[Wiz Khalifa]

Anyone see the Stanley cup party pics from Lemieux's house?

Here's the link:

http://talentnetworkinc.blogspot.com/2009/06/stanley-cup-in-mario-lemieuxs-pool.html

[Wiz Khalifa]

By the way that Mt. Washington development is amazing and needs to get built right away.

What are the chances of it being downsized or blocked by NIMBYs?

[Johnland]

By the way that Mt. Washington development is amazing and needs to get built right away.

What are the chances of it being downsized or blocked by NIMBYs?

I agree. At first I didn't catch the small-scale village-like portion that spills down over the edge of the mountain. Then I took another look and realized it was there. I think that is one of the best parts of the design - that is just so cool.

[Wiz Khalifa]

I agree. At first I didn't catch the small-scale village-like portion that spills down over the edge of the mountain. Then I took another look and realized it was there. I think that is one of the best parts of the design - that is just so cool.

Yeah, I imagine that riding up the Mon incline and seeing that on the left would be nothing short of incredible.

[bradjl2009]

By the way that Mt. Washington development is amazing and needs to get built right away.

What are the chances of it being downsized or blocked by NIMBYs?

Actually pretty low. The Mt Washington community group had 100% for this development shockingly.

[Gilamonster]

Please read post #6499. It already has been scaled down.

[AaronPGH]

I've been thinking about this one a bit (the Mt. Wash development). I'm not so keen on the "Italian-style coastal villas" the more I think about it. I mean, they couldn't choose any other building style? I really hope those houses aren't gaudy as hell. I would have loved to see something more glass/modern/urban instead. Something to match the tower.

[EventHorizon]

The hotel looks great, and the village idea is really cool too... But, like AaronClark, I wish it would be a bit more modern and original. I just hope it doesn't end up looking like an 'Epcot World Showcase' pavilion or something. :)

[Tombstoner]

:previous: ditto. The world doesn't need more Olive Garden "experiences."

[AaronPGH]

you guys can just call me Aaron, btw. lol.

[raynist]

Please read post #6499. It already has been scaled down.

Where do you see this in that post?

I can't find anything saying it will be scaled down.

[Gilamonster]

You can lead a horse to water........

"At one time, the plans infringed on a piece of the Grandview Scenic Byway Park. When residents protested, Desmone scaled back the project by cutting 10 condos. And when other residents expressed concern over the size of the hotel, he made it smaller, cutting 30 rooms."


By Chris Togneri
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, June 19, 2009

[JakeLiefer]

Glad to hear that Altmire notices the gap between the midwest and northeast rail plans!


Altmire suggests Pittsburgh-to-Cleveland rail line
Monday, June 22, 2009
By Jon Schmitz, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire said today that he will push to have a Pittsburgh-to-Cleveland line added to a national list of high-speed rail corridors.

The list of 10 corridors announced by President Barack Obama this year as part of his push to develop a network of intercity passenger rail lines included a Chicago-to-Cleveland line and one from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia.

At a hearing in Pittsburgh today, Mr. Altmire, D-McCandless, described Pittsburgh to Cleveland as a "missing link" that, if filled, would establish Pittsburgh as the hub of a network stretching across the upper Midwest. He said he has submitted the proposal for inclusion in the multiyear surface transportation bill that Congress is expected to consider this year.

The federal economic stimulus law allocated $8 billion for high-speed rail development, and Mr. Obama has proposed an additional $5 billion in his budget. A blueprint of the new surface transportation bill released last week called for an additional $50 billion over six years for high-speed intercity passenger rail development in the designated corridors.

At today's hearing of the House subcommittee on railroads, a federal official said the first applications for the $8 billion in rail stimulus money will be due Aug. 24. Mark E. Yachmetz, associate administrator for railroad development for the Federal Railroad Administration, also said a Pittsburgh-to-Cleveland rail line would be eligible for stimulus funding even though it is not a designated high-speed corridor.

More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.


http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09173/979148-147.stm#ixzz0JCfULyKt&D

[Tombstoner]

You can lead a horse to water........

"At one time, the plans infringed on a piece of the Grandview Scenic Byway Park. When residents protested, Desmone scaled back the project by cutting 10 condos. And when other residents expressed concern over the size of the hotel, he made it smaller, cutting 30 rooms."


By Chris Togneri
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, June 19, 2009

Actually, it sounds like the developer was smart to make these relatively small cuts to placate residents' concerns. He was able to demonstrate that he was listening to them and got their buy-in in return. Seems everyone's happy.

[themaguffin]

Maybe the lesson learned for Mt Washington or well, most everywhere in the city is this - make the initial proposal 30-40% larger than what you actually want.

[cdc]

Maybe the lesson learned for Mt Washington or well, most everywhere in the city is this - make the initial proposal 30-40% larger than what you actually want.

How about doing proposals that don't require zoning variances?
Is that possible?

[EventHorizon]

Downtown Hilton construction halted by contractor in $317,273 dispute
A skeleton awaits the G-20
By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09174/979253-53.stm)

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/images/200906/20090623bw_hilton_500.jpg


http://www.architecturaldesigninc.com/files/hilton.jpg
Image Credit (http://www.architecturaldesigninc.com/?q=hotel/hilton)

[PA Pride]

^That's the first time I've seen the renderings. I like the curvy shape.

Judging from the article, the Hilton's owner likes to get behind on his bills before he pays up; Hopefully that won't be a dead construction site when all the worlds press drives through the Fort Pitt tunnels in September.

[themaguffin]

I really don't think that the world will know that the site has stalled. Construction sites can sit idol looking and most people who pass them don't know notice.

I don't think that this is an issue.

[DBR96A]

I think Pittsburgh should build a 2,000-foot supertall in a neighborhood like Brighton Heights.

[Black-n-Gold]

Actually, it sounds like the developer was smart to make these relatively small cuts to placate residents' concerns. He was able to demonstrate that he was listening to them and got their buy-in in return. Seems everyone's happy.

A truly smart developer would have started off with 20 more units and 60 more rooms than he really needed for his proforma - maybe that's what happened here...

[Brandon716]

http://www.desmone.com/content/ID6b817416_3a15_4057_9e1e_578eb6a656b0_Image2_500x375.jpg

http://www.desmone.com/content/ID6b817416_3a15_4057_9e1e_578eb6a656b0_Primary.jpg

http://www.desmone.com/content/ID6b817416_3a15_4057_9e1e_578eb6a656b0_Image1.jpg

From http://www.desmone.com/, the architects website.

I technically think the building is okay, but the green trees and shrubs growing look tacky. I think we're taking the green movement too far.

[AaronPGH]

I technically think the building is okay, but the green trees and shrubs growing look tacky. I think we're taking the green movement too far.

That's actually one of my favorite parts of the whole thing.

[Brandon716]

We shall judge it after its built. ;)

[PA Pride]

We shall judge it after its built. ;)

You fool, that's not how it works. We have a civic duty to judge it definitively before it is even built, and even harder once it is done.

[PA Pride]

Best cartoon ever, from the post-gazette.com. (stolen from www.humanaut.net):


http://www.robrogers.com/cartoons/2009/images/062209_Faceburgh.gif

[Brandon716]

LOL, what a great and succinctly true statement for a most image conscious era.

[PittPenn 03]

http://www.postgazette.com/pg/09175/979371-437.stm

A restored bank building boosts the South Side

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

By Diana Nelson Jones, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Bob Donaldson/Post-GazetteRick Belloli (left) of the South Side LDC and William Gatti of TREK Development at the renovated Beneficial Building in the 1500 block of East Carson Street.Five years ago, the average Joe wouldn't have known that 1505-1507 E. Carson St. was beautiful. It was hidden behind graffiti, boards and a red-and-yellow Photo Hut sign.

Today, the former German Beneficial Union Building looks like its former self -- the way a 128-year-old, three-story Italianate building with 8-foot-high windows deserves to look.

The restoration won a preservation award from the city's Historic Review Commission in May and has enhanced the lengthiest late-1800s historic district in the nation. The South Side building has two retail tenants, one office tenant -- with room for one or two more -- and six apartments.

Vacant for several years at the street level, the Beneficial was empty of human use upstairs for decades. Rain and hundreds of pigeons came through a 10-foot hole in the roof. It took $4 million from 18 sources to revive it.


The building before renovation.For years, the South Side Local Development Co. had made overtures to owner Frank Sklar, "but he was never in the mood to sell," said Rick Belloli, executive director of the nonprofit LDC. "Then, he was. So we got an option on it and sent out a request for a development partner."

Oakland-based TREK Development answered the call.

"It seemed like a good fit for us," said TREK president William Gatti. "We had experience with small historic community projects."

Urban restorations are "more complicated and more gratifying," he said, "because you are contributing to the vibrancy of our urban core, which we believe is the lifeblood of the region."

In 1999, TREK completed 900 Penn Ave., one of Downtown's first historic loft conversions, and it is refitting the Century Building on Seventh Street, Downtown, to accommodate 60 loft apartments opening next month.

Mr. Belloli says the purchase price of $500,000 for the Beneficial Building was $100,000 too high, "but we didn't think it was the right $100,000 to quibble over in a $4 million project."

Once the national headquarters of a bank that loaned money to help German immigrants start businesses, this building has found a lot of good fits.

City Theatre committed to renting the apartments for actors, directors and other theater professionals it brings to the city. Managing director Greg Quinlan said the theater company's previous housing arrangements were too small.

"We're trying to develop plays of national significance," he said. "Now, when actors return to New York, they can say, 'City Theatre takes really good care of you.' "

The apartments have high ceilings, and some have views of Downtown. The theater has a parking arrangement a half a block away, which satisfies the city's minimum-space requirement based on occupancy.

The Carson Street Deli had been wanting to escape 1610 E. Carson for years, said its owner, Eric Cohen. He said he paid higher rent for 800 square feet there than for 2,000 square feet in the Beneficial. The deli moved to 1507 about the same time Owens Cleaners signed on to rent 1505. They are the street-level businesses.

Cardinal Resources, an environmental engineering firm, relocated its offices from Monroeville to parts of the second and third floors.

"We wanted a place that was more central and urban" where offices, lab and storage could be consolidated, said Joyce O'Connor, a principal at the firm. "We wanted a building that was in the process of being rehabbed and [whose owners] would be interested in green options."

The firm's environmental consultants want to use the building "as a model for clients," she said.

Cardinal was able to work with the contractors to make sure a portion of the roof could hold a garden. It has installed rain barrels and will be racking solar panels within a month, she said. All tenants will share the savings.

Mr. Belloli said the building was eligible for financing from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency that rewards mixed-use development and for state funds from the "anchor building" program, which the URA oversees locally. S&T Bank was the lead lender and bought the historic tax credits.

"Making the numbers work was a challenge," said Mr. Gatti. "We have some investor equity, loans, historic tax credit equity, some financing from the URA.

Navigating city codes while doing historic restoration to National Park Service standards is challenging, too, he said, using tin ceilings as an example.

"Old tin ceilings don't have a [modern] fire rating, so you tear down the tin, put in the fire-rated material and reinstall the tin. You've doubled your work to preserve something old and beautiful.

"We like to think that doing a painstaking restoration might encourage others to do the same. Three buildings on the block are being renovated or were done after we did ours," he said. "We don't think that's a coincidence."

[JakeLiefer]

Hey all,
I haven't had a chance to introduce myself yet, but will do a whole post soon. I've been following SSP for about the past year, but never had a 'legit' email address until a week ago. So now I'm able to post!

One of the the things I do is volunteer for PACA, The Pittsburgh Area Coffee Association, a nonprofit organization devoted to pursuing the craft of excellent coffee and third place. We're having an event tomorrow at Voluto Coffee in Garfield called The 'Sprodown, where we'll be featuring espresso from 11 different roasters, both local and from around the country. It's a great chance to try out some great espresso and check out the new developments in Garfield, as Voluto is in one of the new buildings on Penn. Right next to it is the loft developments and Kevin Sousa's new restaurant, Salt of The Earth (not yet open). For more info check out www.pittsburghcoffee.org

http://www.pittsburghcoffee.org/sprodown.jpg

http://www.pittsburghcoffee.org/roasters.jpg

Hope to see you there! I'll be the blonde haired guy with a beard running the event, come let me know you're from SSP!

[AaronPGH]

Awesome Jake! Welcome to the board. Are you usually at Voluto or is this just a one time deal? I may be moving to that block soon.

[pj3000]

Cool event, Jake. Will try to stop by tomorrow eve to get a massive caffeine jolt.

[PA Pride]

Casino progress taken from www.post-gazette.com :

http://post-gazette.com/pg/images/200906/fong_casino02_loc_500.jpg
Story - http://post-gazette.com/pg/09177/979947-53.stm



For Aaronclark -Great story on a super successful Pittsburgh inventor from Canton, Ohio: http://post-gazette.com/pg/09177/979949-53.stm

[AaronPGH]

For Aaronclark -Great story on a super successful Pittsburgh inventor from Canton, Ohio: http://post-gazette.com/pg/09177/979949-53.stm

Interesting. I went to school with a bunch of Shapiros...wonder if there's a relation there?

[Minivan Werner]

I have to say the casino building itself is looking better than any of the renderings. Pity that garage..

Perhaps with that empty space to the west of the casino, which they had pegged for "future development", maybe a 10-12 story hotel could be put in there to detract a bit from the garage?

[PA Pride]

University of Pittsburgh Swanson school of engineering $100 million upgrade.

http://www.engr.pitt.edu/images/featured-transformation2.jpg
http://www.engr.pitt.edu/transformation/index.html

Progress:

http://www.engr.pitt.edu/transformation/images/cphotos/June/DSC_0006.jpg

http://www.engr.pitt.edu/transformation/images/cphotos/September/DSC_0031.jpg

http://www.engr.pitt.edu/transformation/images/cphotos/September/DSC_0070.jpg

http://www.engr.pitt.edu/transformation/images/cphotos/November/forweben.jpg

http://www.engr.pitt.edu/transformation/images/cphotos/april/DSCF2859.jpg
All photos are from here: http://www.engr.pitt.edu/transformation/photos.html

[AaronPGH]

Wow, completely forgot about that project. Nice shots! I'll have to swing over that way and check it out soon. :cool:

[JakeLiefer]

Awesome Jake! Welcome to the board. Are you usually at Voluto or is this just a one time deal? I may be moving to that block soon.

I don't work at Voluto, but I have several friends there. I live and work in Beaver Falls, about an hour northwest of the city. In Beaver Falls I work at Geneva College & work at Beaver Falls Coffee & Tea, a small coffeeshop and roastery. When I'm in the city, Voluto often serves as my 'homebase,' which is about once every week or so. I'm originally from Pittsburgh and went to Pitt, but moved up here 2 years ago. I love the city and should be moving back to the city in about a year or so.

[JakeLiefer]

Here's some photos from the other night. For those of you that haven't made it to Voluto and are into modern design, you need to check it out. I'm surprised it hasn't been featured in Dwell Magazine.

It was a great turnout, around 60 - 80 people came out for the event. All photos courtesy of Rima Warren, check out here photo page (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rimabean/) and website (http://rimabean.com/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3657/3664771855_d84f0b085e.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3542/3664712049_a3da248e9f.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3633/3665510812_0b87cd9c88.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2288/3665517454_9038a5a908.jpg

[cdc]

copied from:
http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2009/June/june30_forbesavenueproperties.shtml



Carnegie Mellon To Purchase Forbes Avenue Properties;
Officials Cite Opportunities for Economic Development

PITTSBURGH—Carnegie Mellon University has reached an agreement to purchase approximately three acres of land from Carnegie Institute and an additional 17,150 square feet from The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. to further develop Forbes Avenue into an educational, research, business and cultural corridor.

The agreement with Carnegie Institute includes properties on both sides of Forbes Avenue, including a large lot that dips into Junction Hollow on the south side of Forbes, the 40,000-square-foot Graphic Arts Technical Foundation building at 4615 Forbes and an adjoining parking lot on the north side of the street. Carnegie Mellon also will purchase the National City property at 4612 Forbes, currently owned and operated by PNC. The transactions are valued at approximately $25 million.

Carnegie Mellon President Jared L. Cohon said the university will soon begin a process to create a plan for the development of the land. He added that he could "envision many uses — including a multi-use development — that will advance Carnegie Mellon's priorities and the region's economic development.

"This is an investment in our future," he added. "This land is of such compelling importance to the university that we have decided to move forward with the purchase, even in this challenging economic climate."

The development of the Forbes Avenue corridor has been under discussion on campus since 1999, and is noted in the university's Campus Master Plan approved by the City of Pittsburgh in 2002. The university hopes to model the development of some of the property after its Collaborative Innovation Center, which has allowed Carnegie Mellon to attract Apple, Google, Intel and a Microsoft sponsored research lab. A recent ranking of Pittsburgh as one of the nation's "Top 10 Up and Coming Tech Cities" by Forbes.com cited the Collaborative Innovation Center as a key reason Pittsburgh is a leading technology city.

Cohon said Carnegie Mellon envisions the development of an educational, research and cultural corridor, created in partnership with the local community, government, business and industry that will be a benchmark for Pittsburgh. "This land is an investment in our growth and promise as a university and a partner in our region," he added.

"Our dynamic education sector has been critical to unlocking Pittsburgh's potential. Organizations like the Allegheny Conference have high expectations of what can be done when the university grows because we've seen what having great organizations in such close proximity will do for the region. Carnegie Mellon has a unique way of adding luster to many of the city's growth sectors," said Dennis Yablonsky, chief executive officer of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development.

PNC said that its branch will remain in operation on the site while Carnegie Mellon considers options for developing the property.

[hyperion1110]

:previous: While I'm hopeful that CMU will do something about that blighted part of Forbes, I don't think the city can afford to build more taxable land. Although Pitt has a much larger footprint than CMU, it's also much, much more dense.

Personally, I think the city should tell CMU to use it's current properties more effectively, like building on those massive parking lots that line the northern edge of Forbes for almost the entire length of the campus. They should be encouraged to build vertically, as Pitt has done for decades.

To be fair, Pitt/UPMC are guilty of this stupidity, too. I can't comprehend why UPMC put a surdace parking lot in place of the Syria Mosque! Oakland is starved for space. So, why not build on the land you already have?!

[hyperion1110]

Looks like construction will resume...until they don't pay their bills again...

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_631822.html

Hilton owner settles debt; construction slated to resume

By Adam Brandolph
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, July 1, 2009

The owner of the Pittsburgh Hilton Hotel has settled its debt with a contractor, clearing the way for construction to resume at the Downtown hotel more than a month after workers walked off the job.

David Raves, attorney for West Mifflin-based P.J. Dick Inc., said today Shubh Hotels "satisfied" a $317,273.50 lien the contractor filed in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, though he was unsure when workers would return.

He would not say whether Shubh paid the debt in full. A court record filed Monday indicated costs have been paid, although it doesn't say how much.

Raves declined further comment.

Officials with the Hilton, Downtown, and Shubh did not return phone messages.

"We've been urging the company to do what they need to do to get at least the front of the hotel complete by the time the G-20 rolls around," said Kevin Evanto, spokesman for Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato. "Obviously, settling the lien is a step in the right direction. We're hoping that it will enable construction to resume."

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl did not immediately return a phone message.

P.J. Dick workers walked off the site of the $25 million renovation project May 15 after not being paid by Shubh, according to a mechanic's lien filed two weeks ago. It was the second time in 13 months workers walked off the job because they weren't paid.

Some out-of-town guests at the hotel, the largest in Pittsburgh, said they didn't know about the construction until they arrived.

Guy DeFlorio, 52, of Seattle said it was difficult not to notice the red, rust-colored beams outside that will eventually support a larger entrance and a few unfinished projects inside the hotel.

"It looked like some of the floors weren't completely finished," he said. "And when the elevator doors opened on other floors, you could see they weren't done at all."

There have been 17 mechanic's liens filed against the Boca Raton, Fla.-based Shubh in the last 18 months concerning the Hilton.

The largest was submitted by Comm Steel Inc. of Cleveland for $651,940 for structural steel and metal decking provided and installed.

[AaronPGH]

That CMU purchase along Forbes.....is that different property than the proposed hotel that was being talked about? And if it is, does anyone know what the status of that hotel is? Reason I ask is that a good friend of mine told me the Allegheny Conference was actually really close to locking in a full-blown W Hotel as the operator...which I'm sure you guys realize would absolutely CRUSH it next to CMU and would be a huge deal for Pittsburgh. Weren't they arguing about the height of the building at one point? Haven't heard anything since, and I sure hope the project hasn't been killed.

[AstrosFreak]

:previous: While I'm hopeful that CMU will do something about that blighted part of Forbes, I don't think the city can afford to build more taxable land. Although Pitt has a much larger footprint than CMU, it's also much, much more dense.

Personally, I think the city should tell CMU to use it's current properties more effectively, like building on those massive parking lots that line the northern edge of Forbes for almost the entire length of the campus. They should be encouraged to build vertically, as Pitt has done for decades.

To be fair, Pitt/UPMC are guilty of this stupidity, too. I can't comprehend why UPMC put a surdace parking lot in place of the Syria Mosque! Oakland is starved for space. So, why not build on the land you already have?!

I think CMU is using it's current properties pretty effectively already. All of the buildings on campus have at least 4 levels and the most recent construction projects (Gates-Hillman Centers, Collaborative Innovation Center) are well over that, with decent sized underground garages. That giant parking lot you're refering to is earmarked for classrooms and soccer fields in the master plan, but it represents the last real piece of available land on campus. CMU already wants to put a second Collaborative building on Forbes across from that proposed Museum Hotel, on the land they purchased last year. This land is probably neccessary if the school wants to continue to expand further down the line. I wouldn't expect anything to happen to the purchased land soon.

[AstrosFreak]

That CMU purchase along Forbes.....is that different property than the proposed hotel that was being talked about? And if it is, does anyone know what the status of that hotel is? Reason I ask is that a good friend of mine told me the Allegheny Conference was actually really close to locking in a full-blown W Hotel as the operator...which I'm sure you guys realize would absolutely CRUSH it next to CMU and would be a huge deal for Pittsburgh. Weren't they arguing about the height of the building at one point? Haven't heard anything since, and I sure hope the project hasn't been killed.

It is the property across and a little further down Forbes from the old gas station. CMU filed a lawsuit a while ago to try and grab some control over the size, style, and operator of the hotel, but as far as I know, those issues have been settled. The parking lot/old gas station where the hotel is supposed to be built was roped off the last time I was in the area, but that was back in May. A W, though? That would be amazing, but I thought they normally go pretty big when they move in to a city. I don't think an 8-10 level building would suit them. aLoft would though...

[AaronPGH]

It is the property across and a little further down Forbes from the old gas station. CMU filed a lawsuit a while ago to try and grab some control over the size, style, and operator of the hotel, but as far as I know, those issues have been settled. The parking lot/old gas station where the hotel is supposed to be built was roped off the last time I was in the area, but that was back in May. A W, though? That would be amazing, but I thought they normally go pretty big when they move in to a city. I don't think an 8-10 level building would suit them. aLoft would though...

Good to know it's still on. Like I said, this is all info that was heard through the grapevine, so it's extremely possible it could just be wishful thinking on someone's part. What my friend said exactly was that it was a package deal sort of.....aLoft was slated to open in the SouthSide Works, and the full W hotel would be located next to CMU. The news of aLoft opening in SSW definitely made it into the press already. As for the height, I was thinking the same thing. But maybe it just takes up a larger footprint instead of going tall, or is it possible to extend down the side of the hill adding stories below ground? I'm not familiar with how big the piece of property actually is.

This person has some pretty strong connections at the Allegheny Conference and said the W part was kept out of the press. Who knows. Here's hoping that this is one rumor that is true. If we were to get a W ever, I can't really think of a better spot for it than smack in the middle of the universities.

[edncc1701d]

Step in the right direction...

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09182/980970-53.stm

Population decline slows in Pittsburgh, census estimates show
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
By Gary Rotstein, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The city of Pittsburgh continued incremental population decline in 2008, but at a smaller rate of loss than in most of the past decade, according to new U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

The figures released publicly today estimate the city lost 1,668 residents from July 1, 2007, to July 1, 2008. Pittsburgh's population of 310,037 ranked 60th in the country, just behind New Orleans and ahead of Riverside, Calif.

Estimates released in March showed Allegheny County to be 30th largest in the country and the Pittsburgh metropolitan area to rank 22nd, both also with their smallest annual drop in population since the 2000 census.

Overall, since that last official census count, Pittsburgh has lost an estimated 24,526 residents, or 7.3 percent, of its population at the time. Among the 273 cities with more than 100,000 residents, only Buffalo, Cleveland, Flint, Mich., and New Orleans experienced worse rates of decline. The next formal head count occurs in April 2010.

In 2007-08, according to the census estimates, Pittsburgh was among 46 large cities that lost population, with 13 doing so at a faster rate than the city.

The city's and region's population loss spans the past half-century. Mayor Luke Ravenstahl expressed optimism yesterday that factors like the Pittsburgh Promise tuition aid program for city high school students and attention surrounding the G-20 summit in September will help reverse the decline.

"This will not happen overnight," he said in a statement, "because we did not get here overnight."

New Orleans, where population plummeted after Hurricane Katrina, turned around to show the biggest rate of growth last year. Four of the fastest-growing cities of 100,000 or more were in Texas.

New York City, the nation's most populous city with 8.4 million residents, added 53,000 of them last year.

Pittsburgh officials spoke earlier this year about possibly challenging census bureau annual estimates for the city as too low, as some other communities have done successfully.

The mayor's spokeswoman Joanna Doven said yesterday it was too early to speculate on whether the new numbers would be challenged. She said the administration is focusing its attention on creation of a Complete Count Committee to try to prod all city residents to participate in the 2010 census.

One small accomplishment for the city: It is once more ahead of Toledo, Ohio, in the rankings. The northwestern Ohio city leapfrogged Pittsburgh last year by a successful challenge of the 2007 estimates. The 2008 estimates place Toledo two spots behind Pittsburgh, with 293,201 residents.

The population figures for municipalities across the region and country are available at www.census.gov.
This version contains corrected figures for the most recent population loss and clarifies that it was one of the smallest losses, rather than the smallest loss, of the decade.
Gary Rotstein can be reached at grotstein@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1255.

[cdc]

:previous: While I'm hopeful that CMU will do something about that blighted part of Forbes, I don't think the city can afford to build more taxable land. Although Pitt has a much larger footprint than CMU, it's also much, much more dense.

Personally, I think the city should tell CMU to use it's current properties more effectively, like building on those massive parking lots that line the northern edge of Forbes for almost the entire length of the campus. They should be encouraged to build vertically, as Pitt has done for decades.



My guess is that CMU will have a fairly long planning cycle on that
property due to the economy (getting ripped off, along with Pitt, on
recent endowment investments isn't going to help either). I think it
is cool that they bought it, but we may have to wait a long while for
something interesting to happen. CMU laid a bunch of folks off in
their project building/planning department within the past year
ago... things are slowing down and I suspect there isn't going to be
any major new construction on the CMU campus once the Gates/Hillman
complex is done this summer. There is going to a big lull. I do wish
they'd go ahead and take down the old holiday bar and adjoining
properties that they put those ugly fences up in front of.


CMU is in a much more residential setting than Pitt is (being well
east of the Oakland "business district"), so I don't think it makes
sense for them to have the same level of density. That being said,
CMU is quite vertical in many places, but you just can't easily see it
from the street. For example, the CIC building has 9 stories (4 of
which are parking) but 5 of those levels are below Forbes. Wean Hall
has 8 stories (and ground level access is available all the way up to
level 5). Gates has 9 stories (see my tour pics here:
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=3789496&postcount=4867 ).

[bradjl2009]

IMO the city should definitely challenge what the census is saying. IMO the census is working from what was going on in the country in the early and mid 2000's. Plus can someone please tell me what's so special about the sun belt, because I don't see anything that have that's so nice.

[hyperion1110]

IMO the city should definitely challenge what the census is saying. IMO the census is working from what was going on in the country in the early and mid 2000's. Plus can someone please tell me what's so special about the sun belt, because I don't see anything that have that's so nice.

I agree that the city should challenge the census. But, given our luck, it will probably be revised downward :)

As for the sunbelt, I don't get it either. I think a lot of people don't like the cold, for one. Also, there is a lot of land in the sunbelt...lots of room for more McMansions. In contrast, the cities of the Northeast/Midwest tend to be much older and denser. Another point in favor of the sunbelt is taxes. These southern states pay far less in taxes to the federal gov't than they receive. As a result, there are far more gov't handouts, and correspondingly lower taxes. In fact, it's laughable when people complain about GM and Chrysler getting gov't bailouts. Places like the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi have been recipients of hundreds of billions in federal money over the years. I mean, did you ever notice how all of the military bases are in the south? Or that the majority of NASA facilities are down there, too (not withstanding the launch facilities in Florida, as it is more cost effect to launch something to space the closer you are to the equator).

For myself, I don't think any sunbelt city could hold a candle to the Northeast/Midwest. Our cities here are old, higly urbanized, rich in cultural amenities, framed in beautiful landscapes (for instance, the hills of Pittsburgh or the Great Lakes for Cleveland, Chicago, etc.), and not placed in resource-poor regions, which have engendered near ecological collapse for the local environs (lack of stable water supplies in Atlanta, the rape of the Colorado River to support LA, the building of cities in the desert, like Phoenix and Las Vegas, and so on). To me, if the gov't wants to push a reasonable environmental agenda, they need to regulate the sprawl of people into environments that simply cannot support the population.

[hyperion1110]

My guess is that CMU will have a fairly long planning cycle on that
property due to the economy (getting ripped off, along with Pitt, on
recent endowment investments isn't going to help either). I think it
is cool that they bought it, but we may have to wait a long while for
something interesting to happen. CMU laid a bunch of folks off in
their project building/planning department within the past year
ago... things are slowing down and I suspect there isn't going to be
any major new construction on the CMU campus once the Gates/Hillman
complex is done this summer. There is going to a big lull. I do wish
they'd go ahead and take down the old holiday bar and adjoining
properties that they put those ugly fences up in front of.


CMU is in a much more residential setting than Pitt is (being well
east of the Oakland "business district"), so I don't think it makes
sense for them to have the same level of density. That being said,
CMU is quite vertical in many places, but you just can't easily see it
from the street. For example, the CIC building has 9 stories (4 of
which are parking) but 5 of those levels are below Forbes. Wean Hall
has 8 stories (and ground level access is available all the way up to
level 5). Gates has 9 stories (see my tour pics here:
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=3789496&postcount=4867 ).

You make some excellent points, especially about CMU being more residential than Pitt. But, in truth, that is kind of the point I was trying to make. I don't want CMU to spread into Oakland proper (that is, across Panther Hollow), decreasing the wonderful density of the neighborhood. I fear, with good reason, that CMU will introduce its more "residential" style into the neighborhood, lessening density at a time when the neighborhood needs more. A good example is their ridiculous lawsuit against the hotel developer, claiming that the hotel would be too tall. I mean, wtf?! Oakland is so starved for hotel rooms as it is, and there is not a single one even close to CMU...heck, they have to use the Holiday Inn smack-dab in the middle of Pitt when they want to bring people in.

What bothers me about CMU spreading is the its inherent character as an pastoral "oasis" amid the urban fabric of Pittsburgh, which stands directly opposed to Oaklands essential nature as a highly urbanized cultural/educational/medical center. It CMU wants to spread, they need to adopt the Pitt model, not the other way around.

[AstrosFreak]

Plus can someone please tell me what's so special about the sun belt, because I don't see anything that have that's so nice.

Lower state taxes, lack of unions (right to work) - lots of factories and their manufacturing jobs are heading south for this reason, lack of zoning in the cities keeps land prices down and has also successfully prevented a housing bubble in Houston e.g. (probably elsewhere as well), the oil industry is heavily based in Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana and is doing well again with crude on the rise, and weather may play some role in it. You could write books on any of these particular topics, but I think the growth in the Sunbelt has more to do with the more competitive corporate market there and the jobs that follow, than it has to do with personal geographic preference. I wouldn't worry about it though, Pittsburgh will be booming before too long. This city is on the right track :yes:

[bradjl2009]

I agree that the city should challenge the census. But, given our luck, it will probably be revised downward :)

As for the sunbelt, I don't get it either. I think a lot of people don't like the cold, for one. Also, there is a lot of land in the sunbelt...lots of room for more McMansions. In contrast, the cities of the Northeast/Midwest tend to be much older and denser. Another point in favor of the sunbelt is taxes. These southern states pay far less in taxes to the federal gov't than they receive. As a result, there are far more gov't handouts, and correspondingly lower taxes. In fact, it's laughable when people complain about GM and Chrysler getting gov't bailouts. Places like the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi have been recipients of hundreds of billions in federal money over the years. I mean, did you ever notice how all of the military bases are in the south? Or that the majority of NASA facilities are down there, too (not withstanding the launch facilities in Florida, as it is more cost effect to launch something to space the closer you are to the equator).

For myself, I don't think any sunbelt city could hold a candle to the Northeast/Midwest. Our cities here are old, higly urbanized, rich in cultural amenities, framed in beautiful landscapes (for instance, the hills of Pittsburgh or the Great Lakes for Cleveland, Chicago, etc.), and not placed in resource-poor regions, which have engendered near ecological collapse for the local environs (lack of stable water supplies in Atlanta, the rape of the Colorado River to support LA, the building of cities in the desert, like Phoenix and Las Vegas, and so on). To me, if the gov't wants to push a reasonable environmental agenda, they need to regulate the sprawl of people into environments that simply cannot support the population.

To me, the cold is a stupid reason to move. Just wait until June then you have humidity and warmth until Labor Day(well not this week:D ) I have always thought there is a much higher quality of life in Northern cities than Southern cities and I blame the Sunbelt for the economic recession. It really irritates me that after someone realized its a good idea to put AC in a house that the USA is becoming so Southern centered. I never really thought of how many bases and federal government things are based down there but if the feds do anything that doesn't help the Sunbelt everyone cries. I also find it annoying how the media and census bureau chants Sunbelt like there's no tomorrow. Some of the media make the South some city of Oz and make us seem like the Old World.

[AstrosFreak]

I blame the Sunbelt for the economic recession.

What? You could blame the outrages housing development + speculation burst on California and Miami, but I think the rest of the Sunbelt is handling the recession better than most of the country. I'm not sure what you can blame the Sunbelt for.

[pj3000]

^ The style of unsustainable development characterized by over-optimistic speculation and resulting overinvestment typified by the "Sunbelt" model could definitely be cited as a reason to blame the Sunbelt for economic recession. I, myself, do not. But there are valid points that can be made that point (not to the Sunbelt itself, but to the type of economic "development" that has characterized it) to its role in recession.

[bradjl2009]

^ The style of unsustainable development characterized by over-optimistic speculation and resulting overinvestment typified by the "Sunbelt" model could definitely be cited as a reason to blame the Sunbelt for economic recession. I, myself, do not. But there are valid points that can be made that point (not to the Sunbelt itself, but to the type of economic "development" that has characterized it) to its role in recession.
That's what I meant to imply, not that it was everywhere who is down there. The Sunbelt model of development is very unsustainable for the future and will be a big problem down there as they will have less water and there will be less oil for their longer commutes.

[Black-n-Gold]

IMO the city should definitely challenge what the census is saying. IMO the census is working from what was going on in the country in the early and mid 2000's. Plus can someone please tell me what's so special about the sun belt, because I don't see anything that have that's so nice.

You could ask the 25,000 or so people that left Pittsburgh so far this decade...

[Black-n-Gold]

Another point in favor of the sunbelt is taxes. These southern states pay far less in taxes to the federal gov't than they receive. As a result, there are far more gov't handouts, and correspondingly lower taxes. In fact, it's laughable when people complain about GM and Chrysler getting gov't bailouts. Places like the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi have been recipients of hundreds of billions in federal money over the years. I mean, did you ever notice how all of the military bases are in the south? Or that the majority of NASA facilities are down there, too (not withstanding the launch facilities in Florida, as it is more cost effect to launch something to space the closer you are to the equator).


Great points - except they aren't exactly true. The ultimate sunbelt state, Nevada receives only $0.61 for every dollar it pays in taxes - 49th out of the 50 states. Pennsylvania receives $1.07 for every dollar it pays in taxes and West Virginia gets $1.76.

When you look at the list of all states (handily compiled through 2005 here: http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/show/22685.html ) I see more of a correlation with income than I do with sunbelt states (I put the income rank in parenthesis below).

Top 5 net recipients:
1. NM (41)
2. MS (50)
3. AK (6)
4. LA - wasn't this high before Katrina (48)
5. WV (46)

Bottom 5 net recipients:
46. MN (8)
47. NH (3)
48. CT (5)
49. NV (16)
50. NJ (1)

States you list above:
NC - #27 (39)
SC - #16 (40)
GA - #32 (23)
AL - #7 (45)
FL - #34 (35)
MS - #2 (50)

Rust Belt States:
PA - #28 (25)
NY - #42 (21)
OH - #31 (30)
WV - #5 (46)
MI - #37 (22)
IN - #30 (33)
IL - #45 (18)

The only state that really seems to be getting more than it deserves is Alaska - hardly a sunbelt state! At the other end, Nevada is the only state that seems to be paying in far more than it should realistically be getting back.

As for the distribution of military bases, looking at this map: http://www.nps.gov/history/nagpra/DOCUMENTS/BASES.PDF it seems that the real bias is towards the coasts - but I'm sure that has more to do with the Navy than any kind of social engineering. The other things that jumps out are that they seem to be clustered around population centers (of which there are more in the northwest), there is at least one in every state, and the larger facilities are in the west. I suppose that last point is what you are getting at above, but I think there are obvious and valid reasons for locating some of our largest bases in the west - New Mexico's White Sands Missile Range wouldn't work as well in Rhode Island...

The NASA facilities seem pretty evenly distributed as well:

http://www.nasa.gov/about/sites/index.html

[Gilamonster]

IMO the city should definitely challenge what the census is saying. IMO the census is working from what was going on in the country in the early and mid 2000's. Plus can someone please tell me what's so special about the sun belt, because I don't see anything that have that's so nice.

Ummm...."Sun" belt. Astrosfreak hit it right on the head a few posts back also.

[bradjl2009]

Finally, the city has a choice with cable! The city will not have a cable monopoly for the first time ever.


Verizon, city reach deal on cable TV service
Monday, July 06, 2009
By Rich Lord, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Verizon is pledging a quick start to the roll-out of its FiOS-TV service within the city of Pittsburgh following a deal announced today that brings cable competition to the region's biggest municipality for the first time.

The deal must be approved by city council and the city's Cable Advisory Board, but if all goes well, "it won't be very long," said Verizon spokesman Lee Gierczynski, before the New York-based communications giant starts marketing TV to neighborhoods already wired for its fiber-optic Internet service.

That will bring more than Verizon's prices and channels -- $47 per month for 250 standard definition channels plus local high definition channels, or around $11 more for dozens more HD channels and 14 more sports stations -- according to Mr. Gierczynski. It will bring innovative options like the capability to program one's digital video recorder and parental controls by cell phone, network the TV with the home computer, and access Internet networking tools like Facebook and Twitter through the TV.

He suggested that city residents would start seeing innovation from multiple providers. "When people have choices, it forces all of the competitors in the market to start competing on more than price," he said.

For as long as cable TV has existed, city residents have had just one option -- currently Comcast, which has a 10-year agreement with the city that expires at the end of this year. City Information Systems Director Howard Stern said that since talks with Verizon are now done after about one year of communication and a month of intense activity, he and his team will turn their attention to renewing with Comcast, which should be much easier.

Mr. Stern said that Mayor Luke Ravenstahl "wanted competition in cable. . . . Let the games begin.

"The prices will come down," he predicted.

Verizon has six years to offer cable in every city neighborhood or face fines. It must be marketing TV in at least half of the city -- including economically diverse neighborhoods -- within three years. Areas that might be ready earliest include most of the North Side, some South Hills neighborhoods bordering suburbs, Downtown, and parts of Lawrenceville, according to a map Mr. Stern showed the Post-Gazette.

FiOS Internet service is already available in parts of Banksville, Beechview, Bloomfield, Brookline, Carrick, East Hills, East Liberty, Friendship, Garfield, Highland Park, Homewood, Larimer, Lincoln-Lemington, Morningside, Overbrook, Point Breeze, Regent Square, Stanton Heights and Swisshelm Park, and it would be relatively easy to add FiOS-TV there, said Mr. Gierczynski. The company has been pursuing a strategy of offering bundled phone, Internet and TV service to customers.

"My guess is Verizon will start offering services as early as August or September," Mr. Stern said.

In return for letting Verizon offer TV in the city, and allowing its use of city rights of way, the city gets 5 percent of the gross revenue, just as it gets from Comcast. Verizon will also provide dedicated fiber-optic lines between some city public safety facilities, $700,000 over five years to improve the city's in-house video hardware, and 52 cents from each monthly bill to go toward public, educational and governmental broadcasting.

Verizon will give the city five channels -- two for governmental use, and one for public access PCTV, much as the city gets from Comcast, plus another on which public and private schools can broadcast programming, and a fifth channel for which the use hasn't yet been determined.

Read more: http://www.postgazette.com/pg/09187/982122-67.stm#ixzz0KVQujKCj&C

[dugdogmaster]

:previous: Good stuff. While I'm not a fan of Fios, the competition and breaking up of the Comcast monopoly is good.

[Wheelingman04]

Great news, but here in Wheeling we only have Comcast.

[hyperion1110]

Great points - except they aren't exactly true. The ultimate sunbelt state, Nevada receives only $0.61 for every dollar it pays in taxes - 49th out of the 50 states. Pennsylvania receives $1.07 for every dollar it pays in taxes and West Virginia gets $1.76.

When you look at the list of all states (handily compiled through 2005 here: http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/show/22685.html ) I see more of a correlation with income than I do with sunbelt states (I put the income rank in parenthesis below).

Top 5 net recipients:
1. NM (41)
2. MS (50)
3. AK (6)
4. LA - wasn't this high before Katrina (48)
5. WV (46)

Bottom 5 net recipients:
46. MN (8)
47. NH (3)
48. CT (5)
49. NV (16)
50. NJ (1)

States you list above:
NC - #27 (39)
SC - #16 (40)
GA - #32 (23)
AL - #7 (45)
FL - #34 (35)
MS - #2 (50)

Rust Belt States:
PA - #28 (25)
NY - #42 (21)
OH - #31 (30)
WV - #5 (46)
MI - #37 (22)
IN - #30 (33)
IL - #45 (18)

The only state that really seems to be getting more than it deserves is Alaska - hardly a sunbelt state! At the other end, Nevada is the only state that seems to be paying in far more than it should realistically be getting back.

As for the distribution of military bases, looking at this map: http://www.nps.gov/history/nagpra/DOCUMENTS/BASES.PDF it seems that the real bias is towards the coasts - but I'm sure that has more to do with the Navy than any kind of social engineering. The other things that jumps out are that they seem to be clustered around population centers (of which there are more in the northwest), there is at least one in every state, and the larger facilities are in the west. I suppose that last point is what you are getting at above, but I think there are obvious and valid reasons for locating some of our largest bases in the west - New Mexico's White Sands Missile Range wouldn't work as well in Rhode Island...

The NASA facilities seem pretty evenly distributed as well:

http://www.nasa.gov/about/sites/index.html

Okay, I'm a bit confused. In general, the South receives $1.19 for every $1 paid. The Northeast, in constrast, receives only $.89...that's 30 cents on the dollar in favor of the south compared to the north (http://www.nemw.org/taxburd.htm). Also, for the states I selected, here are the dollars received from the feds:

North Carolina - 1.08
South Carolina - 1.35
Mississippi - 2.02
Alabama - 1.63
Georgia - 1.03
Florida - 0.95
______________
Average - $1.34 for every dollar paid

So, how is my point not valid? Also, I am curious about these numbers in general. Do they include federal facilities located within the states? Do they include federal programs like Medicare? Or are they simply transportation, education, and so on?

Now, with NASA, my count has 12 of 14 facilities in the South/Southwest/West. Of the remaining two, only the Glenn Research Center in Cleveland is a major facility. The one in NYC is nothing but a laboratory connected to Columbia University. So, as I said, the major NASA facilities are in the south and west: Virginia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, New Mexico, and Cailfornia.

As for the military bases, I can understand your reading of the map. But, whatever the reason, the truth is that significantly more military resources are deployed in the south and the west. And, as we all know, the military budget is this country is not insignificant!

[Wiz Khalifa]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09138/970906-56.stm


Redevelopment of Carrie Furnace site to begin this year
Monday, May 18, 2009
By Karamagi Rujumba, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Bob Donaldson / Post-Gazette
Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato goes through the remnants of the Carrie Furnace site.

In a field of knee-high grass behind the hulking frame of what is left of Carrie Furnace -- an expanse of blast furnaces that once produced as much as 1,200 tons of iron per day for the former Homestead Works of U.S. Steel mill -- sits a rusted torpedo car.

The cylindrical container made of steel, together with hundreds more, was at one time an indispensable tool in the steel producing days of the Mon Valley. Back when massive steel factories still churned plumes of smoke over much of the region, torpedo cars didn't sit rusting away.

They were used to treat and transport iron via a hot metal rail bridge that runs across half of the Carrie Furnace site in Rankin and Swissvale, over the Monongahela River, and into Homestead where it was made into steel.

That era is long gone, but Allegheny County, which in 2005 bought the 168-acre land parcel where the Carrie Furnace had operated for 102 years, is in the final stages of environmental cleanup and expects to start marketing the land for redevelopment this year.

"We have to move our economic development back along the Monongahela where we have all these brownfields. We just have to clean them up and business will come," said County Executive Dan Onorato.

The county currently is seeking about $12 million in federal funding to build a flyover ramp from the Rankin Bridge onto the site. In addition, county officials say they will soon start the installation of water lines, sewer lines and storm sewers to the site -- basically the final step in preparation to sell the land.

"We are very close to getting our environmental clearance from the state Department of Environmental Protection," said Bob Hurley, deputy director of development and business for the county's Economic Development Department.

Environmental clearance, Mr. Hurley said, means that the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County can then issue a nationwide request for proposals from developers who might be interested in acquiring all or parts of the land.

County officials, who say they've been fielding calls from potential investors in the last few years, said the county has invested about $7.2 million in acquisition, environmental engineering, site design and remediation of the property.

But the biggest costs of the project -- about $28 million for other infrastructure upgrades and about $7 million for grading the site -- will ultimately be incurred by private developers, Mr. Hurley said. Much of the site also will have to be filled with new dirt to raise certain parts of its sewer system above the flood plane.

County officials envision a mix of riverfront housing, light industrial manufacturing and office space at the site. They also hope to establish a steel heritage museum to showcase the existing furnaces on a 25-acre section that the federal government has already declared a historical site.

Bound by the Monongahela, two CSX rail lines that run along its back side on River and North Braddocksfield avenues, Carrie Furnace was built in 1881 as part of the Homestead Works mill owned by U.S. Steel.

The two blast furnaces still standing -- Carrie 6 and Carrie 7-- were built in 1907 and remained in operation until 1978. U.S. Steel closed all its operations at the site in 1983 and the Park Corp. acquired it in 1988.

But when Park, a Cleveland developer, offered to sell the site to the county for $5.75 million, Mr. Onorato said he took the deal because the land swath, if developed well, could be a major income generator for communities like Rankin and Swissvale.

"It has all the things that investors are looking for. It's only a few miles outside Downtown Pittsburgh, and it's easily accessible by water, by rail, and the East Busway," Mr. Onorato said of the site, which also has a Duquesne Light substation on its grounds.

A small portion of the site lies within the city of Pittsburgh, and the county has purchased more chunks of land in Munhall and Whitaker to complement the development officials envision in this section of the Mon Valley.

The site sat untouched for many years, and the two furnaces still standing became a post-industrial playground of sorts for graffiti artists, particularly one, "THOR," who left his imprint all over much of the rusted structure. A giant deer head made out of steel scraps still straddles the side of the furnaces.

In a walking tour of the property last week, Mr. Onorato pointed toward Homestead, where the 430 acres that once were the grounds of the Homestead Works of U.S. Steel were converted for use into an open-air shopping and entertainment complex -- The Waterfront -- which opened in 1999.

"We don't want to build the same shopping center here that was built on the other side of the river," he said.

In the end, the old Carrie Furnace site is more likely to look like the old LTV mill site on the South Side, Mr. Onorato said. That site is now home to the SouthSide Works that features the UPMC Sports Performance Complex and offices for the Steelers and the University of Pittsburgh football teams.

The region's FBI headquarters is also there, which has a 34-acre retail and entertainment district developed by the Soffer Organization, as well as office buildings and residential units.

The development plan for Carrie Furnace includes the construction of a bike trail that would weave through the property and cross the Monongahela into Munhall and Whitaker via an old hot metal bridge that is currently not in service.

That bridge, which connects the site to Route 837, will be renovated and reopened to traffic, much like what happened with the Hot Metal Bridge that connects the SouthSide Works to Second Avenue in Hazelwood.

What will be known as the Steel Valley Trail will tie into the Great Allegheny Passage along Route 837 when the unfinished portion of that trail is eventually completed. The Steel Valley Trail also will connect to the trails at Duck Hollow in Squirrel Hill, providing access to Frick Park.

The county is working with three firms, Chester Engineers, L. Robert Kimball & Associates and GAI Consultants Inc., to design and develop the property until it is ready for marketing.

The county also is in talks with Rankin, Swissvale, Braddock and North Braddock officials about a joint development agreement, which among other things would determine how the communities could share revenues generated by the site in the form of property taxes.

Mr. Onorato contends that redeveloping the brownfields must go hand-in-hand with rebuilding the communities as well.

And that is why his economic development team has infused about $40 million of Community Development Block Grants to build new housing and streetscape renovations in communities along the Monongahela from Braddock to Mc­Keesport, he said.

At the moment, the Carrie Furnace site serves as a staging area for the ongoing $60 million renovation of the Rankin Bridge, which is scheduled for completion early next year.

Coupled with the $36 million renovation of the Homestead Grays Bridge, which was completed in 2007, Mr. Onorato said this part of the Mon Valley is well-positioned for an economic reawakening of sorts, especially because of the Obama administration's federal stimulus program.

"What we're trying to do here is essentially the kind of project that [President Barack] Obama meant when he talked about reinvesting in urban America," Mr. Onorato said.

"Right now, the development of Carrie Furnace is my key economic development project, but we're not stopping here. We're going all the way down the Monongahela."

[Gilamonster]

Pittsburgh continues to move forward.

[JakeLiefer]

Unfortunately, PA hasn't (at least to my knowledge) developed a comprehensive rail plan. However, Ohio has a plan for how to connect their cities and Pittsburgh factors into it, with a Cleveland to Pittsburgh route and a Columbus to Pittsburgh route. Check out their maps and info at:

http://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/Rail/Programs/passenger/HighSpeedPassengerRail/Pages/HighSpeedPassengerRaildefault.aspx

Of particular interest to me is how the line would come into Pittsburgh. It would follow the existing train routes from New Castle, down the Beaver River, to Beaver Falls, and down the Ohio (Beaver, Monaca, Ambridge, Sewickly, etc). This could tremendously impact these post-industrial steel towns along the way. Beaver Falls, where I live, is a town of about 8,000 people where you can purchase a house for about $25,000. A high speed rail stop here could be a significant boost to the local economy. Indeed, there used to be a commuter rail line that ran from Beaver Falls along the Ohio into Pittsburgh. Hopefully this is something that could be revived.

[DBR96A]

For shits and giggles, I created a list of all 128 municipalities in Allegheny County, ranked by their population. Here 'tis...


Pittsburgh - 334,563
Penn Hills - 46,809
Bethel Park - 33,556
Mt. Lebanon - 33,017
Ross Township - 32,551
Shaler Township - 29,757
Monroeville - 29,349
McCandless - 29,022
Plum - 26,940
McKeesport - 24,040
Moon Township - 22,290
West Mifflin - 22,464
Upper St. Clair - 20,053
Baldwin - 19,999
Wilkinsburg - 19,196
Hampton Township - 17,526
Scott Township - 17,288
Whitehall - 14,444
South Park Township - 14,340
Elizabeth Township - 13,839
Robinson Township - 12,289
South Fayette Township - 12,271
Munhall - 12,264
North Fayette Township - 12,254
West Deer Township - 11,563
Franklin Park - 11,364
North Versailles - 11,125
Harrison Township - 10,934
Brentwood - 10,466
Jefferson Hills - 9,666
Swissvale - 9,653
Dormont - 9,305
Richland Township - 9,231
O'Hara Township - 8,856
Bellevue - 8,770
Castle Shannon - 8,556
Clairton - 8,491
White Oak - 8,437
Pleasant Hills - 8,397
Carnegie - 8,389
Pine Township - 7,683
Kennedy Township - 7,504
Duquesne - 7,332
West View - 7,277
Wilkins Township - 6,917
Oakmont - 6,911
Forest Hills - 6,831
Indiana Township - 6,809
Crafton - 6,706
Stowe Township - 6,706
McKees Rocks - 6,622
North Braddock - 6,410
Coraopolis - 6,131
Turtle Creek - 6,076
Marshall Township - 5,996
Fox Chapel - 5,436
Bridgeville - 5,341
Avalon - 5,294
Collier Township - 5,265
Findlay Township - 5,145
Glassport - 4,993
Tarentum - 4,993
Green Tree - 4,719
Mt. Oliver - 4,241
Port Vue - 4,228
Millvale - 4,028
Etna - 3,924
Sewickley - 3,902
Reserve Township - 3,856
Springdale - 3,828
Forward Township - 3,771
Ingram - 3,712
Pitcairn - 3,689
Sharpsburg - 3,594
Homestead - 3,569
Churchill - 3,566
Brackenridge - 3,543
Edgewood - 3,311
Harmar Township - 3,242
Verona - 3,124
Ohio Township - 3,086
Aspinwall - 2,960
Braddock - 2,912
Liberty - 2,670
Emsworth - 2,598
Fawn Township - 2,504
East McKeesport - 2,343
Rankin - 2,315
Crescent Township - 2,314
Baldwin Township - 2,244
West Homestead - 2,197
Wilmerding - 2,145
East Pittsburgh - 2,017
Dravosburg - 2,015
Braddock Hills - 1,998
Ben Avon - 1,917
Cheswick - 1,899
Springdale Township - 1,802
Edgeworth - 1,730
Versailles - 1,724
Elizabeth - 1,609
Leet Township - 1,568
Oakdale - 1,551
Blawnox - 1,550
Bell Acres - 1,382
East Deer Township - 1,362
Whitaker - 1,338
Frazer Township - 1,286
Leetsdale - 1,232
Neville Island - 1,232
Heidelberg - 1,225
Lincoln - 1,218
Bradford Woods - 1,149
Aleppo Township - 1,039
Sewickley Heights - 981
Chalfant - 870
Pennsbury Village - 738
Wall - 727
Kilbuck Township - 723
Sewickley Hills - 652
Osborne - 566
West Elizabeth - 565
Thornburg - 468
Rosslyn Farms - 464
Ben Avon Heights - 392
South Versailles Township - 351
Glenfield - 236
Haysville - 78

[GeneW]

Wow, I don't think that I realized how small some of those towns were. I live in the very smallest neighborhood in the city (http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/Allegheny-West-Pittsburgh-PA.html) and we're still larger than six municipalities in the county. Heck, Squirrel Hill by itself would be in the top ten.

[pj3000]

Wow, I don't think that I realized how small some of those towns were. I live in the very smallest neighborhood in the city (http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/Allegheny-West-Pittsburgh-PA.html) and we're still larger than six municipalities in the county. Heck, Squirrel Hill by itself would be in the top ten.

A prime example of the need for regionalism here...

[Steel Boy]

How can some of these little towns with a few hundred or a couple thousand people survive on their own? Isn't it only a matter of time before financial pressures get so great that they're forced to consolidate services like police and fire?

[PA Pride]

How can some of these little towns with a few hundred or a couple thousand people survive on their own? Isn't it only a matter of time before financial pressures get so great that they're forced to consolidate services like police and fire?

Of course. Most of the small ones contract their services with bigger municipalities.

My parents live in Hanover Twp, Beaver County which has about 3,000 people but is 45 sq miles (not much smaller than the city of Pittsburgh) and they don't even have a police department.

[Evergrey]

Tamari... an asian/latin fusion restaurant has finally opened in Lawrenceville after years of zoning delays!

[Evergrey]

the high cost of development!!!!!!!!!! I can hear the yinzers grumbling now! we also lost an Arby's! bah!

Video: Fewer Spaces Open For Tailgaiting On North Shore

http://kdka.com/video/?id=59940@kdka.dayport.com

[hyperion1110]

This is just getting sad. How is it that the largest hotel in the city does not make enough money to pay its bills when all of these other hotels are being built?!

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_633107.html

Hilton's bank account frozen; sheriff's sale is next

By Margaret Harding
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, July 10, 2009


The debt-ridden Pittsburgh Hilton is facing sheriff's sale.

The Allegheny County Sheriff's Office froze the hotel's bank account and took an inventory of its assets in preparation for sheriff's sale in two weeks, an official with the office said today.

Shubh Hotels, owner of the city's largest hotel, owes a Shaler plumbing company and another hotel about $25,000, said Sheriff's Sgt. Richard Fersch.

A sheriff's sale has been scheduled for 11 a.m. July 27, he said.

"When you don't pay your bills, things happen," he said.

Salego Plumbing Co. filed a complaint in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court in April claiming it is owed about $12,000 from Shubh for work done in connection with a $25 million renovation project at the Hilton.

Gokul Inc., the parent company of the Days Inn in Banksville, filed a complaint in October for about $11,000, claiming Shubh reserved rooms at the Days Inn for Hilton workers but didn't pay for them, according to court papers.

Shubh did not respond to litigation in either case, which awarded judgments last month in favor of Salego and Gokul, court records show.

With court and sheriff's fees, Shubh owes about $25,000.

Salego's attorney issued a writ of execution of the judgment yesterday, which froze the Hilton's account at PNC Bank, Fersch said.

The Sheriff's Office yesterday sent a deputy to inventory the hotel's moveable property such as tables, chairs, silverware, Fersch said.

"Nobody wants this processes to proceed in this fashion," said Salego attorney Jay Silberblatt. "What Salego Plumbing wants is a check to pay for the goods and services it provided to the hotel many, many months ago."

The Banksville Days Inn has handled the Hilton's overflow guests in the past and always been paid in a timely fashion but sued when the hotel didn't pay its bill this time, said Days Inn attorney Noah Paul Fardo. The Hilton hasn't responded to the litigation, Fardo said.

"For them to take no action whatsoever is nonsensical," Fardo said. "This isn't a mom and pop shop — they've got lawyers. I can't imagine what's going on over there."

Shubh officials couldn't be reached for comment. Hilton officials didn't return a phone message.

It's not the first time the Hilton's bank account has been frozen.

In January, an engineering firm had the Hilton's account frozen in order to get paid. Attorney Mark A. Grace, who represented the engineering firm, said the Hilton immediately paid its bill after the account was frozen.

"When that happen, that got their attention," Grace said.

After judgment is awarded in an arbitration case, the next legal step is the writ of execution, but Grace said it is unusual that Shubh allows its lawsuits to drag on.

"When you get to a certain point, oftentimes a defendant will want to avoid the embarrassment of the sheriff coming out, or they don't want all their checks to bounce," Grace said. "A writ of execution causes a lot of discomfort for Shubh. It's very disruptive."

Shubh settled a $317,273 debt owed to its contractor, P.J. Dick Inc., in June. The contractor had pulled workers from its site after it wasn't paid. Construction has yet to resume.

[PA Pride]

^It's because those newish owners are idiots not because the hotel market is bad in Pittsburgh.

[Steel Boy]

I won't lament the loss of tailgating spots. When I lived on the North Side we dreaded all home games. Those people got incredibly drunk and left trash behind like you wouldn't believe. They even used to dump their charcoal ashes right inthe parking lot.

[AaronPGH]

Tamari... an asian/latin fusion restaurant has finally opened in Lawrenceville after years of zoning delays!

I ate here the other night. It's my new favorite restaurant in Pittsburgh. AMAZING spot. Lawrenceville has now officially stepped into the sophisticated category of PGH hoods because of it. Their upstairs lounge and roof deck are going to be incredible once they open too.

[Burgh15]

I won't lament the loss of tailgating spots. When I lived on the North Side we dreaded all home games. Those people got incredibly drunk and left trash behind like you wouldn't believe. They even used to dump their charcoal ashes right inthe parking lot.

The presold lot has really cut down on the tailgating. All of the lots were packed in the days of Three Rivers Stadium. Now the presold lots are half empty an hour and a half before gametime. People will still find places to tailgate. Once the development starts to occur I hope they do it right. I was a bit underwhelmed by the buildings currently in place and would have loved to have seen more greenspace coming up from the rivers. It would be nice for that area to get to more than just a gameday destination.

[PittPanther]

Does anyone have any pictures or something of a master plan for North Shore? Or a link to a page earlier in the forum? I know I saw something but forget where it is, thanks.

[JakeLiefer]

Does anyone have any pictures or something of a master plan for North Shore? Or a link to a page earlier in the forum? I know I saw something but forget where it is, thanks.

Here's the link to the North Shore Master Plan:

http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/cp/assets/north_shore/North_Shore_Master_Plan_Booklet.pdf

[JakeLiefer]

Also, while digging around today I found the master plan for the Carrie Furnace Site. It's a bit outdated, having been created 2 years ago, but should give somewhat of a feel for layout of space. Some of it sounds like they were trying to pad the project with ideas that will never happen, such as an aerial tramway. Nonetheless, still worth a look:

http://www.allthingsbraddock.org/files/news/carrie_ii_master_plan_book.pdf

[bruchaus]

Im excited for the north side development to be completed, however I am weary of the design and final product. The existing buildings sans PNC park are hideous and if the architecture looks at all like those suggestions in the north shore design plan I think we're fucked. I fear that place will end up being an even cheesier version of the south side works mixed with the waterfront it looks like the hideous new development at Atlantic City off the boardwalk. I hate that idea that you design all these neighboring buildings to look as if they'd been there for a a hundred years functioning as a neighborhood. Its just ugly. I'm worried.

[PittPanther]

Thanks Jake and I know what you mean bruchaus, What I don't like is the idea that you are just going to build all these buildings in a big parking lot next to a highway and expect this urban environment to work. I don't know about you guys, but it kind of bothers me that they can't just build a couple large hotels. To me (and correct me if I am wrong) it seems there are a lot of little hotels and they just keep building/proposing more. One more thing, I am not an urban planner expert of anything of the type just saying my views. It seems that there is not enough residential buildings to even out with all the other stuff they want, I think that the more people living there the better it will work. just like south side works

[bradjl2009]

To the Hilton, I think it is a showing of how bad the management is over the hotel market in Pittsburgh which is good.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Haysville - 78
[/LIST]

You have got to be kidding. What is this, like 25 houses?

[DBR96A]

You have got to be kidding. What is this, like 25 houses?

I kid you not. City council meetings take place in the mayor's kitchen.

[Gilamonster]

Hopefully the Hilton Assets get bought by a competent company or private equity. Also, in reguards to hotels, which one is going up across from the main rotunda of PNC Park on General Robinson?

[UrbaniDesDev]

Im excited for the north side development to be completed, however I am weary of the design and final product. The existing buildings sans PNC park are hideous and if the architecture looks at all like those suggestions in the north shore design plan I think we're fucked. I fear that place will end up being an even cheesier version of the south side works mixed with the waterfront it looks like the hideous new development at Atlantic City off the boardwalk. I hate that idea that you design all these neighboring buildings to look as if they'd been there for a a hundred years functioning as a neighborhood. Its just ugly. I'm worried.

Absolutely!

[Wiz Khalifa]

Mogul Mind closes on deal to bring Unstoppable to Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Business Times - by Tim Schooley


Strip District-based Mogul Mind Studios has struck a deal with Fox Entertainment to host what is expected to be the Pittsburgh region’s biggest film production yet, a runaway train drama called “Unstoppable” that is slated to star Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington and "Star Trek" star Chris Pine.

Jared Leland, a director and counsel for Mogul Mind Studios, confirmed that the company reached an agreement with Fox Entertainment last night.

According to Chris Petrikin, a spokesman with Fox Entertainment, the agreement is part of the normal course of events when producers scout out locations and prepare for a film. The film has not yet been "greenlighted," which means that it's still awaiting final approval to ensure it "makes complete financial sense," Petrikin said. That decision is expected to be made within the next week or so.

While the production is expected to use a Pennsylvania tax credit from last year, Leland said “Unstoppable” needed the former industrial facility’s massive space, unusual electrical capacity that could power the entire Strip District, and the unused former railroad tracks nearby.

“It’s just one of the myriad of examples of just how necessary a full-service 330,000-square-foot production facility is, and just how necessary it is to luring and securing productions to the commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” Leland said.

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Leland said he expects production to begin soon. “Unstoppable” is expected to need four of the studio bays that Mogul Mind has prepared and soundproofed for film production.

Washington and Pine will star in the film, which will be directed by Tony Scott, a long-time director of big-budget action films, most recently this summer’s remake of “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3.” As a producer and director, Scott’s resume includes “Top Gun” (1986), “Enemy of the State” (1998) and “Spy Game” (2001). It will be Scott’s fifth production with Washington.

Based partly on a true story, “Unstoppable” is about a runaway train carrying toxic chemicals and poison gases and how Washington’s character, an experienced engineer, and Pike, a young conductor, must chase it down before it brings untold destruction to a city. It is based on a script by Mark Bombeck that press reports indicate has been circulating in Hollywood for the past few years.

“Unstoppable” is expected to be released in 2011.

Dawn Keezer, president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Film Office, was unavailable for immediate comment. But in a conversation a few days ago, she emphasized that “Unstoppable” was a production the Pittsburgh Film Office had been working for years to lure to Pittsburgh.

“Dawn Keezer worked very, very hard to entice the production to consider Pennsylvania,” Leland said.

Leland said the production expects to shoot in central Pennsylvania as well as Pittsburgh. Yet even when the production isn’t shooting within the Mogul Minds facility, “Upstoppable” will use it to build sets and prepare for other aspects of the production’s location shooting.

Leland and others had previously been told that “Unstoppable” will have a budget of $100 million, a figure a Fox spokesman told the Pittsburgh Business Times in June was too high, without providing specifics.

Yet even if the film’s budget is half that, it will far surpass the size and scale of most films shot here, the biggest of which have typically been in the $20 million to $30 million range.

David Kowalski, the main owner of what was formerly the Pittsburgh Flatroll company warehouse, who also has a minority stake in Mogul Mind, expects the “Unstoppable” production, as well as others to follow, will bring new urgency to redeveloping the city’s tow pound site, which is next door to the new studio.

“It has to be done,” he said. “People don’t understand how much money is going to come into the city.”

:banana: :banana: :banana:

[Evergrey]

Hold on to your dancing bananas... Denzel just dropped out of "Unstoppable" cuz he wasn't getting paid enough... Hopefully they find some other A-list actor as opposed to scrapping the project...


...

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/FT-Launches-Special-Report-on-prnews-687478479.html?x=0&.v=1

FT Launches Special Report on 2009 Group of 20 Summit in Pittsburgh

* Press Release
* Source: Financial Times
* On Tuesday July 14, 2009, 10:34 am EDT

NEW YORK, July 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The Financial Times will launch a special report on 'G20: Pittsburgh 2009.' The report will be published in all global editions of the FT on Thursday 24th September 2009, to coincide with the start of the summit.

As talk of economic recovery becomes more commonplace in economic discourse and media headlines today, the world economy remains in an undeniably fragile state. Global economic coordination is as vital as ever to combat the effects of soaring unemployment rates, record deficits and use of unorthodox monetary policies. This means that the economic and historical significance of September's G20 meeting will be truly paramount, especially as the summit must devise a worldwide exit strategy that includes solutions not only to financial stress but also to longstanding global imbalances.

Chrystia Freeland, US Managing Editor, said: "Policymakers and citizens worldwide will look to this September summit for signs that the international community is committed to overcoming times of economic hardship through strategic policies coupled with enhanced coordination. President Obama's selection of Pittsburgh as the site for the 2009 assembly carries another layer of significance as the city has come to symbolize both economic downfall and recovery."

The report will include the following features:

* A subsection on the City of Pittsburgh, including its urban landscape, deep cultural and economic connections to sports, and its efforts to transform itself from a rust belt capital to a rising center of education, finance, biotech, healthcare, green technology and other industries
* An exploration of new priorities that have come to define economic policy of 2009, including fiscal stimulus, consolidation and coordination
* An analysis of global monetary policy as risk of inflation and deflation continue to mount
* A fresh evaluation of financial regulation in light of the crisis, with particular focus on whether these measures are supporting or hindering economic growth
* The role emerging powers will play in this year's summit and whether the shift in world politics toward countries like China and India will be permanent

For information on advertising opportunities, please contact Hope Kaye at + 212-641- 6548 or via email at hope.kaye@ft.com. Please note that the advertising copy deadline is 15th September 2009.

[bradjl2009]

With all the talk of a renewing of America's cities and the renewal of Pittsburgh, here's a Joel Kotkin alert from May. The title of the article is "America's (Sub)-Urban Future".

http://www.joelkotkin.com/Urban_Affairs/Forbes%20America's%20(Sub)Urban%20Future.htm

My favorite parts of the article: "Currently the brightest hopes for America's urban future lie with newer, "aspirational," middle-class-oriented cities such as Houston, Dallas, Austin, Phoenix, Raleigh-Durham, Charlotte and Orlando. Although some are now suffering from the recession, these places will benefit from both lower costs and more business-friendly regimes. Primarily suburban in nature, many of these cities have worked to develop attractive dense urban districts, which could expand much further over the next few decades. "

What a crock this guy is!

[themaguffin]

So I am watching the Oddball segment of Keith Olbermann's show and usually I skip it, but a WKRP reference kept me interested and one of the other clips ended was of the Grant Bldg. Apparently it actually does not spell Pittsburgh well. Someone taping the city from Mt Washington apparently recognized that the flashing light in fact was not spelling the city. Keith noted that once the building was informed, they went to fix it, but the spelling got worse.


On another note, something that randomly came to me is why didn't Latrobe Brewery get a buyer who could brew something that beer lovers would be enticed to buy - like "Old Latrobe"

I guess that Irony City will be using it now though anyway right?

It's too bad that Latrobe couldn't reinvent itself - Rolling Rock does not taste the same. I don't care about IC other than its jobs etc, but I enjoyed RR and it had a fan base and history and brand worth tapping into....

now back to city stuff.....

[qwho]

Here is an update (:yuck:) on the north Oakland office lowrise. Some graffiti on the sign...

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/8453/image102.jpg

[acenturi]

Hold on to your dancing bananas... Denzel just dropped out of "Unstoppable" cuz he wasn't getting paid enough... Hopefully they find some other A-list actor as opposed to scrapping the project...

Possibly just a strategic negotiating ploy:

http://entertainment.in.msn.com/hollywood/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3070493

Also, note the Budget has only dropped to $90M.

[Johnland]

Here is an update (:yuck:) on the north Oakland office lowrise. Some graffiti on the sign...

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/8453/image102.jpg

Wow...that's a blast from my past. I lived in the third floor apartment in that green house (just behind the sign) for fours years back in the early 80's. Man I loved living in Oakland then.

There used to be old homes along the street where that awful church now stands. So suburban. Where do they get those stick-on steeples? The new office building should help block it out.

[hyperion1110]

Am I the only one who doesn't like fast Eddie? Seriously, this governor has every priority backwards! He's applying to upgrade already high speed rail between Harrisburg and Philly, proposing rail between Scranton and NYC (I got love for Scranton, but who exactly is that line going to serve?!), and he's going to STUDY rail between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh?! The only bright stop in there is Maglev. However, as much as I support the project, I would push for standard high speed rail from Downtown to the airport first. It would cost a lot less, and would be more likely funded.

Thankfully, the reign of the Mayor of Philadelphia...I mean the Governor is almost over...
_________________________________________________________________

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09198/984448-147.stm

State applies for stimulus funds for high-speed rail lines

Rendell seeks funds to update passenger rails across Pa.

Friday, July 17, 2009

By Jon Schmitz, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pennsylvania will seek federal economic stimulus funds to study enhanced passenger rail service between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh and to advance a proposed magnetic levitation train from Pittsburgh International Airport to Downtown.

The stimulus law signed by President Barack Obama on Feb. 17 allocated $8 billion for high-speed rail projects nationwide. States were invited to "preapply" for a share of the money this month, with final applications due in August and October.

The Federal Railroad Administration announced yesterday that it has received 278 preapplications seeking $102 billion.

"The response has been tremendous and shows that the country is ready for high-speed rail," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said.

The first round of federal grants is expected in mid-September.

Gov. Ed Rendell announced yesterday that the state will ask for funding to design and build the first segment of the proposed maglev system, from the airport to Downtown. The estimated cost is $2.3 billion.

While maglev trains would travel at speeds up to 240 mph, planning of the proposed system has moved at a snail's pace. Maglev Inc. of McKeesport, the developer, has spent more than $27 million in federal and state funds since the mid-1990s.

An environmental impact study is nearly complete, and a Port Authority committee this week approved a $70,000 amendment using grant funds to extend a consultant contract to finish the study.

However, the chairman of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has proposed canceling federal funding of maglev projects in the new six-year surface transportation legislation that is before Congress.

Fred Gurney, president and CEO of Maglev Inc., noted that the preapplications exceeded the available stimulus funding by more than 12 to 1. But he said he hoped that the higher speeds attainable by maglev trains would give his project an edge over proposals involving steel-wheeled trains going 110 mph.

"That's a long way from what I would call high-speed," he said.

Mr. Rendell said the state also is seeking $1.5 million to study improvements to passenger rail service from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh, currently served by only one Amtrak train per day with slow travel times because of heavy freight traffic along the same tracks.

The state also will seek stimulus money to upgrade the Harrisburg-to-Philadelphia corridor, which already is faster and more efficient and served by 14 daily trains. The money would go for track, signal, power and catenary upgrades, grade crossing removal and station improvements or replacements. Total cost is estimated at more than $1 billion.

It intends to apply for funding for part of a proposed 133-mile corridor between Scranton and New York, estimated to cost $551 million.

In addition to the $8 billion allocated in stimulus funds for high-speed rail projects, Mr. Obama has proposed another $5 billion for intercity rail development, and the draft of the new surface transportation bill calls for $50 billion over six years.

Ten corridors have been designated by the federal government for high-speed rail development, in addition to the Washington, D.C.-to-Boston corridor that already has an approximation of high-speed service. One is the Pittsburgh-to-Philadelphia line, called the Keystone Corridor.

"Investments in high-speed rail help to meet rising consumer demand for expanded transportation options, while easing stresses on our highway and bridge infrastructure," Mr. Rendell said yesterday. "The candidate rail projects we're outlining would not only jump-start local economies, but also will help spur our progress toward a more efficient transportation system."

Jon Schmitz can be reached at jschmitz@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1868.

[hyperion1110]

LOL...this is just funny. It's a Voice of America program in "Special English." Check it out, folks.

http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/2009-07-12-voa2.cfm

Also, here's a typical pre-G-20 article from Reuters. It's not too bad...but there is really nothing knew in it.

http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE56900K20090710?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0

[Burgh15]

The only bright stop in there is Maglev.

I know the cost would be much more, but the increased speed of a Maglev would be the better long-term investment in my opinion.

[Steel Boy]

I doubt that Maglev will ever be built. Have they identified the route? None of those suburbs will want it to come through their area. How many people will it serve? It evidently won't stop in any of the communities between downtown and the airport, so everyone else in the southwestern suburbs will still have to rely on the bus to get downtown. Will the fare be consistent with Port Authority? Where will people transfer if they're coming from the east? Will it be integrated with the existing subway for transfers? For this cost, I can't imagine that it would be feasible. Most people heading to the airport do not come from downtown. The airport serves a population within a 50 - 60 mile radius. Most Port Authority bus routes to Oakland carry more than the number of people who will use Maglev in a day.

[qwho]

Wow...that's a blast from my past. I lived in the third floor apartment in that green house (just behind the sign) for fours years back in the early 80's. Man I loved living in Oakland then.


I still like this part of town... I have been working here for 3 years. I think the northern end of Oakland gets a bad rap, it actually is pretty nice. I mean, it's not shadyside or squirrel hill or anything, but it has some great eating options within walking distance of my office building. We look forward to spring each year because of the greek festival at the one church near the museum closer to Pitt. Sadly I missed it this year as I was on my honeymoon at the time...

[Tombstoner]

...Sadly I missed it this year as I was on my honeymoon at the time...

You missed a Greek Festival just to get married?? Man, you've got some screwy priorities... :koko:

;)