of the universities themselves as well as firms developed by students and faculty, and outside companies looking to move close to the schools.

For example, the corporation partnered with CMU on buildings including the Software Engineering Institute in Oakland and the Collaborative Innovation Center on the school's campus.

Smith played a role in development of the innovation center, the only building in the world with Intel, Apple and Google employees under one roof.

"I believe that the RIDC can still be a resource for the universities," Smith said.

With the universities attracting more than $1 billion a year in research dollars and helping to spawn spinoff companies, officials have estimated that more than 1 million square feet will be needed to house such firms over the next 10 years.

That's one of the reasons why the city's Urban Redevelopment Authority announced plans to develop up to nine buildings at the Pittsburgh Technology Center in South Oakland.

The RIDC has considered building an addition to its 2000 Technology Drive building at the Pittsburgh Technology Center, where Cleveland developer Ferchill Group's $46 million Bridgeside Point II is under construction.

And the RIDC is general partner in Almono LP, a nonprofit partnership of four local foundations that teamed in 2002 to buy the 178-acre former LTV Steel site in Hazelwood. A $400 million development that could create 2,400 jobs and include housing, commercial space, community amenities and green space is planned there.

One of Smith's tasks will be to help choose a master developer for that property, which could be a location for companies looking to move close to the Oakland universities.

[Evergrey]

the Trib revisits this topic every month it seems... yet there's no news... :shrug:

except for maybe the "improvement of regional gas efficiency" argument :haha:

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_601958.html

Expressway to a battleground

By Justin Vellucci
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, December 8, 2008

Linda Chasko sees potential when she looks at the Mon/Fayette Expressway, a long-anticipated network of toll roads to connect Pittsburgh with southern towns and West Virginia.

Route 43, one of the 70-mile expressway's open sections, has shaved 20 to 25 minutes off her commutes between Fayette County and South Park, where she works for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. But the road system still has a long way to go, she said.

"You don't see traffic. Nobody uses it. It's basically a road to nowhere now," said Chasko, 51 of Clairton, as she pumped gas into her car near the Jefferson Hills entrance to Route 43. "It's hardly ever traveled on because it does have missing links."

Missing links are only part of the Mon/Fayette story.

Conceived decades ago to provide Pittsburgh with a southern beltway and help revitalize the Monongahela Valley, distressed since the loss of its steel mills, the network of toll roads has come to fruition in stages.

The first of seven legs, which carry motorists from Fairchance in Fayette County to the West Virginia border, opened more than eight years ago; the most recent leg, near Uniontown, opened in October. Three uncompleted legs remain.

Money is largely the reason the highway remains unfinished. About $1 billion has been spent on the $7 billion project, and work hasn't begun on its most expensive section -- a Y-shaped highway connecting Pittsburgh and Monroeville to Route 43. That section is controversial because it would plow through developed communities.

The final design of the Y leg is expected to be completed by 2010, while sections of the Mon/Fayette Expressway now under construction could be open by 2012. Planning continues for sections of the Southern Beltway.

On Jan. 15, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission will open proposals for public-private partnerships to help complete the highway system. The agency hasn't received any proposals yet, but anticipates one or two, spokesman Tom Fox said. It set Dec. 17 as a deadline to answer questions from interested parties.

"We've expended all our resources in getting where we are now," Fox said. "Hopefully, a private entity will see some opportunity here and be able to (reach) a deal we can be part of."

Opponents of the Mon/Fayette Expressway and Southern Beltway projects say the 102-mile system will cause more headaches than it solves. Opponents claim the projects are antiquated concepts that will encourage businesses to migrate farther from Pittsburgh, devastate the communities and environment in its footprint and stifle debate on alternative transportation such as a light-rail network.

"It's going to be much easier to get out of Allegheny County to the south," said Andrea Boykowycz, outreach coordinator for the group Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future, known as PennFuture. "It turns all of Southwestern Pennsylvania into a driveway, basically, out of Pittsburgh."

Braddock Mayor John Fetterman worries that exhaust fumes from vehicles using the roadway will aggravate child asthma rates and in general harm lower-income urban dwellers to benefit higher-income suburban commuters. The Y leg would run through Braddock.

"It will do nothing to change the overall climate in the Mon Valley other than creating a way for suburban drivers to bypass the Squirrel Hill Tunnel," Fetterman said. "If that's as progressive ... as we can get, then the last person should shut off the lights."

According to the most current data from the state Department of Health, 11 percent of the county's 118,686 students suffered asthma during 2005-06 school year. Neither the Allegheny County Health Department nor Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh keeps data on child asthma rates in the Braddock area, spokesmen said.

Supporters of the Mon/Fayette Expressway and Southern Beltway projects quote the movie "Field of Dreams" -- if you build it, they will come. They say the roadway will foster business development in the Mon Valley, encourage re-use of abandoned industrial sites and create a vibrant corridor connecting Monroeville to Pittsburgh International Airport.

"Individual mobility is one of the high marks of the development of a vibrant economy," said Joe Kirk, executive director of the Mon Valley Progress Council in Monessen. "It's about mobility, even more than access."

Chad Amond, president of the Monroeville Area Chamber of Commerce, says the completed system will improve regional gas efficiency and clear up traffic on the Parkway East. In short, it will help the Eastern suburbs as well as the Mon Valley, he said.

"Completing the Mon/Fayette Expressway gets us closer to addressing the traffic issues out here," Amond said. "You start to create an environment where it's more desirable to live here."

Rep. Joe Markosek, who chairs the House Transportation Committee, illustrated the potential of the Mon/Fayette Expressway by talking about how Route 279 helped the North Hills and communities such as Cranberry to blossom. The Mon/Fayette is supported by $40 million to $70 million a year in oil company franchise taxes and $28 million in vehicle registration fees.

"It's a massive project, and I think that's one of the things that's been difficult: trying to find funding sources for putting this whole project together," Markosek said. "I think there's always been a pretty common belief that something like this would be necessary. ... I think most people understand, if you want a good economy, you want good transportation systems."

But good transportation should include ideas such as light rail, said Pittsburgh Councilman Bill Peduto, who is concerned about motor vehicle traffic exiting the Mon/Fayette in Oakland and clogging roads in his East End district.

"The Mon Valley should be looking at a different model on how to get people to live there," Peduto said. "The mills are gone. They're gone. If we simply think the only way to bring back the Mon Valley ... is by bringing back an old economic system, we will never see the Mon Valley reborn."

Although some still talk about the Mon/Fayette in the future tense, the Turnpike Commission has worked to make it a reality. Dozens of miles of roadway are open between Jefferson Hills and the West Virginia border, in addition to the six-mile Findlay Connector near Pittsburgh International Airport, Fox said.

The projects have trimmed nearly a half-hour off Rod Summers' commute from Weirton, W.Va., to his job at the airport.

"I don't have to worry about traffic on 279," said Summers, 50, who uses the Findlay Connector. "I think that any construction that's going to make travel safer and save time ... is good."

The roadway has helped link Pittsburgh with business districts farther south, said Joe Carei, chef and owner of Caileigh's, a restaurant near Route 43 in Uniontown.

"I think we'll all reap some benefits from it," said Carei, 41, of Uniontown. "It brings ... a bigger population closer to where you are."

Debbie Everly hopes it brings the activity of those bigger populations closer to her Washington County home.

"That's what we need," said Everly, 51, who lives near Route 43 in Charleroi. "Hopefully, it could bring new businesses this way. ... We need some growth around here. It's stagnant."

A lesson drawn from the Mon/Fayette story might be that all these factors need to be weighed when considering a project of such magnitude, said Mark Magalotti, adjunct professor in the University of Pittsburgh's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. His Robinson-based firm, Trans Associates, performed an environmental study on a section of the Mon/Fayette Expressway.

"I think the major obstacle today is ... is it a wise decision to spend millions of dollars in hopes it will spur economic development?" Magalotti said. "The major obstacle is funding. Is there an answer? I don't know."

The lesson might require a look at history. Alan Pisarski, a transportation expert based in Virginia, said the concept of building highways within American cities or to reinvigorate them peaked 40 to 50 years ago.

"The prospect of being able to build any interstates or even any freeways inside a metropolitan area these days is extremely dubious," he said. "Those days are gone. And that's for good or ill -- I'm not judging it one way or the other."

Justin Vellucci can be reached at jvellucci@tribweb.com or 412-320-7847.

[Minivan Werner]

I'm not totally against the Mon-Fayette/Southern-Beltway projects but I've always found the highway system in Pittsburgh to be confusing and extremely redundant. Having been to pretty much every major city in the US, I've always wondered why all of the major interstates seem to make it a point to bypass downtown Pittsburgh altogether. And you have to take spurs and auxiliary routes to get to where you need to be. Even when you look at it on a map, it doesn't resemble any other US city at all in terms of the layout of the major interstates.

As I understand it I70 used to go right through downtown, but they just up and decided to move it 40 miles south? It's no wonder Pittsburgh's gone through hard economic times.

In terms of the Mon-Fayette, I think they could just move I79 about 10-15 miles to the east (around Canonsburg) and it'd serve just as much of a purpose without having two interstates running parallel to eachother when 1 could do just as good of a job if properly located.

[tooluther]

I'm not totally against the Mon-Fayette/Southern-Beltway projects but I've always found the highway system in Pittsburgh to be confusing and extremely redundant. Having been to pretty much every major city in the US, I've always wondered why all of the major interstates seem to make it a point to bypass downtown Pittsburgh altogether. And you have to take spurs and auxiliary routes to get to where you need to be. Even when you look at it on a map, it doesn't resemble any other US city at all in terms of the layout of the major interstates.


As a result Pittsburgh has an incredible strong Central Core and Downtown. Many downtowns around the country wish their beltways would never have been built. The idea of creating a southern beltway is stuck in the 1950's and should be completely abandoned once the existing project gets to I-79...at least the current project improves development accessibility for the airport. Thereby improving ability to capitalize on an existing investment. Pittsburgh can't be a progressive region and still be operating on a rulebook from last century.

I think we should follow Youngstown's model with the Mon Valley. Just give it up. Take all that money earmarked for this ridiculous road and use it to strengthen Mass Transit options to the closest in eastern neighborhoods.

[dugdogmaster]

I'm not totally against the Mon-Fayette/Southern-Beltway projects but I've always found the highway system in Pittsburgh to be confusing and extremely redundant. Having been to pretty much every major city in the US, I've always wondered why all of the major interstates seem to make it a point to bypass downtown Pittsburgh altogether. And you have to take spurs and auxiliary routes to get to where you need to be. Even when you look at it on a map, it doesn't resemble any other US city at all in terms of the layout of the major interstates.

As I understand it I70 used to go right through downtown, but they just up and decided to move it 40 miles south? It's no wonder Pittsburgh's gone through hard economic times.

In terms of the Mon-Fayette, I think they could just move I79 about 10-15 miles to the east (around Canonsburg) and it'd serve just as much of a purpose without having two interstates running parallel to eachother when 1 could do just as good of a job if properly located.

The topography of the land has a lot to do with it.

[Grego43]

As I understand it I70 used to go right through downtown, but they just up and decided to move it 40 miles south? It's no wonder Pittsburgh's gone through hard economic times.
.


Of course it wasn't moved 40 miles south. The original route designation was for I 79 to be I-70, and follow I279/I376 through the city and out to the turnpike.

[Steel Boy]

I'm glad we don't have a beltway or a bunch of expressways cutting off the neighborhoods. Look what it did to Cleveland. Don't forget that the turnpike, which opened in 1940 or something, acts as something of an east - to - north bypass, I-70 a southern by-pass, and I-79 and eastern by-pass. We really don't need a beltway, which just encourages those ugly gas stations and office parks at the exits. If you need to get into the city, you use 376, 279, 28, 8, 51, 65, 60, or 19 from the interstates.

[Minivan Werner]

But we still have lots of highways cutting off neighborhoods and river access- they're just bizarre spur routes rather than main arteries.

I find it all extremely inefficient.

[Steel Boy]

I agree that it's a shame there are so many highways along the rivers. But it's a historical problem, since when the highways were built, the rivers were mostly industrial with rail lines along them. Nobody went near them. Today it's a lot different, and there are trails along the rivers and a lot of the riverfronts are being developed for housing and office buildings. We have several highways that destroyed neighborhoods: I-279 North, which obliterated the East Street Valley, and I-376, which cut through lower Greenfield. I-279 South I believe was built in an uninhabited valley coming down Greentree Hill. The Ohio River Blvd. expressway portion destroyed western Manchester. And Crosstown Blvd. eradicated part of the lower Hill. I guess there are more than I thought. But most of the neighborhoods, fortunately, were saved from expressway construction. At one time there was a plan to put the North Shore expressway through the Mexican War Streets, whcih would have been a ravesty.

[dugdogmaster]

A travesty even!:D

[pj3000]

The topography of the land has a lot to do with it.

This pretty much sums up all of Pittsburgh's transportation challenges.

[pj3000]

I agree that it's a shame there are so many highways along the rivers. But it's a historical problem, since when the highways were built, the rivers were mostly industrial with rail lines along them. Nobody went near them. Today it's a lot different, and there are trails along the rivers and a lot of the riverfronts are being developed for housing and office buildings.

The land along the rivers is the only flat land in the area. That is why the steel mills, rail lines, and then, highways were built where they are.

Anyone know of any plans for the Mon Wharf?

[Evergrey]

The land along the rivers is the only flat land in the area. That is why the steel mills, rail lines, and then, highways were built where they are.

Anyone know of any plans for the Mon Wharf?


the Riverlife Strike Force is all about activating Pittsburgh's riverfronts... here's the plan for Mon Wharf

http://kdka.com/video/?id=42786@kdka.dayport.com

http://www.riverlifetaskforce.org/projects/monwharf/

translucent Pittsburghers enjoying the new riverfront interface
http://www.riverlifetaskforce.org/wp-content/themes/riverlife-v1/banners/projects/monwharf/images/mon-wharf-1.jpg

chucka can probably provide more insight

[pj3000]

^ Nice. I really hope we see some progress on this soon. Access to the city's riverfronts has been blocked for too long. I'd love to see this Three Rivers Park development come to complete fruition.

Too bad that all those waterfront parking spaces are going to be lost though...

[PA Pride]

Too bad that all those waterfront parking spaces are going to be lost though...

:haha: :haha:

[Evergrey]

I've always dreamed of a waterfront parking space... soon they will be all but a wonderful memory of Pittsburgh's "golden age" :(

[pj3000]

I know, ever since I was a little kid and first came out of the Fort Pitt Tunnel and cast my gaze on the Golden Triangle for the first time, my eye was immediately drawn to the beautiful expanse of riverfront concrete that is the Mon Wharf.

Hopefully, they'll try to integrate some of the existing architectural features into the new development, or at least erect a PA historical marker or something.

[PA Pride]

Yes we all know that ample parking is the holy grail of urban planning.

[Minivan Werner]

Some interesting green-space plans.. though these are just conceptual ideas from college students.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08344/933732-53.stm

Penn State students solve problems of vacant city lots
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
By Diana Nelson Jones, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Ten Penn State students have turned vacant lots into designer lots in four neighborhoods -- at least conceptually.

At the Connelley Learning Center in the Hill District yesterday, the landscape architecture students displayed solutions to blighted lots, stormwater run-off and underused existing green spaces in Beltzhoover, Hays, the Hill and Lincoln Place. Two designs were for a white water rafting venue in the Neville Island back channel of the Emsworth lock and dam.

What was for them a semester studio was, for residents, the chance to see old problems "solved" by fresh eyes.

"I'm loving this," said a beaming Dawn King, vice president of the Beltzhoover Neighborhood Council, reacting to Erin Hollands' depiction of a vision the council has -- a re-enlivened McKinley Park and the paper street of Haberman Avenue turned into a pedestrian greenway, with water features and whimsical lighting.

"I believe it can happen," said Ms. King.

"We will initiate things to make sure it does happen," said Sam Wright, the group's chaplain. "We have worked hard to get to this point."

The presentation was the first public event of the Penn State Center Downtown, which was established in August. The students' project was the first in which the center helped the university link resources to the Pittsburgh area, said Deno DeCiantis, director of the Penn State Center,

He met initially with the mayor's office and the URA to find out how students might get projects out of the city's vacant land needs and give back solutions.

"We came up with 20 to 30 locations we could have worked with, then one day professor Ken Tamminga and I drove around town and looked at different areas" and chose five whose characteristics best fit the students' learning needs, intending those five to provide the students' the best variety of experiences.

Throughout the fall semester, each student traveled to Pittsburgh from the main campus in State College to enlist the help of community groups to define their projects.

Loralyn Fabian's Hill project incorporated pieces of metal from the Mellon Arena as sculptures in a pedestrian green space that would connect Downtown and the Hill.

Travis Flohr tackled the large land tract of Hays Woods in creating an urban wildland and a Web-based system for the conservators of such a place to monitor the success of environmental corrections he calls for in his plan.

"My case study was Rouge Park in Toronto," he said. "There are not many places that have urban wildlands so close to a city."

Regarding the idea of white water rafting at the Neville Island back channel, James McCarville, executive director for the Port of Pittsburgh, said, "It's intriguing, as long as it doesn't interfere with navigation."

When the two students on that project interviewed him, he said, they were looking at several sites. If any were to work, the Neville Island site would be better than others, he said. As of now, it's just "an exercise of imagination, and we'd have to determine if it's practical or not, but we're interested in accompanying their studies."

Mr. DeCiantis said the Penn State Center, with a small office at the Westin Convention Center hotel, does not have funding to help these designs come alive.

"The intent is to give communities some alternative ways of looking at green spaces. In terms of implementation, we do have consultation resources" that community groups can draw on. "You never know where some of these connections might go."

Diana Nelson Jones can be reached at djones@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1626.
First published on December 9, 2008 at 12:00 am

[PA Pride]

^Some cool ideas.

[PGHFan]

I just returned from London and found the development along the Thames exciting and it relates to news about developing Pittsburgh’s river trails. If you haven’t been, the Thames is a festival running through the heart of London at night. It glows with light from the bridges, the galleries, and the performing arts buidlings. The river banks are full of grand modern and historical buildings. The London eye (the monumental ferris wheel)always seemed to me to be hideous because the pictures I have seen of it made it seem adjacent to Parliament. Come to find out, it is across and down the river. Though its aesthetics may be argued, it adds to the festiveness of the area. In spite of cold and rainy weather, people were out walking along the Thames. While there are many differences between London and Pittsburgh (population being an important one), there is still the exciting river(s). What I noted though, is that Londoners can easily access amenities (like food and drink) as they walk. They don’t have to climb a set of stairs and walk two blocks to a 7-11, as is often the case along the Pittsburgh riverfronts. But, London has not succumbed to putting fast food restaurants along the Thames. Rather they have actual restaurants and small vendor stands. The same is true in Washington, DC. While I might not like the look of the street hot dog vendors, many visitors and natives seem to like their half smokies (whatever they are). Some of those vendors make upwards of $40,000 per year. When I see renderings of what Pittsburgh’s river front will be like, I don’t see much that will attract the non-runners. To me, the river walks seem to be separated from amenities that would entice me to actually spend time in the area. They may end up being as uninviting as the river fronts they replace. Again, I think of the Thames walk as a festival, but I think of Pittsburgh riverfront walks as simply walks. Maybe it’s time to address how to make the walks a desirable destination where one can spend time enjoying the rivers, eating and drinking, and maybe even going to a tastefully designed rest facility.

[Minivan Werner]

Pierogie vendors. ;)

Good observations regarding the Thames.

[pj3000]

Anyone up to date on the status of the Hays Woods/Palisades Development Plan?

I'd really hate to see 600-some acres of urban wildland destroyed by strip mining and then turned into a stupid horseracing track, a sterile "neighborhood" of McMansions, and generic chain stores.

[dugdogmaster]

Anyone up to date on the status of the Hays Woods/Palisades Development Plan?

I'd really hate to see 600-some acres of urban wildland destroyed by strip mining and then turned into a stupid horseracing track, a sterile "neighborhood" of McMansions, and generic chain stores.

I think it's in limbo, and will be for a while.

[Evergrey]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08345/934035-53.stm

Development plan for Baum-Liberty corridor to go to zoning board

Wednesday, December 10, 2008
By Diana Nelson Jones, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Groups from four neighborhoods and developers of the former Don Allen's Auto City have until tomorrow to hammer out a proposal they can all stand behind at the city's Zoning Board of Adjustment hearing.

After two years of site assembly, a year of 30 to 40 community meetings and a lot of acrimony, the negotiations will culminate tomorrow at 10 a.m. when the zoning board considers a plan for seven acres of the East End's most prime real estate -- where Bloomfield and Shadyside meet.

Zoning hearings have been postponed three times to allow the negotiations to wrap up.

The development team of DOC-Economou has proposed a seven-story, 120-unit hotel, 150 condos and townhouses, medical offices, stores and nightlife venues, with mostly underground parking, over three blocks where Baum Boulevard meets Liberty Avenue.

The project is estimated to take four years at a cost of about $230 million.

One member of the negotiating team, Janet Cercone Scullion, president of the Bloomfield Citizens Council, said the strongest objection from residents has been the developers' insistence that the hotel entrance face Powhattan Street. This puzzles many residents, said Ms. Scullion, because the street is only as wide as an alley and has a playground on it.

Chris Mattick and Laura Hodge have lived for five years in a home they refurbished across from the playground and say the traffic to and from a luxury hotel -- including buses and limousines -- would destroy the nature of the street and make the playground unsafe for their 6-year-old daughter.

Mr. Mattick first got a notice about the meetings in August and has since been to eight.

"I don't mind development," he said, "but they want to ram it up my front walk." Residents of other streets are supporting Powhattanites, he said, "because they know that if [the developers] run over me in phase one, they'll run over them in phase two."

Ms. Scullion said the developers have said an entrance on Liberty would present traffic synchronization problems. "They say the flow of traffic would be too heavy for Liberty."

"That's what main thoroughfares are for," said Ms. Hodge. "They are talking about 800 cars a day on our street, and it's barely two lanes."

The developers did not return queries for comment.

Another significant sticking point is the proposed height of the hotel. The site is zoned for five stories and the developer wants seven, said District 8 Councilman William Peduto, who has managed the meetings and discussions since they began.

"The neighbors are cognizant that what gets built now will affect what gets built in the future," he said.

"We have had several issues for many months," said Ms. Scullion, citing the location and height of the hotel, heavy traffic on residential streets and the failure of the developer to reveal a master plan.

"We should know what's coming in the future," she said. "And we could easily give them a blessing, but information has been slow in coming."

The negotiation team has met almost every day for the past few weeks, she said.

"It's been mentally stimulating, because you're working as a team. You're on a fact-finding mission, communicating with all the homeowners -- I represent 36 of them -- and you really do try to find out the facts of the law."

Doug Graham, a photographer and resident of Cypress Street, said cars using Powhattan to get to and from the hotel will hurt the little square of homeowners' quality of life. "Turning a small, one-block street into a major thoroughfare for business purposes, while leaving residents subject to an onslaught of traffic nightmares, hardly fits a ... definition" of reasonable planning, he wrote in an e-mail.

Powhattan has four houses, a post office and adjacent parking lot and parking for Ritter's Diner. Osceola and Cypress streets each have about a dozen homes.

All residents will be affected, said Mr. Peduto, "but what we can do is find ways to minimize the impact. There are options other than 'No, we oppose any project.' There has to be a balance, which is why it's important for people to work through their community groups to build consensus."

The extensive vetting will have been worth it, he said.

"You can have no community meetings and let a mess go before the zoning board, then let them deal with it, and nine out of 10 times it gets rejected because it has no community support, or it goes to court and is tied up for two years until the developer gives up."

Four other parcels to be developed after this will have parameters set thanks to a master plan the neighborhood groups and developers have been hashing out in almost daily meetings before the hearing.

"You are always going to have something come," Mr. Peduto said. "You can either be at the table to minimize the impact or lose your rights in the future."

An image of the Baum-Liberty project can be seen at www.doceconomou.com/baum%2Dliberty.

Diana Nelson Jones can be reached at djones@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1626.

[Evergrey]

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_602299.html

Arena's 'skeleton' to take shape soon on Uptown horizon

By Jeremy Boren
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, December 10, 2008

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/photos/2008-12-09/1209arena-a.jpg
Travis Williams shows a rendition of the new Penguins arena hotel during the quarterly neighborhood and community group meeting Tuesday at Epiphany Catholic Church, Uptown.
Jasmine Goldband /Tribune-Review

A 200-foot-tall construction crane will arrive next week to plant the first giant, steel columns at the Uptown site that will become Pittsburgh's $321 million hockey arena, construction officials said Tuesday.

"It will cut a pretty dominating figure," said Walter Czekaj, director of field operators for P.J. Dick-Hunt. "People will be able to see the steel building columns soon. It will eventually look like a skeleton of the arena."

The Penguins hosted a public meeting last night at Epiphany Catholic Church to update about 25 Hill District residents and interested construction-firm representatives about progress on the multi-purpose arena.

Portions of the arena's concrete floors will be poured by March, and four months of work is expected to begin by May on the 18,087-seat arena's roof, Czekaj said.

The number of construction workers on the 8-acre site will double to 200 by March to handle the structure steel, masonry and other work, said Jennifer Howe, project diversity coordinator with P.J. Dick-Hunt.

Clarence Curry, senior diversity coordinator with the Sports & Exhibition Authority, said that of the $160 million in construction contracts awarded so far, 24 percent are going to minority-owned businesses and 6 percent are going to businesses owned by women.

The city-county authority, which is building the arena and will own it, set goals of 25 percent and 10 percent for minority- and women-owned businesses, respectively.

Pleased with the results, Curry said Penguins officials are keeping promises made in a "Community Benefits Agreement" to create a jobs-resource center by January. The center will be based in the Hill House Association on Centre Avenue.

He said the team will look for retailers to fill storefront space in the arena along Fifth Avenue.

Chris Cieslak, a principal with Chronical Consulting working for the SEA, said the authority is using a method to ensure minority and women participation that's different from the way PNC Park and Heinz Field were built.

The projects for the North Shore stadiums have been criticized for relying too heavily on minority- and women-owned subcontractors that acted as middlemen to meet equity standards but had little to do with the actual work .

"The policy changed to discourage pass-throughs," Cieslak said.

Many of the construction firms involved in the arena construction have voluntarily undertaken joint ventures with minority- or women-owned businesses to ensure equality, she said.

Cieslak said three out of four firms pre-selected to bid to build a five-story, $9 million parking garage between the arena and a proposed boutique hotel are joint ventures -- Mascaro-Smoot, P.J. Dick-Brinker, Massaro-Hermitage and Carl Walker Construction.

Lorna H. Nicholson of Crafton, president of Contract Management Services, praised the project's attention to equality. Nicholson's company connects construction projects like the arena to minority contractors that can perform the work.

"It looks like it's going well," said Nicholson, who attended the meeting last night. "For a project of this size, you have to see minority and women participation."

The arena is on schedule to open in time for the Penguins' 2010-11 season.

Jeremy Boren can be reached at jboren@tribweb.com or 412-765-2312.

[pj3000]

Good to see the Baum-Liberty project. The blocks around that intersection are depressing.

[qwho]

...And Crosstown Blvd. eradicated part of the lower Hill. I guess there are more than I thought.


We should bury it like boston's big dig...
:tup:

[AaronPGH]

We should bury it like boston's big dig...
:tup:

I thought the redevelopment of the areas around the arena called for a "lid" to be placed over top of it to reconnect the neighborhood.....am I correct with this?

[edncc1701d]

I thought the redevelopment of the areas around the arena called for a "lid" to be placed over top of it to reconnect the neighborhood.....am I correct with this?

I think the "lid" over the Crosstown Blvd was something promised by the Isle of Capri folks. At this juncture, I doubt we will ever see anything like that. Personally, I would be surprised if any quick and meaningful development occurs in the area that Mellon Arena formerly occupied. With the Penguins in control, the progress is going to be more along the lines of what is occurring on the North Shore. Good and steady progress to be sure, but nothing mind staggering.

[Minivan Werner]

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/1222psite-a.jpg

Here's the rendition of the "cap" over the crosstown. Really just 1-block's worth of elevated green space. Kind of a cool idea, I don't think it'd be too expensive and it would probably help storm run off as well as pedestrian access to-and-from downtown.

Philly has a few elevated parks over highways and I think Cincinatti is trying to build something similar near their waterfront.

[dugdogmaster]

I just saw a video on youtube about this earlier today. However, the renditions in the video are not exactly correct, as the casino is now being built on the North Shore and not next to the new arena. But, I believe they are still wanting to cover up the crosstown.

[PA Pride]

My big question is: What is going to be built on the current site of mellon arena? Are there any plans yet?