PITTSBURGH | Rundown [Archive] - Page 8

Evergrey

10-03-2006, 08:28 PM

http://pittsburgh.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2006/10/02/daily16.html?t=printable

Competition continues for US Airways facilities
Pittsburgh Business Times - 3:09 PM EDT Tuesday
US Airways Group Inc. Chief Executive Doug Parker went to Charlotte in a charitable mood this week, raising money for the airline's foundation and giving $100,000 to the local United Way.

But Parker says it's too early to say if he's going to hand Charlotte an even bigger gift -- a 600-employee flight operations center.

Charlotte is vying with Pittsburgh and Phoenix for the $25 million center, which will consolidate existing offices in those two cities.

During an interview Tuesday, Parker said the airline's big hub and maintenance operations in Charlotte are a major advantage. But US Airways also has large facilities in Pittsburgh and Phoenix, so it's a very competitive decision, he added.

Initial proposals are due to US Airways by Oct. 15. Officials of the airline (NYSE:LCC) will then visit the three cities before making a final decision early next year.

The three cities are expected to offer various tax abatements and other incentives to attract the center. Previously, Charlotte has not provided specific incentives to US Airways, which operates more than 500 daily flights at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport and has more than 5,000 employees here. Charlotte/Douglas is the Arizona-based carrier's largest hub.

Parker attended a US Airways-sponsored golf tournament Monday at Highland Creek Golf Club, then took part in two United Way events Tuesday. Parker, a board member of United Way's Phoenix organization, said US Airways wants to become a bigger force in Charlotte's charitable community.

US Airways opened its Pittsburgh center 10 years ago to monitor the schedules and fueling of its East Coast and international flights.

Salaries at the center average about $40,000 per year.

Asked about industry consolidation, Parker said the merger of America West Holdings Corp. and US Airways has shown the benefits of acquisitions. During the past 18 months, the stock-market value of the combined carriers has mushroomed to $4 billion from less than $300 million.

He declined to speculate on the most likely airline combinations ahead. The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Parker approached Delta Air Lines about a possible merger, but was turned down by the Atlanta-based carrier, which is now under bankruptcy court protection.

Parker also says US Airways is making progress in its informal contract negotiations with its pilots' union, "though not as much progress as we'd like."

US Airways can't merge its two carriers' work forces until pilots from both airlines agree on a single new contract. But pilots are pushing US Airways for better pay and benefits, having lost more than $6 billion in previous concessions because of the airline's past bankruptcies.

While US Airways would save money through merged operations, airline officials say the benefits aren't large enough to require a rushed decision on its pilots' contract.

The recent promotion of veteran airline executive Scott Kirby to the president's post isn't changing Parker's work, the CEO said.

"We elevated Scott to his rightful position as our No. 2 executive," Parker says.

America West acquired US Airways last year in a $1.5 billion deal and took the US Airways name.

themaguffin

10-03-2006, 09:24 PM

Pittsburgh thanks you for debt- oh I mean charity.. oh that's right you could only take from Pittsburgh. As I mentioned before, I would offer them our natural assets and talent, but not give them any more money.

Evergrey

10-03-2006, 10:14 PM

a possible "boutique" movie theatre for E. Liberty

http://www.popcitymedia.com/developmentnews/31combank.aspx

October 4, 2006
PNC sells former East Liberty branch to ELDI

http://www.popcitymedia.com/galleries/Default/Dev%20News/Issue%2031/pnc_east_liberty_300.jpg

PNC Bank is finalizing the sale of its former 6000 Penn Avenue branch to
East Liberty Development, Inc. (ELDI). Sold at a discount, the 8,400 square-foot property may be the site of a new boutique movie theater featuring five small screens and 75-100 seats.

“We have talked to theater operators who like the market and idea,” says Rob Stephany, director of commercial development with ELDI. “PNC is as dedicated as we are to turning this into something special for the community.”

Stephany says the theater would ideally include on-site daycare and refreshment amenities.

“A driver of the sale is to ensure that plans are in line with the community’s wishes,” says Cathy Niederberger, who oversees PNC’s community development banking in nine states. “ELDI has a comprehensive widespread approach to East Liberty that is long-term and progressive.”

Stephany concurs: “It’s an important site around our town square concept. The plan is to turn properties facing East Liberty Presbyterian Church into a public realm district.”

PNC has also supported East Liberty's Kingsley Association, Emory Housing and Penn Manor.

“We don’t want to do just one project in a neighborhood,” says Niederberger. “When we leave a building, we try to be thoughtful--to see adaptive reuse throughout its footprint.”

PNC offers financial education, consumer products and community development lending and investments that support affordable housing, job creation and neighborhood revitalization. In the past five years, PNC has supported 28 small community development loans and has contributed $24.5 million to EastSide, $9.1 million in loans and $6.4 million in equity toward East Liberty projects.

On October 28, PNC celebrates the grand opening of its new location at 5932 Penn Circle South.

Writer: Jennifer Baron
Source: Cathy Niederberger, manager, community development banking, PNC, and Rob Stephany, EDLI

Image courtesy of ELDI

Evergrey

10-03-2006, 10:26 PM

themaguffin

10-03-2006, 10:28 PM

Yeah with the old school movie theaters closing, this is needed.

Evergrey

10-04-2006, 08:33 AM

I think the Southern Beltway idea is pie-in-the-sky... especially considering today's construction costs... but apparently this tiny Findlay Connector is a big deal... I've seen it mentioned many times as a huge key to unlocking the potential of the airport region... and maybe it will even help out Weirton/Steubenville

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06277/727160-57.stm

Findlay Connector to open next week
Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission will open the completed 6-mile Findlay Connector next Wednesday.

After three years of construction, the $225 million road will be ready for use Oct. 11 at Route 60 opposite the airport entrance. The highway will have four interchanges.

It follows a southern route with interchanges at Route 60 at the Pittsburgh International Airport, Route 30 and Bald Knob Road in Findlay, and Route 22 in Robinson in northern Washington County.

The commission also determined a fare at the six new toll plazas that all traffic will have to pass through each time they use the highway. Cars will pay a standard fare of 50 cents and other vehicles with more than two axles will pay 50 cents extra per axle.

The road will connect the airport and Route 60 with Weirton, W.Va., and Steubenville, Ohio, to the west on Route 22, easing commerce and relieving some of the congestion on the Parkway West. The road may also open thousands of acres in Findlay for development, which could be reclaimed mining land.

The highway may become the western section of the long-sought Southern Beltway, which is to someday loop from the airport 32 miles east through northern Washington County and southern Allegheny County to Monroeville.

The commission expects the roadway will be used for 12,000 trips a day in its first year.

Evergrey

10-04-2006, 08:37 AM

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06277/727099-53.stm

Benefit to push Downtown living
Wednesday, October 04, 2006

By Timothy McNulty, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's annual fund-raiser tomorrow night has been planned as a living, breathing performance art project -- a mix of the practical and the artistic that is also present in what the party is promoting: the Trust's half-billion dollar riverfront housing project.

The Trust announced its ambitious $460 million, 700-unit project in July. The fund-raiser is the organization's chance to re-introduce the Downtown housing plan to 500 Trust stakeholders, with hopes that they will lead the charge to live in the complex overlooking the Allegheny River.

"This is not just a party," event planner Nancy Byrnes said. "It's a celebration of the investments people are making in the Trust and the Trust is making in Pittsburgh."

The housing development is planned to be environmentally friendly, tied to the river at Fort Duquesne Boulevard and Eighth Street, and a new shot of life to the city's Cultural District. Thus the tagline to the project: "Live Green, View Blue and Paint the Town Red."

Video projectors will make the opaque tents -- on the development site at the intersection above -- glow green, blue and red. The Trust commissioned Squonk Opera to write a piano composition that will play in the blue tent and to do a series of performances in the red section.

The first building phase of 250 housing units is supposed to begin next summer, with the entire project finished by 2017. Sales are set to start early next year, perhaps in March. Trust officials plan to sell $150 raffle tickets, starting tomorrow, for the chance to win a $100,000 down payment on one of the units. The winner is set to be announced March 15.

The Trust also plans to announce the official name for the housing project tomorrow. The fund-raiser is on track to gross more than $450,000 for the Trust, Byrnes said.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Tim McNulty can be reached at tmcnulty@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1581. )

themaguffin

10-04-2006, 05:38 PM

I'm excited about the Strip District Marketplace. This will take the Strip District to the next level. Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus all have similar marketplaces.

To see a few pdf files on the project.. .go to the Strip District neighborhood website: http://www.neighborsinthestrip.com/

I have always felt that it makes sense. The are fun and useful for both tourists and locals. In Pgh, it's a great fit for the Strip (as long as they make it compliment existing business and not substitute it).

think the Southern Beltway idea is pie-in-the-sky... especially considering today's construction costs... but apparently this tiny Findlay Connector is a big deal... I've seen it mentioned many times as a huge key to unlocking the potential of the airport region... and maybe it will even help out Weirton/Steubenville

The Connector will have to significant things going for it - it substancially reduces trip times from the Ohio Valley and more importantly, opens up plentiful land with unparralled airport access.

ColDayMan

10-04-2006, 06:01 PM

The Connector will have to significant things going for it - it substancially reduces trip times from the Ohio Valley and more importantly, opens up plentiful land with unparralled airport access.

Which means, more sprawl.

themaguffin

10-04-2006, 06:26 PM

Which means, more sprawl.

Steubenville and Weirton already exist. As for development, industrial space sprawls.

PittPenn 03

10-04-2006, 06:26 PM

PittPenn 03

10-04-2006, 07:47 PM

http://www.postgazette.com/pg/06277/727320-100.stm

Council debates how to improve Penn Avenue
Wednesday, October 04, 2006

By Rich Lord, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A dispute over whether to completely rebuild or just "funkafy" Penn Avenue through the East End prompted Pittsburgh City Council to put the brakes on a proposed $4 million investment today.

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's administration sought council approval to add $2.1 million to an already allocated $1.3 million. City Assistant Director for Transportation and Engineering Pat Hassett said he could then raise another $600,000 in federal funding, bringing the total to $4 million.

With that amount, the city could rebuild two blocks, or improve four or five intersections, making them more attractive and pedestrian friendly, said Public Works Director Guy Costa. He planned to meet with the community to decide which approach to take.

But neighborhood groups want the city to spend $15 million to $20 million on a complete reconstruction of Penn from Main Street to Penn Circle West. Residents, business owners and neighborhood advocates from Bloomfield, Garfield and Friendship used council's public comment period to argue for the full project.

Mr. Costa said the city can't guarantee a total reconstruction of the 23-block stretch because there's not enough federal or local money available to address the city's many bridge and road problems.

Another approach suggested in a June e-mail from state Sen. Jim Ferlo urged the city not to "dig up the street for two years" but instead "funkafy much of the street" by encouraging development of cafes and art venues and creating a festival atmosphere.

Councilman Len Bodack, though, said he did not want to "commit to some half-baked project." He and other council members representing affected neighborhoods instead urged the administration to identify enough money to do the full project, which could involve up to $4 million in city funds and $16 million in federal transportation money.

Council postponed a tentative vote on the $4 million in spending for four weeks, to allow for negotiations between the administration and community groups.

----------
I would like to know what is meant by "complete reconstruction"?! I hope they do not want everything torn down for modern crappy stucco, steel and glass storefronts! Surely they just mean infill and restoration throughout!? I think this area is coming along very nicely and the idea to "funkafy" and to fix a few intersections is the way to go.

themaguffin

10-04-2006, 07:55 PM

PittPenn 03

10-04-2006, 10:04 PM

PittPenn, I actually commented on that as well. I don't want to see the Squirrel Hill theaters close. We've already lost too many old theaters to the cinemaplexes. Even if this new one is small, so what? The east end is represented well.

I agree, but it goes further than that to me. With or without the Sq Hill theaters, there is just no need for this. Even if you do not take the declining box offices into account, not enough people are going to go to a theater where there are going to be parking issues. The few condo and apartment buildings that might come to fruition here are not going to contain 1,000 people to fill these theaters up every weekend. I think it also needs to be taken into account that no matter how cleaned up E. Liberty gets, there will be lingering perceptions of crime for many many years that I think will keep masses of people that places like this need to survive from coming in at night or at any time really. E. Liberty had a theater - it did not make it. Bloomfield had a theater - it did not make it. Downtown had many that are all gone. It takes a certain type of person who wants to go to neighborhood theaters to go through the hassles that these theaters can cause (largely finding or paying for parking or walking). I do it, but I just about have to get in fights with people I have gone to movies here to go to the remaining ones. People want to be able to pull into a parking lot and not think twice about getting into the door. They want the nearly reclining chairs and the superb sound systems, the shiny newness. That said, I truly feel that the Southside Works theater in all its new glory, will be closed within the next 18 months. I can go to the number one movie of the week at 7pm on Friday or Saturday, and only about 25% of the seats will be filled, and if it is not the #1 movie, me and my S.O. will often be the only two in the theater. This place cannot possibly be making money. IMO, if these E. Liberty theaters are built, they will not survive more than two years.

Evergrey

10-04-2006, 11:53 PM

The East Liberty "boutique" movie theatre will most likely serve a different market than South Side Works or Lowes. It will provide an intimate viewing experience... and I assume it will show more indie, foreign and art films... as opposed to the latest Vin Diesel flick.

Evergrey

10-04-2006, 11:57 PM

. As for development, industrial space sprawls.

Exactly. The purpose of the Findlay Connector is to open up large parcels for industry. Industrial sprawl is a totally different animal than residential/commercial sprawl. You just can't put huge industrial facilities and distribution centers in the city today... nor would this be desirable.

UrbaniDesDev

10-05-2006, 03:28 AM

Pittsburgh City Council Debates How to Improve Penn Ave

This money should be concentrated on the Penn Avenue of the interior of Penn Circle. East Liberty's "main Street". Though the Penn Avenue between Main Street and Friendship is run down, it is functional. Penn Avenue in East Liberty is the main connection and Penn Circle is the malfunction of the entire corridor. With East Liberty in the middle of a very large surprising rebirth, The restoration of this section of Penn Avenue is critical to the present momentum and for future development. The money should be spent on the section of Penn Avenue between Shady Avenue and North Euclid Avenue (Penn Circle West, I will not call it that)

a possible "boutique" movie theatre for E. Liberty
Yes, this is a silly idea. I predict this will never happen.

themaguffin

10-05-2006, 04:01 AM

E. Liberty had a theater - it did not make it. Bloomfield had a theater

Exactly and the Rex and the Denis I believe as well.

The East Liberty "boutique" movie theatre will most likely serve a different market than South Side Works or Lowes.

Squirrel Hill already usually offers a couple indies. The rex used to... and of course the Harris, though small, does.

I think that the core area is well served for indies. Waterworks usually had one or two.

ColDayMan

10-05-2006, 04:16 AM

Exactly. The purpose of the Findlay Connector is to open up large parcels for industry. Industrial sprawl is a totally different animal than residential/commercial sprawl. You just can't put huge industrial facilities and distribution centers in the city today... nor would this be desirable.

Historically, these "connectors" have brought not just economic opportunity (meaning, light industrial) but sprawl with it (as connection).

But hey, maybe there are exceptions in life...

themaguffin

10-05-2006, 05:16 AM

So apparently the Canadian who wanted to move the Pens to Hamilton (but now says he will "attempt" to keep them in Pittsburgh) is going to get the team. This is getting old.

Evergrey

10-05-2006, 05:39 AM

There's a number of somewhat interesting articles in today's Post-Gazette that don't really deserve their own seperate posts... so I'll just throw out some short capsules...

1.Toshiba closer to closing Westinghouse Electric deal (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06278/727484-28.stm)

"Under the deal, Toshiba would invest $4.16 billion for a 77 percent stake in Westinghouse, which is being sold by British Nuclear Fuels PLC. Shaw would pay $1.08 billion for a 20 percent interest, and Ishikawajima-Harima would pitch in $162 million for a 3 percent stake.

...

The sale to Toshiba comes as Westinghouse is set to embark on a major expansion in anticipation of a resurgence in nuclear plant orders in the United States and elsewhere.

The company plans to hire 400 to 500 workers a year over the next five years and is in the final stages of picking a location for a new engineering campus that would initially house 1,000 people.

After a multistate search, the company is believed to have narrowed its choices to sites north of Pittsburgh in Cranberry and in the Charlotte, N.C., area."

....

2. The supposedly lightly-used SouthSide Works Cinema is hosting the 10-day Pittsburgh International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06278/727400-254.stm) starting Oct. 20.

3. The expanded article on proposed Penn Ave. upgrades vs. "funkification"
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06278/727596-53.stm
"In a related matter, council gave initial approval to spend $1.3 million to plan and manage the full transformation of Penn Circle into a two-way street."

4. Councilman Motznik's greenspace preservation plan has been reduced to 86 acres near Brookline's Moore Park and 44 acres in Overbrook.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06278/727626-53.stm

5. An Atria's restaurant will be built at the new Schenley Plaza park in Oakland. It will be a 2-story "glass box" with a water feature blah blah blah. The Oakland Historic Review Commission again rejected plans for a medical office tower. It was previously rejected at 10-stories because it was "out of scale" with the neighborhood... and now an 8-story proposal has been rejected. I think the "out of scale" argument is rather silly considering the massive buildings crowding nearby Pitt and UPMC campuses (42-story Cathedral of Learning, hello!).
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06278/727608-53.stm

6. South Side residents are protesting the opening of yet another bar on Carson St. Apparently there are 100 restaurants with liquor licenses in the neighborhood. I love the intense vibrancy and diversity of the South Side scene... but I also feel for the residents and business owners of the South Side. Unfortunately, lots of bars results in lots of drunken youth who break windows and urinate on houses. There is a public pay toilet on Carson... perhaps additional public toilets would be a good idea.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06278/727595-53.stm

7. The never-ending Penguins saga... the NHL commissioner called Pittsburgh a "hockey hotbed"... which I definately agree with... the Penguins have an extremely devoted following.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06278/727530-85.stm

The sale to Hartford's Fingold fell through some time ago. The Penguins appear poised to be purchased by Jim Balsillie, of Waterloo, Ontario... owner of the company that makes BlackBerry. He had previously wanted to move the team to Hamilton, Ontario... but now appears willing to keep the team in Pittsburgh.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06278/727533-85.stm

8. Onorato signed the county smoking ban, despite earlier claims he would veto due to the state-mandated casino exemption. However, Onorato has proposed certain amendments to make the smoking ban less effective... such as an exemption for taverns (apparently tavern employees don't deserve the same protections as restaurant employees)... hopefully Council sticks to their exemption-free ban. I find it a tad bit ironic that Onorato was willing to veto the smoking ban due to the casino exemption... but now is proposing exemptions of his own.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06278/727546-85.stm

Wheelingman04

10-05-2006, 05:43 AM

I really don't want that guy to own the Penquins. The Penquins situation is causing me a lot of stress. I could not imagine Pittsburgh without the Penquins.

PittPenn 03

10-05-2006, 07:00 PM

^Assuming the Penguins stay in Pittsburgh, it has occurred to me that this owner could be great for Pittsburgh. It seems he is a huge fan of hockey, and I would imagine as an enthusiastic owner that he will be in Pittsburgh quite often, almost perhaps enough to consider Pittsburgh a second home. Perhaps Pittsburgh could be in line for a Research in Motion regional office? This company is extremely successful, and I do not think it would be out of the question with the potential CMU partnerships that could be made.

UrbaniDesDev

10-07-2006, 04:42 AM

Here are some rendeings of proposals for the South Side Works & Waterfront
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/SSWRiverfront.jpg
Hotel
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/SSWHotel.jpg
The Hofbrauhaus
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/SSWHofbraughaus.jpg
Some non descript office buildings
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/SSW3.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/SSW2.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/SSW1.jpg
I think they would do better to make the office proposals residential. The location is probably the most unique in the city. They have a an unobstructed view and access to the river. It is the only location on the the South Side that doesn't have the railroad to contend with and the South Side is its backyard

UrbaniDesDev

10-07-2006, 04:42 AM

Here are some other views of the PNC Tower going up
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/PNCPlaza2.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/PNCPlaza4.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/PNCPlaza.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/PNCFinal.jpg

Here are some views that won't be around long, after the tower will be built
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/NewView2.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/NewView.jpg
Here's a view never seen before
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/NewView3.jpg

Wheelingman04

10-07-2006, 06:41 AM

^ Cool photos and renderings.

DBR96A

10-08-2006, 04:46 AM

I really don't want that guy to own the Penquins. The Penquins situation is causing me a lot of stress. I could not imagine Pittsburgh without the Penquins.

If we lose the team, I'd rather it go to Canada than somewhere else in the U.S. And I trust this guy more than I ever trusted Feingold. Also, I think this guy realizes that a) Pittsburgh has an active arena plan, b) also has a loyal fan base, and c) the NHL does not want the Penguins to move.

chiaroscuro

10-09-2006, 04:29 PM

Forgive me if this has been posted before...

IOC/arena/ lower hill video:

http://boss.streamos.com/wmedia/penguins/v.../pghfirst-1.asx

edit: Ack! Can't get it to work now.

chiaroscuro

10-10-2006, 06:35 PM

IOC is now the favorite to win the casino license.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15208345/

UrbaniDesDev

10-10-2006, 11:58 PM

I hope so Chiaroscuro
I always felt it was the best, most comprehensive and will benefit the city as whole.

chiaroscuro

10-11-2006, 12:41 AM

^ Especially since Forest City has indicated that they may develop the South Shore/Station Square area with or without a slots casino,

UrbaniDesDev

10-11-2006, 02:08 AM

They should have started that a long time ago. I think the casino thing held it up
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/StationSquareProposal.jpg

AaronPGH

10-11-2006, 02:08 AM

^ Especially since Forest City has indicated that they may develop the South Shore/Station Square area with or without a slots casino,

Yeah, I always wondered why they did that. It definitely wasn't in their best interest to make that bit public. Why go for only one city district redevelopment project when you can have them both?

Also, has IOC talked about how or if they will build their new hill district to plan for a future mass transit connector between Oakland and downtown?

Evergrey

10-11-2006, 05:18 AM

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06284/728937-53.stm

State gives millions for Millcraft's Fifth/Forbes project
Rendell calls it one of two keys for city
Wednesday, October 11, 2006

By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Millcraft Industries Inc. is in line to get $11 million in state aid as part of its bid to revitalize the Fifth and Forbes corridor Downtown, and more help could be on the way.

Gov. Ed Rendell said he expects the $11 million in redevelopment capital assistance money to be only part of the state funding to be provided for $71 million in projects proposed by the Washington County developer.

He called the proposed Fifth and Forbes makeover and a $460 million development in the Cultural District being undertaken by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust the "most important projects in the city."

"Those are sea-changing projects and we're going to be there to help as much as we can. This is not the last money that's available for the [Millcraft] project," he said.

Millcraft had requested $18 million in aid from the state for the projects, which include the proposed $21 million conversion of the old G.C. Murphy's store on Fifth Avenue into condos and apartments, shops and parking.

After first suggesting $18 million might be too much, Mr. Rendell later reversed himself, saying that amount of state assistance could be available through a combination of capital grants, tax breaks and tax credits.

Chuck Ardo, a spokesman for Mr. Rendell, said yesterday the governor considers the $11 million to be the state's initial investment in the Millcraft projects.

"I think the governor recognizes that this project will be ongoing and that the need for capital infusion will be phased in and he has signaled his willingness to further participate in the future," he said.

He added the $11 million is subject to the completion of negotiations. "That's the number that's currently being discussed. The entire package has not yet been finalized. We're still in negotiations with the developer," he said.

Millcraft officials could not be reached for comment.

The projects planned by Millcraft and partner Ira Morgan involve the reuse or demolition of 20 properties in the corridor owned by the city Urban Redevelopment Authority.

Besides the conversion of the G.C. Murphy's store, Millcraft is proposing to build an 18-story residential high-rise on Forbes Avenue that would feature 150 to 200 apartments and condos and 20,000 square feet of retail space. The project, known as Forbes Village, would involve the demolition of nearly a block of URA-owned buildings.

Millcraft and the URA now are working to finalize details of the developments and to settle on a price for the publicly held properties. Over the past seven years the URA has paid nearly $14 million for the parcels but could end up selling them at a loss, in part to help jump-start development of the downtrodden corridor.

The $11 million pledged by Mr. Rendell would bring to nearly $45 million the money he has committed to the Fifth and Forbes corridor Downtown over the last year.

Last December, he gave Millcraft $3.75 million toward the $65 million redevelopment of the former Lazarus-Macy's department store into condos, offices, and shops.

He also gave $30 million to PNC Financial Services Group to help finance its $170 million office, hotel and residential tower on Fifth Avenue.

Leonardo Alcivar, press secretary for Republican gubernatorial candidate Lynn Swann, questioned the use of such "corporate subsidies" in redevelopment efforts.

While he said public-private partnership may be appropriate for infrastructure-related work, improving the business climate in the state would do more to help cities grow than state subsidies, he said.

"At the end of the day, if we had a better business climate in Pennsylvania, we wouldn't need to depend as heavily on corporate subsidies that Ed Rendell uses as campaign-related promises," he said.

Dan Fee, Mr. Rendell's campaign press secretary, said many of the state investments are pre-conditioned on the company or developer adding jobs. "Yes, we make an investment, but we get return in terms of additional jobs," he said.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Ed Blazina contributed to this story. Mark Belko can be reached at mbelko@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1262. )

themaguffin

10-11-2006, 02:09 PM

It appears that Harrah's might be sold, so who knows how that might change the Station Square plans. I have serious doubts about anything going up, if they don't get the casino.

burghermeister

10-11-2006, 02:32 PM

IOC is now the favorite to win the casino license.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15208345/

I love the way they express this in terms of odds. I wonder if you can bet on the outcome somewhere?

As for IOC, I acknowledge that they seem to have put together the best proposal. But I'm not as gung-ho as many. In my experience, when something looks to good to be true it usually is. I keep asking myself: what's the catch?

It's also not clear to me that the best way to revive a once proud neighborhood that has fallen on hard times is to plop a casino down in the middle of it. We'll see I guess...

BM

Evergrey

10-11-2006, 06:44 PM

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06284/729075-100.stm

State gives $25 million for Point State Park work
Wednesday, October 11, 2006

By Don Hopey, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The state will invest $25 million in Point State Park to improve the green spaces, recreational opportunities, historical installations and outdated amenities of the park at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers.

State Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Michael DiBerardinis announced the grant from the state's capital budget this afternoon at a news conference at the park.

The goal is to restore the park to its one-time splendor and re-establish it as a symbol of the city that reflects not only the site's history but also the new recreational opportunities afforded by cleaner rivers and its location at the nexus of major hiking and biking trails.

"This facelift will give people who visit Point State Park the opportunity to connect with the great outdoors by biking, rollerblading, strolling and interacting with the water -- all in the heart of the city," Mr. DiBerardinis said.

Among the improvements planned for the riverside of the park, on the west side of the highway underpass, are a seating area around the fountain, a restored promenade along the rivers with steps into the rivers, information and concession kiosks, rest room renovations, new pumps for the fountain, a causeway and dock tie-ups for boats, and new connections between the park and the bicycle trails that run along the rivers.

Today's announcement of the grant came just a day after Gov. Edward Rendell announced he would funnel $11 million to the redevelopment effort in the nearby Fifth and Forbes corridor, Downtown.

"Point State Park has something for everyone -- tourists, downtown workers, history buffs, nearby residents," Gov. Rendell said. "Our $25 million investment will make it even more attractive as the symbol of Pittsburgh and the city's renaissance, a valuable regional asset, a place to reflect on history and a great way for people to connect to our rivers."

A master plan for the park calls for renovation work to occur in two phases. The first phase, concentrated on the city side of the highway overpass that bisects the park, will start soon and is expected to be completed by the end of 2007.

A schedule for the second phase, where the $25 million will be spent, has not been determined, according to the DCNR.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

UrbaniDesDev

10-12-2006, 04:14 AM

State gives $25 million for Point State Park work
Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Heres some details of the plans for point State Park
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/PointStatePark5-1.jpg

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

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http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/PointStatePark15.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/po.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/PointStatePark7-1.jpg

Evergrey

10-12-2006, 05:29 AM

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_474579.html

Tax breaks sought for Nabisco site

By Ron DaParma
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, October 12, 2006

A Shadyside developer is seeking up to $1.25 million in tax breaks for the proposed redevelopment of the former Nabisco factory in East Liberty.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority is expected to approve a request today for tax increment financing for the project -- known as Bakery Square.

Walnut Capital Partners previously announced plans for a 120-room hotel, 38 residential units, 380,000-square-feet of retail space and an 800-space parking garage on the six-acre Penn Avenue site.

A URA report says Walnut Capital would use the funds to "fill financing gaps in the proposed parking garage and infrastructure improvements."

Tax increment financing allows property tax dollars generated by a development to be used to pay off bonds issued for construction, generally for road, sewer and improvements, usually over 20 years.

The URA plans to issue bonds for the financing and enter into a grant agreement with the state Department of Community and Economic Development for funds for infrastructure development.

Walnut Capital has an agreement to purchase the property for an undisclosed amount from the Regional Industrial Development Corp.

Anthony Dolan, a principal at Walnut Capital, declined comment on the financing request. But he said the company believes Bakery Square will be an important piece in the revitalization of East Liberty and nearby neighborhoods.

Walnut Capital has said it expects the project to fill "pent-up" demand for retail, hotel and other uses in East Liberty, Shadyside and Oakland spurred in part by continued growth of health care and university-driven economic expansion.

Also, the success of the Home Depot store in East Liberty and the Whole Foods market that is part of Mosites Co.'s Eastside project have helped change the dynamics of the area.

"This project will be part of an ongoing process that is transforming the neighborhood and bringing East Liberty back to life," Dolan said.

The 495,000-square-foot factory has been vacant since Bake-Line Group of Oak Brook, Ill., declared bankruptcy in early 2004, ending jobs for 290 bakery workers.

The facility consists of three connected buildings, including a seven-story main tower and two smaller structures.

Jerome Dettore, executive director of the URA, could not be reached for comment.

Other proposals up for URA consideration today include:

A request for up to $2 million in grant funding to support development of the $10.5 million-plus South Shore Riverfront Park at the SouthSide Works.

An application for funding from the state for a redevelopment assistance capital program for up to $1.25 million to support expansion of the National Aviary on the North Side.

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

Evergrey

10-12-2006, 05:37 AM

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06285/729375-28.stm

US Airways offered millions to build operations center here
State, county use grants, credits, loans to woo $16.25 facility
Thursday, October 12, 2006

By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The state and Allegheny County are offering US Airways $16.25 million in grants, tax credits and loans to entice the airline to build a $25 million flight operations center in Pittsburgh rather than Phoenix or Charlotte., N.C.

Gov. Ed Rendell said yesterday that the state and county are utilizing everything in "our economic development quiver" in their bid to secure the center, which would allow the region to keep 450 jobs and add up to 150.

"We're using everything we've got because we think it's important to keep that facility in Pittsburgh," Mr. Rendell said after a ribbon-cutting to open the 6-mile Findlay Connector toll road.

The $16.25 million financial package includes $3 million in state and county grants, $12.5 million in loans and $750,000 in state tax credits tied to the number of jobs created by the project.

Of the loans, $6.5 million would come from the county and state and $6 million from Citizens Bank as part of an equipment financing program done in partnership with the state. That loan would be made by Citizens directly to US Airways.

Mr. Rendell and Dennis Yablonsky, secretary of the state Department of Community and Economic Development, said the package amounts to an opening bid in negotiations with the airline, which has cut nearly 10,000 jobs in the Pittsburgh region over the last five years.

"It's a negotiating process. We believe this is step one. It's going to be a give and take," Mr. Rendell said.

Charlotte and Phoenix also are preparing offers to try to entice the airline to build in their cities. US Airways sent letters to all three cities in August, asking that any proposals be submitted by Oct. 15.

The airline now has two flight operations centers, one in Pittsburgh and one in Phoenix, as a result of last year's merger between the old US Airways and Tempe, Ariz.-based America West Airlines.

It is looking to consolidate those operations in the new center, to be built in 2008 or 2009 in one of the cities. In requesting proposals, US Airways said it was interested in any "tax abatements or other incentives that would make one location preferable to another," including reduced building and equipment costs and operating expenses.

Local and state officials have vowed to be aggressive in going after the center, not wanting to lose more jobs in a region reeling from the dominant airline's numerous cutbacks.

The Pittsburgh center, located in RIDC Park West near Pittsburgh International Airport, has long been the nerve center for the airline, at one time keeping track of more than 542 daily flights. That number now is down to about 164.

The Phoenix center, which handled America West traffic before the merger, employs 150.

Mr. Yablonsky said he submitted the proposed package of grants, tax credits and loans to US Airways yesterday. The financial incentives are part of a larger package that involves possible sites for the new center.

"We've put a good foot forward on this. We're very keen on doing everything we can to secure this project for the Greater Pittsburgh region," he said.

US Airways declined comment.

The county and its airport authority have offered four possible locations for the new center, all on authority-owned land near Pittsburgh International. Three would involve new construction and the other reuse of a building.

US Airways has said it wants a new single-story building of 60,000 to 75,000 square feet, with six acres and room to expand by three acres if needed.

"It will be competitive," said airport authority Executive Director Kent George, who would not divulge the locations.

He did say the carrier wants a site on or "immediately adjacent" to the airport.

Mr. George said the county and airport authority plan to offer more financial and site details and relocation information before the Oct. 15 deadline to supplement the incentive package submitted by Mr. Yablonsky.

After the proposals have been submitted, Mr. George and Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato intend to make formal presentations to US Airways.

Despite the massive job and flight cutbacks in Pittsburgh over the last five years, officials believe they have a chance at getting the center under US Airways' new leadership and because many of the employees who do the work currently are based here.

"I believe the workforce we have in place ... is a huge advantage," Mr. Yablonsky said.

US Airways expects to make a decision in February.

Bill Lauer, a local airline analyst, said the state and county financial proposal "sounds to me like a pretty attractive package" but added it was difficult to tell without knowing the other cities' offers.

He also pointed out that if US Airways were to merge with another airline, like Delta or Northwest, discussion about a new operations center "could all be for naught."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Staff writer Dan Fitzpatrick contributed. Mark Belko can be reached at mbelko@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1262. )

Evergrey

10-12-2006, 05:42 AM

more ink on Point State Park

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06285/729339-53.stm

State will provide $25 million for Point State Park
Thursday, October 12, 2006

By Don Hopey, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

From the Pittsburgh portal that is the Fort Pitt Tunnel, or the overlooks on Mount Washington, Point State Park is the sylvan celebration of a cityscape ranked among the most beautiful in the world.

But up close, the diamond of green at Pittsburgh's Point, long the most recognizable symbol of the city's first Renaissance, has grown rough and threadbare from overuse and neglect.

The stone on its walkways and river promenade is cracked, broken and poorly patched with asphalt. After a rain, mud and puddles abound. Park benches are peeling paint and its rest rooms are festooned with graffiti. The back of the park stage looks like a junk yard, littered with cut logs, fence posts, rolled snow fencing and plastic drums. Tie-ups for boats are bent and rusted.

And the dug-out trench where the bricks of the Music Bastion mark colonial-era battlegrounds are regularly hallowed only by the bedding of the homeless.

Yesterday, though, state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Michael DiBerardinis announced that the state will invest $25 million in a $35 million Point State Park renovation project to improve the green spaces, recreational opportunities, historical installations and outdated amenities at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers.

The four-year funding commitment from the state's capital budget is in addition to $7.1 million in contracts for general contracting, plumbing and electrical work awarded by the state's Department of General Services last month. The remainder of the renovation costs will come from private sources.

The goal is to restore the 35-year-old park to its onetime splendor and re-establish it as an emblem of the city and a valuable regional asset -- one that reflects not only the site's history but the new recreational opportunities afforded by cleaner rivers and its location at the nexus of major hiking and biking trails.

"This face-lift will give people who visit Point State Park the opportunity to connect with the great outdoors by biking, roller blading, strolling and interacting with the water -- all in the heart of the city," Mr. DiBerardinis said at a news conference in the park. Nearby, more than 50 Canada geese grazed on the lawn between him and the fountain spouting pink in honor of national Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Among the improvements planned for the river side of the park, west of the underpass, are new pipes and pumps for the fountain, a seating area around the fountain and a wading area for children; a restored promenade along the rivers with steps into the rivers; information and concession kiosks; rest room renovations, two water taxi landings and dock tie-ups for boats and kayaks; and new connections between the park and the Great Allegheny Passage and Three Rivers Heritage Trail, the bicycle and walking trails that run along the rivers. Wireless Internet access will be provided.

"I see it all around the state, but Pittsburgh is leading the way in opening up its riverfronts and cleaning up the banks and adjacent land," Mr. DiBerardinis said. "These renovations will make the park more user friendly and appealing in a unique and exciting way."

The renovations will make the park more accessible to the 140,000 Downtown workers and the residents of the region, said Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl.

"It's a great, great park," he said, "for the businesses and the people who live, work and play here."

Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato said the updates and changes "will create a totally different park, not just along the shoreline or on the trails, but in the different way people will use it."

A park master plan calls for renovation work to occur in two phases. The first phase, concentrated on the city side of the highway overpass that bisects the park, will start soon and is expected to be completed by the end of 2007, in time for the gala celebration of Pittsburgh's 250th birthday in 2008.

A schedule for the second phase of work, where most of the $25 million will be spent, has not been determined. Mr. DiBerardinis said design work for Phase II will be decided by the end of this year.

Lisa Schroeder, executive director of the Riverlife Task Force, said some of the most exciting park renovations will occur along its edges, and especially with its connections to riverfront trails along the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers.

"Construction will begin this year on the greenways along the wharf and they will come together with the park for the 2008 celebration," Ms. Schroeder said. "This announcement of state money is a really wonderful boost for the momentum of the project."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Don Hopey can be reached at dhopey@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1983. )

...

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_474592.html

$25M in state funds will flow to Point

By Allison M. Heinrichs
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, October 12, 2006

Pittsburgh's "crown jewel" will get a $25 million polishing, state officials said Wednesday.
The money will transform Point State Park into a venue suitable of hosting the region's 250th anniversary in 2008, officials said. It is the largest investment to restore a state park in Pennsylvania's history, according to state officials, and will come from the state's capital budget.

"It is the symbol of downtown Pittsburgh, it is the symbol of the city," said Michael DiBerardinis, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Natural Resources. "This will improve the quality of life for the citizens of Pittsburgh."

Four years in the making, the restoration project includes adding a wading pool to the fountain, building an outdoor amphitheater for concerts, adding two landings for boats and paddlers, restoring the promenade along the Allegheny River, constructing a visitors center and cafe, building bike paths and trails, and improving restrooms and lighting.

The state money will almost entirely cover the restoration costs.

"This is a tremendous investment in our area," said Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl. "We have the opportunity to have ... a great, great park in our Downtown."

About 2.5 million people visit the 36-acre park each year, placing it near the middle of Pennsylvania's 117 state parks in terms of visitation. Presque Isle State Park in Erie ranks first, with almost 4 million visitors annually.

The restoration project has met with some resistance because construction will disrupt some of the region's major venues and bury some of its history.

Because of the construction, the Three Rivers Arts Festival, Three Rivers Regatta, Independence Day fireworks and possibly the holiday tree traditionally installed atop the fountain might have to temporarily find new homes.

The "trench" that bisects the park and exposes a few of the original bricks from Fort Pitt -- which protected about 600 men, women and children during the French and Indian War in the mid-1700s -- will be filled in to create a lawn for events.

"They're going to bury it only for the convenience of having more flat ground to set up vendors," said Michael V. Nixon, a historic preservation lawyer with the Fort Pitt Preservation Society. "This is a national historic landmark, it's not Pittsburgh's personal sandbox."

DiBerardinis said the wall will be buried in a way that would preserve it, should future generations wish to excavate and study the fort. A granite outline in the lawn will mark its location, and an archaeologist will be on site throughout the project. The historical significance of the site will be highlighted through informative signs and sculptures, he said.

"This park has unique historical significance, and we're going to enhance that," DiBerardinis said.

Allison M. Heinrichs can be reached at aheinrichs@tribweb.com or (412) 380-5607.

Evergrey

10-13-2006, 05:18 AM

...

themaguffin

10-13-2006, 05:22 AM

Maybe this is a normal issue, but it seems like they should have planned this better...

5th-Forbes developer wobbling
Cost of G.C. Murphy renovation soars far beyond expectations
Friday, October 13, 2006

By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A Washington County developer will get two more months to produce a final redevelopment plan for the Fifth and Forbes corridor, Downtown, as it struggles to bring down the cost of converting the old G.C. Murphy store into shops and condos.

The city Urban Redevelopment Authority board voted yesterday to give Millcraft Industries Inc. until December to finalize a comprehensive plan for redeveloping 19 URA-owned properties in the corridor.

Millcraft originally was to have its final proposal in place by October, but URA Executive Director Jerome Dettore told board members the developer was having trouble finding a way to renovate the Murphy store on Fifth Avenue at a reasonable cost.

He said the developer faced an initial $12 million gap between its financing and the cost of the renovation.

"The costs to renovate are much, much higher than anyone anticipated," Mr. Dettore said.

The Murphy store is one of 19 URA parcels Millcraft hopes to purchase as part of its plans to rejuvenate the downtrodden corridor. The URA paid $13.8 million for the properties over the past seven years.

An appraiser hired by the URA and Millcraft has set the value of the parcels at $6 million, less than half of what the URA paid for them. The appraisal will serve as the benchmark for negotiations between the developer and the authority over purchase price.

In announcing its plans for the corridor, Millcraft had proposed a $21 million conversion of the Murphy building into 50 apartments and condos and 25,000 square feet of retail.

Lucas Piatt, Millcraft vice president of real estate, said the developer has found that redevelopment costs could run anywhere from $20 million to $40 million, depending on the plan being considered.

"We're trying to find a happy medium," he said.

Mr. Dettore said part of the problem is that the old store actually is five separate buildings with varying floor plans, making it hard -- and expensive -- to convert to housing.

Also, column spacing within the structures is erratic, posing potential problems for both the housing and retailers who want a lot of open floor space. Mr. Piatt said there are ways to fix that, but they're not inexpensive.

Millcraft already has crafted two plans for redeveloping the Murphy store and now has three others in the works in an attempt to lower the cost while at the same time offering a draw for residents and retailers.

Mr. Piatt said retail interest in the building has been high, and the developer now wants to offer two floors of retail, more than 66,000 square feet in all.

The $12 million gap between the financing and the cost of the renovation doesn't account for $11 million in state money Gov. Ed Rendell has pledged for Millcraft projects in the corridor.

However, that money goes to both the Murphy conversion and the separate $50 million Forbes Village high-rise proposed by Millcraft on Forbes Avenue. The 18-story high-rise would feature 150 to 200 apartments and condos and retail space.

Mr. Piatt said $11 million offered so far by Mr. Rendell "isn't bad to get the ball rolling" but added Millcraft still is in negotiations with the state on a final amount. He noted the developer originally requested state funding in the $18 million range. Mr. Rendell has indicated more money could be released in the future, as the projects progress.

Despite the obstacles in converting the Murphy building, he and Brian Walker, chief financial officer, said Millcraft remains committed to the project and redevelopment of the Fifth and Forbes corridor.

"We're going to make it happen," Mr. Piatt said.

To help make the Murphy project work, Mr. Dettore said the URA also may have to commit funding. Don Kortlandt, URA general counsel, said the agency also is prepared to be "flexible" on the purchase prices for the URA-held properties in the corridor.

"We don't want to be taken advantage of, but we want the developer to be able to redevelop these sites," he said.

State and local government built an entire airport for US Airways in 1992, then proposed a giant aircraft maintenance, reservation and training complex for the carrier in 1999.
Now, US Airways has its hand out again, for millions in public incentives to build a flight-operations control center here. And some experts believe government could be throwing good tax money after bad.

"I'm particularly skeptical about giving money to a company that's treated the taxpayers here so badly in the past," said Jake Haulk, president of the Allegheny Institute, a public policy think tank in Mt. Lebanon.

Pennsylvania is offering more than $16 million in incentives to US Airways to locate a new flight control center that would employ between 400 and 600 people. The airline in late August pitted Pittsburgh against Phoenix and Charlotte, N.C., which are submitting their own proposals.

The airline seeks a $25 million, high-security facility that's one-story with at least 60,000 square feet on six acres. Such facilities are the nerve center of an airline, using sophisticated computers to monitor weather conditions, aircraft locations and flight plans in real time.

The airline has been using the US Airways control center at RIDC Park West in Findlay and the America West Airlines' control center in Phoenix since the carriers merged in September 2005. The Pittsburgh center employs 450, while the Phoenix facility has 175 workers.

"It doesn't make sense to operate both of them" indefinitely, said US Airways spokesman Phil Gee.

The city offering the fattest incentives will "not necessarily" be the one selected, Gee said. "We'll certainly take into consideration factors like quality of life and employee feedback. It's a package deal, really."

The carrier expects to make a decision in February. It wants to have the new site up and running by early 2009.

"US Airways has a terrible track record in responding to our requests and plans," said Jim Roddey, former chief executive of Allegheny County. "They always tell us they were considering Pittsburgh, and then we find out later they never were considering Pittsburgh."

For instance, more than 800 reservations employees in Green Tree lost their jobs in spring 2005 when the airline moved the reservations center in Pennsylvania to Winston-Salem, N.C. That happened despite the fact Allegheny County presented US Airways with an incentives package in December 2004 that county officials said was superior.

"The package we put together was very competitive. But we found out in the end they never had any intention of having that facility in Pittsburgh," said Roddey. "So we wasted our time and built up false expectations of people who hoped to have jobs there."

The three cities' flight-control center proposals are due to US Airways by Sunday.

"The airport authority and Allegheny County are working on the final proposal and adjusting it through working with the state," said Kent George, executive director of the Allegheny County Airport Authority.

"This money is in programs that are available to every company in the state of Pennsylvania," said Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato.

Gov. Ed Rendell "remains fully committed to keeping high-paying airline jobs in Pennsylvania," said Rendell spokeswoman Kate Philips.

Local government had built Pittsburgh International for $1 billion, mostly to US Airways' specifications. It opened in 1992 and the construction debt is mostly paid for by US Airways and other airlines leasing the gates.

But US Airways has slashed its Pittsburgh flights and work force drastically. Daily flights that peaked at over 500 in 2001 have dropped to 164 a day. Plus, US Airways cut more than 9,000 jobs in the Pittsburgh area, from nearly 12,000 in 2001 to only 2,900. That contrasts with roughly 5,000 in Charlotte, which remains a hub for US Airways.

"How long can we continue to spend so much taxpayer money for each of these jobs before we go broke?" said Haulk. "A lot of these (flight-control center workers) don't even live in Western Pennsylvania. A lot of them live in West Virginia."

Officials of neither Charlotte nor Phoenix would discuss their proposals.

Wow I agree with the Trib abd Allegheny Institute. They are right on this. They act like the their raping of Pittsburgh was long ago. They should offer more jobs on good faith, but instead its they just want more taxpayer money.

Evergrey

10-13-2006, 05:25 AM

in other news... Franco Harris is converted a vacant building at Federal and North on the North Side into a Mediterranean restaurant... nice to see that long-neglected area get some new life.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_474816.html

PittPenn 03

10-13-2006, 01:49 PM

Wow I agree with the Trib abd Allegheny Institute. They are right on this. They act like the their raping of Pittsburgh was long ago. They should offer more jobs on good faith, but instead its they just want more taxpayer money.[/QUOTE]

I hate to say it, but so do I. I think we should just let them go. Usair has not even proved they are going to survive. This money could be offered to create biotech and robotics jobs which have a much better chance of having a future here than airline jobs. Though I am sure Usair has no intentions of keeping this center here anyway, they are surely just using us to squeeze more corporate welfare out of Charlotte.

themaguffin

10-13-2006, 06:31 PM

Airport to get $32.4 million military equipment facility
Friday, October 13, 2006

By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A $32.4 million facility to repair state-owned military equipment will be built on property at Pittsburgh International Airport, the Allegheny County Airport Authority is announcing today.

The state Department of Military and Veteran Affairs will sign a 29-year lease to build a 145,000-square-foot facility on 27 acres of airport land adjacent to the 171st Air National Guard base. The facility, which initially will provide 100 jobs and eventually as many as 200, will provide support, a maintenance shop and motor vehicle storage.

The facility will perform maintenance and other service for military vehicles and equipment including tanks. It will have 14 general work bays and 11 speciality bays.

The airport authority has scheduled a 1 p.m. news conference to announce the agreement.

The Army National Guard will be paying an initial rent of $17,335 a year with increases based on the Consumer Price Index.

Not huge news, but good news nonetheless.

themaguffin

10-16-2006, 05:10 AM

More housing for the Strip....

Penn Mac buys building in Strip, intends to build residential units
Pittsburgh Business Times - October 13, 2006by Ben Semmes

The Pennsylvania Macaroni Co. has purchased a three-story commercial building at 18th and Smallman streets in the Strip District and plans to convert the top two floors into residential units.

President David Sunseri said the company, founded by his family near the turn of the 20th century, is investing in the neighborhood because he is confident in its potential for further growth.

The area -- long known for its produce purveyors and warehouse space, before becoming an entertainment destination with dozens of bars and nightclubs -- has seen a residential resurgence of late. A number of new housing units are planned.

"I truly believe in the future of the Strip District," Sunseri said. "I think the ... Strip District's potential is unlimited. The potential of the Strip District is not even touched."

Sunseri said that while he hopes to carve out residential units in the upper portion of the building his company has acquired, he will maintain the ground level as commercial retail space. The property, located at 1810 Smallman Street, sold for $350,000, according to Allegheny County property records.

The 12,000-square-foot building, which previously housed an indoor produce market, is currently available for lease, Sunseri said. He said Pennsylvania Macaroni owns about a dozen buildings in the Strip District.

August J. Galluze, a retiree who previously owned the 18th and Smallman property, said, "we just got tired of the building."

Becky Rodgers, executive director of Neighbors in the Strip, an economic development organization, applauded Sunseri and other business owners for their efforts to bring residents to the area.

"I think the Strip District really is the hot place right now," Rodgers said.

Evergrey

10-16-2006, 05:42 AM

I believe this 3-story Bill's Produce building is what that article is referring to.

http://i.pbase.com/g3/86/571686/2/56560971.100_4745.jpg

Evergrey

10-17-2006, 03:25 PM

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06290/730684-100.stm

Trader Joe's to open next week in E. Liberty
Tuesday, October 17, 2006

By Teresa Lindeman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The first Pittsburgh-area Trader Joe's grocery store, which has been under construction in East Liberty, is officially scheduled to open next week, according to company officials.

An upscale discount grocer with a cult-like following, the chain based in Monrovia, Calif., will operate a 10,500-square-foot store in the former Wheeler Paint building on Penn Avenue. The ceremonial lei cutting -- store employees wear Hawaiian-themed shirts -- is planned for Oct. 27.

East Liberty has drawn a collection of unusual grocery stores in recent years, first with the region's only Whole Foods Market store followed by the launch earlier this year of one of O'Hara-based Giant Eagle's new Market District stores. On the other hand, a nearby Shop 'n Save store closed recently.

Trader Joe's, which has received letters from shoppers urging the chain to come to Pittsburgh, is believed to be considering putting a second location on Washington Road in Mt. Lebanon. The company has more than 260 stores in 22 states.

...

http://www.popcitymedia.com/developmentnews/33tjs.aspx

October 18, 2006
Trader Joe’s to celebrate grand opening
On October 27, Trader Joe’s opens the doors to its first Pittsburgh location, a 10,500 square-foot store at 6343 Penn Avenue in East Liberty.

The much-anticipated opening will kick off with a ceremonial lei cutting and will feature product demos and food tastings.

The store’s festive décor combines traditional cedar-covered walls, Hawaiian-inspired elements and local flare. Its design pays tribute to Pittsburgh’s beloved bridges with large models and murals of the city at night.

"We’re eager to be part of the neighborhood,” says Alison Mochizuki with Trader Joe’s. “There are a lot of foodies in Pittsburgh.”

Known as a “store of stories,” the company’s reputation is built on distinctive products, great deals and a light-hearted atmosphere. Considered “traders on the culinary seas,” employees don signature Hawaiian shirts and offer insightful product background.

“They’ve been a pleasure to do business with--from operations to real estate to in-store personnel,” says Lori Moran, who developed the project.

The store carries domestic and imported products including artisan breads, Arabica bean coffees and frozen entrées, along with basics.

To maintain low prices, Trader Joe’s purchases directly from manufacturers and sells its 1,000 items under a private label. Popular favorites include Trader Darwin's vitamins, Trader José's salsas and Trader Giotto’s sauces.

Introducing a dozen new items weekly, Trader Joe's employ buyers who scour Europe, South America and Asia for unique products at great values. Thousands of items are tasted annually to identify products for both “culinary adventurers and microwave aficionados.”

Pittsburghers can soon expect Trader Joe’s now-legendary “Fearless Flyer” in mailboxes. Dubbed a cross between Consumer Reports and Mad Magazine, the often-irreverent newsletter highlights products and recipes.

Founded in 1958 in Los Angeles, Trader Joe’s has 260 stores in 22 states.

Writer: Jennifer Baron
Source: Alison Mochizuki, director of national publicity, Trader Joe’s; Lori Moran

Photograph copyright © Lori Moran

http://www.popcitymedia.com/galleries/Default/Dev%20News/Issue%2033/trader_joes_300.jpg

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10-17-2006, 03:25 PM

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06290/730629-53.stm

Market Square proposal adds fun
Marble and trees give way to kids, art, food, performances
Tuesday, October 17, 2006

By Rich Lord, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Ditch the marble. Thin the trees. Add fun.

That, in brief, is the draft plan for Market Square that Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's administration will unveil today. If adopted, it would keep the current street grid in place, but dedicate the square's four quadrants to children, art, performances and food.

The square is the nearest public park for several new developments, from Three PNC Plaza on Fifth Avenue to 151 First Side on First Avenue. Improving that park is important to the success of those efforts, said city Planning Director Pat Ford.

"This is a critical link to all of these wonderful private projects that are going on in our city," he said yesterday.

An improved square would boost housing and retail projects like Piatt Place, in the former Lazarus store, and the transformation of the G.C. Murphy building, said Jack Piatt, chairman of Millcraft Industries Inc., the developer.

"We're truly excited about what they're doing. It's wonderful," he said.

The plan was crafted by a New York-based nonprofit consulting group called the Project for Public Spaces. The group led a workshop on the square a month ago, and has examined it carefully.

At noon, the planning department will present the plan to business owners, developers, foundations and Downtown business groups, said Mr. Ford. From 5 to 6:30 p.m., it will hold a public town meeting on the proposal at the Harris Theater on Liberty Avenue.

Mr. Ford said the consultant found that the marble risers and trees block sight lines, creating a sense of insecurity. Some trees would stay around the square's periphery, but the marble would go.

Good idea?

"To eliminate seats, beds, whatever? Yeah," said Rick Faust, manager of the square's Original Oyster House, as he assembled fish sandwiches.

He said that business owners have been involved in planning the redevelopment push, unlike some previous planning efforts.

Under the new plan, the square's northeast quadrant, across from the Oyster House, would become a seasonal garden and market area with removable chairs and tables.

The northwest quadrant would remain a stage.

The southwest, nearest to PPG Place, would feature a public art piece, and kiosks and tables so diners from the nearby food court could eat outside.

The biggest change might be in the southeastern section, which would focus on children.

"That's a great idea," said Mr. Faust. "We typically see a lot of families on Saturday."

"There are a number of day care centers in and around Downtown," said Mr. Ford. Staff bring the youngsters to the square, where they have little to do but sit. "Why aren't we doing something to accommodate all of these kids?"

The quadrant would become a play area, but probably wouldn't feature permanent playground equipment, he said. It would instead host a changing set of attractions, plus programming for the younger set.

A crucial next step is finding a group willing to take charge of conducting year-round activities in the revamped square.

Also still to come is a cost estimate for improvements like removing the marble.

Mr. Ford said public input gathered today would be used to refine the plan before his department seeks the go-ahead from elected officials. Construction could start in the spring.

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(Rich Lord can be reached at rlord@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1542. )

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10-17-2006, 03:26 PM

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06290/730631-28.stm

Toshiba takes over Westinghouse Electric
Tuesday, October 17, 2006

By Patricia Sabatini, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Ownership of Westinghouse Electric Co. was transferred from British to Japanese hands yesterday as Toshiba Corp. completed the purchase of the Monroeville-based nuclear power plant company from British Nuclear Fuels PLC for $5.4 billion.

An official announcement of the deal was expected this morning. Top officials of Toshiba, who are expected to be in town Friday to speak to Westinghouse employees, have said they intend to keep the company headquartered in Monroeville and retain current management and staff, which number about 3,000 locally and 9,000 worldwide.

Toshiba, which took a 77 percent stake in Westinghouse, announced two weeks ago that it had received all necessary regulatory clearances for the purchase and had struck a deal with Louisiana-based Shaw Group and Japan's Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co., each of which will take minority stakes in the company.

The sale comes as Westinghouse, the surviving unit of the former conglomerate whose largest business is servicing nuclear power plants, is set to embark on a major expansion in anticipation of a resurgence in nuclear plant orders in the United States and abroad.

The company expects to hire 400 to 500 workers a year over the next five years and is in the final stages of picking an expansion site for a new engineering campus that would initially house about 1,000 employees.

After a multistate search, Westinghouse is believed to be leaning toward sites in the Cranberry area. A final decision is expected next month.

Toshiba, better known for its televisions, cell phones, laptops and other consumer electronics, also is a leading builder of nuclear power plants.

The company has said the acquisition of Westinghouse makes it the world's biggest nuclear power company, with a 28 percent share of the global market. Toshiba's expertise is making boiling water reactors, while Westinghouse makes the more popular pressurized-water reactors.

BNFL, owned by the British government, bought Westinghouse in 1999 for about $1.2 billion. It put the business on the sales block in July 2005, indicating at the time that it considered the growing worldwide nuclear power business to be too risky for British taxpayers.

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(Patricia Sabatini can be reached at psabatini@post-gazette.com or 412-263-3066. )

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10-17-2006, 03:28 PM

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06290/730657-53.stm

City demolishing abandoned houses
First step in creating safety zones for schools
Tuesday, October 17, 2006

By Diana Nelson Jones, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The city has begun the first demolitions of abandoned houses under its safety zone initiative aimed at making areas near schools more secure.

Workers began on Fleury Way in Homewood yesterday.

DJ Demo has the 21-property demolition contract, which includes nine structures on Fleury as well as 12 other properties within 1,000 feet of the Helen S. Faison Arts Academy on Tioga Street. Owner D.J. Nelson said the demolitions on Fleury should be finished by the beginning of next week.

Criminal activities and derelict properties are targets in safety zones, defined as within 1,000 feet of a public school building.

It was already a federal crime to possess or discharge a firearm, or possess or distribute narcotics, within 1,000 feet of a school when the city announced over the summer its initiative to bolster its efforts within the same zones -- specifically demolishing abandoned or blighted properties, towing junk cars and cleaning overgrown, littered lots.

The late Mayor Bob O'Connor and Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Mark Roosevelt established the safety zone partnership.

Dick Skrinjar, spokesman for Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, said the initiative "goes hand in glove" with the Redd-Up campaign that Mr. O'Connor made his signature cause. Mr. Skrinjar said the city expects all 21 Homewood properties to be razed by the end of the year, with owners notified of the impending demolitions.

"This is a great first step," he said.

Yesterday, Alonzo Mills, who lives near Fleury, watched the demolition from across the street.

"I'm enjoying this," he said. "This is way past due. That row was an eyesore, and crack addicts were making it their home. Someone was squatting in one of them until last week."

The crane operator tore the facade off first, leaving the building exposed like a doll house. Inside, furnishings suggested a '70s vintage. When the crane's bucket glanced off the side of one of the last properties in the row, a mattress rose up, did a little dance and then slid down into the crashing din of bricks, mortar, wires, ceiling tiles, wallboard and billowing dust.

Mr. Mills said he has noticed an increase in the city's attention to blight in Homewood.

"I've been seeing others [demolitions], and abandoned cars are being pulled. They're getting it together," he said.

U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan said Fleury Way "has been the focus of law enforcement for many years. We've seen increased drug distribution in that area, including several indications of gang activities."

She said that for law enforcement to succeed it needs residents to be whistle-blowers for their neighborhoods.

"Often people think law enforcement already has the information," she said. "We are asking people to err on the side of telling us something we already know."

Mr. Skrinjar said the Homewood contract is one of the most aggressive blight eradications the city has undertaken in a single neighborhood this year. He said plans have not been made as to what the next safety zone neighborhood will be.

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

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10-17-2006, 10:13 PM

the latest in a string of good news for long-struggling Wilkinsburg

http://www.popcitymedia.com/developmentnews/33peebles.aspx

October 18, 2006
$5.6 million Peebles Square to bring 25 new units to Wilkinsburg
Following a recently finalized parcel acquisition, a new $5.6 million residential project in Wilkinsburg has entered the design phase. Just south of Penn Avenue near Regent Square and Park Place, Peebles Square is being developed by Action Housing and will feature up to 25 new, for-sale single-family houses. The low-to-moderate income housing will include a variety of detached homes, rehabilitated units and row houses.

Demolition of blighted properties and the rehabilitation of at least one property will start by the end of 2006. Up to eight rehabbed units could be completed by summer 2007. Construction of new houses is expected to start during summer 2007.

“We are excited that it’s an entire urban neighborhood block,” says project architect Ken Doyno. “It’s an opportunity to reinforce development in the area.”

Residents and representatives from the Borough of Wilkinsburg, Hosanna House and the Park Plaza Neighborhood Association have participated in design meetings facilitated by Doyno.

“It will reinforce the neighborhood fabric, not contrast and diminish its value,” says Doyno. “Property owners want to see this done well.”
Doyno says the collective vision is to create housing that articulates Wilkinsburg’s strengths and character.

“We are trying to understand the neighborhood’s patterns and how its house forms tie in,” he adds, noting that green building is a priority.

Writer: Jennifer Baron
Souce: Ken Doyno, Rothschild Doyno Architects

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10-17-2006, 10:44 PM

an article on Steve Mosites... the mastermind behind the EastSide/Whole Foods development in resurgent East Liberty

http://www.popcitymedia.com/features/34mosites.aspx

One Building at a Time
By: Abby Mendelson

October 18, 2006
Steve Mosites was on fire. And what he was most on fire about was a pedestrian bridge from Shadyside to East Liberty, Ellsworth to Centre Avenues, over the Martin Luther King Busway, a way to connect the city’s most tony address with one of its most tarnished. “East Liberty has wonderful bones,” he said to anyone who would listen. “The foundation is there for great success.”

Dressed in blue jeans, surrounded by framed ribbons he’s cut, Mosites clearly belongs to the beautify-is-in-the-eye-of-the-beholder school of developers. Looking out from his 24th-floor aerie high atop Downtown’s Oliver Building, he cuts to the heart of the matter. “People are proud to be Pittsburghers again,” he says, “and neighborhoods are our biggest positive. We’re moving forward in this city, but it’s an effort from the ground up. One building at a time. Always in a better direction.”

As any good developer does, Mosites was casting about for property to change. Where to land? Tired of watching East Liberty get beat up – all that glorious property next to everything – tired of seeing business skulk away over the rivers, Mosites set about doing something about it. It’s time, he thought, to give an ugly scar of land a good facelift.

But moving unlovely and unloved East Liberty in a better direction took far more than good intentions – as Mosites quickly discovered. With the years taking a heavy toll on a battered neighborhood, there were traffic patterns to reconfigure. And bus routes. Government agencies to woo. Non-profits to gain as partners. Parcels to assemble and clean up. Architects to hire. Retailers to convince. And so on.

A History of Boldness

If the idea seems bold, or perhaps foolhardy, Steve Mosites, Jr., comes by it honestly. Son of the owner/operator of one the region’s premier construction companies, Mosites earned an architecture/engineering degree in Colorado, then cut his teeth on family road-and-bridge projects. To this day, he has a strong affinity for bridges, having worked on and under many of them, including the famed Rankin and Westinghouse Bridges, and a half-dozen more along Route 28.

By 1992 he was ready to branch out on his own. Creating The Mosites Construction Company, now a lean-and-mean seven-person development team, he masterminded the award-winning renovation of Fourth Avenue’s century-old Times Building, then went out of town, reworking Vermont and Alabama retail centers. Re-tooled and re-cast, they turned a tidy profit – and that’s all Mosites needed to know that he could develop retail centers as well as roads and historic retrofits.

Back home, he created the Murray Avenue condominiums, 1660-1680 Murray Avenue, an L around a landmark Forbes-and-Murray Avenue church. (Such a sweetheart, he threw in church parking and landscaping gratis.) Then he set his sights on East Liberty. Of all places.

Something's Gotta Give

In the heart of the wealthy, educated East End, it was Mosites’ theory that East Liberty simply could not remain blighted forever. Not with 375,000 people living within five miles, nearly a third of them having an average household income of $80,000 or more, and an average age of 35 – truly, a retailer’s dream. With Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, Point Breeze, Highland Park, and Friendship all a short walk, jog, or bike ride away; with more than half of his target market college-educated; and within a scant two miles of UPMC, Pitt, CMU, and Chatham – with their aggregate 38,7000 employees and 41,000 students – where others saw No Person’s Land, Mosites instead saw O for Opportunity.

Taking a deep breath, Mosites plunged in. Calling his new project Eastside, for the Centre Avenue zipper between East Liberty and Shadyside, he quickly found out what obstacles he had to face. First, his multiple Eastside parcels had seen multiple uses over the years, including gas stations, meaning underground storage tanks, meaning costly remediation. Then the name alone, East Liberty, East End’s most unloved neighborhood. With a tortured past -- in less than a century East Liberty went from farms to suburb for the super-rich (at one time the Carnegies, Heinzes, Mellons, and Westinghouses all lived there) to inner-city blight – the neighborhood barely survived its 1960s-style urban redevelopment, which razed more than 1,300 buildings and eviscerated Penn Avenue, East Liberty’s main street.

So: that address and environmental issues? Just a handful of years ago, either factor would have spelled F for Failure. These days, however, Mosites’ recipe for success is different: an ounce of optimism, a pound of perseverance, and a gallon of guts.

Working with government agencies and development groups, pouring in carloads of cash, Mosites phased his 90,000-square-foot development – starting with a national winner to prove that both concept and execution would succeed. When high-end Whole Foods opened in October 2002, entire East End shopping patterns shifted. And eyebrows were raised: not only was this Whole Foods one of largest stores in the chain, employing more than 200 people, at one point it was also the country’s top-performer.

Armed with all the proof he needed, Mosites threw Eastside II into high gear, convincing big-time retailers – Walgreens, Borders, Starbucks, Pennsylvania Wine & Spirits, among others – that this was the place to build. The resulting two-story complex includes a LEED-certified Silver Borders, a LEED-certified Starbucks and PNC complex, and more. “The goal is to work toward the East Liberty core, one step at a time,” Mosites says. “Eastside II is a huge shot in the arm for the whole town square concept.” The third leg, a nearby Target – the city’s first-ever so-called big-box retailer -- is on track for Spring ’09.

“We saw the potential to make East Liberty a destination,” Mosites says. “Now, with the trend to living in the city, we’ve got plenty of momentum. In fact, the development is going so well that if we had the space we could lease Eastside II twice over.”

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Award-winning writer Abby Mendelson is the author of numerous books, including The Pittsburgh Steelers Official History and Pittsburgh: A Place in Time. His last Pop City piece was on Pop Star Marimba Milliones.

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Photos:

Steve Mosites

Eastside parking deck during Sprout Hothouse

Eastside sign

Eastside bldg housing PNC and Starbucks during Sprout Hothouse

All photographs copyright © Jonathan Greene

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10-18-2006, 06:00 PM

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06292/731210-53.stm

Ground broken for center of African-American culture
Thursday, October 19, 2006

By Timothy McNulty, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

http://www.post-gazette.com/images4/20061019ho_WilsonCenter1_450.jpg

The hard work of turning a muddy vacant lot Downtown into a "sacred space" for the city took another big step yesterday at the symbolic start of construction for the August Wilson Center for African American Culture.

After 10 years of planning and fund raising, civic leaders gathered in the triangular lot on Liberty Avenue with ceremonial shovels to perform the ritual groundbreaking for the $36 million performing arts, exhibition and educational center. Actual construction begins next month and the center is supposed to open in early 2008.

The final push to raise money for the facility coincides. The center has raised $27.4 million of the $35.9 million needed for construction, mostly from government and private foundation sources, and is going to the public to find the final $8.5 million.

Some 250 people crowded into a tent at the development site on Liberty at 10th Street -- the former home of Liberty Tavern, the Chez Kimberly strip club and four other old storefronts -- to celebrate the construction start. A few themes were repeated throughout the event: the long effort to build the center since its conception in 1996, its formidable connection with world-famous playwright August Wilson, and its placement along the Cultural District corridor, Downtown.

Many museums and cultural centers celebrating black culture have opened nationwide, following a push that began in the 1950s and 1960s. The National Museum of African-American History and Culture -- a part of the Smithsonian Institution -- is planned for a site adjacent to the Mall in Washington, D.C.

"Your children's children and generations beyond them will thank you for what you've done -- created a sacred space to tell the compelling story of the African Americans in this city and this country," the director of the national museum, Lonnie Bunch, said in a message read at the ceremony.

The exterior of the two-story, 65,000-square-foot center will be marked by a ship-like sail on its east side. Developers plan to pursue certification as an environmentally friendly green building, architect Allison G. Williams said.

The center will contain a cafe, 500-seat theater, 4,000-square-foot exhibition space and additional education spaces. The focus on performing arts is perfect, many remarked, for a facility named after Mr. Wilson. The late Pulitizer Prize-winning playwright was raised in the Hill District, set his 10-play cycle there, and wove African American music, arts and culture into his stories.

The center plans ties with the Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts High School and other school groups.

"If schooling and education is ultimately about helping children to understand where they fit in the world and where they come from, there can be no more profound event for students in Pittsburgh but to read and to see and to study the work of August Wilson," Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Mark Roosevelt said.

The bulk of the money for the center has come from government sources -- including about $10 million alone from the city's Urban Redevelopment Authority in 2003 -- the Heinz Endowments, R.K. Mellon Foundation and the Eden Hall Foundation.

Wilson Center supporters will now try to raise the last $8.5 million for the center through private contributions. Wilson board member Nancy Washington (with husband Wilt) and the Heinz Endowments are separately funding challenge grants to raise money from the African American community. Some $1.3 million has been raised toward a $3 million goal.

The center is sending out 66 fund-raising "ambassadors" to secure the balance. "A lot of work needs to be done to complete this effort but I'm confident that we will be able to do it," said Buchanan Ingersoll CEO Thomas Van Kirk, a co-chair of the center's capital campaign.

Battles raged in the first years of planning for the center over where to place it -- more than 20 sites were proposed, many in the Hill District and Homewood, with the argument that it could help spur development in the struggling and largely black neighborhoods.

Wilson Center President Neil Barclay said the final location, in the Cultural District close to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, is the right spot for everyone.

"It's a dream people have had for years here in Pittsburgh to really capture the significance of African Americans in the region in a place right in the center of town -- that people from now on, when they come to Pittsburgh [and see the Wilson Center], they're going to know something important happened."

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(Tim McNulty can be reached at tmcnulty@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1581. )

Evergrey

10-19-2006, 06:12 AM

a couple of articles on the never-ending casino saga... the IOC proposal gets another boost

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06292/731275-336.stm

City gaming task force backs Isle of Capri casino
Group formed as 'voice of Pittsburgh' says plan tied to Penguins arena in lower Hill is the best
Thursday, October 19, 2006

By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Isle of Capri has all but won the endorsement of a city task force in its billion-dollar bid for a slot machine casino in Pittsburgh.

In a letter to be sent to the state Gaming Control Board, the Pittsburgh Gaming Task Force said the Isle of Capri proposal stands out among the three competing for the coveted casino license.

"When we consider what is the best casino for Pittsburgh -- and in the larger context what is the best deal for Pittsburgh -- the Isle of Capri plan is the strongest," the task force said in a draft obtained by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The task force said Isle of Capri's community giveback, which includes $290 million toward a new arena, was "significantly greater" than that in the other two proposals.

The task force was formed by former Mayor Tom Murphy to study the impact of the casino, interview potential operators, and be the "voice of Pittsburgh" before the Gaming Control Board, whose members have said they would take the panel's views into account before awarding a license.

Isle of Capri, with a proposed casino in the lower Hill District, is one of three bidders competing for the Pittsburgh license, which is scheduled to be issued before the end of the year.

The other bidders are Forest City Enterprises, which is teaming with Harrah's Entertainment on a proposed Station Square casino, and PITG Gaming LLC, headed by Detroit businessman Don Barden, with a proposal for the North Shore, near the Carnegie Science Center.

While the city task force stopped short of a formal endorsement, it said the gaming board should "evaluate each of three applicants for the Pittsburgh slots casino license using the Isle of Capri proposal as its standard."

It also called the office, retail and residential development proposed for the lower Hill a "promising sign."

The letter noted that Duquesne University and some Hill District residents have opposed the casino in their neighborhood, and the task force encouraged ongoing talks to mitigate negative impacts should Isle of Capri win the license.

But overall, the casino proposal "demonstrates excellent use of its site, exceptional design and urban planning, a comprehensive traffic plan, a commitment to a new arena, and a solid casino operator who will work with the local community," the draft said.

The task force was less flattering in assessing the Forest City proposal to build a $512 million casino at Station Square, plus a 200-room expansion of the Sheraton Hotel and a 1,200-unit residential development on the east side of the entertainment complex.

It said there were still unanswered questions about possible traffic congestion on Carson Street and in the West End Circle as well as issues relating to the design of the proposed casino.

That Forest City did not participate in a recent task force design study also was discouraging, the task force said.

A major reason it did not take part was related to a dispute over casino visits made by task force members earlier this fall. As part of those trips, the task force chose to visit a Harrah's casino in Kansas City rather than one in St. Louis recommended by Forest City.

Forest City believed the Harrah's St. Louis casino, with 2,833 slot machines and more than $300 million in annual gambling revenue, was more representative of what it was planning in Pittsburgh than the Kansas City facility, a two-level barge with fewer than 2,000 machines and less than $200 million a year in revenue.

As a result, Forest City decided against participating in the rest of the study, which involved a design-related meeting in Pittsburgh.

Forest City has pledged a $25 million endowment to Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation for neighborhood development and $1 million a year toward a community investment fund headed by Steeler Hall of Famer Franco Harris. However, the task force felt the Isle of Capri givebacks exceed those pledges, according to the letter.

While the task force had generally good things to say about the PITG Gaming proposal to build a Majestic Star casino on the North Shore, it said they were tempered by traffic concerns, particularly when the Steelers and Pirates play at their nearby facilities.

"In many ways, Majestic Star has the most problematic site; the road system around the proposed casino requires significant alteration and the island-like nature of the location makes adjacent economic development more difficult," the draft letter stated.

Representatives of PITG Gaming and Forest City Enterprises could not be reached for comment last night. David Morehouse, a spokesman for the Penguins, who are partners with Isle of Capri, declined comment.

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

...

the state government is idiotic

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06292/731276-53.stm

Loss of zoning authority over casinos enrages officials
Thursday, October 19, 2006

By Mark Belko and Tom Barnes, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

After spending more than a year setting standards for everything from how a Pittsburgh casino should look to where it could be located, local leaders woke up yesterday to find it all may be for naught.

They are furious over a bill passed by the state House Tuesday that would strip Pittsburgh and Philadelphia of their zoning authority over proposed slot machine casinos and transfer it instead to the state Gaming Control Board, the agency that will hand out licenses for the enterprises.

"I'm hopping mad," City Councilwoman Tonya Payne said. "I just don't think it's fair that the state should feel the need to tell us how we should do zoning here in the city of Pittsburgh."

Ms. Payne was one of eight City Council members to sign a letter yesterday urging the state Senate to reverse the action of the House and "restore the people's voice" in the zoning of the proposed casino.

"It's unconscionable that the state House would take away all local zoning, planning and land use power from the local municipality, an action that strips the people of their voice," the letter stated.

The House's action could undo some 15 months of work by the city planning commission, the volunteer Pittsburgh Gaming Task Force and other officials in crafting a host of standards involving construction, design, traffic impacts, and other issues relating to the city's proposed stand-alone casino.

It was a right the city and other municipalities in Pennsylvania had won in a state Supreme Court ruling in June 2005 that struck down a provision in the slots gambling law that exempted casinos from local zoning control.

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl joined the chorus of local officials protesting the action by the House and said he would do what he could to restore local control.

"It's troublesome because I think that we as a city need to have the ability to look at issues of design, to look at issues of traffic, all the things that are associated with zoning," he said.

Some help could be on the way from the Senate.

Democratic leader Robert Mellow of Lackawanna County said that when the Senate takes up the slots amendments on Monday, he will try to remove the local zoning pre-emptions pertaining to Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

He didn't see any reason why those two cities should be singled out for treatment that is different from other towns.

Steve Miskin, an aide to House Republican leader Sam Smith of Punxsutawney, defended the House's decision to pre-empt local zoning for the two cities.

Mr. Miskin said that Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are different because they are the only two cities guaranteed stand-alone, or non-racetrack, casinos under state law. Philadelphia is guaranteed two such facilities and Pittsburgh is guaranteed one.

"We are trying to expedite the gaming proceeds for property tax relief," Mr. Miskin said.

If the three stand-alone casinos "get mired down in local zoning complexities," revenue won't be quickly generated by the casinos for reducing people's property taxes, he said.

He said that local zoning laws will still be enforced for the casinos in the two cities; it will be the Gaming Control Board doing the enforcing rather than local zoning or planning officials.

The Senate decided not to take up the House slots amendments yesterday, putting them off until Monday to allow for further discussion.

Mr. Mellow expects the Senate to largely stick with the version of the amendments it approved in late September, rather than adopting the House version.

In particular, Mr. Mellow said, slots suppliers should be eliminated immediately (as the Senate bill called for) rather than being allowed to operate until their current licenses expire in July 2007 (as the House bill calls for).

If the Senate and House stick with their differing versions of the slots amendments, the bill is likely to end up in a conference committee of leaders from both chambers.

A final vote on the amendments would then be postponed until after the Nov. 7 election. The House plans to be in session for six days after the election; the Senate only two, Nov. 20-21.

State Sen. Jim Ferlo, D-Highland Park, who fought to protect the city's zoning power over casinos, said the House bill "would run roughshod over" that ability.

"I will be fighting tooth and nail to get the bill back amended," he said.

Spokesmen for all three bidders for the Pittsburgh gaming license, Forest City Enterprises, Isle of Capri Casinos, and PITG Gaming LLC, said yesterday they would abide by whatever the Legislature decides or whatever rules are in place. City Councilman William Peduto, who led the letter-writing effort, said local control is needed because the Pittsburgh casino, which eventually could have up to 5,000 slot machines, could have a huge impact, regardless of where it is built.

"This is one that's going to greatly affect Pittsburgh for decades," he said.

Anne Swager, co-chair of the Pittsburgh Gaming Task Force, said that even if the Legislature succeeds in exempting the casino from local zoning, the group will not be silenced.

"We will still rattle every chain and bang on every window we can to be part of the process," she said. "The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has welcomed our input in the past and we hope they will welcome our input on these issues as well."

The task force will make additional recommendations today regarding the Pittsburgh casino proposals. Ms. Swager said that she is hopeful that regardless of which way the Legislature goes, the group's work will be factored into the gaming board's decision making.

"I cannot imagine that the state would not pay attention to it," she said. "So much time and research have gone into this, how can you ignore that advice?"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Mark Belko can be reached at mbelko@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1262. Tom Barnes can be reached at tbarnes@post-gazette.com or 717-787-4254. )

Evergrey

10-19-2006, 06:16 AM

residential sprawl is slowing

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_475649.html

Report says home-building decline has hit the region

By Ron DaParma and Sam Spatter
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, October 19, 2006

The Pittsburgh region finally is experiencing the effects of the national slump in home building, but the decline here is less than the housing industry has experienced nationwide, according to a report issued Wednesday.
Single-family home construction for the six-county area declined about 8.8 percent for the nine-month period that ended Sept. 30, according to Tall Timber Marketing, a Ross-based market tracking and research firm.

That compares to a national decline of almost 15 percent year-to-year, said Jeff Burd, the company's president.

"Most of the economic drivers for new housing, interest rates, inflation, stock-market performance, have been negative during the first nine months of the year," Burd said. "Yet, the basic underlying factors creating demand for new housing, job creation, household formation and wages, all point to steady demand into 2007-2008."

Even as the area housing report was issued yesterday, there was positive news on the national housing front, with a report by the Commerce Department showing single-family starts were up 4.3 percent, to an annual rate of 1.43 million units in September. It was the first increase after three consecutive months of declines in housing activity.

Overall, September housing starts in the U.S. rose 5.9 percent to a rate of 1.77 million units, including a 12.7 percent jump in multi-family starts.

Some markets nationally have been "overheated" with building activity, so a steep pullback was almost inevitable, the Tall Timber report said.

But the market pullback in the Pittsburgh region has been more gradual.

"One of the hidden positives in this year's data is that (most of the decline occurred after July 1) ... a good sign that builders are sticking to their course, clearing out inventory instead of building more spec product," Burd said.

Another report by PNC Financial Services Group for October confirmed "the metro-area housing market is clearly slowing."

PNC economists said a benefit is that the local economy in recent years has not depended on housing as much as the rest of the nation, "and thus will suffer less fallout from a cooling housing market than will other areas of the country."

Tall Timber's report showed there were 1,991 single-family housing starts through the first nine months of 2006, down from 2,183 units for the comparable period in 2005.

The company bases its figures on building permits issued in Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties.

The 2005 total was down 12 percent compared to 2004, but Burd previously said that decline was deceiving because builders in 2004 rushed in to obtain building permits before a new statewide construction code took effect.

For 2006, the company's report shows a number of positive signs for the local market, including in the smaller, multi-family segment, which saw a 57.3 percent increase in permits.

The multi-family surge brought overall housing starts in the region to 3,377 units, up 10.2 percent from 3,064 units in the comparable 2005 period.

"There's no question single-family building activity has slowed, but August was a good month and so was September," said Westmoreland County homebuilder Ralph Scalise. "We're very encouraged."

His company, Scalise Real Estate Co., is building single-family homes at Greenfield Estates, a 47-unit development, and Foxfield Knoll, a 100-unit project, both in Unity.

Grady Gaspar, regional manager for Ryan Homes, said sales are up at Blue Heron Ridge development in Pine, where 112 houses are planned.

"We have started the second phase, with prices in the high $200,000s and high $300,000s," he said.

The local market is better for buyers, with some price breaks possible, said John J. Auciello, executive director of the Builders Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh.

"The high-end market -- houses priced $750,000 and higher -- has been doing well," he said, "but houses priced in the $450,000 to $650,000 range have been very slow."

a cookie cutter house with confused architectural influences
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/photos/2006-10-18/1019bHOUSING-a.jpg
Construction continues Wednesday on the Blue Herron Ridge housing plan in Pine.
Philip G. Pavely/Tribune-Review

Evergrey

10-19-2006, 06:21 AM

an article on how the casino will affect tourism to the city....

a 26% increase in tourists? seems a bit pie-in-the-sky to me... much like all the other statistics provided by the casino operators and the state government

and where are all of these tourists gonna come from? EVERY state in our region has or will have casinos! New Jersey, New York (indian casinos), Ohio (soon to come), West Virginia, Michigan, Indiana... heck... all the way out to Missouri... prepare for "profits" much less than anticipated... most of which will be coming out of the region's own pockets

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_475653.html

City needs slots players to sleep over

By Joe Napsha
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, October 19, 2006

A Pittsburgh slots parlor will pump millions into the local economy, experts said Wednesday, but the area's tourist industry hopes those dollars don't come just from local residents.
"We have to have the operators of the slots parlor help drive the marketing campaign further away from Pittsburgh" to attract people living more than 500 miles from the city, said Robert Imperata, executive director of VisitPittsburgh.

If the casino attracts only a local audience, it would be like "taking dollars from one pocket to another," said Chaz Letzkus, sales manager for the Holiday Inn, Green Tree, said yesterday after experts discussed the impact of a casino on the local tourism, in an event at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown.

A slots casino and related development could attract 2.5 million visitors to the city annually, said Abe Naperstek, development director for Forest City Enterprises of Cleveland, which is proposing a Harrah's Station Square Casino.

A casino might generate $150 million worth of new business annually for area restaurants, taverns, nightclubs, hotels and transportation providers, said Robert Oltmanns, a spokesman for PITG Gaming LLC., which wants to build the Majestic Star casino on the North Shore.

A Pittsburgh casino will attract a "drive-in market" --- people living within 90 minutes of the city --- rather than a fly-in market like Las Vegas, Oltmanns said.

What VisitPittsburgh -- formerly the convention and visitors bureau -- wants to attract are visitors traveling longer distances because they are more likely to stay in a local hotel for one or two nights and take in other tourist sites, Imperata said.

"It's all about beds and heads," Imperata said.

The tourist count in Pittsburgh could increase by 26 percent as a result of the casino, Oltmanns estimated.

A casino operator has to court the motorcoach business, which would bring people from outside Western Pennsylvania, Letzkus said. Otherwise, a casino would take revenue from those who would spend their leisure dollars elsewhere, he said.

If the state wants to provide the most economic impact for Downtown, "the only place to build this is in the Lower Hill District," which is the site proposed by the Isle of Capri, said Mark DeIntinis, the Pittsburgh City Center Marriott's director of sales and marketing. The Marriott is across from Mellon Arena, which would be razed for a casino-arena complex.

Casino customers would shop in the stores and park in Downtown, which would benefit the Golden Triangle, DeIntinis said.

While hotels tied to casinos offer preferred customers rooms at discount prices, DeIntinis said that practice is not as prevalent in slots-only casinos like one planned for Pittsburgh.

The casinos will offer meeting space and that "will definitely have an impact on how we do business," said John McGonahy, president of the Pittsburgh chapter of the Meeting Professionals International, which sponsored the discussion.

Joe Napsha can be reached at jnapsha@tribweb.com or (412)-320-7993.

Eastside David

10-19-2006, 10:17 AM

Ladies and Gentlemen, I wish not to interfere with this site because it is obvious that your infinite knowledge surpasses mine, but I truthfully love Pittsburgh too. My job having worked for United Airlines has had me all over the world and I have returned to live in Pittsburgh where my roots came from and belong. Within the past few years I have purchased in Highland Park and I am selling to move into the new Loft's on Baum to be closer to the pulse. I am really excited about the major changes that I have seen in other cities across the country finally coming to East Liberty also. After moving back I wanted to be close to Wholefoods and now I am totally ecstatic because I have been a Trader Joe junky for at least 6 years. My regular visits to Northern VA will continue to see friends but I no longer have to stock up on all of my favorite items minus the great wine selections they have as well. This is not an ad for anyone but myself and the fact that the rebirth is near and I am happy to be a part of it. Thanks in advance for allowing me to express this and I completely enjoy hearing all of the good things this site has to say along with a few negatives...Gratefully yours, Eastside David :banana:

Evergrey

10-19-2006, 08:31 PM

Welcome to the forum, EastSide David. Feel free to "interfere" all you want. Discussion is encouraged. Hope you enjoy your new home in the Lofts on Baum.

This is something I hadn't heard about before... looks pretty cool

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06292/731382-100.stm

Mt. Washington gets new monument
Thursday, October 19, 2006

http://www.post-gazette.com/images4/20061019ds_statues3_brk_450.jpg

Darrell Sapp, Post-Gazette
Artist James West speaks with Lynne Squill, of Mount Washington, during the placement of his statues of George Washington, left, and Seneca chief Guyasuta on Grandview Avenue, Mount Washington.

By Diana Nelson Jones, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A crane and a crew maneuvered 750-pound bronze renderings of George Washington and Seneca leader Guyasuta onto a stone pedestal on Mount Washington this morning.

The piece was sculpted by James West, a local developer, and given to the city as a gift. It was placed in an apron parklet on Grandview Avenue at Sweetbriar Street.

The statue, titled "Point of View," depicts the two leaders in a face-to-face encounter. The Mount Washington Community Development Corp. worked with the artist and a few donors on the project, which is the first new attraction for the Grandview Scenic Byways Park.

"Point of View" will be veiled until a public dedication ceremony at 2 p.m. Wednesday.

Eastside David

10-20-2006, 03:16 PM

Thank you Evergrey, The point I was trying to make initially was that lower income housing is essential in making a full service locale possible. This is not an attempt to talk down to this area but only to lift it to the level it has always been neglected. We cannot make viable locales desireable unless we have individuals professionally helping to make that happen. If you were to make the so called marble jungles for all the wealthy folk we would have to bus people in to serve them their tea and crumpets? Once again I have traveled extensively and I welcome the diversity and truly praise all of the people wanting to make an area work. This should never be limited to those praying to a certain god but to everyone forced to pay taxes and live in a (FREE) America; if that still exists??? One more thing and is, I do not believe Dr. No is going to come home after a day in the OR and want to serve drinks at the local watering hole???

Evergrey

10-20-2006, 03:39 PM

http://pittsburgh.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2006/10/16/daily34.html?t=printable

Gateway Towers to undergo capital improvements
Pittsburgh Business Times - 9:59 AM EDT Fridayby Ben Semmes
As the Downtown residential market continues to heat up, owners of the condominiums at Gateway Towers, a 27-story high-rise building on the edge of Downtown's Point State Park, are planning to undertake $3 million in capital improvements.

The building's board of directors hopes to complete renovations to interior hallways and lighting and the exterior facade as well as elevator improvements within the next year.

To handle the aggressive upgrades, the owners hired a new management company, Green Tree-based Burns & Scalo Real Estate Services Inc.

"It was just too much for the one on-site manager and almost a full-time job for the president," said Martin Nahemow, president of Gateway's board of directors.

Jim Scalo, president of Burns & Scalo, said that while his firm has a portfolio of other buildings it manages, this is the company's first time managing condos and its first management venture Downtown.

Built in the 1960s, Gateway has nearly 560,000 square feet in 308 residential units as well as four floors of commercial office condos.

"We want to enhance that value and make sure there is ... appreciation," said W. Scott Caplan, director of acquisition and development services at Burns & Scalo.

Although the recent flurry of condo construction Downtown increases competition, Scalo said the Towers comparably more affordable pricing gives it an advantage.

bsemmes@bizjournals.com | (412) 481-6397 x223

building at far right
http://i.pbase.com/g4/86/571686/2/61065986.100_6339.jpg

asher519

10-21-2006, 09:45 PM

The point I was trying to make initially was that lower income housing is essential in making a full service locale possible.

Lower income housing--even housing affordable to the middle classes--has become a grossly ignored issue all over the country. I don't know the reasons. I suspect the higher costs of contruction has something to do with it. More bang for your buck and all. I'm currently in Portland, Oregon where a mega condo boom has been going on for years. Some of our newest projects are up to $500+ per square foot. Who the hell wants to pay over $300,000 for a studio? Conversely, whenever an income-controlled apartment building is built, those of us who are somewhere in the middle--yet saddled with huge amounts of student loans and other debts--suddenly make too much. Housing equality is so important, and developers need to understand that us po' folk want a piece of the pie, too.

Nonetheless, when I arrive in Pittsburgh next year, my cost of living is going to decrease quite dramatically. So, maybe i'll get my piece after all. :D

Evergrey

10-22-2006, 05:31 AM

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_476138.html

Present-day Market Square 'just a big joke'

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/photos/2006-10-21/1022market-a.jpg
Sergio Muto, owner of La Gondola Pizzeria, shows a photo of Market Square from the 1930s, when it was a hubbub of activity Downtown. He and other merchants in the public square say pandhandling and other unscrupulous behavior repulse would-be patrons.
Steven Adams/Tribune-Review

By Bonnie Pfister
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, October 22, 2006

New plans are afoot for sprucing up Market Square, the more than 220-year-old acre of public space that has been home, variously, to Pittsburgh City Hall, the first Allegheny County courthouse and -- up until the early 1960s -- a produce market house.
Although proposals for adding temporary art and activities, including those geared toward children, are among the improvements being mulled, there are fixtures that local merchants say are impeding positive public use.

La Gondola Pizzeria owner Sergio Muto calls them "the statues of Market Square."

"When I come in the morning, they're here," Muto said. "When I go home at night, they're still here."

They are the dozen or so people -- mostly middle-aged men --- who locals say spend most of the day and evening perched on the low marble walls around the southeastern quadrants of green space. With St. Mary of Mercy Church's Red Door program around the corner handing out bagged lunches six days a week, Market Square long has been a place where the homeless can pass time.

Although merchants such as Muto and Dan Konieczny, manager at Jenny Lee Bakery, which has been Downtown since 1938, expressed empathy for the destitute, they say the panhandling and other behavior by some keep would-be patrons from lingering in the area, particularly at night.

"Too many of the regulars are doing drug deals or asking people for money," Konieczny said. "The garbage, the language. You can make all the changes and redesigns you want. You've got to get rid of the bums," he said. "Market Square is just a big joke."

"It's kind of shady," said Heather Bitar, who works at nearby Point Park University.

Patronizing a farmer's market stand in the square last Thursday during a spate of warm weather, Bitar said she avoids the area at night and on weekends. Even during the daylight, she said she has seen people arrested and recently a woman "throwing a fit, emptying her purse out on the ground and screaming that someone stole her drugs.

"But what are you going to do, post 'No Loitering' signs? It's a public park," she said.

And therein lies the challenge that has bedeviled Pittsburghers for much of the four decades. How do you tell people with nowhere else to go not to go to Market Square, with its legacy as a public space?

Since the 1963 demolition of the Diamond Market house -- an elevated building straddling Forbes Avenue that featured a second-floor roller rink -- Market Square has gone through several reconfigurations and even more proposals, said Arthur P. Ziegler Jr., president of Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation.

In the mid-1970s, Ziegler said then-Mayor Pete Flaherty tapped into federal funds to hire students to replace the square's asphalt roads with Belgian brick cobblestones in an effort to restore a Colonial atmosphere and encourage many of the same outdoor activities, such as sidewalk dining and art exhibits, that remain elusive today.

"Once the market-house demolition occurred, it became a place that didn't quite know what to do with itself," Ziegler said. "It's gone through a number of revisions, none of which have been fully successful."

It has played host to Steelers pep rallies, anti-war protests and rallies featuring national political figures. On April 15, 1985, a woman wearing a flesh-colored bodysuit and long, strategically draped hair rode through the square on a horse to protest taxation.

But today such public exhibitions tend to be less deliberative. A naked woman arrested in the square in June was merely fleeing after trying to shoplift a bag of peanuts from a Smithfield Street vendor, police said.

Although reported assaults were down from 11 in 2001 to three so far this year, and Pittsburgh police Cmdr. Cheryl Doubt said officers have managed to drive out the open-air drug activity of the past, more resources are needed. Since budget cuts in the early 1990s, only a single daytime beat officer monitors Market Square; he was not replaced during a recent four-month leave.

Michael Edwards, president of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, which commissioned the recent study by New York-based Project for Public Spaces, said enhanced police presence, at least initially, would be key to revitalization.

"We can't be successful without stepped-up police enforcement of the rules," Edwards said. "The way we'll take back the square is through recognizing the need to manage it, and we'll need the city's resources."

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said last week that the city will consider making some financial commitment to better management of the square, but he also expects "leadership from the business and foundation community."

Edwards said the partnership has a $100,000 grant from the Colcom Foundation and hopes to land a similar one from the Heinz Foundation to begin planning events that will draw more people to Market Square -- perhaps around Light Up Night on Nov. 17, or for extended outdoor dining in the spring.

"One of the things we heard loud and clear is, we're done designing," Edwards said. "The community is pretty tired of that."

A redesign contest that was discussed earlier this year has been put aside in favor of smaller tweaks to the existing square, such as experimenting with temporary art and event programming. If these steps are successful, Edwards said, a more structured management plan could be forthcoming in several years, as could a redesign.

Not everyone is happy about the smaller-scale approach, however.

Ron Gargani, owner of Buon Giorno, said he is disappointed that a new redesign now -- particularly one that reroutes buses as late Mayor Bob O'Connor had suggested, or adds parking spaces -- would not be forthcoming.

"It's just a Band-Aid on the problem," said Gargani, who opened for business six years ago and purchased his building in 2004. "Who wants to bring their children here when you have cars and buses continuously flying by? This square needs completely redone."

Bonnie Pfister can be reached at bpfister@tribweb.com.

Evergrey

10-23-2006, 05:25 AM

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06296/732249-53.stm

New 'urbanists' embrace city living
Monday, October 23, 2006

http://www.post-gazette.com/images4/20061023smlocloft01_450.jpg
Steve Mellon, Post-Gazette
Hilary Robinson, left, and David Orbison join other residents enjoying the view at Blackbird Lofts and Artist Studios in Lawrenceville on Saturday.

By Diana Nelson Jones
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
When Linda Metropulos and Becky Burdick began Artists and Cities Inc. in 1996, the "new urbanist" movement had just blossomed, and the market was moving back to its city roots.

Their goal was to create three multi-unit properties in the city of Pittsburgh where artists could afford to live and/or work. Ms. Metropulos recalls the owner's parting words when they closed on a 40,000-square-foot warehouse -- the former Consolidated Ice Co. building at the river end of 43rd Street in Lawrenceville, six years ago: " 'We certainly hope you girls know what you're doing.' "

It appears that they did.

Today, the Ice House Artist Studios is nearly full, the Spinning Plate Artists Lofts in East Liberty, priced specifically for low-income residents, is full with a waiting list, and the Blackbird Lofts and Artists Studios in Lawrenceville -- the last of the three -- has one unit remaining.

A new construction on Butler at 36th Street, the Blackbird will be one of the first residential buildings in the city to attain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (L.E.E.D.) certification as a "green" building.

Of the 11 street-level studios that were supposed to fill with artists, just one has so far. Dancer Gina Desko claimed the 3,000-foot dance studio. The others will rent from $400 and $500. The residential units range from $99,000 to $385,000.

"We marketed specifically to artists early on and worked hard to get them," said Ms. Metropulos.

Attracting mostly young professionals and a few empty-nesters, the Blackbird's occupants affirm the original concept.

"We knew we had a good idea," said Ms. Metropulos of the three buildings. "They all tap into the same aesthetic. It's a group the powers-that-be are always lamenting aren't choosing the city, people predominately in their 30s.

"They're the new urbanists. They have bikes and they make use of the trails. I see them all the time in the commercial district, and they are involved in neighborhood functions."

Before ground-breaking, the Blackbird needed six pre-sales agreements. The first was to David and Beth Orbison in November 2003.

Mr. Orbison, a psychotherapist, and his wife, Beth, an attorney, moved from Murrysville a year ago, when many of their building mates began arriving.

"Most of our friends and weekend things were in the city anyway," said Ms. Orbison. "As soon as our kids were out of school, we put the house on the market."

"I like Lawrenceville because you don't have to conform," said her husband. "There are all kinds of people here, and they don't have rules."

The residents have held several cook-outs on the patio at the side of the building. One recent night, John Potanko and Colleen Auth began setting up early, wheeling out a grill, unpacking burgers, hot dogs and chicken. As residents arrived and there were greetings and hugs, they seemed more like childhood friends reuniting than neighbors who have known each other for just a year.

Ms. Desko brought her little dog along and shared her excitement at finally having a dance space near her digs. A partner in the Pittsburgh Dance Connection and a dance teacher at both the University of Pittsburgh and La Roche College, she said she hopes to open her studio in February.

"I moved here to live above my space," said Ms. Desko of her studio. She intends to use it as a dance studio, a performance space, and a place for events such as wine tastings and classes. "It's so like New York."

All the living spaces are laid out differently, either one- or two-stories. They all have terraces and underground parking. The Orbisons have a cathedral ceiling and a second floor that overlooks the first. They altered the lines of their second-floor loft and added wood floors. Mr. Potanko and Ms. Auth chose to keep their floors industrial concrete. "Low maintenance," said Ms. Auth.

"Linda (Metropulos) found a wonderful group of people to live in her project," said Susan Ferra, an accountant who works with her father in a southern suburb. After having rented in the city, she moved closer to the office, she said, "but I got bored and wanted to get back to the city. I love living here. I love the church bells. I love the trains."

Nestor and Cecilia Torres moved to Pittsburgh from Portland, Ore., in March. He works in corporate finance and she is a volunteer coordinator for a non-profit.

"We looked at over 60 places in two months," he said. "We wanted to be within five miles of Downtown. This building has a pretty eclectic group, and it reflects the neighborhood's diversity. We hoped to find a place like this."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Evergrey

10-23-2006, 10:57 PM

The East Liberty Master Plan
It has all the under construction and recently completed projects
But I'm wondering if a few of the projects are conceptual at this stage... such as "East Liberty Town Square"

http://www.eastlibertypost.com/sitedocs/masterplan.jpg

Wheelingman04

10-23-2006, 11:21 PM

^ Nice map.

Evergrey

10-24-2006, 04:15 AM

just a few tidbits I was able to glean from the extremely limited information available the Biz Journal:

1. "Pittsburgh-area companies received $222 million in venture and seed funding in the first three quarters of 2006, according to data compiled by Thompson Financial and Innovation Works.

That's almost triple the amount brought into the region in all of 2005, when Pittsburgh companies received $80.8 million." Yay!

2. The city might be broke, but neighborhood organizations are "spucing" up neighborhoods on their own.

3. Adding floors to existing buildings is a new trend in Pittsburgh (some of it spurred on by the green-building density bonus).

"As the new owner of a five-story building on Penn Avenue in the Cultural District, suburban Philadelphia-based Solara Ventures LLC is preparing for what might be called an architectural encore.

Working with Shadyside-based Indovina Associates Architects, Solara plans to take its five-story building and build four more stories on top of it, to create an upscale condominium project. "

This is the location where the cancelled 29-story Fireside Inn was supposed to be.

4. Despite booming development all around it in East Liberty (Whole Foods / EastSide is right across the street), the distinctive Motor Square Garden is not for sale and will remain the region's AAA headquarters for the foreseeable future.

In my opinion, it's only a matter of time before this unusual landmark yields to the highest and best use as E. Liberty continues to take off.
http://cll.bizjournals.com/story_image/59439-400-0.jpg

5. Mosites, developer of EastSide in East Liberty, is finding itself a victim of its own success. Due to the wildly successful development, property values have risen dramatically in E. Liberty, making further assembling of properties more expensive. This is a good problem to have.

6. In Little Washington, an old glass factory gutted by fire has been transformed into an industrial park, which will be home to a plastics company.
http://cll.bizjournals.com/story_image/59440-400-0.jpg

7. Little Washington is expecting economic benefits from its bold downtown redevelopment programme, including $17 million in streetscape improvements and the $100 million Crossroads development, spearheaded by Millcraft, which is also doing Piatt Place, Forbes Village and the G.C. Murphey in downtown Pittsburgh. Washington's Crossroads includes new housing, offices, parking and an amphitheater.

Evergrey

10-24-2006, 05:41 AM

this is a rather ambitious idea... too be honest, i didn't even know Millvale had riverfront development as PA28 seems to be blocking the town from the Allegheny

I like the fact that this riverfront park system is seen as a catalyst for riverfront development

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06297/732462-85.stm

Vision forms for giant riverfront park
Allegheny, Monongahela, Ohio, Youghiogheny rivers would be lined with trails, parks and amenities
Tuesday, October 24, 2006

By Gabrielle Banks, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Imagine mountain biking, jogging or cross-country skiing from town to town in a world-class riverfront park that lines the entirety of the four rivers in Allegheny County.

County Councilmen David Fawcett, R-Oakmont, and James Burn Jr., D-Millvale, today will unveil their vision of a linear park, spanning 80-some miles, that would cover one shore or another of the Allegheny, Monongahela, Ohio and Youghiogheny rivers and their bridges, connecting the county riverfront from border to border with trails, parks and amenities.

"It's the first step of a very long journey, but in the end I think it will be worth every step," Mr. Burn said.

"The park would include an uninterrupted network of trails," Mr. Fawcett said. "The idea is you could get from Etna to Oakmont or McKeesport to Duquesne."

The planned park goes from about 50 feet to several thousand feet inland in municipalities along the route.

A rough blueprint, the product of years of study and collaboration among civic leaders, environmental groups and developers, shows a comprehensive riverfront park that includes hillside preservation in places like Mount Washington and across from the Clairton Coke Works.

Mr. Fawcett said he hopes to get public input and support. Because so much riverfront development has commenced in places like Millvale, Verona and McKeesport, the biggest push would be connecting undeveloped areas and putting in parklets, playgrounds, volleyball courts, fountains, rowing and kayaking facilities that would attract developers to build restaurants and new housing.

Mr. Burn said riverfront development during his tenure as mayor of Millvale allowed the borough to market itself to businesses and families.

"What I'd like to see with this project is an ability for the county to market itself and use this riverfront park and its connector to the trails and the other county and city parks as something to entice people to come here and invest in this region," he said.

Mr. Fawcett didn't flinch at pitching such a massive undertaking in a cash-strapped county. The park could cost in the tens of millions of dollars. He suggested tapping into state and federal economic development money and getting private companies involved.

Riverfront parks have provided complete makeovers to cities like Chicago, Chattanooga, Tenn., and Vancouver, he said.

Once the details are hammered out and the county finds funders, the plan could move forward quickly because a countywide park could bypass local zoning laws.

"I think it could actually happen," said Davitt Woodwell, vice president of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council. "It's complicated because 70 of the 130 municipalities are on the riverfront, but there are great gains that have been made in getting back the riverfronts."

Mr. Woodwell said Millvale and Verona have shown what is possible. With state and federal funding, similar gains could be accessible to others.

Mr. Fawcett and Mr. Burn will announce their proposal for the riverfront park at a news conference at 3 p.m. today in the County Courthouse.

Council members will look at concerns and develop a more concrete plan in committee. Mr. Fawcett encouraged the public to get involved in the discussion and contact him with comments.

The bill has no official endorsements, but he said a number of groups like PUMP, Venture Outdoors, Sustainable Pittsburgh, the Allegheny Conference and the Riverlife Task Force have been "extremely positive" about the prospect.

"I'm concerned that the process be given a chance," said Court Gould, executive director of Sustainable Pittsburgh, who described himself as "an interested observer" of the bill. "It is a good thing when enlightened public officials make connections between parks, open space, green space and economic development for the region. Let's give the process its due," he said.

As planned, the project would not take any homes, but it might require removing some structures along the riverfront. The largest obstacle planners will have to consider are railroads, which Mr. Fawcett said he hoped would collaborate and be "less stubborn" with a countywide plan.

"So many of our rivers are inaccessible and unusable because of industry and the terrain," said retail developer Todd Reidbord of Walnut Capital. "We see Pittsburgh's rivers as Pittsburgh's oceanfront property. So anything you can do to make that riverfront property more attractive and more usable is great for investment."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Gabrielle Banks can be reached at gbanks@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1370. )

Evergrey

10-24-2006, 05:51 AM

the business owners bring up some good arguments concerning the Market Sq. plans... I was definately underwhelmed from what I read about the plan...

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06297/732368-53.stm

Some unhappy with Market Square plan
Tuesday, October 24, 2006

By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Some Market Square business owners aren't sold on the city's proposal to upgrade the public park.

Ron Gargani, owner of Buon Giorno Cafe, said he and about 10 other business owners are forming an alliance because they do not believe the plan goes far enough in reorganizing and improving the square.

"Our number one point is that we feel we're getting shortchanged in the planning of the square," he said yesterday. "[Late mayor] Bob O'Connor had a much greater vision of making the square into something great."

The city unveiled a draft plan last week that would keep the street grid in place, eliminate the square's marble risers, remove some trees, and dedicate its four quadrants to food, entertainment, children and art.

One of the big changes would be in the southeastern section of the square, near Buon Giorno Cafe. It would be turned into a play area for youngsters.

Mr. Gargani said the play area is "absolutely ridiculous" with cars driving around the square and buses on Forbes Avenue.

"Market Square should be for businesses only. This is the heart of Downtown Pittsburgh," added Sergio Muto, owner of La Gondola Pizzeria and Restaurant. "Down here, you have cars zooming by, buses and stuff. God forbid something happens to one of the kids."

As an alternative, Mr. Gargani would like to see the square's side streets closed and Forbes widened to allow angle parking. He also believes improvements should be tied to attracting more workers and young professionals to the square.

"We've got to keep the people in town. That should be the main goal. Market Square should be the center of the city," he said.

Mr. Muto and Mr. Gargani also questioned the value of putting kiosks and tables in the quadrant closest to PPG Place so diners from the indoor food court and elsewhere could eat outside.

They said that could interfere with their own businesses (both have outdoor dining) and noted there are now tables and chairs for food court diners in the outdoor plaza next to Market Square.

Michael and Patty Wright, co-owners of Market News and Dogs Dun Wright, also believe the plan crafted by the New York-based Project for Public Spaces and unveiled last week falls short.

The business owners said they were never approached to get their thoughts on Market Square. Mr. Gargani said he has an artist working on a rendering of his ideas for Market Square.

"We just want more effort," he said. "Their plan is not going to fix Market Square."

City Planning Director Pat Ford urged the owners to get in touch with him so that he could set up a meeting to hear their concerns. "We want to make sure the users and business owners are actively involved," he said.

He added he was surprised by the discontent because "we have not heard any negative comments [about the plan]. In fact, we have heard nothing but positive comments."

The play area, he said, was proposed to accommodate 2,000 children who now come Downtown each day and those who will be living in the city in the future with the housing that is being developed. He noted that many of the young professionals the business owners want to court have children, and that the play area could help attract them.

As for the outdoor seating, he said that is actually an attempt to provide all restaurant owners in the square with more tables for dining. He said there now isn't enough outdoor seating on a busy day.

"We want to create an environment for people to use their space," he said. "We want to have a more European flair to that."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

AaronPGH

10-24-2006, 05:56 AM

That's incredible! In my opinion, that riverfront park idea could turn out to be one of the most important developments the Pittsburgh region will see in the next decade. I really hope this goes through!

As for Market Square, to be honest, I was pretty dissapointed with the plan as well. I definitely think most of the roads should be eliminated from the square. As for the busses, I'm on the fence about that one. I can see both sides of that argument.

Evergrey

10-24-2006, 12:16 PM

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_476330.html

City leaders eager to maintain Saks appeal

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/photos/2006-10-23/1024saks1-a.jpg

By Ron DaParma
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, October 24, 2006

After the closing of two department stores -- Lord & Taylor and Lazarus-Macy's -- and the conversion of Kaufmann's flagship store into a Macy's, the Saks Fifth Avenue store at 713 Smithfield St. has been a constant in a deteriorating Downtown retail scene.
If Saks executives have plans to expand, move or upgrade its store, they are keeping them close to the vest.

So city leaders and advocates of Downtown retailing are ready to do whatever they can to keep upscale Saks happy.

"We are continuing discussions with Saks," said Jerome Dettore, executive director of the Urban Redevelopment Authority. "We want to make sure that Saks stays Downtown, and we are working toward that end."

There has been speculation that Saks may be considering a site in the North Hills, where Nordstrom's recently committed to build a store at Ross Park Mall, but Dettore said he knows of no plans to close or move the Downtown store.

Over the years, Saks has considered expanding its Smithfield Street site, possibly using the abandoned Revco drug store building that has an entrance on Fifth Avenue and stands between its store and the former Lazarus-Macy's.

Now that Washington County developer Millcraft Industries Inc. is giving the Lazarus-Macy's site new life as a $65 million residential-retail-office development known as Piatt Place, the city believes the Revco site could be used to provide a loading dock and additional access for Saks.

Millcraft, which has an option to purchase the Revco building from the URA, plans to demolish it, but it hasn't yet decided how it would use the property, said Lucas Piatt, vice president-real estate.

"We'd be happy to work with Saks," Piatt said. "It's a great possibility for them to expand their space, or even to have a Fifth Avenue entrance to their store."

Piatt said he has had no direct talks with Saks, and Julia Bentley, a Saks spokeswoman, declined to comment on the issue.

"Saks is certainly the kind of destination retail every community would covet, so we're very interested in Saks continuing to be successful Downtown," said Michael Edwards, president of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership.

Dick Skrinjar, a spokesman for Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, said the mayor is interested in working with "all parties" to help Saks prosper.

Discussions about the Pittsburgh store come as the struggling 54-store Saks chain, based in Birmingham, Ala., launched a makeover to reclaim its status among upscale shoppers.

The chain has new management, which is rebuilding Saks' store label fashions, investing in brands such as Ellen Tracy, and better tailoring stores to meet specific markets. The shift is reflected in a fall ad campaign that embraces a broader approach to fashion.

"The changes we have outlined certainly are being implemented companywide, including the Pittsburgh store," Bentley said. "We began the process in the spring, and (it) also affects the fall merchandise being received."

Changes include bringing back a petite department to many Saks stores, including Pittsburgh in November, and reintroducing private label merchandise brands, Bentley said.

This fall, the company is offering Saks Fifth Avenue Private Collections, a replacement for Real Clothes, its store label business that was dropped last year.

While trendy labels remain key, officials said, the company is beefing up selections in classic names in men's and women's suits as well as stocking up on basics such as bras. Saks is investing more in key designer businesses such as Chanel and Fendi.

"With Lord & Taylor closing and also Lazarus, the only major players in town are Macy's and Saks," said Stefanie Jasper, of Crawford Square, after shopping at the Saks store during her a lunch break last week.

Jasper said she usually visits the store's cosmetics counter, and often checks out Saks fashion offerings even though she finds them "a little pricey."

Another shopper, Tom Badstibner of Upper St. Clair, who came to buy cosmetics for his wife, said he found the Downtown Saks to be an attractive store, but said the cost of parking in the city is a deterrent for shopping there.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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

themaguffin

10-24-2006, 06:00 PM

The park/trail thing is very ambitious and would be a great amenity. I would be smart to pursue this.

Why do we keep hearing about Saks when there really is no news?

The city must reduce the parking tax, but parking on the weekends is not expensive, or at least it doesn't have to be.

Evergrey

10-24-2006, 09:57 PM

This is a rather huge project. The architectural renderings look very appropriate for the site, and this will definately help push the Mexican War Streets over the edge. This portion of Federal St. and adjacent blocks is currently the tattered northeast fringe of the MWS.

http://www.popcitymedia.com/developmentnews/34fedhill.aspx

October 25, 2006

$13 million Federal Hill to bring 60 new homes to Northside

http://www.popcitymedia.com/galleries/Default/Dev%20News/Issue%2034/federal_hill_300.gif

Construction begins in November on Federal Hill, a development on upper Federal St. that will bring 60 new three-story homes to the central Northside. Phase one of the $13 million three-phase project is expected to be completed during spring 2007.

The Central Northside Neighborhood Council (CNNC) and S&A Homes are developing the project and Rothschild and Doyno Architects are designing the homes.

“The focus is to hit different income levels,” says Becky Davidson-Wagner of the CNNC, who calls the project “a milestone,” in terms of its scale, ten-year history and location within a neighborhood "still in transition." Prices range from $120,000 to $225,000 and the URA has committed funds for second deferred mortgages.

“It’s great for folks moving from the rental market, and for people wanting to live near the city and amenities,” says Wagner, who worked closely with area residents to identify community solutions for dealing with the blighted street. “This project is happening because of volunteers—the Federal Hill Committee and residents.”

CNNC has received grants from the Pittsburgh Partnership for Neighborhood Development, PA Housing Financing Agency and Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group. “We still need bank financing,” says Wagner, who expects a lender to fall into place.

“Other things are starting to spur development here,” says Wagner, citing Franco Harris’s proposal for a North Avenue eatery and the library’s new Federal Street location. “We feel the synergy--things are moving forward.”

“This is a closely followed, highly visible development,” says Trey Barbour with the URA, who adds that street improvements such as new lighting and benches will follow the housing.

Writer: Jennifer Baron
Source: Rebecca Davidson-Wagner, CNNC; Trey Barbour, URA

Image courtesy of Rothschild Doyno Architects

floorplans: http://www.centralnorthside.com/marketinginsertFH7-19-06

architectural sketches: http://www.rdarch.com/3_sketchgallery_plan.html

Evergrey

10-25-2006, 03:26 PM

apparently there's a new condo project across the street from Whole Foods

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2006/10/23/focus5.html?t=printable

Despite rebirth across the street, Motor Square Garden not for sale
Building, lot see no change even with Whole Foods nearby
Pittsburgh Business Times - October 20, 2006by Tim Schooley

From the upper tier of the latest phase of the East Side development, where a new Borders bookstore is soon to open near the border between East Liberty and Shadyside, Motor Square Garden's blue dome looms like the capitol of some oddly fashion-conscious country.

Instead, the historic landmark is the regional headquarters of West Penn AAA, the national motor club.

At the same time, the former market house remains as emblem of development plans past and perhaps future in an East Liberty neighborhood in the midst of restoring its status as an urban retail hub for the city.

"It makes sense to make it like it was in the late '80s when I was there," said Ralph Colaizzi, owner of the Shadyside store Kards Unlimited. "It would work well now that people are going to Whole Foods."

In the late 1980s, Colaizzi operated a fine furniture store called Department of the Interior in Motor Square Garden. At that time, the facility was a small indoor shopping center that included a range of small specialty stores as well as Hot Licks, a barbecue restaurant.

In its mall incarnation, Motor Square Garden closed in bankruptcy only a short time after opening.

For the record, West Penn AAA acquired the building out of bankruptcy for the bargain price of $2.25 million in 1991. A spokeswoman for AAA confirmed the organization continues to get occasional calls from developers interested in acquiring the building. But AAA is happy in the building and has no plans to sell or leave, she said.

Yet as East Liberty brims with new development activity, Colaizzi isn't alone in seeing new potential for Motor Square Garden and its surrounding parking lots.

Rob Stephany, director of commercial development for community development group East Liberty Development Inc., counts West Penn AAA as a longtime anchor and destination for the neighborhood. Yet he also noted that the AAA parking lot is "probably the only Whole Foods location (in the country) where there's a parking lot across the street from it."

Instead, he suggested, new development typically flocks to locate near Whole Foods, whether it's new retail or new residences seeking to lure homeowners to the organic grocer's upscale food offerings. In addition, Peters Township-based developer Crossgates Inc. plans to build a new condo project on the west side of AAA's parking lot opposite Whole Foods.

"I think everybody would be optimistic about the existing facility and some peripheral parking lots becoming retail again," said Stephany. "If there would be some way to coordinate their office use and some kind of retail use, that is something we'd be strongly supportive of."

If AAA were ever interested, it wouldn't take much for it to make a tidy profit on the sale of its building. After paying $2.25 million 15 years ago, the property is now assessed at $3.7 million, and Colaizzi and others believe its value is much higher.

The perception of the building's history as a shopping center is that it failed due to the negative perceptions of East Liberty at the time.

"It was really an isolated island of commerce that was 15 to 20 years ahead of its time, really," said Stephany.

Yet Colaizzi recalled the building owner's financial issues at other properties helping to drag Motor Square Garden down.

He said his store did well for its short time and believed Motor Square Garden deserves another chance.

"I did well in there," he recalled. "I loved being there. The space was beautiful. The space was perfect for me."

Evergrey

10-26-2006, 05:44 AM

5500 jobs sounds good to me!

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pitt.../s_476682.html

$7M grant will begin work on Findlay plot

By Sam Spatter
FOR THE TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, October 26, 2006

Allegheny County development officials envision using 400 acres off Business Route 60 in Findlay for a complex geared for cargo, maintenance companies, offices and possibly corporate headquarters.
To start the process, the Allegheny County Redevelopment Authority Board on Wednesday approved using a $7 million state grant to begin development of the North Field section by the Allegheny County Airport Authority.

The money will be used for developing the first phase of the site, which Dennis Davin, director of the county's Department of Economic Development, said has about 280 useable acres. Development at the site could eventually provide 5,500 jobs, Davin said.

Davin envisions corporations locating their headquarters adjacent to Pittsburgh International Airport, "so that executives and other key personnel of these corporations could walk out of their offices and get on a plane to take them to their destinations."

The airport authority has received letters of intent from two national companies interested in being the developer of the site, Davin said.

The redevelopment authority also amended an existing Economic Development Fund loan agreement it has with the developers of Imperial Business Park in Findlay -- located within several miles of the airport.

CSG Properties LLC. of Oakdale, the developer of the business park, has received $210,000 in additional financing from its lender, and the authority agreed to the added funding because it backs the loans.

"We are happy that the developers continue to support their developments by raising considerable private funding, without any public money involved," Davin said.

Negotiations have begun with several out-of-town companies -- several of which may put manufacturing facilities in a 100,000-square-foot building already built, and plans are to begin construction of a 200,000-square-foot building before the end of the year, said Buddy Johns, a CSG principal.

Sam Spatter can be reached at sspatter@tribweb.com.

Evergrey

10-27-2006, 12:41 AM

The biggest news of the year... Trader Joe's is here!

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06299/732954-34.stm

Trader Joe's comes to town with trademark trendy brands and low prices
Thursday, October 26, 2006

By Mackenzie Carpenter, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The first thing you notice walking into Trader Joe's, the new grocery chain opening tomorrow in East Liberty, isn't the food or the prices, although we'll get to them in a minute.

http://www.post-gazette.com/images4/20061026rrtraderjoe10201_450.jpg
Robin Rombach, Post-Gazette photos
Employees stock the shelves of the new Trader Joe's in East Liberty, which has included local touches, such as replicas of three Pittsburgh bridges.

Trader Joe's overarching theme might be generic island paradise/nautical (staffers wear Hawaiian shirts and are called "crew" members, while the manager is a "commander"), but there are plenty of Pittsburgh-specific touches, too, courtesy of local artists.

There's a corner display replicating Mt. Washington, complete with an incline, as well as a sign for $4.49 frozen pork tenderloin which says "good with sauerkraut n'at." And the huge wall mural painting featuring Pittsburgh's nighttime skyline is "exactly the view from my condo apartment," says Patrick Brandon, the store's 36-year-old "commander," who hails from Los Angeles but declares he plans to stay here for good.

It's all part of the California-based chain's efforts to brand itself as "your neighborhood grocery store," albeit one with some seriously cool foodstuffs -- 80 percent marketed under Trader Joe's own label -- that range from basic to exotic, and many of which can't be found anywhere else, at least for the price.

Thanks to direct dealings with manufacturers and elimination, when possible, of the middleman, "the price of this bag of frozen strawberries hasn't gone up in 10 years," Mr. Brandon said, proudly pointing to a 16-ounce, $1.69 package of the fruit. He then beckoned the reporter to view his own choice for dinner when he's too tired to cook -- a bag of frozen Mandarin orange chicken pieces ($4.99 for 22 ounces).

http://www.post-gazette.com/images4/20061026rr_trader6_450.jpg
Katie Sheir, a manager at the new Trader Joe's in East Liberty, goes over the flowers for sale at the store.

Indeed, a quick tour earlier this week of the 10,500-square-foot facility at 6343 Penn Ave., site of the old Wheeler's Paint Store, uncovered some real foodie treasures. The baked goods section wasn't quite ready yet, nor the produce section, nor the fresh meats and poultry, but the cereal, coffee and frozen dinner aisles were pretty much ready to go in preparation for tomorrow's opening at 9 a.m. sharp.

There were frozen green beans direct from France ($1.99 for 1 1/2 pounds), whole organic chicken (actually, the chicken wasn't there yet, but the sign said $2.49 a pound), and a large frozen chicken breast stuffed with cranberries and almonds ($2.99).

There's a dizzying array of frozen party food, including a miniquiche assortment ($4.69 for 18 quiches) and a huge New York-style cheesecake ($9.99 for 56 ounces).

There's "Trader Giotto" chocolate gelato ($3.49 for a half gallon) and clever Patisserie de France frozen sorbet stuffed in scooped-out lemon and orange shells (four for $4.49). There are 54 kinds of coffee, most of them Trader Joe's own brands, ranging from French Roast ($4.99 for 12 ounces) to ultragourmet Kona ($19.99 for 13 ounces).

There are basics, too, such as eggs, milk and orange juice ($1.99 for a half gallon; $3.49 for organic), and while the milk and butter aren't produced from cows treated with hormones, their prices are competitive with conventional brands at other area supermarkets. Shoppers have some degree of choice, too: Meats and poultry are kosher, organic or conventional.

http://www.post-gazette.com/images4/20061026rr_trader1_450.jpg
Patrick Orr samples food offered for employees at the new Trader Joe's in East Liberty. Each day, employees taste some of the products sold at the store so they know what they're selling.

Is Trader Joe's perfect? No. The Pittsburgh store is much smaller than many of the chain's other stores, which might mean, ultimately, less selection and more crowding in the aisles.

Health nuts won't find fish oil in giant "family size" bottles but rather in smaller containers.

Food snobs in search of the very best olive oil might not fancy "Trader Giotto's" olive oil at $5.99, preferring instead to seek out McEvoy Ranch's pricier version at Whole Foods, at more than $20 a bottle.

And if you've visited a Trader Joe's in a state with less restrictive liquor laws, you'll probably miss the wine and beer. Charles Shaw's "Two Buck Chuck" wine ($2.99) developed quite a following nationally, but you won't find it here.

The cereal section presents a special dilemma. Will Trader Joe's "Joe's O's" ($2.29 for a 15-ounce box) really taste as good as Cheerios, or the other, more expensive General Mills, Quaker Oats or Post brands, which aren't available in the store but can be found at your local Giant Eagle? We'll see.

But for busy working families who like to try new things and people on a tight budget, this new entry into Pittsburgh's lively supermarket scene seems like a great fit.

Don't hesitate over that chocolate truffle cake ($5.99 for 15 ounces), though. Trader Joe's introduces 1,000 new products a year, and it might be gone tomorrow.

But something else just as good will probably take its place.

Tarte Tatin for $6.99, anyone?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Mackenzie Carpenter can be reached at mcarpenter@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1949. )

...

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_476689.html

E. Liberty store may expand perceptions of shopping

By Rick Stouffer
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, October 26, 2006

Jessica Lardinais and Becky Serafini never have shopped at Trader Joe's together, but each has frequently trekked out of state to shop at the eclectic grocery chain.
Their long trips end Friday. At 9 a.m., in East Liberty's Village of Eastside shopping plaza on Penn Avenue, the area's first Trader Joe's opens.

"Within the last three years, since I moved to Pittsburgh, most every time I go back home (to Toledo) to visit, I take a cooler and drive up to the Trader Joe's in Ann Arbor (Mich.), only about an hour, hour-and-a-half away," Lardinais said. "The attraction is great food at great prices."

Serafini said, "I heard about Trader Joe's about three years ago from a fellow Pittsburgher who lived in California. On a trip to Columbus, we saw a store and went in. It probably was one of the best shopping experiences I ever had. Now, when in Cleveland on business, I allow time to visit Trader Joe's."

Lardinais and Serafini work together at H.J. Heinz Co.'s Foodservice Division, Downtown.

Trader Joe's will alter consumers' perception about food shopping, industry watchers say, and will move Pittsburgh away from being a relatively high-priced market, make shopping more exciting, and make other food purveyors more price conscious.

"Eyecatching" describes the store's decor, with four, large, bright yellow models of Downtown's Smithfield, Fort Pitt, Roberto Clemente and 16th Street bridges hanging from the ceiling.

A corner of the store is called "Bit of the Burgh," where area products are featured, next to space dedicated to taste testing food from around the world. Hawaiian-print shirts are standard uniform for all employees, known as crew members.

"Attention to customer demands and outstanding customer service is Trader Joe's," said Len Lewis, former editor of Progressive Grocer, who has written a book about the very private chain.

Attention to detail and to customers, low prices and high quality have served Trader Joe's well, observers say. Founded in 1958 by "Trader Joe" Coulombe as three small convenience stores in Pasadena, Calif., the business' philosophy made a sharp turn in the 1960s as Coulombe looked to combat 7-Eleven.

The result was to focus on hard-to-find gourmet foods, low-priced wines, along with food manufacturers' discontinued and overstocked merchandise, all sold at steep discounts. Today, the chain has 260 stores in 22 states and the District of Columbia, and is owned by Germans Theo and Karl Albrecht, owners of the Aldi grocery chain.

Packed into 10,500 square feet of space, the Monrovia, Calif.-based chain's East Liberty store features a wide range of products. In addition to the traditional basics of butter, milk, bread and eggs, there are such eye-openers as black currant, acai and pomegranate fruit spread, green garbanzo beans, Punjab Choley and Thai Lime & Chilli cashews. Company buyers look abroad for new items.

Shoppers may not know many of the 2,000 to 2,500 products a typical Trader Joe's offers, but food industry experts say the company has a knack for making people want its offerings.

"They are very good at leading their customers, making them see new things that they have to have," Lewis said. "They don't just fill a need, they create a need, where the consumer is compelled to come back for things like blueberry juice. You probably didn't know you needed blueberry juice, but it becomes a must-have item."

Food industry consultant Burt P. Flickinger III likens Trader Joe's to another retailer once common in Western Pennsylvania that combined super low prices, wide variety and top quality.

"Trader Joe's is like a Phar-Mor, offering deeply discounted products because the company deals directly with manufacturers and cuts out the middlemen," said Flickinger, with New York-based Strategic Resource Group. "But Trader Joe's has gone beyond Phar-Mor in that it offers fresh perishables, produce, meat and deli products at the best prices."

Another thing customers will notice is that roughly nine of every 10 products carries the Trader Joe's brand. While the name might be Trader Jose's, Trader Giotto's, Trader Ming or Trader Darwin (vitamins, with the catch phrase "for survival of the fittest"), it's all Trader Joe's.

"If it has our name on it, it's guaranteed to have no artificial coloring, preservatives, or flavors," said Patrick Brandon, the East Liberty store's "commander," i.e., manager.

"You don't know what to expect when you visit Trader Joe's except you'll find outstanding quality and low prices," Flickinger said.

Rick Stouffer can be reached at rstouffer@tribweb.com.

Trader Joe's at a glance
• Founded: 1958, originally as three convenience stores in California by Joe Coulombe

• Headquarters: Monrovia, Calif.

• Owner: Privately held by Theo and Karl Albrecht, owners of the Aldi grocery chain

• Revenues: Estimated at $2.6 billion

• Stores: 260

• States: 22, plus the District of Columbia

• Store employees: East Liberty store to employ between 50 and 100 part-time and full-time workers

• Items per store: Roughly 2,500

• Percentage of products branded Trader Joe's: Roughly 85 percent

• Uniform: Hawaiian print shirt

Evergrey

10-27-2006, 03:19 PM

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_476685.html

Neighborhood undergoes powerful retail rebirth

By Ron DaParma
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, October 26, 2006

Friday's opening of the trendy Trader Joe's is the latest of a steady stream of new retail stores, residential housing, restaurants, and office space to the city's East Liberty neighborhood.
East Liberty, once the city's second-busiest retail district, at long last is seeing a substantial rebirth after years of deterioration.

"There a lot of positive energy in East Liberty, and the opening of Trader Joe's is added proof of the success of the district and the purchasing power of the city's East End," said Lars Olander, president of the East Liberty Chamber of Commerce.

"The community continues to be revitalized, and we're very excited about that success."

Neighborhood advocates agree the first seed for the neighborhood's rebirth was planted when a Home Depot home improvement center opened off Penn Circle North in 2000.

Two years later, organic foods seller Whole Foods made a successful debut on Centre Avenue.

Mosites Co., a local development company, is now running full bore in building the next phases of what is called its EastSide project along Centre.

In addition to the Whole Foods, EastSide already includes a Walgreen drug store, Starbucks coffee shop, and a state premium wine and spirit store. Coming within a few weeks is a Borders book store, with a Eva Szabo's day spa, a mooi organic children's clothing store and Trek Bicycle Shop expected to open soon.

Also, negotiations are under way with a hair salon and a restaurant, according to Mosites, which recently disclosed it is in negotiations to bring a Target discount store to the complex.

Another major project announced recently is Bakery Square. Shadyside developer Walnut Capital Partner's plan to build a 120-room hotel, 38 residential units, 380,000 square feet of retail space and an 800-space parking garage at the site of the closed 495,000-square-foot Nabisco cracker factory on Penn Avenue.

Walnut Capital has said it wants to fill a "pent-up" demand for retail, hotel and other uses in East Liberty and the nearby neighborhoods of Shadyside and Oakland.

The rebirth has not been without its setbacks.

For example, the neighborhood this month is losing a Shop 'n Save supermarket that opened in 2005 in the Village of East Side shopping complex.

However, it was announced the same day that a portion of the 50,000-square-foot space will be occupied by a Staples office supply store, which is expected to open a 20,000-square-foot Super Store in early 2007, according to East Liberty Station Associates, owner of the shopping complex.

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

Evergrey

10-27-2006, 05:46 PM

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06299/733119-54.stm

Alle-Kiski Valley passenger rail considered
Thursday, October 26, 2006

By Joe Grata, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Alle-Kiski Valley officials are reviving efforts to establish passenger rail service in the Allegheny River corridor.

The Allegheny River Transportation Initiative is to meet at 5 p.m. today at the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center in the Strip District.

The initiative's chairman, Dr. Michael Contes, said a consortium of businesses, chambers of commerce and government leaders will discuss bringing the public and private sectors together to achieve passenger service in the corridor.

In a statement, the group said, "With new wealthy communities anticipated in towns such as Oakmont and Plum, the number of commuters to Pittsburgh will continue to outpace any new work conducted on Route 28 for the purpose of increasing capacity.

"The re-establishment of the rail corridor is the key to the survival and economic growth up and down the Allegheny River as well as in Pittsburgh itself."

Alle-Kiski Valley passenger train service has long been a stop-and-go proposition. The last major development occurred in July 2000, when a consultant said the service was feasible and, with a series of park-and-ride lots, trains would account for round trips of 1,200 people a day.

The commuter trains would operate on 23 miles of a former Conrail freight line now owned by the Allegheny Valley Railroad.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Evergrey

10-27-2006, 05:46 PM

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06299/733100-147.stm

Price tag delays Oakland 'gateway'
Work to encompass Boulevard of Allies, Forbes, Fifth ramps
Thursday, October 26, 2006

By Joe Grata, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Construction of the long-sought "gateway" to Oakland has been postponed until at least spring.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation confirmed yesterday that it has rejected a $31.8 million low bid as more than it can afford. It has gone back to the drawing board for the construction project that would redesign and spruce up a system of ramps and bridges at the convergence of the Boulevard of the Allies and Forbes and Fifth avenues.

Because the bids came in so high, PennDOT has asked the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, the 10-county planning agency that sets the region's transportation funding agenda, to switch funds for a Route 28 interchange rehabilitation in Etna to the Oakland project.

"It's painful, but it's the reality of the market and the times," PennDOT District 11 Executive Dan Cessna said, citing rapid inflation in the construction industry and limited state and federal funds. "But, the Boulevard of Allies project will go forward and it will contain aesthetic features that the community wanted."

The $31.8 million low bid was more than 50 percent over engineers' estimate of $19.9 million for the Oakland makeover. A $41.1 million high bid was more than double the estimate.

PennDOT will repackage bid criteria to give prospective contractors more flexibility with the design, schedule and traffic management in order to bring costs closer to engineering estimates and available money. Work could still get under way in the spring, Mr. Cessna said.

The project includes replacing the deteriorated Boulevard of the Allies bridge over Forbes Avenue; building a new exit ramp to Forbes; and adding a direct westbound ramp from Fifth Avenue to the boulevard so traffic will no longer be required to turn left onto Craft Avenue and travel one block on Forbes .

It also would add various design features to transform a major Oakland interchange from eyesore to artful.

"We'll keep the paint scheme, the arched beam that's an important new feature to the community and other special design elements," Mr. Cessna said of the products of input from the Oakland Task Force and Oakland Transportation Management Association whose board represents the major medical and educational institutions in the neighborhood.

Planning began in the early 1990s and public meetings date to 1995. PennDOT held the latest one Friday with Oakland stakeholders to disclose that bids were being rejected and to explain why.

Mavis Rainey, executive director of the Oakland Transportation Management Association, said members of the community now understand and accept the situation.

"We were concerned the architectural design items might be the reason for the high bids before we got a better understanding," she said. "But PennDOT confirmed to the community that the project will indeed proceed, but a little later than expected."

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission has $27.5 million earmarked for phase four of the Route 28 project that would start rehabilitating 48-year-old ramps and widening the mainline to two lanes in the northbound direction.

PennDOT is to use as much of those funds as necessary for the Oakland job that's a higher priority. More funding will then have to be found for the Route 28 work later.

Information about and renderings of the Oakland/Boulevard of Allies project can be found at www.otma-pgh.org.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Evergrey

10-27-2006, 05:47 PM

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06300/733397-53.stm

South Side riverfront park, bike-walk bridge now under way
Friday, October 27, 2006

By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

They once powered steel and commerce, but now Pittsburgh's riverfronts are just as likely to provide a smooth ride for a bicyclist, a workout for a jogger or a front yard for a resident.

It's a renaissance that has been years in the making, and one that advanced on two more fronts yesterday with groundbreaking for a $10.5 million riverfront park on the South Side and conversion of an old steel mill bridge into a bike and pedestrian crossing.

Coupled with two Allegheny County council members' announcement Tuesday of plans for a countywide park running along four rivers, yesterday's events capped a good week for riverfront enthusiasts.

"It's clear that people are looking at the riverfronts in a totally new way, that the riverfronts are a place where environmental reclamation and new recreation and economic development are all coming together," said Lisa Schroeder, executive director of the Riverlife Task Force.

Ms. Schroeder said the renaissance has produced far more than trails and park space. Since 2000, more than $2.5 billion in investment has occurred on the rivers in the Downtown area alone, she said, with $91 million of that representing green space and infrastructure.

Part of the investment has involved riverfront housing. Ms. Schroeder said there are now 800 residential units under development in the city alone.

"It really represents a new kind of growth for Pittsburgh," she said.

The $10.5 million South Shore Riverfront Park will be one of the newest additions.

By its completion, the park, extending from the SouthSide Works complex, will feature trails, fountains, water taxi access, boat docking facilities, benches, a stage, and five acres of green space.

The first phase starts this fall and involves excavation and grading and demolition of a 40-foot-high river wall. That will enable the city's Urban Redevelopment Authority to construct riverfront trails and eventually the park.

Through federal and state sources, foundations and private investment, the URA has secured about half of the funding needed for the full venture. It hopes to have the park completed in three to four years.

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said the South Shore project and others are "prime examples of how we can move Pittsburgh forward," not only in providing residents amenities but in helping to attract people to the city.

"We're using our rivers in 2006 in a much different way than we did when the steel industry was here, but we've transformed our city, we've transformed the way we do business, and it's a great story to tell," he said.

The other subject yesterday was the $10.1 million conversion of the Hot Metal Bridge over the Monongahela River into a pedestrian and bike crossing. Built in the early 1900s, the bridge originally carried molten steel from mill furnaces on the South Side to steel production mills on the other side.

As part of the project, a new concrete deck and lighting will be installed. A switchback ramp will be built on the south side of the bridge to connect to the trails there and a new span will be erected over Second Avenue to link the bridge to the Eliza Furnace Trail.

Small belvederes will be added to the bridge to allow users to take in views of the river and the Downtown skyline.

When finished next fall, the bridge will be a critical component in the region's riverfront renaissance, connecting trails in the Golden Triangle, South Side and Oakland. It also will be a key link in the Great Allegheny Passage, the 150-mile trail between Pittsburgh and Cumberland, Md.

The Allegheny Conference on Community Development has made the Great Allegheny Passage one of the signature projects to be finished in 2008 in time for Pittsburgh's 250th birthday.

There are still nine miles to be secured in Allegheny County, Chief Executive Dan Onorato said. The county has put together a plan to make the connections in time for the 2008 celebration, and has been in working with private owners to gain access to needed property.

The cost of completing the gaps could be as much as $7 million.

One troublesome spot involves Sandcastle water park, whose owners so far haven't allowed a trail on their property. Mr. Onorato is hopeful an agreement can be reached.

"They have legitimate concerns but they're working with us. Everybody's working together on this," he said.

Yesterday's events came on the heels of the plan unveiled by county councilmen David Fawcett, R-Oakmont, and James Burn Jr., D-Millvale, to build a countywide riverfront park system that could cost upwards of $100 million.

The park could run up to 100 miles along one shore or the other of the Ohio, Monongahela, Allegheny and Youghiogheny rivers and feature trails and other amenities, like mountain biking, tennis courts, cross country skiing and playgrounds.

They see the park not only as a way to provide recreational opportunities but to entice and enhance development in the towns along the rivers and the region as a whole. The proposal still faces major hurdles, including funding and property acquisition.

At this time, there also are plans under way for major renovations to Point State Park. The Riverlife Task Force is preparing to begin work on a trail along the Mon Wharf.

As one who has spent years encouraging and planning riverfront revitalization, Ms. Schroeder could not be more pleased with the housing, investment and some of the latest initiatives.

"The momentum seems to be building by the day," she said.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

themaguffin

10-28-2006, 02:45 PM

There has been talk of sprucing up the Oakland ramps for a while now. I really don't understand why this wasn't addressed decades ago, this is a major entrance to a significant part of the city and it looks like absolute shit.

themaguffin

10-30-2006, 02:15 PM

Unfinished tale: The heart of Pittsburgh needs a major bookstore
Monday, October 30, 2006

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Downtowns should have bookstores. Along with high-end coffee shops, bookstores are the leading indicator that a city is an intellectually curious place. The more books and the more coffee, the better.

Too bad Barnes & Noble on Smithfield Street has announced it will be closing early next year. The store has been a magnet for book lovers since 1994, when it moved into some of the space that had once housed Gimbels department store.

The cryptic reason the chain gave for the store's closing was the expiration of its lease. Even so, a Barnes & Noble spokesman said it will "continue to look for other opportunities in Downtown Pittsburgh as the market grows."

What do book lovers do then? There's the Carnegie Library branch across the street, but that's a different kind of literary experience. And, although demolition on Fifth Avenue recently forced the closing of a Bradley's Book Cellar, the discounter still has an outlet in Macy's.

Given all that, the city will soon have no major bookstore Downtown, and Pittsburghers should tremble at the symbolism. What will out-of-towners think when they discover that such a center of history, art and culture doesn't have a big store with aisles and aisles of books, the latest literary magazines and political journals in its central business district?

We hope Barnes & Noble -- or one of its rivals -- reconsiders the value of a full-scale bookseller in the heart of our city. We also hope development leaders gauge the void this will leave in a downtown that's trying to repackage itself as a good place to live.

To some, it's just another store closing. To many others, this is bigger and it says something about Pittsburgh.

I hadn't heard about this - this sucks.

themaguffin

10-30-2006, 02:18 PM

Walnut looking to do hotels....

Local developers look to branch out from retail, residential into hotels
Pittsburgh Business Times - October 27, 2006by Tim Schooley

After years of growing a portfolio comprised mostly of shopping centers and residential projects, Shadyside-based development firm Walnut Capital Partners now sees room for more inns.

Currently, the company has two new hotel projects in development, is eyeing a third, and the owners of the company are considering another Downtown.

Why hotels? And why now?

"We're just trying to diversify our holdings," said Anthony Dolan, a principal of Walnut Capital, for the short answer.

But he also acknowledged that Walnut Capital is working on its first hotel development projects because of the market opportunities in the region, after years of ongoing retail development.

"It's a function of what right now makes sense for us to evaluate in this market," added Dolan. "Every industry segment in the development world ebbs and flows."

Walnut Capital's first hotel development looks to be a 120-room facility it has planned for its Bakery Square at East Side mixed-use redevelopment of the former Nabisco bakery on Penn Avenue in East Liberty.

Beyond that, the company recently reached an agreement of sale on a property on Route 19 in Cranberry Township, where it plans to develop a new hotel as part of a larger retail development. Dolan wouldn't offer further details on the project because the project is only in its early stages.

Walnut Capital also is eyeing a potential hotel project along the Interstate 79 corridor but has yet to commit to a property.

Dolan suggested Walnut Capital also is considering a hotel project Downtown, but couldn't comment further. In January, Dolan's partners at Walnut Capital, Gregg Perelman and Todd Reidbord, teamed with billionaire Mount Lebanon native Mark Cuban, who owns the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, to buy a nine-story building Downtown on Fort Duquesne Boulevard formerly occupied by the Easter Seals of Western Pennsylvania that has long been considered as a potential hotel.

Walnut Capital's new interest in developing hotels comes as a slew of hotel projects continue to sprout up in Western Pennsylvania. At least eight new hotels are in the planning or construction phases within the city alone.

R. Britton Colbert, a Ligonier-based consultant who has worked in financing both retail and hotel developments, said ample capital is available for developing hotels nationwide.

"There's plenty of capital around, so lenders are very happy to look at new construction deals" for hotels, Colbert said.

In the region, Walnut Capital isn't the only development firm plunging into the hotel business. Squirrel Hill-based developer Craig Cozza recently bought the former Palace Inn in Monroeville and plans to reopen it as a hotel.

Hotel development represents a departure for Walnut Capital, whose holdings include apartment properties valued at nearly $150 million and more than 500,000 square feet of retail space.

Dolan said the influx of new development has proven there continues to be strong demand for more hotels.

"I can tell you that what we've been told by the hotels that we work with; all the hotels built in the last five years have all been performing very well," he said.

Dolan said the company is working with a hotel firm but wouldn't yet divulge. He emphasizes his firm doesn't profess any expertise in hotel development and will work closely with its partner.

Colbert believed hotel development is much more challenging than retail. While a developer leases a shopping center to a host of tenants who then occupy their store space, a hotel's rooms each require detailed attention and need to be rented every night in a business that is always open.

"It's entirely different," he said. "It's infinitely harder."

themaguffin

10-30-2006, 02:20 PM

local for a change....

Italian grocer considering entry into SouthSide Works
Pittsburgh Business Times - October 27, 2006by Tim Schooley

Opening a new store is a big decision for a small family-owned market.

But Leonard Labriola Italian Stores Inc., a specialty Italian market more than 40 years old, which has locations in Aspinwall, Monroeville and Penn Hills, is considering an expansion into the SouthSide Works.

Leonard Labriola Sr., who operates the business with the rest of his family, confirmed the business has a letter of intent with Soffer Organization for a new location on Carson Street. He hopes to make a final decision by January.

"We found our area. We have a nice following," said Labriola. "We just like to spread out a little bit."

Helping in his decision is his son Leonard Jr., a recent college graduate, who is moving into SouthSide Works and finds the idea of operating the family store nearby appealing.

If the business makes a final commitment, it would be the first time the Labriolas operated a store within the city limits since it closed its earliest store in East Liberty in 1970.

Labriola said he also is considering opening a location in Cranberry.

In an age of big box chain stores, Labriola said business is strong. His markets offer a wide variety of specialty Italian foods such as oils and pastas, as well as weekly staples such as deli meats and cheeses.

"The big box stores leave a lot of room for you to compete with," said Labriola. "Especially with Giant Eagle, we'll come way under their pricing."

Giant Eagle Inc. spokesman Dan Donovan wouldn't comment specifically about a competitor. But his company always strives to provide competitive prices to its customers, noting its fuelperks! gasoline incentive program as an example.

Officials for Soffer Organization, the developer of SouthSide Works, were unavailable for comment.

Molly Blasier, a principal of Shadyside-based Blasier Urban LLC who helped attract Whole Foods Market to East Liberty, believed such smaller markets were often overlooked in the discussion over the need for supermarkets in the city.

A similar kind of market is expected to open Downtown, supplied by another local Italian food purveyor, George E. DeLallo Co. Inc., based in Jeannette.

"These types of stores add so much style and their own uniqueness to any neighborhood. But it's difficult for family-owned businesses to expand," said Blasier, noting they often need other family members to open new stores. "It's not like a machine like the national stores are."

Evergrey

10-30-2006, 03:29 PM

that is infuriating about Barnes and Noble leaving... interesing that Barnes and Saks are leaving right as downtown is finally starting to gain a lot of momentum... hopefully they'll end up regretting their decision as thousands of new residents are added downtown...

ironically, Barnes is adding a location in Duquesne University's new complex... which is *almost* downtown

themaguffin

10-30-2006, 03:58 PM

Huh Saks leaving?

PittPenn 03

10-30-2006, 06:34 PM

I am sure one of the new developments will pick up a bookstore - if we are lucky maybe a useful one. As large as Barnes & Noble's are, l find the selection at even Walden's better. I would really like to see a Border's downtown and since they are putting one in E. Liberty, perhaps a DT location would not be out of the question.

Perhaps B&N just wants a smaller store - that location is pretty big just to carry 20,000 copies of the latest bestsellers.

I am trying to take an unusually positive look at this as it opens a great space for a grocery store.

Now Saks, I have not heard anything about Saks. As far as I have been hearing, the city is just trying to shore things up for them so they do not even think about leaving. Unless some announcement has been made that I am not aware of, I think it is more likely that Macy's would pull-out before Sak's. In fact, I am noticing the merchandise is already starting to thin out at Macy's Downtown and it is starting to look like the useless Lazarus we used to have. I am sure the stealthy shut-down plan has been in place for months at Federated's HQ.

Evergrey

10-30-2006, 06:46 PM

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06303/734211-100.stm

Final properties acquired for new arena
Monday, October 30, 2006

By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Pittsburgh-Allegheny County Sports and Exhibition Authority has secured all the property it needs for a new arena and is on pace to begin demolition and site preparation in January.

SEA board members today approved a $3.6 million settlement with the Laborers District Council of Western Pennsylvania for the purchase of its headquarters property on Fifth Avenue and Congress Street in Uptown and ratified a second purchase with another property owner for $550,000 to complete the acquisitions.

The moves give the authority control over 10 properties bordering Fifth and Centre avenues and Colwell Street that will be part of the site for the new arena, whose construction is crucial to keeping the Penguins in Pittsburgh. The SEA paid $15 million to buy the properties. The total includes relocation costs.

SEA Executive Director Mary Conturo said the completion of the acquisitions will allow the authority to begin demolition of buildings on the arena site in January. It hopes to have all site preparation done by summer, for a start of construction July 1.

The authority and the Penguins still must work out an arrangement to demolish the team-owned former St. Francis Central Hospital on Centre Avenue. The old facility occupies a large chunk of the arena site.

As the SEA board was taking action, Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and county Chief Executive Dan Onorato spoke with National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman to update him on the progress toward a new arena and to extend an invitation to tour the site. That is expected to happen the next time Mr. Bettman is in town, said Kevin Evanto, spokesman for Mr. Onorato.

"It was a brief conversation but a positive one," Mr. Evanto said.

The public officials are hoping the construction of the arena will keep the team in Pittsburgh under new owner Jim Balsillie.

Evergrey

10-30-2006, 06:48 PM

Pittsburgh has 23,000 vacant lots... that's a lot of opportunity.

http://pittsburgh.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2006/10/23/daily42.html?t=printable

Urban planning forum set forThursday
Pittsburgh Business Times - October 30, 2006by Dan Reynolds
An urban planning forum inspired by Pittsburgh's late Mayor Bob O'Connor's idea to "Redd Up" the city is scheduled to kick off on the North Side on Thursday.

What's being dubbed the Pittsburgh Green Forum on Vacant Land Revitalization will be held at the Pittsburgh Project offices on Charles Street on the North Side next week.

Architects, environmental engineers and other businesses interested in supporting green growth in Pittsburgh are urged to attend and give their ideas on the topic of creating a plan for green spaces and networks using abandoned land in the city.

The forum hopes to find ways to make better use of the city's approximately 23,000 vacant lots.

Mary Beth Steisslinger, a restoration coordinator with the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and one of the forum's organizers, said the purpose of the two-day event is to gather input from attendees on day one with the help of Downtown nonprofit consultants Dewey and Kaye, collate it, and present it to an invitation-only group of elected officials and policy makers the following day.

"We want them to dream big about what Pittsburgh can look like in the future," Steisslinger said of the charge that organizers are giving to attendees on the first day. The goal of the meeting's second day is to get policymakers to start thinking about how changes to Pittsburgh's vacant spaces might be funded and planned by corporations, nonprofits, the city and local foundations.

Organizers and sponsors of the forum include the nonprofit Urban Ecology Collaborative, PNC Financial Services Group and The Sprout Fund.

Steisslinger said the idea for the forum came from O'Connor, who in his brief time in office urged city residents and employees, and Steisslinger's employer, the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy to begin thinking about ways to rebuild and reclaim Pittsburgh's vacant spaces. Pittsburgh's new mayor, Luke Ravenstahl, will be attending both days of next week's event. In doing so, he is picking up the torch for revitalizing vacant land in Pittsburgh from O'Connor, who died Sept. 1 of a rare form of brain cancer.

Efforts to create greenways from vacant land in some Pittsburgh neighborhoods are already under way.

A group called Find the Rivers that is being run out of the nonprofit Hill House Association is now working on a plan to use vacant land along Kirkpatrick Street in the Hill to create an urban greenway that will connect views of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers.

Another group, the Mount Washington Community Development Organization, is working on a plan to make better public use of a necklace of vacant land on Mount Washington.

In forming plans to make better use of vacant urban land, Pittsburgh has joined a group of East Coast nonprofits, known as the Urban Ecology Collaborative, which also has presences in Boston, New Haven, Baltimore, New York and Washington, D.C.

Next week's forum will include presentations from Parks and People, a UEC group from Baltimore, and Philly Green, a group working to create green spaces and investment in Philadelphia that coordinates with the UEC but is not a UEC member.

In addition to the work to be done at next week's forum, a group at the H. John Heinz III School for Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University is working on a study that is detailing vacant land in Pittsburgh's 89 neighborhoods. The Heinz School's strategic plan for Vacant Land Revitalization is scheduled to be presented to Ravenstahl's office in December.

dreynolds@bizjournals.com | (412) 481-6397 x239

themaguffin

10-30-2006, 07:12 PM

so what did you mean evergrey about Saks?

Evergrey

10-31-2006, 01:41 AM

so what did you mean evergrey about Saks?

I was just referring to the multiple articles of non-news about local politicians being worried about the potential of Saks fleeing for the green pastures of Ross Park Mall. You know as much as I do... but when I read consistent non-news like that... I tend to think there is really something brewing under the surface.

anyways... here's a rather boring article about the VA Health System expansion... but noteworthy because they're planning on building 2 buildings totally 200,000 sq. feet in Oakland

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2006/10/30/story9.html?t=printable

VA Pittsburgh's growth has growing impact on region's economy
Pittsburgh Business Times - October 27, 2006by Kris B. Mamula

An ongoing $200 million construction project at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System may be only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the health care provider's growing impact on the region's economy.

"The big issue is we're buying more stuff because we're doing more things," said Michael Moreland, director of the VA Pittsburgh. "There's $100 million in my budget that wasn't there six years ago. That's a lot of growth."

A new 1,500-car parking garage is nearly complete at the Oakland campus, and work will soon get underway on residential living villas and an administration building in O'Hara, which is called the VA's H.J. Heinz Division. Still to be awarded are contracts for a 150,000-square-foot mental health building, 50,000-square-foot research office building, both in Oakland; and a 120,000-square-foot ambulatory care building in O'Hara. Included in the project is demolition of the VA's Highland Drive behavioral health facility in the city's Lincoln-Lemington section. The 160-acre site will then be sold or leased.

Unlike other health care systems, the federal government funds the VA for veterans' health care, freeing it from the vagaries of the commercial insurance market, which constrains other hospitals. The VA's operating budget rose to $399 million in fiscal 2006 from $237 million in the same period in 2000 while the number of veterans served increased to 56,000 in 2005, up from 45,000 in 2000.

"Let's face it, the VA is hot," said Karen Feinstein, president of the Jewish Healthcare Foundation, a Downtown-based philanthropy that has joined the VA in health care demonstration projects. "They're light years ahead of everyone. You're seeing health care as it should be practiced."

The VA's growth has come in the number of five outpatient clinics -- the newest one opened a year ago -- as the number of outpatient visits climbed to 452,599 in fiscal 2005 from 404,903 in the same period of 2001. On the acute care side of the complex, the number of liver transplants nearly tripled to 53 in fiscal 2005, up from just 18 in fiscal 2001, while a host of other services have been added or expanded: a cardiac catheterization lab, emergency care and eye clinic are among recent additions.

The region's business owners have been among the beneficiaries of the spending increase. A total of $711,530 was spent for specialty contract nurses in fiscal 2005, for example, up from $134,174 in 2002.

The VA employs about 2,500 people, and earmarks 35 percent of its budget for small business contracts.

"There's a nice percentage of work that we get out of there," said Brian Svetz, whose company, Greensburg-based Svetz Orthotics & Prosthetics, receives about 3 percent of its business from the VA.

VA purchases of prosthetic devices, which include heart pacemakers and custom wheelchairs, rose to $12.3 million in fiscal 2005, up from $10.3 million during the same period in 2004.

The VA is "tremendously important" to the region's economy, said Jan Jennings, president and CEO of American Healthcare Solutions, a Downtown consultant. The facility has benefited from being in the shadow of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, he said.

"Is the VA in San Juan, Puerto Rico going to get the same kind of investment? No. Is the VA in Honolulu going to get the same kind of investment? No," Jennings said. "It just makes sense the VA would target their investments here."

AaronPGH

10-31-2006, 01:44 AM

when the fuck did Saks decide to leave? I don't believe I got the memo. I hope to god this isn't true.

Evergrey

10-31-2006, 01:56 AM

More East Liberty development... Liberty Park is included on the East Liberty development map posted on the previous page... it's a rather large project

http://www.popcitymedia.com/developmentnews/34libpk.aspx

Event celebrates construction of $14 M Liberty Park
On November 2, a celebration of the construction of Liberty Park will take place at the corner of Broad and Collins Avenue in East Liberty.

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, Congressman Mike Doyle and Maelene Myers, executive director of East Liberty Development, Inc. (ELDI) and others will address community members and lay bricks on one of the site’s new buildings.

Slated for completion in October of 2007, phase one of the $14 million, 35,000 square-foot project features 124 rental apartments and townhouses.
A variety of one-, two- and three-bedroom units ranging from 1,000 to 2,575 square feet, will be available at market and subsidized housing rates.

Located at 6201 Broad Street on the site of a high-rise apartment demolished in 2005, Liberty Park is designed to reconnect the area with greater East Liberty through the reconfiguration and construction of new public streets.

Stephen Ponter of Devlin Architecture designed the project; contractor is Mistick Construction. McCormack Baron Salazar (MBS), the nation’s top for-profit developer of economically integrated urban neighborhoods, is developing the project; landscape designer is LaQuatra Bonci Associates.

"We are pleased to take an important step in returning a neighborhood to East Liberty--getting it that much closer to a truly vibrant place where people of all incomes and races can eat, live, play and shop." says Karl Sclachter with MBS.

The project is financed with assistance from the URA, PA Housing Finance Agency, ELDI and SunAmerica Housing Partners.

Future phases of Liberty Park may include additional rental housing, more than 50 for sale homes, and a public park.

Writer: Jennifer Baron
Source: ELDI

http://www.popcitymedia.com/galleries/Default/Dev%20News/Issue%2035/liberty_park_300.jpg

AaronPGH

10-31-2006, 02:07 AM

oops means they're not leaving, right? please please please tell me that. :(

Evergrey

10-31-2006, 02:11 AM

oops means they're not leaving, right? please please please tell me that. :(

oops was because I accidentally posted a Washington Post article on the South Side here when I meant to post it in the Northeast forum... so I deleted the post... I've now edited it again with an article on East Liberty development...

I apologize for speaking so loosely and getting everyone worried. Saks has not officially said anything about leaving downtown. But there have been several articles in the newspapers about local politicians being worried about the possibility of Saks leaving for Ross Park Mall.

Evergrey

10-31-2006, 02:33 AM

Here are the renderings of the cancelled Pittsburgh Fireside Inn, which was supposed to be a 29-story condo/luxury hotel project on Penn Ave. downtown near the Convention Center. Thanks to chucka for finding these.

some reference... the building to the left is the Westin... and the long sloping building in the foreground is the convention center
http://static.flickr.com/120/280556870_17e0e4d1f7_o.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/121/280556872_b65a2f3a17_o.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/85/280556871_a28f97fec4_o.jpg

The developer never got the plans off the ground and the site was recently purchased by a Philadelphia development outfit. They plan on using the existing 5-story building and adding an additional 4 stories for a luxury condo project.

AaronPGH

10-31-2006, 02:38 AM

Very sad because that looks really cool....but at least the site isn't going to waste. Also, thanks for clearing that up Evergrey....let's cross our fingers that everything works out for the best. I know that the Piatt people (or was it Millcraft?) offered Saks a new docking area to help their cramped dock at the current building.

Evergrey

10-31-2006, 12:05 PM

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06304/734338-336.stm

Penguins arena work may start in July
City-county authority has bought all the land needed to begin construction
Tuesday, October 31, 2006

By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Construction of a new arena in the lower Hill District could start in July now that the Pittsburgh-Allegheny County Sports & Exhibition Authority has secured all of the property it needs for the venture.

The SEA board approved two final purchases yesterday that should enable the authority to begin demolishing buildings in January in advance of a proposed July 1 construction date.

It authorized settlements totaling $3.6 million with the Laborers District Council of Western Pennsylvania and an affiliate for the purchase of the union's properties on Fifth Avenue and Congress Street that serve as its headquarters. The properties have an assessed value of $721,100, according to the county real estate web site. The purchase prices include $450,000 in relocation costs.

The board also ratified $550,000 in payments for two properties owned by Mark Bertenthal for his business, Burton Signs and Specialties, on Fifth. The properties are assessed at $157,800. Included in the purchase price are $82,000 in relocation costs.

With yesterday's moves, the authority now has control over 10 properties bordering Fifth and Centre avenues and Colwell Street that will be part of the site for the arena, considered the key to keeping the Penguins in Pittsburgh. Through a $26.5 million advance from the state, the SEA paid $15 million for the properties, including relocation costs.

The authority board also approved $154,305 in contracts for environmental and design-related work to prepare for demolition and site clearing activities to start in January.

County Chief Executive Dan Onorato said the moves send a "strong signal" that he and Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl are committed to building a new arena and keeping the Penguins in town.

"It's probably the best evidence that we're serious about doing this," he said.

Ms. Conturo said the SEA wants to have the site ready for construction by July 1, the timetable being discussed with the Penguins. It is shooting to have the new arena open by fall 2009, in time for the start of hockey season.

The site, between Centre and Fifth, has long been the preferred choice of the Penguins. The arena would be built there under either of the two funding proposals, one involving Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. and another crafted by Gov. Ed Rendell.

"Any progress on a new arena is good news for Penguins fans," team spokesman Tom McMillan said.

He added the actions continue the "fulfillment of the promise" made by the SEA in November 2005 to provide a clean site for a new arena if someone stepped forward to fund the construction.

The authority and the team still must work out an arrangement to demolish former St. Francis Central Hospital on Centre Avenue. That facility, now owned by the Penguins, occupies a big chunk of the proposed arena site.

Mr. Onorato, Mr. Ravenstahl and the SEA are moving quickly to get the arena work started in an effort to keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh under new owner Jim Balsillie, a Canadian businessman.

The Penguins' lease at Mellon Arena expires at the end of June, at which point they would be free to move elsewhere if Isle of Capri does not win the license for the Pittsburgh slot machine casino.

Isle of Capri, in partnership with the Penguins, has pledged $290 million toward construction of a new arena. If it gets the license, the team would be required to stay in Pittsburgh.

Gov. Ed Rendell has crafted an alternative arena funding proposal, known as Plan B, but the Penguins are not bound by it. Before construction could start under Plan B, the team most likely would have to commit to a long-term lease.

Plan B is built on contributions of $7.5 million a year for 30 years from PITG Gaming LLC or Forest City Enterprises, if either of those two casino bidders gets the slots license; $7 million a year from a slots-backed state economic development fund; and $4 million a year from the team, in addition to an upfront payment of $8.5 million.

While Mr. Balsillie, who has said he would work to try to keep the team here, has enthusiastically endorsed the Isle of Capri proposal, he has had little to say about Plan B.

Yesterday, as the SEA board met, Mr. Onorato and Mr. Ravenstahl talked by phone with National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman to reaffirm their desire to retain the Penguins and to invite him to Pittsburgh to visit the site for the new arena. It was Mr. Ravenstahl's first opportunity to talk to Mr. Bettman since becoming mayor in September.

"He was very enthusiastic about the new ownership, and obviously was not speaking on the new owner's behalf, but was enthusiastic about keeping the team in Pittsburgh," Mr. Ravenstahl said.

Mr. Bettman has voiced his support for the Isle of Capri plan in the past. He has not endorsed Plan B and did not commit to its terms in yesterday's call "other than saying that we need to sit down and discuss what Plan B means" if Isle of Capri does not get the license, Mr. Ravenstahl said.

"He indicated that he is willing to discuss it," he said.

Mr. Onorato described the call as more of a "casual conversation to keep communications open" and to get ready for Mr. Bettman's visit, expected in a couple of weeks.

"I think it's positive that we keep talking," he said. "Gary Bettman and the NHL are going to be a key part of whatever we do. The more we talk, the better."

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(Rich Lord contributed to this report. Mark Belko can be reached at mbelko@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1262. )