Category Archive: City Living
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Casino owner says he will keep pledge to Hill District
By Jeremy Boren
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, April 28, 2008Casino owner Don Barden said today he will make good on his promise to spend $3 million “to spur economic development” in the Hill District, but that the money won’t be used near a new $290 million hockey arena.”We want to extend the development opportunities outside of that area — further and deeper into the Hill District so that the people in that community can have the benefit, and we hope to do this within a five-year period,” Barden said.Once Barden’s Majestic Star Casino opens, he said he will spend the $3 million as seed money to hire engineers, designers and architects who will determine how best to develop the Hill District outside of the 28-acre zone that the Penguins have the right to develop around the arena.
Barden petitioned the state Gaming Control Board two weeks ago allow him to eliminate the $3 million commitment to the Hill District because the city-county Sports & Exhibition Authority gave the Penguins the right to develop the 28 acres, not Barden. Barden told the commission that his $3 million commitment was contingent on getting the right to develop the 28 acres.
Barden asked in his petition to remove a ballroom and outdoor amphitheater from his plans for the casino.Barden said today that the outdoor amphitheater and ballroom will be built, after all, but not until the second or third year of the casino’s operation. The North Shore casino is projected to open in May 2009.
“Our casino will look the same, feel the same,” as the original plans, Barden said.
Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato met for about 90 minutes with Barden in Ravenstahl’s office before announcing Barden’s change of heart.
Barden downplayed financial concerns about how he will pay to build the casino, which has ballooned in price from $450 million to $770 million, including insurance, legal and financing fees.
Bond rating agency Standard & Poor’s on Thursday issued a B-minus credit rating with a negative outlook for the Majestic Star holding company, PITG Gaming HoldCo.
“I think at the end of the day, all the financial concerns, if there are any, will be resolved and will open on time,” Barden said.
Onorato praised Barden’s cooperation.
“He’s done nothing but adapt every time we’ve asked him,” Onorato said.
Jeremy Boren can be reached at jboren@tribweb.comor 412-765-2312.
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New housing units set on Penn Avenue
By Ron DaParma
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, April 17, 2008Three loft-style townhomes to be built in Bloomfield are another example of an “exciting” transformation of housing on Penn Avenue in four city neighborhoods, community leaders said Wednesday.Small projects like this one “can really stabilize a corner in a community,” Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said at an event marking the start of construction of an $800,000 residential complex at Penn and Gross Street.“There are amazing things happening along the Penn Avenue corridor, and this is just a little gem of a project, but it’s a missing tooth,” said Jeffrey Dorsey, executive director of Friendship Development Associates.
Dorsey’s organization, developer of the project, acquired the property nine years ago with housing development in mind.
A $462,000 equity investment by Landmarks Community Capital Corp., a nonprofit created last year by the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, moved it forward, he said.When the townhomes are completed in about 12 months, they will join dozens of single-family homes, townhomes and condominiums built or planned in Bloomfield, Garfield, Friendship and Lawrenceville, said Richard Swartz, executive director of the Bloomfield-Garfield Corp.
These projects replace vacant lots and less desirable row housing, Swartz said.
About eight blocks away, Friendship Development is ready to start building the Glass Lofts, a “green” condominium project at Penn and Fairmont Street with 18 loft units, a restaurant, art studios and office space.
“We have commitments for eight sales already,” said Dorsey.
The units will range in size from 845 to 1,873 square feet and be priced from $180,000 to $330,000, according to the neighborhood group’s Internet site. But a number are reserved as “affordable” housing that can be purchased for about $80,000, he said.
As many as 80 single-family homes or townhomes have been built in the four neighborhoods in the past five years, Swartz estimated.
At the same time, about 35 businesses — mainly artists, studios and arts organizations — have moved into spaces in some of the vacant commercial buildings in the area.
Reducing neighborhood crime and developing Children’s Hospital in Lawrenceville were key to the transformation, officials said.
Ron DaParma can be reached atrdaparma@tribweb.com or 412-320-7907.
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Brighter days ahead for Wilkinsburg
By Bill Zlatos
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, April 17, 2008Following a blueprint he used to help create Station Square and improve the North Side, philanthropist Dick Scaife pledged $500,000 Wednesday to restore old homes and revitalize Wilkinsburg.”We hope to show that Wilkinsburg is a good place to live, attractive to a variety of people,” said Arthur Ziegler, president of the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. “And we want to demonstrate that there are properties available, and they can be beautifully restored and make very good homes.”Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation will get the money from the Allegheny Foundation, officials from both organizations said.
The gift is Allegheny Foundation’s biggest grant in recent memory, said Executive Director Matthew Groll. The Downtown-based foundation is chaired by Scaife, owner of the Tribune-Review.
The Allegheny Foundation helped finance restoration of Station Square, the Mexican War Streets and Manchester, Groll said, and Scaife was inspired during a drive through Wilkinsburg several months ago to continue restoration efforts there.”People see a little spark happening down the street,” Groll said. “Hopefully, the enthusiasm spreads and the community as a whole will rise up to meet the new enthusiasm.”
About two years ago, Ziegler’s group started a program to restore four houses in Wilkinsburg’s Hamnett Place neighborhood. The Sarah Scaife Foundation and Allegheny County each granted $500,000 to pay for that project.
History & Landmarks acquires the homes, oversees renovation and offers the homes for sale. The Hamnett Place houses have been sold. Renovations are under way and should be finished in six to eight weeks.
Walter and Rachel Lamory of Regent Square bought a turreted duplex on Jeanette Street for $95,000, one of the four buildings renovated.
“I know the perceived drawbacks of the area, said Rachel Lamory, 24, who attended nearby St. James School. “But I always saw the potential there. When I heard we had a chance to save these beautiful old homes I always admired, I felt we had to be part of it.”
Jack Schmitt and his wife Erin Cunningham paid $70,000 for a Queen Anne-style house that received $195,000 worth of renovations during the project’s first phase. The house has a scalloped dormer and gingerbread trim on the front porch.
“We spent a lot of time driving around, paying attention to the neighborhood,” he said. “We didn’t feel any hesitation whatsoever.”
The couple plans to buy the lot behind their home and the house next to it. They would raze the adjacent house and plant a vegetable garden. They want to set up a food stand and sell their food with a neighbor.
State Sen. Jim Ferlo, D-Highland Park, praised Scaife’s gift as a boost to the community’s morale.
“It’s exciting when you see this kind of financial commitment,” Ferlo said. “It builds credibility for the economic restructuring and activities within Wilkinsburg that are aimed at revitalizing the core of the community.”
Bill Zlatos can be reached at bzlatos@tribweb.com or 412-320-7828.
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Hill to have say on Save-A-Lot
By Ron DaParma
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, April 9, 2008A community meeting Saturday could be a “make or break” moment for the effort to bring a Save-A-Lot grocery store to the Hill District.The 10:30 a.m. session at the New Light Temple Baptist Church on Centre Avenue could help determine if supporters of the plan can sway opponents, said Howard Slaughter, CEO of Landmarks Community Capital Corp.“We will see if the community is really interested in having Save-A-Lot come to the Hill District,” said Slaughter, who is helping to organize the meeting.
Landmarks Community Capital is a nonprofit corporation formed last year by the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation to spark community revitalization.
The main sponsor is Councilwoman Tonya Payne, whose district includes the Hill District.
For years, there has been widespread support for a Hill District supermarket. Some residents, however, say they’d prefer a “full-service” store, larger and with a greater selection of products, than those generally operated by St. Louis-based Save-A-Lot.
They’ve asked about such features as an in-store bakery or pharmacy, for example.
“You have to start somewhere,” said Payne, who believes the grocery store could be a catalyst for other retailers to come into the neighborhood.
“I think we are on the verge of something good. We have somebody in Save-A-Lot that is willing to take the first plunge, and it could create opportunity for further development,” she said.
Still, she and others will leave it up to the community to decide, Payne said.
Before the meeting, an 8:30 a.m. bus tour will take residents who have signed up in advance to get a firsthand look at Save-A-Lot’s store in Wilkinsburg. That store is one of five the chain operates in the Pittsburgh area, among 1,600 stores nationwide.
At the meeting, Mark Goodman, chief operating officer of Save-A-Lot, and other speakers will address concerns of residents. Others include people from communities that have a Save-A-Lot store, including Chris Jenkins, executive director of the Black Vietnam Veterans in Wilkinsburg.
“Save-A-Lot remains very interested in locating in the Hill District, but they certainly believe community support is imperative,” Slaughter said.
Payne intends to pass out a survey for residents to state their opinions and make suggestions for Save-A-Lot to consider in its planning.
“It will be what the community wants, but based on the conversations that have taken place over the last several years, the community wants nothing less than a full-service supermarket,” said George Moses, a member of the Hill District Consensus Group.
Moses said Save-A-Lot’s discount pricing is not enough to offset his concerns about its product selection and no-frills approach to service, including having customers bag their own groceries.
Instead, he’d like to see public officials press full-service grocers such as Giant Eagle or Shop ‘n Save to consider a Hill District store.
Giant Eagle believes its stores in nearby neighborhoods such as the North Side, South Side and Shadyside already serve Hill District customers, said Dick Roberts, a spokesman.
Ron DaParma can be reached atrdaparma@tribweb.com or 412-320-7907.
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Owners’ fear: Razing houses will bring down theirs too
Monday, March 10, 2008
By Diana Nelson Jones,
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteThe estate of her dead neighbor owns the condemned vacant row house beside Cynthia Powell’s home on Chateau Street. Its facade is strenuously bowing and trying to persuade hers to come with it.
No contractor has been willing to touch the offending building, and Ms. Powell says she can’t afford the loan she needs to stabilize her house against it. So her house has been condemned, too.
This has been a three-year spiral for Ms. Powell, whose Manchester neighborhood has many pending dates with the wrecking ball. Of the 25 demolitions the city has asked the Historic Review Commission to approve since October 2006, 21 have been in that neighborhood. It’s the only entire neighborhood to have city historic designation, but that status is in danger; less and less density would eventually alter the boundary.
“Once you lose too many, then you have to question: What’s the value of an historic district?” said Tom Hardy, executive director of the Manchester Citizens Corp. The nonprofit development group counted 103 vacant properties — about 20 percent of the neighborhood — in a 2005 inventory and recommended 100 be renovated, he said. Some have been razed, either for safety reasons or because the properties were not feasible fixes, and more are slated for demolition.
“The challenge is,” said Mr. Hardy, “which ones will you be successful at turning around considering realistic market forces?”
Manchester’s story today is a tale of two neighborhoods: the one that tour buses drive through slowly so people can admire the Victorian architecture, and the other of dumb, hollow hulks, their balconies and porches sagging, the definition of their brickwork vague, as if they are literally fading away.
The dual identity coexists side by side in places, and that’s an untenable situation for Ms. Powell, whose house is a party-wall domino trying to remain standing. For Duane Hill, the decrepitude adjacent to his home on Sheffield Street is outrunning his efforts to renovate.
The Historic Review Commission provides oversight for changes to properties in the city’s 12 historic districts and advocates for the life of those properties. It almost never hears opposition to demolition applications, but last week, Ms. Powell and Mr. Hill showed up to fight.
Dan Cipriani, acting chief of the Bureau of Building Inspections, said that, of the 200 buildings the city razes each year, almost all go down without a champion. The owners either want them down or they belong to people who can’t be found or are dead.
Mr. Hill lives beside a property he had been trying to shore up when the city condemned it.
“I was working on it when one wall started to bow,” he told the commission. “I have a contractor who is going to take on the job. If I could get you some information to show you we are going to fix it, could you please not tear it down? We’re going to start working on it soon, as soon as the weather breaks.”
“We’re glad to hear that,” said the commission’s chairman, Michael Stern, referring to any plan to redeem a building. “Usually, we’re up here just voting on demolitions.”
Commissioners denied the city its demolition of Mr. Hill’s property but with a stipulation — that a building permit be in place within two months.
For Ms. Powell, the outlook isn’t as rosy.
“We were trying to tear down 1904 to help her out, so she could fix her wall,” Russ Blaich, the Bureau of Building Inspection’s demolitions inspector, told the commission. “But the contractor who got the bid was afraid the bricks would blow.”
Mr. Cipriani said the building beside Ms. Powell’s was approved for demolition last year, but the demolition contractor “found that anything he would do would have an adverse effect on Ms. Powell’s house.”
“I moved out,” Ms. Powell told the commission. “I pay my taxes like anyone else, and I am not behind on my water bill. I want to keep my house.”
“Russ thinks there’s a public safety hazard,” said Mr. Stern.
“Rock and a hard place,” Mr. Blaich said sympathetically.
“I’m not going to tear my house down,” Ms. Powell said.
“I know they have a limited budget,” said Mr. Stern, “but maybe we could try to talk to Manchester Citizens Corp. and maybe [Pittsburgh] History & Landmarks [Foundation] to see if they could help. What about if we’d ask them to consider funding or working with you on this?”
“Whatever it takes,” said Ms. Powell.
Katherine Molnar, the city’s preservation planner, said she will talk to Manchester Citizens and the foundation but is “unaware of the various options and possibilities that might assist Ms. Powell.”
“Ms. Powell did indicate a willingness to repair her own building if the neighboring structure was shored up first. I feel hopeful that these two structures will persevere,” Ms. Molnar said.
Mr. Cipriani said the lamentable fact is that a delay of demolition usually just means further debilitation. In most cases, he said, “any of this should have been done 10 years ago.”
Diana Nelson Jones can be reached at djones@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1626.
First published on March 10, 2008 at 12:00 am -
Market at Fifth Continues
PHLF News
March 7, 2008Construction is proceeding with our three buildings at the gateway to Market Square at Market and Fifth Avenues downtown.
We acquired these buildings from URA, severely deteriorated, and have dismantled much of the wall structures brick-by-brick, cleaning the bricks to return them to rebuild the walls.
Our timetable calls for completion early next winter. Seven apartments will be on the second and third floors consisting of 6 one bedrooms and 1 two bedroom, two with roof gardens.
Substantial contributions are needed to complete this work, resulting in a Platinum level Green certified historic complex.
Costs will exceed $3,500,000, but we feel the expense is worth it to preserve and restore these anchor corner properties across from the forthcoming new PNC Park, and within view of Heinz Hall, and helping to frame the entranceway to Market Square.
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Worrisome in Manchester
PHLF News
March 7, 2008City of Pittsburgh’s Department of Building Inspection continues to list deteriorated, but architecturally valuable houses in Manchester for demolition.
If these houses are lost, the magic of historic Manchester will be forfeited and can never be recovered. It is the architectural continuity of Manchester that makes it such an attractive place to live.
We are working with the City and the Manchester Citizens Corporation to try to develop ways to keep these buildings, and we seek new owners for them.
Cost of acquisitions are low; call Tom Hardy at Manchester Citizens Corporation: 412/323-1743.
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PHLF Introduces Grocer to Hill District
PHLF News
March 7, 2008For nearly a quarter a century, the residents of the Hill District have sought to attract a quality full service grocer to the Hill.
When Dr. Howard B. Slaughter, Jr. became Chief Executive Officer of Landmarks Community Capital Corporation (LCCC) a subsidiary of Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation (PHLF) in October 2007, he made it a top priority to locate a suitable grocer interested in locating in the Hill District.
PHLF worked with Save-A-Lot in locating a new store in Wilkinsburg and experienced excellent cooperation with their design and graphics.
After a series of meetings to engage Save-A-Lot’s interest in the Hill District, LCCC hosted a breakfast meeting to introduce Save-A-Lot to the community and City officials.
The next step is to have a meeting in the Hill District to discuss the possibility and viability of this grocer locating in the Hill District, which is scheduled for April 12th. Stay tuned…
Save-A-Lot has provided the community two videos for viewing by clicking here.