PITTSBURGH | Rundown [Archive] - Page 74

PittPenn 03

10-28-2009, 09:32 PM

http://www.postgazette.com/pg/09301/1008716-28.stm

Downtown apartments finding takers
Wednesday, October 28, 2009

By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The former G.C. Murphy store seems to be having no trouble making the transition from five and dime to Downtown living pad.

About a month before the first residents are to move in, about half of the 46 apartments available in that building and several others that comprise Market Square Place have been snatched up.

Lucas Piatt, executive vice president of developer Millcraft Industries, said he was "pretty satisfied" with the pace of leasing so far.

"We feel really good about that," he said. "Up until now we haven't even had a product to show."

The apartments, which rent from $750 to $3,000 a month, are part of a $40 million conversion of the former Murphy's store and several adjacent building into residences, shops and the new home for the Downtown YMCA, which will move from its location on the Boulevard of the Allies.

Millcraft did not begin actively leasing the apartments until September, said Heather Leitner, property and leasing manager for the developer. She said she hoped to have the rest of the units rented by the time the first people move in or shortly after that.

Patty Burk, vice president of housing and economic development for the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, said she was not surprised that the Market Square Place rentals were off to a good start.

Overall, apartment rentals are doing well Downtown, with a 92.5 percent occupancy rate, she said. Since 2005, rental rates also have increased by 30 cents a square foot. Another recently opened apartment complex, in the Century Building on Seventh Street, is fully occupied.

The Downtown YMCA, meanwhile, won't open until the end of March, well beyond the original target of last July. Mr. Piatt said the delay was caused by "unforeseen conditions" at the site that slowed the construction work.

In addition, about 27,000 square feet of retail or restaurant space still must be leased. Herky Pollock, executive vice president with real estate brokerage CB Richard Ellis/Pittsburgh, said he was negotiating with two full-service restaurants for the space. He also said he had two other ideas in the works, one being a "quick, casual" restaurant along the lines of Panera Bread and a "unique retail concept" he declined to describe.

JakeLiefer

10-30-2009, 04:13 PM

Does anyone know the progress on the developments in North Oakland? I haven't been over that way in awhile, but I know there was supposed to be a CMU building & condos at and next to where the ghetto eagle (Giant Eagle) was. I haven't heard anything, but I know that there have been plans for a few years now to develop there. Is it in limbo?

PA Pride

10-30-2009, 05:08 PM

oakland update...

Health Dept. building sale OK'd by council
Developers plan hotel, office, parking for Oakland site
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
By Karamagi Rujumba, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Allegheny County Council yesterday took the first step in approving the sale of the county Health Department building in Oakland, which would be torn down and redeveloped as a hotel, offices and parking garage.

Council's Economic Development and Housing Committee gave the go-ahead for the sale. The building at 3333 Forbes Ave. houses about 400 employees of the department's administrative offices.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09301/1008754-455.stm#ixzz0VFOB5LNa

Does anyone have a picture of this building? Evergrey maybe?

PA Pride

10-30-2009, 11:09 PM

Here's the first photo that I have seen of the Randy Pausch memorial footbridge on the CMU campus which connects to the new Gaters Center Bldg.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/images/200910/randy_pausch_bridge_500.jpg

Image source and article: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09303/1009454-53.stm?cmpid=MOSTEMAILEDBOX

Brandon716

10-30-2009, 11:20 PM

Groovy looking walkway.

JakeLiefer

10-31-2009, 02:36 AM

Study would look at feasibility of East End commuter rail line
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A study to connect four neighborhoods via light commuter rail on existing lines was presented to City Council yesterday. The study is a first step in creating what Councilman William Peduto says should become a regional service.

Mr. Peduto initiated the study to jump-start a plan to establish commuter hubs where economic development is waiting to happen, starting in Hazelwood along Second Avenue's many vacant parcels. The connecting hubs would be in Oakland, Bloomfield/Shadyside and Lawrenceville.

He said that, in contrast to the estimated $4 billion to extend the Mon-Fayette Expressway, "we could build 50 of these systems for all of Western Pennsylvania." He said the plan to start by linking four neighborhoods is a bargain at an estimated $81 million.

Consultant Rich Feder of Whitman Requardt & Associates said the system would have to connect with existing transit and attain the consensus of regional planners.

The plan has been heard in two public meetings. Councilman Patrick Dowd said there should be more done to ensure that none of the neighborhoods feel they are merely being passed through.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09302/1009114-53.stm#ixzz0VTLQz1NA

While I like the idea of commuter rail, I don't understand how this would function. If it's the rail line I'm thinking about, it's not really near any population centers. Starting in Hazelwood, it goes through Panther Hollow, into a tunnel underneath Neville St, until it comes out at the East Busway, which it follows until downtown. Unless a rail line truly connects to where people live and work, it's not going to get much use.

Juicedog1313

10-31-2009, 05:57 AM

While I like the idea of commuter rail, I don't understand how this would function. If it's the rail line I'm thinking about, it's not really near any population centers. Starting in Hazelwood, it goes through Panther Hollow, into a tunnel underneath Neville St, until it comes out at the East Busway, which it follows until downtown. Unless a rail line truly connects to where people live and work, it's not going to get much use.

Is there a map of the proposal? Bloom/Shady, Larryland, and especially Oakland are all population centers. Hazelwood, on the other hand, seems desolate. Can you explain, in more detail, the rail line that you are referring to? I kinda know what you are talkin' bout,.. If it is what i think it is.... It would function as a local express line between different 'hoods... which isn't that bad of an idea, if PGH already had serveral spine line T routes passing through the east end. But we don't... So..

Tombstoner

10-31-2009, 02:20 PM

This may be considered low-hanging fruit -- tracks and rights-of-way already exist (though they may have to be modified). If all this did was tie the university center/UPMC/Carnegie museums to Bloomfield, the Strip and Downtown, it would be worthwhile as a commercial transit line. It doesn't provide much in the way of residential transit (the highest-density residential areas of Greenfield, Oakland, Shadyside and Larryland don't seem to be on this line) but it may just be a case that this is short-term-do-able in a way that a more genuinely residential lines are not.

JakeLiefer

10-31-2009, 03:27 PM

Is there a map of the proposal? Bloom/Shady, Larryland, and especially Oakland are all population centers. Hazelwood, on the other hand, seems desolate. Can you explain, in more detail, the rail line that you are referring to? I kinda know what you are talkin' bout,.. If it is what i think it is.... It would function as a local express line between different 'hoods... which isn't that bad of an idea, if PGH already had serveral spine line T routes passing through the east end. But we don't... So..

I haven't been able to find any maps of the plan, but I created a map based on the existing rail lines and the neighborhoods they're talking about:
http://bit.ly/4ApRPK

Having something like this reminds me a lot of the D.C. tracks. If you take the train from Pittsburgh to D.C., as far away as 2 hours out you start seeing commuter rail trains (Martinsburg, WV) and once you get to Rockwood, MD, the DC Metro shares a right-of-way with the heavy rail line.

If they do the spur line that goes to East Liberty / Shadyside, that would provide great opportunity, as they could have a station at a number of locations, such as Highland Ave, Negly, Aiken, or Centre. On the other line, I could see it connecting to CMU well, being right next to the new Gates building. However, it would be out of the reach of most other Oakland residents, including South Craig unless that eyesore gas station gets cleaned up on Forbes.

Juicedog1313

10-31-2009, 06:10 PM

In my opinion, the entire East Busway should be a 'T' line. I heard that's what it was originally planned for anyway. The 'T' tracks come to surface right outside of the Post Office and stop just before they reach the busway.

If the busway was a T line, one could take the 'T' from Edgewood to E. Liberty to Dtown to Station Square and beyond. That would've come in handy for me back when I was dating a chick who lived in Dormont. I had to take a bus and transfer Downtown to get to her apartment. It was a hassle, sometimes, to get there... especially in the winter.

Juicedog1313

11-01-2009, 12:46 AM

I haven't been able to find any maps of the plan, but I created a map based on the existing rail lines and the neighborhoods they're talking about:
http://bit.ly/4ApRPK

Wow. you're right. That proposal wouldn't help that many residents at all. Gotta love/hate Pittsburgh. Not only are our neighborhoods isolated from one another, certain areas of each individual neighborhood are isolated from the nieghborhood itself.
:shrug: ehh...So it is.

liat91

11-01-2009, 01:56 AM

cdc

11-01-2009, 01:11 AM

Here's the first photo that I have seen of the Randy Pausch memorial footbridge on the CMU campus which connects to the new Gaters Center Bldg.

Here's a shot my wife took of the bridge last night. The bridge has lights
built in that can put on a cool light show...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2710/4062704378_718592dfe4_o.jpg

Juicedog1313

11-01-2009, 09:09 PM

Commuter rail? Is it just an extension of the existing light-rail system, or a new commuter rail type vehicle? Doesn't seem to make sense to have a big commuter train like Chicago's Metra or LA's Metrolink trains covering such a small distance.

Yeah, If they built the system running from hazelwood to mckeesport and down the Mon Valley, twould make more sense.

bruchaus

11-02-2009, 12:40 AM

Wow. you're right. That proposal wouldn't help that many residents at all. Gotta love/hate Pittsburgh. Not only are our neighborhoods isolated from one another, certain areas of each individual neighborhood are isolated from the nieghborhood itself.
:shrug: ehh...So it is.

Wouldn't help many residents at all? I think the problem with Pittsburgh is that the residents feel that the public transportation should stop right at their door. I live in NYC now, but lived in pgh for 24 years. I routinely walk 10 minutes to the train in my neighborhood, and frequently find myself walking 15 minutes to train stations. I think that rail is a good idea and feel that any additional public transportation in the city will help.

Tombstoner

11-02-2009, 01:26 AM

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2710/4062704378_718592dfe4_o.jpg

very cool. :tup:

Wiz Khalifa

11-02-2009, 02:22 AM

Wouldn't help many residents at all? I think the problem with Pittsburgh is that the residents feel that the public transportation should stop right at their door. I live in NYC now, but lived in pgh for 24 years. I routinely walk 10 minutes to the train in my neighborhood, and frequently find myself walking 15 minutes to train stations. I think that rail is a good idea and feel that any additional public transportation in the city will help.

Agreed. People here have pretty ridiculous expectations for public transit. That route goes through major population centers in Bloomfield/Shadyside, Lawrenceville and hits CMU to boot. And it connects them all with the rest of the T downtown.

How this could be any more perfect for a cheap, effective expansion of transit I do not know... yet people still find reasons to complain about it. It's incredible. People here must think that everyone in NYC or DC just steps out of their house and gets on the train which then drops them right off at the office or something.

Tombstoner

11-02-2009, 02:32 PM

Agreed. People here have pretty ridiculous expectations for public transit. That route goes through major population centers in Bloomfield/Shadyside, Lawrenceville and hits CMU to boot. And it connects them all with the rest of the T downtown.

How this could be any more perfect for a cheap, effective expansion of transit I do not know... yet people still find reasons to complain about it. It's incredible. People here must think that everyone in NYC or DC just steps out of their house and gets on the train which then drops them right off at the office or something.

I don't think that many people are "complaining" (one person, really). Some have raised the point that it doesn't go through high-density sections of neighborhoods and I think that's true. We should take what we can get--it is the cheapest/most effective offering on the table.

Grimacista

11-02-2009, 03:36 PM

I don't think that many people are "complaining" (one person, really). Some have raised the point that it doesn't go through high-density sections of neighborhoods and I think that's true. We should take what we can get--it is the cheapest/most effective offering on the table.

The part of the rail line that is mentioned starts in Hazelwood on 2nd Ave and then runs parallel to 2nd Ave, up through Four Mile Run, through Panther Hollow, into Neville tunnel and then comes out of the tunnel right at the Busway access ramp to Oakland. It then parallels the East Busway for a while until it breaks off and crosses a few blocks of lower Lawrenceville and then goes over the Allegheny River at Washington's Landing and then becomes another track that parallels Rt 28.

This plan sounds good on its face because it involves commuter rail, but it almost seems like Peduto is pushing it just for its own sake.

I understand the gripes about people demanding door-to-door transit service but the line really doesn't connect anything to anything. Its time in Oakland is in Panther Hollow and then it parallels Bloomfield about 60 feet down from street level and then just goes through a little bit of Lawrenceville - where it is all commercial/light industrial. It doesnt really connect to residential anywhere, in this form of its plan.

From my experiences, I have seen Amtrak trains on that line, which means that it connects to the train station downtown. Perhaps that is a more viable plan if your plan is to connect to Hazelwood, since Oakland is already well served from Downtown.

Tombstoner

11-02-2009, 04:55 PM

I understand the gripes about people demanding door-to-door transit service but the line really doesn't connect anything to anything. Its time in Oakland is in Panther Hollow and then it parallels Bloomfield about 60 feet down from street level and then just goes through a little bit of Lawrenceville - where it is all commercial/light industrial. It doesnt really connect to residential anywhere, in this form of its plan.

I would disagree a bit. I'm sure they must have plans for getting people "down" to stations in Pather Hollow and then at a couple of points along the busway. As I said earlier, I don't think it's an "ideal" residential plan, but if you think about it, it could easily connect PTechCenter-CMU/Pitt/Museums-Bloomfield-L'ville-the Strip-Downtown. There is A LOT of commerical activity that this line would connect and I think it would make a nice route for out-of-towners doing the tourist thing and Oakland residents (let's call them "students") wanting to get to the Strip and Downtown.

Grimacista

11-02-2009, 05:27 PM

I would disagree a bit. I'm sure they must have plans for getting people "down" to stations in Pather Hollow and then at a couple of points along the busway. As I said earlier, I don't think it's an "ideal" residential plan, but if you think about it, it could easily connect PTechCenter-CMU/Pitt/Museums-Bloomfield-L'ville-the Strip-Downtown. There is A LOT of commerical activity that this line would connect and I think it would make a nice route for out-of-towners doing the tourist thing and Oakland residents (let's call them "students") wanting to get to the Strip and Downtown.

The problem with this plan is not about it being a bad idea, the question is about the value of the line for the price. They are saying $80 million or so right now and it may very well be higher. What is the relationship between that cost and the benefit that would occur? Otherwise you have something that seems nice but is a colossal waste of money for what you get (North Shore Connector).

I agree that they would obviously have street-level connections via escalators/stairs to the low-lying stations, but if you look at the plan, what does this plan really do for transportation? Not much.

You can get from Oakland to downtown easily on about 20 buses. This plan does not go to the strip, the railroad track cuts across the Allegheny north of the 31st street bridge (so you can also say it doesn't go anywhere near the heart of Lawrenceville either). You can already walk from Bloomfield to both Lawrenceville and Oakland and Shadyside pretty easily.

Perhaps a better plan would be to really do an all-out study of light rail/regional heavy rail lines and their possible usage and develop a comprehensive plan, of potentially integrated service, rather than a piecemeal approach.

bruchaus

11-02-2009, 10:39 PM

You can get from Oakland to downtown easily on about 20 buses. This plan does not go to the strip, the railroad track cuts across the Allegheny north of the 31st street bridge (so you can also say it doesn't go anywhere near the heart of Lawrenceville either). You can already walk from Bloomfield to both Lawrenceville and Oakland and Shadyside pretty easily.

I think that the problem is bus service sucks so badly. When I lived in Oakland and the South Side I grimaced at the thought of taking the bus. For one the routes are convoluted. Secondly, the service is unreliable at best. I'm sure many of you take buses to commute to work, but I found the bus to be an extremely unpleasant experience. I think that any addition of service could help to relieve stress on the bus lines...maybe.

After leaving Pittsburgh I think that the one major thing that I never realized I had a problem with is the poor public transportation.

Brandon716

11-03-2009, 03:40 PM

^I'm not sure I agree with the sentiment that public transit is awful in Pittsburgh. Now granted when I lived in the area I had a place that was literally right on a major T stop so there was always available service, but I've been on buses from South Side to Oakland and downtown. The BRT corridors serve as pretty reliable, and the buses on the average street traffic sections are as reliable as anywhere... And I've lived in Chicago (border between Lakeview and Uptown) and Portland (was in Beaverton, in the western suburbs), two cities that are known for transit.... Pittsburgh doesn't fare worse than the above. Bus frequency is high in critical corridors, and its lower in the suburbs but that's to be expected.

Portland FWIW had exceptional suburban bus transit. Buses would come up and down 185th every few minutes it seemed throughout the day, and even Chicago's suburbs don't have good transit service unless you're commuting (driving) to a Metra stop to go in the city.

Pittsburgh is way above average for area serviceability in the United States. You'll find buses are as available in Ross or down toward West Mifflin or Bridgeville easier to commute from than suburban Chicago in terms of bus transit. When I lived in Chicago and went into the suburbs I was always shocked at how poor the suburban bus transit services were. Virtually everyone who uses Metra drives to the stations to ride into the city, they don't hop a bus to get there.

The only city in America that has transit services above and beyond anything you'll find in Pittsburgh in a true sense is New York City. Of course, even New York's suburban transit services once you get far enough out are awful compared to Toronto's outer suburban bus transit services... So its all relative. New York doesn't have a bad system, other than the subways are so utilitarian by design and lack proper venting in many places. Its still the best subway system around.

In this sense, yea, Pittsburgh sucks compared to New York, and Chicago's Metra system does blow Pittsburgh out of the water. But in terms of suburban bus services its above average, and in terms of city buses I think its above average. You can catch any of the 51 buses or whatever and be in South Side in no time.

chucka

11-03-2009, 05:06 PM

CMU won the fight and they spent a lot for it.
How long will it take to develop all of the property? Probably nothing will be done for years.

http://pittsburgh.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2009/11/02/daily16.html

Developer scraps Oakland hotel plan, sells property to CMU
Pittsburgh Business Times - by Tim Schooley

Museum Park Hotel LP, a partnership led by developer Brinton Motheral which has been working to develop a new hotel on a former gas station in the Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood, has decided to drop the plan and sell its property to its biggest neighbor and opponent of its project, Carnegie Mellon University.

After nine years of working on a hotel near the corner of Forbes Avenue and Craig Street, Motheral and his partners walk away with a whopping big consolation prize for their troubles, a sale price of $7.5 million for a 28,000 square foot parcel. Motheral and his partners paid $3.1 million for the property in 2007.

"It would've been a spectacular addition to the area," said Motheral of the 12-story, 225-room hotel he and his partners originally proposed for the parcel, which would've served the Carnegie Mellon campus a short walk from it. "Carnegie Mellon has a master plan and it didn¹t fit into their master plan."

Motheral reached a final agreement with Carnegie Mellon University on Monday afternoon. He expects to take the proceeds from the sale and invest it in other projects, which have yet to be determined. He expects Carnegie Mellon will develop the property into the kind of extension of its campus that has already drawn corporations such as Sony, Intel and Google into its facilities.

"Carnegie Mellon convinced me that it was in my best interest and for the city's to sell it to them," he said. "We did very well on our investment there and we appreciated working with them."

Carnegie Mellon has certainly raised the stakes for itself on a stretch of Forbes between its campus and the Carnegie Museum complex.

In early July, Carnegie Mellon paid $23 million to the Carnegie Institute to acquire a 40,000-square-foot building on Forbes, along with a nearby parking lot and a three-acre parcel that stretches from Forbes Avenue down into Junction Hollow. Carnegie Mellon also paid nearly $2 million for a former National City bank site on Forbes.

Now, the university owns just about everything on the small stretch of Forbes, said Motheral.

Officials at Carnegie Mellon could not be immediately reached for comment.

David Glickman, a vice president for Grubb & Ellis Co., who is working to redevelop a small building on nearby Craig Street into a new office building, described the sales price as "off the charts."

A well located commercial property in the suburbs typically sells for about $25 per square foot, said Glickman. Yet Motheral's group paid nearly $111 per square foot, and Carnegie Mellon escalated that price to $268.

"That is clearly way above any kind of fair market value," said Glickman. "But fair market values almost don't apply in that case because it's such a unique parcel right there at the edge of their campus. They probably view that as part of their campus."

The sale could also be bittersweet for the business owners of Craig Street, where an ad hoc group which called itself the Craig Street Businesses of Oakland sent a letter in early September to mayor Luke Ravenstahl and other officials supporting the hotel plan, which Carnegie Mellon protested against at the last minute.

Yet after describing Carnegie Mellon as a 400-pound gorilla interested only in its own expansion imperatives in September, Tom Chianelli, who owns two properties on Craig Street and is part-owner of the restaurant Lucca, expects the university will enhance the property over the largely mothballed buildings there now.

"Certainly, Carnegie Mellon will do a first-class bang-up job," said Chianelli, reflecting the ambivalence that comes with having such a powerful institution as a neighbor. "My Dad used to say, 'you can leave your wife and you can leave your kids but you¹re stuck with your neighbors.'"

Sometimes, that includes neighbors able to pay $7.5 million for little more than half an acre of property.

Johnland

11-04-2009, 12:11 AM

Well, I was really hoping for the 12 story hotel. I thought it would've added a much needed non-institutional element to the neighborhood. While I treasure the Carnegie and respect the urban development of CMU, I thought the hotel would've helped to diversify the land use. That stretch of Forbes, despite being between two behemoth institutions, does not seem that populated with pedestrians. The hotel would've increased the street activity, which the nearby restaurants and shops would've enjoyed, I'm sure. Plus, a 12 story building would've filled in the gap along the street between the museum and CMU.

Well, given CMU's track record, I'm sure they will develop the land appropriately and with architectural signifigance.

George Woods

11-04-2009, 02:22 AM

Peduto pushes north-south city rail system
Hazelwood, Oakland, Lawrenceville would be connected by $81 million project
Monday, November 02, 2009
By Diana Nelson Jones, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
It usually takes 20 to 30 minutes to drive to Carnegie Mellon University from the former LTV site in Hazelwood. That commute could take six minutes by train.

Pittsburgh Councilman William Peduto has envisioned the train, and planners have deemed it feasible.

Last week, Rich Feder, of Whitman, Requardt & Associates, showed City Council how a north-south link from Hazelwood to Oakland to Baum-Centre to Lawrenceville would fit into a regional scheme and fuel investment in Hazelwood's industrial corridor.

The diesel-fueled mode would follow existing tracks owned by CSX, now leased by the Allegheny Valley Railroad. Once in place, it would connect to the Port Authority's busway, bike trails and a high-speed rail connector that Bombardier wants to build from SouthSide Works to Hazelwood. The Urban Redevelopment Authority has agreed to be Bombardier's agent to get state funding.

Mr. Feder said the north-south connector would have to fit an intermodal network, have regional consensus, public-private cooperation and a financing plan. The railroad's cooperation could be the biggest hurdle.

"CSX is a tough negotiator," said Bill Widdoes, project manager for the Regional Industrial Development Corp. of Southwestern Pennsylvania. RIDC is an owning partner, along with four foundations, of the former LTV Hazelwood Works property -- the development prize on the proposed commuter line.

CSX spokesmen could not be reached for comment.

Mr. Peduto said the $81 million price tag puts the project within reach in less than a decade. "If we can get the sign-off from the [Southwest Pennsylvania Commission] -- and I am a commissioner -- and if we can make it a priority plan, that's key. The new transportation act coming through Congress is looking for projects such as this.

"We would be able to find a way to do the local match of $16 million," seeking funding from institutions, foundations and companies, he said. "What we can offer them is assistance in building parking garages on either end as feeders for people on the parkway and Route 28."

Councilman Patrick Dowd said he wants many more opportunities for public comment, something Mr. Peduto assured. "This is just the feasibility stage."

As part of his council legacy, this project is dear to Mr. Peduto, who has named the train "the Monongaheny Express" and imagines its color scheme the red, yellow and black of Mister Rogers' trolley. He calls it "the most important piece in the puzzle completing a regional rail line system."

"This is an opportunity to connect neighborhoods from river to river," he said.

Oakland, which Mr. Peduto described as "bursting at the seams," is the reason the plan may get momentum, said Mr. Feder.

For years, cost and terrain have inhibited east-west transit plans, leaving Oakland high and dry. A plan to serve Oakland from Downtown was abbreviated into a nub -- the North Shore connector, a $538 million project that extends the subway system under the Allegheny River to the North Shore.

Compare that cost to $81 million to link four neighborhoods that are in the midst of, or ripe for, development, said Mr. Peduto.

Mr. Widdoes said the LTV property -- the largest undeveloped site in the city at 178 acres -- and RIDC's Lawrenceville properties near the Allegheny River are itching for transit connections.

"CMU and UPMC are already invested in Lawrenceville, and so we just think that connecting those dots is crucial, and momentum is key. Lawrenceville has some right now."

On the other end, he said, "developers and institutions have told us that, if and when the transit link is developed between Oakland and Hazelwood, they'll be there."

The partnership that owns the LTV site, called Almono and made up of the Benedum, R.K. Mellon and McCune foundations and the Heinz Endowments, wants it to become "a world-class mixed-use development," said Mr. Widdoes.

Negotiations for use of the track will be "long and contentious," he said. "But that is not meant to temper our enthusiasm. This track goes from New Castle to Washington, Pa., through Oakland. Think about that as a commuter line. That has impact" for economic development.

Mr. Feder called the "Monongaheny" connector "a reasonably cost-effective project that satisfies the goals."

"The $81 million compares favorably to other cities," he said. Using estimates based on the Southwest Pennsylvania Commission's regional models for population and employment projections 25 years hence, the study compared cost and ridership by rail in Seattle, Salt Lake City, San Diego, Albuquerque, Portland and Nashville. Pittsburgh's cost is the second-lowest, after Nashville's, and its ridership is projected to be more than three times Nashville's.

Jim Richter, executive director of the Hazelwood Initiative, a nonprofit community development corporation, said Hazelwood "would definitely" benefit from a quick transit link to Oakland, but he said he questions the efficiency of heavy rail as a piece of a regional intermodal system.

"With only four stops, it's not real clear how many people would be able to take advantage of this [unless] it's just for the purpose of having park-and-ride lots on the outskirts and going to Oakland or Lawrenceville for employment."

Mr. Widdoes said the financial projections assume negotiations go well with the railroad. CSX "has the right to ask for a lot of money" and concessions, he said. "Hopefully there's an olive branch somewhere. It would sure be nice to know it's coming."

Diana Nelson Jones can be reached at djones@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1626. Visit her Web log "City Walkabout" on the Local page at www.post-gazette.com.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09306/1010111-53.stm#ixzz0VqyVXxTh

Brandon716

11-04-2009, 07:48 AM

Is commuter rail the right kind of transportation for this corridor? It doesn't sound like it to me.

Steel Boy

11-05-2009, 01:33 PM

This is just another log onto the fire of the dozens of rail studies over the years. The last one was a proposal from New Kensington to the Strip District on heavy rail. Like all the others, it never went anywhere, and neither will this one. Too expensive to build and the ridership is not enough to cover even a fraction of the costs.

cdc

11-05-2009, 02:05 PM

sale approved...

County Council approves sale of Health Department building
Hotel, offices on tap for Oakland site
Thursday, November 05, 2009
By Dan Majors, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Allegheny County Council last night approved the sale of the county Health Department building in Oakland, which developers intend to tear down to make way for a new hotel, office building and parking garage.

Council members said the sale of the building at 3333 Forbes Ave. and the three-acre property will bring the county $4.9 million as well as boost tax revenue.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09309/1010994-455.stm#ixzz0Vzg7TTRg

PA Pride

11-05-2009, 02:52 PM

Wheelingman04

11-05-2009, 07:35 PM

Light rail to the East End neighborhoods is the solution then commuter rail later in the Mon Valley and along the RT28 corridor.

Johnland

11-05-2009, 09:22 PM

I found a photo of that building.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/austindaniel/countyhealthbldg-oakland.jpg

Oh God... I smell a Syria Mosque. If they tear down that beautiful Art Deco building to put up a parking garage, I'll puke.

UrbaniDesDev

11-05-2009, 10:53 PM

Nov 4, 2009 11:11 pm
http://i657.photobucket.com/albums/uu295/JacksPgh/HiltonPittsburgh-Jul08-014a.jpg

New Hilton Owners Pledge To Restore Pride To Hilton Hotel
Jorge Perez, a reported billionaire, is the founder of one of the country's largest development companies, The Related Group.
KDKA

Jorge Perez, a reported billionaire, is the founder of one of the country's largest development companies, The Related Group.

Perez told KDKA Investigator Marty Griffin the deal is done and they plan to fix the front of the building that has become an eyesore.

The deal comes with massive debt. Sources tell the KDKA Investigators contractors are owed more than $7 million.

Griffin: "Millions are owed to the contractors, over a million to the unions. Will that be taken care of, sir?"

Perez: "Yes. We are right now negotiating with everybody - you know - to see what's real, what's not real and we hope that within the next two weeks all of those payables will be taken care of."

The front of the hotel has been under construction for more than two years. The contractors walked away. Perez says that is already being addressed.

"We're meeting with the contractor as we speak right now. We have two of our construction people from Miami coming in to meet with the contractor just to make sure that all the scope of work covers everything that needs to be covered."

Sources close to the deal tell Griffin that Perez has already committed $10 million to various aspects of the hotel, promised to hire more staff and return the pride to the Hilton.

"We will make it into the best hotel in Pittsburgh within a very short period of time," Perez said. "It's hard to find projects with relevance you know? And this is a project of relevance. It's very hard to duplicate almost 800 rooms, over 50,000 square feet of meeting facilities, great ballrooms and so forth. Today, to reproduce something like this would be prohibitive."

http://kdka.com/local/Pittsburgh.hilton.owners.2.1292767.html

Im thrilled this is finally being resolved. I also think it's great that it's a firm from Miami.
Maybe they'll bring some glamour back to that building.

PA Pride

11-06-2009, 01:22 AM

Oh God... I smell a Syria Mosque. If they tear down that beautiful Art Deco building to put up a parking garage, I'll puke.

Well..........I wouldn't quite put this building in the same category as the Syria Mosque as far as quality but yes, it is a solid looking brick & stone structure.

As for the Hilton: It's good news to see that a PROFITABLE businessman is taking over. That Hilton is a huge asset to Pittsburgh and should be run properly. I know that place is always jumping. It should be making money.

Here is a photo I took of it this summer. You can see the new addition being built on the front entrance. This was in July and almost nothing has changed in over 4 months.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/austindaniel/Pittsburgh%20-%20July%2009/P1030281.jpg

bruchaus

11-06-2009, 02:00 AM

Oh God... I smell a Syria Mosque. If they tear down that beautiful Art Deco building to put up a parking garage, I'll puke.

I don't know if I'd go as far as saying it is "beautiful" art deco. If they tore down the Koppers building I'd be on your side, but that building looks like a dozen others and I'm not too worried about losing it. It is not the Syria Mosque.

Wiz Khalifa

11-06-2009, 02:35 AM

I don't know if I'd go as far as saying it is "beautiful" art deco. If they tore down the Koppers building I'd be on your side, but that building looks like a dozen others and I'm not too worried about losing it. It is not the Syria Mosque.

Yeah haha, I hope that was a sarcastic post... that building looks like it would get lost in the shuffle with a bunch of crappy middle schools. I say tear it down.

AaronPGH

11-06-2009, 03:42 AM

I'm not even going to be that nice about it. I think the building is awful. It looks worse in person as you drive by it. The yard out front is a mess and it's filthy. It has a very unwelcoming front to it. No ground level sidewalk interaction, just a huge stone wall. I've been waiting for that building to bite the dust for years.

PittPenn 03

11-06-2009, 07:54 PM

http://pittsburgh.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2009/11/02/daily59.html

Friday, November 6, 2009, 12:07pm EST | Modified: Friday, November 6, 2009, 1:36pm

Pittsburgh Ballet Theater buys Lawrenceville building

Pittsburgh Business Times

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre has acquired a building in the city's Lawrenceville neighborhood which it plans to use as housing for Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School (PBTS) students.

The building, at 3501 Liberty Ave., was the former rectory for St. John the Baptist Catholic Church. The three-story 7,000 square foot building will be converted into a student dormitory for as many as 16 high-school aged students, the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre said in a statement. The former St. John the Baptist Church next door is now better known as the Church Brew Works restaurant

Plans call for the renovation to be completed in time for the school's 2010 summer program.

The building acquisition is part of a $1.5 million capital project.

Johnland

11-07-2009, 12:52 AM

GeneW

11-07-2009, 03:03 AM

OK. I can see I was totally alone on defending the Health building as worth saving. I think I've been living in Tampa too long. Compared to the crap here, that Art Deco brick detailing looks fine. You have to remember, they mostly build crap these days, so don't wish away too many of the older buildings.

I agree, it's a pretty solid handsome building. Not very flashy but it's got nice proportions and some interesting details like the brickwork above the windows. I find it hard to believe that anything that would replace it would be better looking.

AaronPGH

11-07-2009, 03:32 AM

That picture makes it look far better than it actually does as you drive or walk by it. I promise.

Juicedog1313

11-07-2009, 05:38 AM

I agree, it's a pretty solid handsome building. Not very flashy but it's got nice proportions and some interesting details like the brickwork above the windows. I find it hard to believe that anything that would replace it would be better looking.

I think that the existing structure is decent, but could be improved upon and built taller. but thats not gonna happen.

Wiz Khalifa

11-07-2009, 06:37 PM

PA Pride

11-09-2009, 01:53 AM

Progress on new light rail tunnels:

http://post-gazette.com/pg/images/200911/20091108ds_connectortunnela_500.jpg

http://post-gazette.com/pg/images/200911/20091108dstunnel_rings_1_500.jpg

Image source & article: http://post-gazette.com/pg/09312/1011775-455.stm

Johnland

11-09-2009, 12:44 PM

What does everyone think of the plans for redevelopment of the Hazelwood LTV site?

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

http://www.popcitymedia.com/features/46brownfields.aspx

I think that due to the available space and location, this has the potential to be one of the most successful shining examples of brownfield redevelopment in the city if done right.

And by done right I mean absolutely no MFE through the middle of the neighborhood. What an inexcusable tragedy that would be.

What is 'MFE'?

As for the plans, the one article said they intend to knit the new development into the existing neighborhood street pattern, unlike the Waterfront style of total disconnectedness. I think if the Hazelwood plan is reknitted right into the existing neighborhood, that is absolutley a huge plus.

edncc1701d

11-09-2009, 02:37 PM

Perhaps the old 'dirty bird' is coming back to life or is this where the old hardware store used to be?

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_651293.html

"DidarSingh will request approval of a 4,000-square-foot first-floor grocery store with five parking stalls in back and two single-family housing units on the second floor of a two-story structure at 4605 Centre Ave., Oakland."

George Woods

11-10-2009, 03:02 AM

That's the hardware store's address. Interesting.

Ditchdigger

11-10-2009, 05:17 AM

What is 'MFE'?

That one had me scratching my head for a few minutes too, until I figured it out: Mon-Fayette Expressway.

PA Pride

11-11-2009, 02:14 AM

$90 million, 23 story Mt. Washington hotel/condo tower is approved by planning commission.
Now it goes to city council for final approval.

http://post-gazette.com/pg/09314/1012353-100.stm

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

http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/2527/id6b8174163a1540579e1e5.jpg
(I can't wait to cruise my '96 mustang past this development also)

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

Images source: www.desmone.com

themaguffin

11-11-2009, 02:43 AM

that does look like a 90s mustang...

and wow, it, i'm surprised to see this get the go ahead.

PA Pride

11-11-2009, 03:17 AM

BTW, here's what sits on that site now: An eye sore, vacant since the late '70s.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/images/200907/20090714bw_mtwash_500.jpg
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09195/983730-53.stm

PittPenn 03

11-11-2009, 02:06 PM

http://pittsburgh.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2009/11/09/daily19.html

Tuesday, November 10, 2009, 2:19pm EST | Modified: Wednesday, November 11, 2009, 6:00am

Pittsburgh building sold to doctors' group for cadaver lab

Pittsburgh Business Times - by Tim Schooley

Three Pittsburgh-area doctors are bringing a uniquely medical interpretation to the phrase "adaptive reuse" in their acquisition of the Bowne Building, a handsomely restored former firehouse Downtown.

DNC Realty Group, which is comprised of doctors Rodney Davo, Yeshvant Navalgund and Brian Casey, recently bought the 15,000 square foot building for $1.35 million, according to Paul Horan, a principal with North Side-based NAI Pittsburgh Commercial, who represented the property.

“A prominent building in a prominent location was important to them,” said Horan of the new owners of the Downtown building on the Boulevard of the Allies near Stanwix Street.

Horan said the new owners plan to use the building to offer surgical training on cadavers, bringing in doctors from throughout the country.

PA Pride

11-11-2009, 02:08 PM

^This seems to be the building:

http://www.loopnet.com/Attachments/0/7/9/079B1F95-8ACB-468C-B5B3-0E70E99A7AA3.jpg
http://www.naipittsburgh.com/Default.aspx?tabid=695

Wiz Khalifa

11-11-2009, 11:03 PM

I went to the new Giant Eagle Market District in Robinson today. It's supposed to be in the top 5 largest supermarkets in the world. I think they may be right. I swear you could fit 2 super walmarts in this thing and still have room to spare.

The food as expected, was just great too. I had to buy some beer for good measure. :cheers:

PA Pride

11-11-2009, 11:12 PM

It's supposed to be in the top 5 largest supermarkets in the world. I think they may be right. I swear you could fit 2 super walmarts in this thing and still have room to spare.

Where did you hear that? I don't think that is right.

I also went there this week and agree it is most impressive. It is truly a destination style store that will draw as many local tourists as grocery shoppers.

However, it is 150,000 sq ft which is the largest grocery store in the western half of PA; But is still less than even 1 walmart supercenter which average 197,000 sq ft according to wikipedia.

Wiz Khalifa

11-12-2009, 02:01 AM

Where did you hear that? I don't think that is right.

I also went there this week and agree it is most impressive. It is truly a destination style store that will draw as many local tourists as grocery shoppers.

However, it is 150,000 sq ft which is the largest grocery store in the western half of PA; But is still less than even 1 walmart supercenter which average 197,000 sq ft according to wikipedia.

Must be the way it was designed, all of the open spaces make it seem like a huge store. And it is 100x better than crappy super walmart in every possible way.

PA Pride

11-12-2009, 03:09 AM

And it is 100x better than crappy super walmart in every possible way.

True that! :banana:

cdc

11-12-2009, 02:13 PM

on Target...

Target approves E. Liberty location
Thursday, November 12, 2009
By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

For months, with retailers struggling and the economy slow to rebound, local officials have been anxiously awaiting word from Target about the fate of the proposed East Liberty store.

This week they got the answer: It's a go.

Target's capital expenditure committee signed off on the project Tuesday, the last internal step needed before the retailer could move ahead with construction of the store.

"It's the news we've been waiting for," said Steve Mosites, president of developer Mosites Co.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09316/1012795-28.stm#ixzz0WedqF9Jz

PA Pride

11-12-2009, 06:51 PM

The $3 million Mon Wharf renovation is almost done. Ribbon cutting is Monday.

http://post-gazette.com/pg/images/200911/20091112dswharf_330.jpg
Image source and article: http://post-gazette.com/pg/09316/1012819-147.stm

EventHorizon

11-12-2009, 11:21 PM

here's an eye level view of the wharf project. Anyone know when phase two starts?

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2575/4098281931_db6dab61e5_b.jpg
Image Link (http://www.flickr.com/photos/friendsriver/)

Johnland

11-12-2009, 11:57 PM

The Mon Wharf project looks great. I didn't know about that at all. That is just great to see such a simple, clever design implemented along the river.

raynist

11-13-2009, 04:31 PM

(I can't wait to cruise my '96 mustang past this development also)www.desmone.com

LOL, I thought the same thing when I saw this. I think that is a 2001 though :tup:

cdc

11-13-2009, 08:48 PM

ross park is getting all those retailers they were trying to attract
downtown.

Crate & Barrel coming to Ross Park Mall
Thursday, November 12, 2009
By Len Barcousky, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Crate & Barrel will open a store at Ross Park Mall.

The housewares store, set to open in November 2010, will employ about 75 people, 15 to 20 of them full time.

Ross commissioners this week approved site plans for a 26,000-square-foot building that will be constructed next to the L.L. Bean clothing store.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09316/1012673-54.stm#ixzz0Wm5aX3GV

Tombstoner

11-14-2009, 04:47 AM

The $3 million Mon Wharf renovation is almost done. Ribbon cutting is Monday.

Looks great. Any idea of what kind of "amenities" the Wharf will have? Any public washrooms, kiosks for food or newspapers? How about access? Will people from outside downtown be able to access it easily (and I don't know if that would be good or bad)? I guess I'm not clear on how people think this space will function--purely "open space" or something more?

PA Pride

11-14-2009, 05:49 AM

Wiz Khalifa

11-14-2009, 05:50 AM

Looks great. Any idea of what kind of "amenities" the Wharf will have? Any public washrooms, kiosks for food or newspapers? How about access? Will people from outside downtown be able to access it easily (and I don't know if that would be good or bad)? I guess I'm not clear on how people think this space will function--purely "open space" or something more?

It is going to be another link in the Three Rivers Park system:

http://www.riverlifetaskforce.org/trp/

The finished park will be a continuous loop from the Point to the Hot Metal bridge to the West End bridge to the 31st street bridge and back. So it can be easily accessed from any neighborhood bordering the rivers.

Also, the Point to the Hot Metal bridge section will be the beginning leg of the nearly finished Great Allegheny Passage Trail into Cumberland MD and on to D.C.

http://www.gaptrail.org/

Don't know about amenities though.

PA Pride

11-16-2009, 08:47 PM

^The three rivers park system is one of the best assets the city can boast now. Nature is more and more of a selling point to todays young, smart people looking for a city to live in. I am very proud that Pgh keeps making strides forward in this department.

Also, I jut noticed this is my 600th post in this thread. :sly: Jesus.

PA Pride

11-17-2009, 02:08 PM

Mon Wharf dedication video: http://post-gazette.com/multimedia/?videoID=102581

EventHorizon

11-17-2009, 06:08 PM

^Thanks for that video link

Here's another video that talks a little about it's development...

Work continues on Wharf trail (http://www.post-gazette.com/multimedia/?videoid=102574)

cdc

11-18-2009, 02:00 PM

more progress on the east liberty penn circle changes...

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_653712.html

Plans for reconfiguring Penn Circle detailed
By Matthew Santoni
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, November 18, 2009

By the time a Target department store opens in East Liberty, city leaders hope to have converted half of Penn Circle to two-way traffic and made the whole area friendlier for parking, pedestrians and bicyclists.

The yearlong, $7 million project will convert Penn Circle South and Penn Circle East — three to four lanes of traffic looping around the former heart of the neighborhood business district — to two lanes of traffic in each direction with turning lanes, wider sidewalks, street parking, trees and improved lighting, said Ernie Hogan, deputy director of East Liberty Development Inc. The group presented the plan during a neighborhood meeting this week.

...

cdc

11-18-2009, 02:04 PM

back to square one for this project...

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_653711.html

Kuhn's drops plans for Hill District store
By Jeremy Boren
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Owners of the Kuhn's Market chain said Tuesday they no longer are interested in building a long-awaited grocery store in the Hill District.

"It's a personal reason. It's a health issue," said Dan Sakala, Kuhn's advertising director, who declined to provide more specific reasons.

Negotiations with the family-owned company languished since last November, when the city Urban Redevelopment Authority selected Kuhn's over Sav-A-Lot, a discount St. Louis-based grocer.

...

bradjl2009

11-18-2009, 09:15 PM

Some news on the hotel that will be across the street from the Consol Energy Center.

Two TVs in every room! Ground broken for new hotel
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Officials broke ground this morning on a 142-room Cambria Suites Hotel next to the Consol Energy Center, the first step in the effort to bring new development to Uptown and the lower Hill District.

The all-suites hotel, being developed by Horizon Properties Group and the Penguins, is expected to open next fall, shortly after the new arena makes it debut sometime in September.

Penguins Chief Executive Officer Ken Sawyer described the hotel as a "first step" in the team's plans to develop not only that site but 28 acres of land across the street that includes Mellon Arena, which is scheduled to be demolished after the Consol Energy Center opens.

"It really shows that things are going to happen in this part of town," Mr. Sawyer said.

Among its amenities, the Cambria Suites Hotel, part of the Choice Hotels chain, will offer two flat-screen LCD TVs, a CD/DVD player, and MP3 jacks in each suite. There also will be a 10,000-square-foot restaurant on the lower level directly opposite a plaza for the Consol Energy Center, and a state-of-the-art fitness center with an indoor pool and spa.

And Whole Foods is coming to the North Hills!

Whole Foods plans North Hills store
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
By Teresa F. Lindeman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Natural foods retailer Whole Foods Market has settled on a location to build a second store in the Pittsburgh region, this time at the Wexford Plaza shopping center on Route 19 in McCandless.

The site choice was confirmed yesterday by an executive with the Austin, Texas, company. "We are excited to open our second Whole Foods Market store in the Pittsburgh area which will be at the Wexford Plaza," said Ken Meyer, regional president, in an e-mailed response to a query. "We hope to open our doors in the second half of 2011."

Earlier this month, the company noted in its fourth-quarter earnings release that it had signed leases for three new stores, including one in the Pittsburgh area. That announcement said the three stores would average 33,000 square feet.

A spokesman said yesterday that the company wouldn't know exact size for the Wexford Plaza location until more details are worked out on that store's layout.

Whole Foods has been considering additional locations in the region since its first store in the market opened in East Liberty in 2002. That location covers 32,500 square feet and has been a big draw for the neighborhood, helping spur other retail development nearby.

If the McCandless project goes through, it would mean the natural foods grocer that had seemed to be concentrating its efforts on the South Hills might end up going to the North Hills first. At one point, the grocer worked out a deal to put a 68,500-square-foot store in Collier but that fell through when the development stalled.

Whole Foods has continued to tinker with the size of new stores and the pace of development, as the recession slowed sales. In the most recent fiscal year, the company reported total sales rose 1 percent to $8 billion but sales in stores open at least a year fell 3.1 percent.

"We believe our sales have stabilized and officially turned the corner," said John Mackey, chairman and CEO, in his discussion of the earnings results. He said after five quarters of year-over-year drops, sales in established stores are up so far in the first quarter of the new fiscal year.

Bruce G. Betty, land use administrator for McCandless, said the township has been talking to representatives of Illinois-based Kimco Realty Corp., which owns the Wexford Plaza strip center, about a plan that would include some demolition at the shopping center. "We have not received any applications," he said.

He said the shopping center sits on the line between Pine and McCandless.

Whole Foods' recent quarterly report showed the average size of stores opened in the last fiscal year was about 53,000 square feet -- a reflection of the chain's move toward larger locations -- but the grocer said it had trimmed the size of two stores now in the development process.

On its Web site, the grocer says a good location for one of its stores would cover 40,000 to 75,000 square feet, have 200,000 or more people within a 20-minute drive, have lots of college-educated residents nearby and plenty of parking.

Meanwhile, a property description of Wexford Plaza on Kimco's Web site describes it as a 134,000-square-foot center with about 1,000 parking spaces. Kimco acquired the center in 2007, and it includes a Rite Aid drugstore, PNC Bank and Loafers Bread among other tenants.

The site description claims the average household income in the surrounding three-mile area is about $133,000, while the median household income is about $100,000. The description claims about 72,000 people live within a five-mile radius.

Calls to Kimco representatives weren't returned by deadline.

At one end of Wexford Plaza, there had been a Festival Foods store but that closed and Levin Furniture recently moved into that site.

Read more: http://www.postgazette.com/pg/09322/1014223-34.stm#ixzz0XFRN92GF

AaronPGH

11-19-2009, 02:12 AM

Whole Foods plans North Hills store

About freaking time! They need to double the size of the E. Lib store as well like they've been talking about for a while.

DBR96A

11-19-2009, 06:03 AM

Beer sales brewing for more Giant Eagles (http://www.postgazette.com/pg/09323/1014636-34.stm?cmpid=newspanel1)

And now, ladies and gentlemen...time for a music video!

"BEER!!!" - Psychostick
(2006)

O-jOEAufDQ4:cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

Here's a rundown of all the Giant Eagles in the Pittsburgh area where you'll be able to purchase six-packs of beer:

- Homestead
(The Waterfront)

- Monroeville
(Monroeville Boulevard)

- Pine
(The Village at Pine)

- Robinson
(Settler's Ridge - Market District)

- South Strabane
(Strabane Square)

- West Mifflin
(Century III Plaza)

- West View
(West View Park Shopping Center)

Apparently a Giant Eagle in Erie has a license now too.

bradjl2009

11-19-2009, 04:58 PM

^ It's about time that the Prohibition era laws of PA are starting to give way to the 21st Century!

JakeLiefer

11-19-2009, 08:42 PM

Beer sales brewing for more Giant Eagles (http://www.postgazette.com/pg/09323/1014636-34.stm?cmpid=newspanel1)

Here's a rundown of all the Giant Eagles in the Pittsburgh area where you'll be able to purchase six-packs of beer:

- Homestead
(The Waterfront)

- Monroeville
(Monroeville Boulevard)

- Pine
(The Village at Pine)

- Robinson
(Settler's Ridge - Market District)

- South Strabane
(Strabane Square)

- West Mifflin
(Century III Plaza)

- West View
(West View Park Shopping Center)

Apparently a Giant Eagle in Erie has a license now too.

Are these the same liquor licenses that bars hold? If so, aren't there a limited amount to go around in Allegheny County? I could imagine that the price of these already expensive licenses will only get more expensive as gas stations and supermarkets try to buy them up.

MattofSloppyVariety

11-20-2009, 04:42 AM

Nov 19, 2009 11:09 pm US/Eastern Local Architect Wants To Save Mellon Arena

A local architect wants to save Mellon Arena.

Rob Pfaffmann pitched his plan to the Sports and Exhibition Authority Thursday.

His idea is to retract the dome, remove the seating and create a park with an ice skating rink.

Pfaffmann would like to see a mixture of retail, office and residential space around the arena with parking hidden underneath.

He also plans to reconnect Wylie Avenue to downtown with a pedestrian walkway.

Some people in the lower Hill District told KDKA-TV they think keeping the arena makes sense.

"Why would they tear that building down all that money they put over there, OK? They took all the homes off the people to build that arena over there, now they want to tear it down," Virginia Hainesworth said.

But for others, the arena represents something they'd like to see gone – a project that destroyed blocks of a community and disconnected the Hill.

"Why not reuse it and re-purpose it and redevelop a new symbol from the old symbol, so instead of representing a failure of urban renewal, it can be a success of the community reclaiming the building," Pfaffmann said.

He also says the arena could be declared a historic landmark and that could mean tax credits to a developer.

hyperion1110

11-20-2009, 02:13 PM

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09324/1014920-455.stm

Work to begin on North Shore Trail link
Friday, November 20, 2009
By Jon Schmitz, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/images/200911/20091120route_28_trail250.gif

A bumpy half-mile missing link on the North Shore Trail will be filled handsomely this winter by a $5 million elevated structure stretching from near the 31st Street Bridge to the Three Rivers Rowing Association's boathouse in Millvale.

The trail addition "is actually one long bridge along the riverbank," said Thomas E. Baxter IV, executive director of Friends of the Riverfront, the nonprofit organization that sponsored and championed the project.

The addition is part of a $21.9 million Pennsylvania Department of Transportation project to relocate railroad tracks running parallel to Route 28 to clear the way for a major reconstruction and widening of the highway.

The project will begin soon with completion of the trail bridge scheduled for April. There will be no closure of the biking and hiking trail during the project, Mr. Baxter said. "We did not want to cut anyone off who commutes or uses the trail for recreation," he said.

Until now, riders on the North Shore who wanted to continue to Millvale had to endure a rutted half-mile unimproved section across Norfolk Southern Railway property between the entrance to the Washington's Landing bridge and the boathouse.

The project calls for moving the railroad tracks closer to the river, on the course currently used by trail patrons. The trail will occupy a 12-foot-wide elevated structure built over the edge of the riverbank.

Mr. Baxter said the structure will be above the 100-year flood plain. It will be wide enough to accommodate emergency vehicles. Because the structure will be built before rail lines are moved, there will be no need to close the trail during construction.

The completed trail structure will be taken over by the City of Pittsburgh and be part of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, a dedicated biking, hiking and walking trail running 21 miles along both sides of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers.

Mr. Baxter said public meetings will be held next year on plans to extend the trail along the Allegheny to Armstrong County. Long-range plans also call for connecting various pieces of existing trail to form a Pittsburgh-to-Erie bikeway.

Moving the railroad tracks is a key to PennDOT's plan to improve the notorious Route 28 "death stretch" from Chestnut Street to the 40th Street Bridge.

The relocation project is funded through the federal economic stimulus program. The trail improvement got $2.9 million in stimulus money, $1.5 million from earlier federal earmarks, $500,000 from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and $100,000 allocated by state Sen. Jim Ferlo, D-Highland Park., Mr. Baxter said.

The Heinz Endowments and Laurel Foundation provided $300,000 in support funding, he said.

The railroad relocation project is scheduled for completion in spring 2012. Minor restrictions may occur on Route 28 and River Avenue and a full closure of the 31st Street Bridge for about one month will be required as the project continues, PennDOT said.