Category Archive: Landscapes
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LCCC Helps With Vacant Lots
On Thursday, July 17th, Josie Bryant, Parish Social Minister for St. James Church and founder of Stone Soup and Serenity Community Gardens in Wilkinsburg, received something she’s been waiting for for over five years.
In cooperation with St. James Church and Home Depot, Landmarks Community Capital Corporation (LCCC) orchestrated the purchase of a riding lawnmower to help Josie and her volunteers tackle the difficult task of maintaining many of the vacant lots on Franklin Ave in Wilkinsburg, in addition to maintaining the community gardens she and so many have worked hard to get started. Josie’s grassroots initiatives are a vital component in fostering Wilkinsburg’s revitalization.
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Market Square street closure may alter apartment project
By Jeremy Boren
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, July 3, 2008The Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, a major investor in Market Square’s revitalization, might nix a new seven-unit apartment complex if the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership sticks to a plan to close some of the square to vehicles.The foundation is spending $3.5 million to renovate three vacant buildings on Graeme Street into Market at Fifth, a plan for seven upper-floor apartments, a ground-floor restaurant and a rooftop garden.
The partnership’s plan would close Graeme, the apartments’ entrance, and nearby McMasters Way as part of a $4.8 million to $5 million Market Square overhaul that, so far, has gone smoothly.
“We do not see how people are going to want to rent apartments on a dead-end street. People do not frequent dead-end streets,” said attorney Anne E. Nelson, who voiced the concerns at a meeting of the city Historic Review Commission.
“If Graeme Street is closed, Landmarks does not know whether it should complete construction of the project,” Nelson said.Arthur P. Ziegler, the foundation’s president, said there’s time to develop the apartments as something else if a compromise can’t be reached and the street is closed.The commission approved Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership’s preliminary plans for Market Square, but members urged the partnership, a nonprofit that represents Downtown business owners, to find a solution with the foundation.
“We’re going to do what’s best for the square,” said Dina Klavon, the designer the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership hired to guide Market Square’s overhaul.
Klavon said she’s open to changes and plans to meet with Pittsburgh History & Landmarks officials.
“We’re trying to give Market Square back to the pedestrian,” said Mike Edwards, president of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership. “Right now it’s a thoroughfare. We want it to be a destination.”
Edwards said renovation of Market Square could start in spring.
The most striking feature about Klavon’s design is that it would make Market Square resemble a one-level European piazza.
The roadway would be flush with sidewalks and outdoor cafes, which would be differentiated by using various types of pavement and cobblestone.
Traffic and parking would be permitted on the perimeter of the square. No traffic would be allowed in the middle, where Market Street and Forbes Avenue meet.
Jeremy Boren can be reached at jboren@tribweb.comor 412-765-2312.
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Public Hearing at Historic Review Commission on Redesign of Market Square
PREPARED TESTIMONY OF
ANNE E. NELSON, ESQ.
GENERAL COUNSEL
PITTSBURGH HISTORY & LANDMARKS FOUNDATION
BEFORE HISTORIC REVIEW COMMISSION, CITY OF PITTSBURGH
PUBLIC HEARING ON MARKET SQUARE REDESIGN
JULY 2, 2008
Landmarks is investing $3.5 million to restore four historic buildings in Market Square located between Market and Graeme Streets, the design of which was predicated on Market and Graeme being open to vehicular traffic from Fifth Avenue into the Square. This project includes retail on the first floor and seven affordable apartments on the upper floors that will use Graeme Street as an entrance. We will have a green roof and are doing the buildings to LEED standards.
However, the redesign plans chosen close Graeme Street and that has us alarmed. We do not see how people are going to want to rent apartments on a dead end street. People do not frequent dead end streets; they want the ability to bring people to the door, load and unload things. Furthermore, how will the trash be collected?
Historically, Market Square has always had full traffic access. Removing traffic from the street has worked almost nowhere in the United States and almost every street where traffic was removed has been reconverted to have traffic flowing again in order to bring people back. Examples of traffic removed include East Liberty and Allegheny Center in Pittsburgh, and traffic was eliminated on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia and Fourth Street in Louisville and both lost retail and now have it back since traffic was reopened.
If Graeme Street is closed, Landmarks does not know whether it should complete construction of the project. I ask you, would you like to live on a dead end street that has no provisions for dropping off or turning around? When thinking about this question, remember that in Pittsburgh during a lengthy part of the year, the days are short and the weather is bad.
We question our investment of $3.5 million in Market Square if Graeme Street is closed.
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Dramatic redesign approved for Market Square
Wednesday, July 02, 2008The city of Pittsburgh’s Historic Review Commission today approved a dramatic redesign of Downtown’s Market Square, clearing the way for construction planning but urging that the architects meet with Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation officials about their concerns.
The redesign would allow car traffic around the outside of the square, but not in the streets that run through its center. It would replace the network of streets, curbs, and raised tree planters with a flat piazza, where driving, parking, dining and walking would be demarcated by different paving materials.
Closed to cars would be Graeme Way and McMasters Way, which link the square to Fifth Avenue.
“We’re trying to give Market Square back to the pedestrians,” said Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership President Mike Edwards, whose group is leading the charge on the $5 million reworking of the square. “Right now, it’s a thoroughfare. We want it to be a destination.”
Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation is concerned that the closure of Graeme Way to vehicles may crimp access to four buildings that it is renovating at a cost of $3.5 million, said Anne E. Nelson, the foundation’s attorney. The entrances to the second- and third-floor apartments will be off of Graeme Way, she said.
“If people want to drop other people off, or unload things to their apartments, they can’t get there,” Ms. Nelson said.
The commission placed one condition on its approval: that architect Dina Klavon meet with Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation to work through its concerns. Ms. Klavon will bring more detailed drawings back to the commission for a final approval. Construction could start in the spring.
Overall, Historic Review Commission members gushed.
“This will be a miniature Parisian square,” said commission Vice Chairman Paul Tellers.
“The elegance will be the ‘wow’ factor,” said commission Chairman Michael Stern.
More details in tomorrow’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.First published on July 2, 2008 at 4:33 pm -
Market Square’s makeover shifts into high gear this week
Monday, June 30, 2008Market Square’s transition is in full swing.
Dunkin Donuts opens there at 6 a.m. today. Moe’s Southwest Grill will open Thursday. A dark, romantic bar is to follow later this summer.
In addition, a veteran restaurant, Buon Giorno, is dressing up for a higher profile. Renovations are ongoing to add a second-story deck that has passed the city’s historic review. And the former Mick McGuire’s will become a wine, cheese and dessert bar called Sante — with an accent on the “e” — later this summer beside the 1902 Landmark Tavern.
Of Sante, Mike Edwards, president and chief executive officer of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, said, “It is supposed to be very romantic. So dark you have to be close” to see each other.
Dunkin Donuts brings another choice of coffee and baked goods within a stone’s throw of Nicholas Coffee, Crazy Mocha, Bruegger’s Bagel Bakery and Starbucks.
When questioned about a possible glut of caffeine choices, Robin Frederick, vice president of marketing and human resources for Dunkin Donuts, said Market Square was an attractive site for the company’s expansion.
“We’re going to do what we do best and hope they do too,” she said of the competitors.
Mr. Edwards said Market Square’s renovation plans have generated “a lot of public buy-in and set a direction for investors to make confident decisions.” He said the years of debate over the Fifth and Forbes make-over stagnated Market Square’s.
“Now we have direction,” he said, citing a $1 million “Paris-to-Pittsburgh” grant from the Colcom Foundation to match up to $25,000 the cost of any restaurant renovation that opens it to the outside. The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership is administering the grants, which will enable “use of the city the way it should be used, not just as an office park.”
The Paris-to-Pittsburgh grants target Downtown merchants only, he said, adding that Moe’s Southwest Grill “is probably the best use of it.”
Moe’s co-owner Mike Geiger said the restaurant will open to the outside with three bays of windows, each 15 feet wide, and six retractable awnings. It will be the first Moe’s in the city, with four others in the region.
Buon Giorno and Mixstirs, a casual restaurant that offers a range of smoothies, are also going for the Parisian look, and Mr. Edwards said other restaurants have expressed interest.
True to its name, the square becomes a marketplace every Thursday through Oct. 23, with vendors selling fresh produce, baked goods, salsas and other items, from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Fifth and Market project, in which Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation has invested, is also under way and will include several condominiums.
“There’s a maturing going on in Downtown Pittsburgh,” said Mr. Edwards, citing restaurants that have broadened and elevated diners’ tastes. “All the huge, great wonderful projects are important,” he said, but the smaller ones are the connective tissue that will keep making the city compelling.
Diana Nelson Jones can be reached at djones@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1626.First published on June 30, 2008 at 12:00 am -
Riverview Park’s shelter rededicated with emphasis on history
By Rick Wills
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, June 8, 2008Riverview Park’s Chapel Shelter has a brand-new look that, well, looks old.”It really never looked like this before,” said Christine Dixon, who lives in Observatory Hill and has rented the shelter several times for family reunions.
The 114-year-old shelter, which was renovated over the past 2 1/2 years, was rededicated on Saturday during Riverview Park Heritage Day, which included a parade, pony rides, a pie-eating contest and tours of Allegheny Observatory, which sits on the grounds. The dedication ceremony included the release of several dozen doves.
The shelter had been built as a church and was moved to the park in 1894. The renovation work replicated dormers and the steeple.
“It went through years of dilapidation. The work on it has been outstanding,” said Richard Reed, chairman of the board of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, one of the project’s major sponsors and funders.The $1.2 million renovation updated restrooms and added ramps to make the building handicapped accessible.“The building looks great. It’s wonderful to have it rehabilitated,” said Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, who grew up next to the park, which offers sweeping vistas of the city.
“This is my park. I think it’s overlooked compared to the other three large city parks,” he said.
The project was funded by the Regional Asset District, the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the city of Pittsburgh.
“This is an example of good things happening on the North Side. Our parks are the most democratic space in this city,” said Darlene Harris, a Pittsburgh City Council member whose district includes the park.
Rick Wills can be reached at rwills@tribweb.com or 724-779-7123.
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Trees cleared on golf course – Residents, activists criticize city for cutting down healthy trees
Friday, June 06, 2008Pittsburgh’s tree-cutting policies have come under fire again.
Some Mount Washington residents are questioning why the city let a condo developer cut trees in Grandview Byways Scenic Park, and Friends of the Pittsburgh Urban Forest are criticizing the cutting of oaks in Schenley Park to benefit golfers.
Workers with Carl's Tree Service of West Mifflin load the tree trunk of an old oak tree cut down along Schenley Drive on the Bob O'Connor Golf Course at Schenley. - Pam Pancak
“Shocked would be a better word,” said Ken Stiles, a board member of the urban forest group. “Cutting down 100-year-old healthy trees? Because they were getting in the way of golfers?”
Danielle Crumrine, the executive director, said she visited the site where about 10 old oak trees were to be removed. She said she asked the contractor if they were healthy and he said all but a few were.
Friends of the Pittsburgh Urban Forest is a partner in, and fund-raiser for, the city’s maintenance of trees.
Yesterday, Marc Field, executive director of First Tee of Pittsburgh, which operates the Bob O’Connor Golf Course in the park, said that the organization asked the contractor, Carl’s Tree Service, to suspend work “pending further review.”
Crews had removed three trees, said Mr. Field. “Certainly, concerns that have been raised caused us to review the manner in which we might proceed.”
Previously, Mr. Field said an agronomist had recommended a maintenance program “that conforms with golf industry standards. It is a golf course, and it has to be functional. Yes, some live trees were removed,” he said, adding that First Tee will be planting 50 to 70 new trees.
Mike Gable, deputy director of the city’s public works department, said First Tee wanted many more trees taken down than the city agreed to.
“On hole 9 they wanted to take five or six trees and we agreed only to prune to give an opening,” he said.
Meanwhile, the view has been cleared for six new condos at Bailey Avenue and Bigbee Street in a little sprig of Allentown that juts into Mount Washington.
Public Works Director Guy Costa said some trees were invasive and supposed to come out anyway, “and some were dead.” The developer “stepped up” to help cut invasive and ailing trees that the city wanted to remove, with supervision of the city’s forestry department. The developer also is responsible for replanting, he said.
Tom Chunchick, executive vice president of Crawford Construction, described his interests and the city’s as being “a win-win.”
“I spent over $7,000 to cut the trees down, and the city said it was good timing because they didn’t have the money in their budget,” he said.
The condos have been under construction for a year-and-a-half, priced in the mid-$700,000s, he said.
Lynn Squilla, a board member of the Mount Washington Community Development Corp., said she didn’t object to people having their views, “but this is a public park.”
Jamini Davies, a resident of Mount Washington, said the removal of trees was an ethical breach of the city’s role since it benefited a developer.
“I’m not sure it has benefited either Mount Washington or the city,” she said.
The city’s tree-cutting policies came under fire last winter in Squirrel Hill, where the razing of dozens of full-grown, stately London plane trees — in some cases entire rows along a street — set off such furor that the city agreed to a temporary moratorium there, which is still in effect.
More than 100 people attended a meeting in January at which public works officials said they were only taking out 550 trees in Squirrel Hill that a 2005 inventory showed were dead, dying and likely liabilities.
The cutting of healthy trees is particularly troubling when seen against the efforts to plant and maintain them, said Ms. Crumrine, whose organization has raised more than $1 million to pay for the cutting of large dead branches from old trees.
“Money should not be spent on something that is not truly a priority,” she said. “We have trees that are a liability and we’re cutting down perfectly good trees to help golfers.”
Diana Nelson Jones can be reached at djones@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1626.First published on June 6, 2008 at 12:00 am -
Printer manufacturer to plant trees in area parks
By Allison M. Heinrichs
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, May 7, 2008A company that relies on paper is planning to plant 250 trees in Pittsburgh’s parks.Boston-based Riso, which makes digital printers and photocopiers, announced Tuesday that it will begin the plantings this weekend in Riverview Park in the North Side.That planting will commemorate the grand-opening of the company’s North Shore branch, which it opened about a year ago, after nine years in the South Hills.
“Twice a year for the next four years we’re going to do spring and fall plantings in Pittsburgh’s parks,” said branch manager Rick Laird. “We really want to make an impact in Pittsburgh.”
The company plans to plant 100,000 trees in U.S. parks as part of a partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation.Office Technology Magazine this year recognized Riso as the “most green” office technology dealer because of its focus on environmental stewardship. The company’s copiers use soy-based ink and conserve energy.
All the trees to be planted in Pittsburgh are native to Western Pennsylvania and include cucumber magnolia, American beech, redbud, tulip poplar and serviceberry.
“We’ve lost many trees over the years,” said Phil Gruszka, director of management and maintenance at the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. “We’ve found that there are a number of places that currently don’t have trees that should, so we definitely appreciate this.”
Allison M. Heinrichs can be reached ataheinrichs@tribweb.com or 412-380-5607.