Category Archive: Neighborhood Development
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Public Hearing Before the Planning Commission of the City of Pittsburgh on the Workingman’s Savings Bank City Historic Structure Nomination
PREPARED TESTIMONY OF
ANNE E. NELSON, ESQ.
GENERAL COUNSEL
PITTSBURGH HISTORY & LANDMARKS FOUNDATION
BEFORE THE PLANNING COMMISSION, CITY OF PITTSBURGH
ON THE WORKINGMAN’S SAVINGS BANK
CITY HISTORIC STRUCTURE NOMINATION
FEBRUARY 26, 2008
Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation urges the Planning Commission to recommend to the City Council the designation of the Workingman’s Savings Bank as a City Historic Structure.
The Workingman’s Savings Bank is the anchor building on the west corner of E. Ohio Street; the historic Teutonia Mannerchor serves as the east anchor. Removing an anchor building, one of the original elements remaining on that side of East Deutschtown, will have a detrimental impact on the neighborhood. Designating the property to City Historic Structure status will not only ensure its preservation, it will encourage the future development of the area to be consistent with the size, scale, design and character of the surrounding neighborhood. This designation will have a positive impact on the adjacent properties and the surrounding neighborhood by promoting the proper redevelopment of the area.
Furthermore, the incorporation of the building into a larger development is a viable option that may benefit the owner through the use of federal historic preservation tax incentives. The Workingman’s Savings Bank was determined eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places on February 24, 1986. Buildings listed on or eligible for the National Register may qualify for a 20% historic rehabilitation tax credit. A property owner may also donate a preservation easement to a qualified organization to receive a charitable contribution deduction. The combination of these two historic preservation tax incentives has successfully been used on developments in Pittsburgh including the Heinz Lofts and the Armstrong Cork Factory. Our organization would be interested in receiving one. If not eligible for the National Register, a 10% tax credit is also available for substantial rehabilitation costs since the building was constructed prior to 1936.
Finally, I would like to present a letter dated February 11, 2008 from Christopher Ponticello, Legal Counsel for the Diocese of Pittsburgh, that states the Diocese has received no payment from the successful purchaser of the building in exchange for the Diocese to relinquish its rights to the property. The Diocese’s attorney should be contacted for more information.
Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation supports the nomination of the Workingman’s Savings Bank to a City Historic Structure.
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Vote on closing Schenley High School delayed
By Bill Zlatos
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, February 21, 2008City schools Superintendent Mark Roosevelt said he delayed a vote on closing Schenley High School to give supporters time to raise money to fix it and to study if it would be cheaper in the long run to repair the structure.
“We think it is indeed worth the time and exploration,” Roosevelt told members of the school board at Wednesday’s agenda review meeting. “It does not imply a decision has been made either way.”
Roosevelt said the district is studying whether it would be more cost-effective to fix Schenley because of its sturdy construction compared to a more recent building that might not last as long.
The Oakland school has 1,086 students and was built in 1916. Roosevelt last year recommended closing Schenley because of the $64.3 million cost of renovating it and removing its asbestos.
The board yesterday discussed his proposal to make a couple of moves he believes necessary whether Schenley is permanently closed or temporarily shut down for repairs.
Those actions, to be voted on Feb. 27, involve moving Schenley students in grades 10 through 12 to Reizenstein in East Liberty in the fall. At the same time, the 174 students in the robotics technology program at Schenley would be relocated to Peabody High School in East Liberty.
Ninth-graders from Schenley’s feeder pattern would go to a University Prep School at Milliones in the Hill District. Eventually Milliones would expand to a grade 6-12 school.
Ninth-graders in the International Baccalaureate and international studies programs, both of which are at Schenley, would go to Frick School in Oakland.
Board member Sherry Hazuda questioned whether it would make more sense to keep Schenley open while fixing it as opposed to shutting it down.
Richard Fellers, chief operations officer, warned that fixing Schenley while leaving part of the school open could endanger students from falling plaster.
“We think it would be cost-effective, faster and removes the health risk” to close the building, he said.
At one point, Roosevelt and board member Mark Brentley became involved in a heated exchange when Brentley criticized the move of black students from the Hill District to Milliones.
“We take very seriously our obligation to better serve kids that the data tell us are not doing well off,” Roosevelt said.
Bill Zlatos can be reached at bzlatos@tribweb.com or 412-320-7828.
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Stanwix Street closure hurts, businesses say
By Adam Brandolph
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, February 19, 2008The tunnel-boring machine for the North Shore Connector project is more than 50 feet underground, but businesses on the other side of the river at Stanwix Street are feeling the shock waves.
Some business owners say they have lost customers since July, when the road closed to motorists between Fort Duquesne Boulevard and Penn Avenue, Downtown. The street is open to pedestrians.
Howard Kernats, owner of Hair Fashions by Howard, estimated business is down 60 percent. “It’s been tough,” said Kernats, 66, of Robinson. “Everybody on this block is hurting bad.”
Others aren’t so sure.
Bob Zilch, owner of Metro News newsstand, said foot traffic usually slows down this time of year. He might have lost some business, but construction workers who buy cigarettes, soda and lottery tickets have made up the difference, he said.
Merrill Stabile, president of Alco Parking, said his nearby garage at Sixth Street and Penn Avenue still fills daily. “There might be some inconvenience to customers, and we want to see the congestion cleared up as soon as possible, but it’s not hurting us,” Stabile said.
Stanwix Street is serving as a receiving ground for the boring machine, which is digging a tunnel under the Allegheny River from the North Shore as part of the $435 million project of the Port Authority of Allegheny County’s light-rail system.
The machine is moving about 25 feet a day toward Stanwix, where it will turn around and dig a parallel tunnel.
Port Authority planned to plate over Stanwix and reopen the street in December, but delays with securing retaining walls pushed the opening to April 1, spokesman Dave Whipkey said.
Construction is scheduled to be completed in 2011. About 14,300 daily riders are expected to use the connector, Whipkey said.
Port Authority has posted signs to let people know the stores still are open, he said.
“It’s one of those things,” Whipkey said. “(Construction) could be taking place anywhere else, and another set of shops could be taking a hit. We hate the fact they’re losing business.”
More than 30,000 motorists a day are detoured around the construction, Whipkey said.
Kristen Trohat, general manager of Max & Erma’s restaurant, said the closure hasn’t affected the lunch crowd.
“But it’s hurting us at dinner time and on the weekends,” she said.
To help alleviate a 15 percent to 20 percent loss in business since construction began, Trohat said, the restaurant brought back its happy hour and is working on a marketing campaign with nearby parking garages.
Sol Gross, 86, owner of a mixed commercial and residential building in the heart of the closure, said the construction has hurt his ability to lure renters.
Fifteen percent of his apartments are vacant, the same as before construction began, he said.
When finished, the North Shore Connector will help his sales pitch, giving him “an added amenity” to offer prospective tenants, Gross said.
Adam Brandolph can be reached at abrandolph@tribweb.com or 412-320-7936.
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Stanwix Street closure hurts, businesses say
By Adam Brandolph
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, February 19, 2008The tunnel-boring machine for the North Shore Connector project is more than 50 feet underground, but businesses on the other side of the river at Stanwix Street are feeling the shock waves.
Some business owners say they have lost customers since July, when the road closed to motorists between Fort Duquesne Boulevard and Penn Avenue, Downtown. The street is open to pedestrians.
Howard Kernats, owner of Hair Fashions by Howard, estimated business is down 60 percent. “It’s been tough,” said Kernats, 66, of Robinson. “Everybody on this block is hurting bad.”
Others aren’t so sure.
Bob Zilch, owner of Metro News newsstand, said foot traffic usually slows down this time of year. He might have lost some business, but construction workers who buy cigarettes, soda and lottery tickets have made up the difference, he said.
Merrill Stabile, president of Alco Parking, said his nearby garage at Sixth Street and Penn Avenue still fills daily. “There might be some inconvenience to customers, and we want to see the congestion cleared up as soon as possible, but it’s not hurting us,” Stabile said.
Stanwix Street is serving as a receiving ground for the boring machine, which is digging a tunnel under the Allegheny River from the North Shore as part of the $435 million project of the Port Authority of Allegheny County’s light-rail system.
The machine is moving about 25 feet a day toward Stanwix, where it will turn around and dig a parallel tunnel.
Port Authority planned to plate over Stanwix and reopen the street in December, but delays with securing retaining walls pushed the opening to April 1, spokesman Dave Whipkey said.
Construction is scheduled to be completed in 2011. About 14,300 daily riders are expected to use the connector, Whipkey said.
Port Authority has posted signs to let people know the stores still are open, he said.
“It’s one of those things,” Whipkey said. “(Construction) could be taking place anywhere else, and another set of shops could be taking a hit. We hate the fact they’re losing business.”
More than 30,000 motorists a day are detoured around the construction, Whipkey said.
Kristen Trohat, general manager of Max & Erma’s restaurant, said the closure hasn’t affected the lunch crowd.
“But it’s hurting us at dinner time and on the weekends,” she said.
To help alleviate a 15 percent to 20 percent loss in business since construction began, Trohat said, the restaurant brought back its happy hour and is working on a marketing campaign with nearby parking garages.
Sol Gross, 86, owner of a mixed commercial and residential building in the heart of the closure, said the construction has hurt his ability to lure renters.
Fifteen percent of his apartments are vacant, the same as before construction began, he said.
When finished, the North Shore Connector will help his sales pitch, giving him “an added amenity” to offer prospective tenants, Gross said.
Adam Brandolph can be reached at abrandolph@tribweb.com or 412-320-7936.
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Vandergrift’s Grant Avenue dusts off charm
By Francine Garrone
VALLEY NEWS DISPATCH
Saturday, February 16, 2008Once dotted with awnings and marquee store signs, Grant Avenue in Vandergrift proved to be the place to spend a Saturday afternoon.
Today, it’s turn-of-the-20th-century charm and historic facades have fallen victim to perhaps-misguided modernization. Vacant storefronts leave many buildings vulnerable to water damage or even cave-ins.
But through the efforts of the Vandergrift Improvement Program and state grants, Grant Avenue is beginning to return to the look it had during the time of soda fountains and 75 cent movies.
VIP has applied to the state Department of Community and Economic Development for a third year of funding for its Main Street Program.
If the non-profit, grassroots organization is seeking a $45,000 state grant.
“The Main Street Program is a tremendous help and enabled the VIP to begin,” said VIP Main Street manager Shaun Yurcaba. “It has given us the foundation to start down the road to rebirth.”
In 2006, VIP received its first $5,000 from the Main Street Program.
Yurcaba said the money was used to set up an office on Grant Avenue.
Last year, VIP received another $50,000. That paid for operational expenses such as rent, insurance, utilities, and Yurcaba’s hiring. The rest went to programs such as meetings and the real estate breakfast.
“There was not much left over,” Yurcaba said.
If VIP continues to apply for funding beyond this year, it will be eligible to receive $40,000 in 2009 and $35,000 in 2010.
However, there are annual requirements that the organization has to meet in order to receive the state grants, including raising some of its own money.
In order to get the $45,000 from the state this year, VIP had to raise $15,000, she said, which it has done.
In fact, VIP has raised more than $17,000. The remaining $2,000 will go toward next year.
“We did a pledge drive initially and had commitments from the community in various pledge amounts,” she said. “The community has been really supportive in following up with pledges.”
The Main Street Program grant has pushed VIP to reach out further for additional funding in bettering the community.
VIP received a $120,000 Facade Improvement Grant that allows $30,000 in state funding over a four-year period. The grant enables business owners to make improvements to their facades by being awarded half of the cost of the improvement up to $10,000. Anything above that cost would come out of pocket.
“We want to work with them in the projects they are doing,” Yurcaba said. “The money can be used for anything dealing with preserving history to enhancing and restoring the downtown business district, which is also a historic district.”
Vandergrift is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, the architect of New York’s Central Park and the grounds of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Vandergrift was a planned community founded by George G. McMurtry, president of the Apollo Iron and Steel Co., Apollo. It was named after Capt. J.J. Vandergrift, a director of the steel mill.
At the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, Vandergrift won two gold medals for best town design.
Yurcaba said the Vandergrift Improvement Program has established a name that they hope will continue to provide revitalization efforts to the community.
“The goal is, through the years, to become more and more self-sustaining as an organization,” she said. “But that will only happen through public and private funding and volunteer assistance.”
Francine Garrone can be reached at fgarrone@tribweb.com or 724-226-4701.
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Save-A-Lot Grocery Store Provides Video Presentations
Save-A-Lot Grocery Store has expressed interest in locating in Pittsburgh’s historic Hill District neighborhood. Save-A-Lot has provided two rather interesting videos and one commercial that highlight their business, design of the grocery store, and focus on customer satisfaction.
This video highlights a Save-A-Lot Grocery Store, it’s business model, and focus on how Save-A-Lot strives to offer the best possible customer experience.This video requires Adobe Flash Player to view
Click Here to Download
This video shows how Save-A-Lot focusses on the quality of their store and ensuring that the customer has the best experience possible. This gives you an insight on the quality oriented shopping experience Save-A-Lot strives to achieve.This video requires Adobe Flash Player to view
Click Here to Download
This is an example of a Save-A-Lot Commercial.This video requires Adobe Flash Player to view
Click Here to Download -
Onorato preps new parks organization
By Justin Vellucci
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, February 14, 2008Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato charged the new county Parks Foundation with repairing and maximizing the potential of 12,014 acres of park land.
“I’m glad that we’re finally here at this point,” Onorato told board members Wednesday at the nonprofit’s first meeting. “We are talking about rethinking the whole park system.”The foundation, formed in September to help clean up county parks while privatizing some operations, includes a dozen members representing regional groups and businesses — from the University of Pittsburgh and the Eat’n Park Hospitality Group to Mascaro Construction Co. and U.S. Steel.
Onorato budgeted $1 million to get the group running and find its executive director. An additional $10 million is available as matching dollars for projects and deferred maintenance the county has neglected for the better part of 30 years.
“It’s a huge number,” Onorato said. “We’ll start picking it off project by project.”
The board’s first projects will address North Park’s boat house, the stables at Hartwood Acres, the South Park fairgrounds and Boyce Park’s activity center, Onorato has said.The idea of forming a park foundation dates back to at least 1998, and was endorsed by then-Chief Executive Jim Roddey and County Council around 2002.
Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, a city entity similar to what Onorato has created for the county, has tended to Schenley, Frick, Highland and Riverview parks for several years.
North Park, at 3,000 acres, is the county’s largest park and nearly seven times larger than Schenley Park.
Justin Vellucci can be reached at jvellucci@tribweb.com or 412-320-7847
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Cinema fans preserve local old-school movie houses
By Craig Smith
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, February 7, 2008When an opportunity to buy the movie theater she used to frequent as a child came up six years ago, Meg Burkardt and two friends jumped at the chance.
Burkardt, Cyndi Yount and Marc Serrao, all of Penn Hills, bought the Oaks Theater in Oakmont with one goal in mind: preserving a dying breed.
“This is definitely a labor of love,” Burkardt said.
The Oaks has avoided the fate of most of the neighborhood movie theaters that once dotted this area’s towns.
“This is an area where you had a lot of Main Streets, and many of them had a theater. One of the main casualties on Main Street has been the theaters,” said Al Tannler, director of collections at the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation.
The Oaks, which opened in 1938 and seats 430, “rounds out the community,” said Bob Cooper, president of the Oakmont Chamber of Commerce.Interest in preserving old movie houses has grown over the past decade.
The Denis Theater in Mt. Lebanon, which has been closed for about 20 years, was bought by newly elected Commissioner D. Raja, who is studying how best to use the building.
The Strand in Zelienople will reopen later this year after a $1 million face-lift, said its owner, Ron Carter, 40, of Cranberry, who plans to eventually convert the theater into a performing arts center. The theater opened in 1914 as a silent movie house and vaudeville theater.
The Web site Cinema Treasures was launched eight years ago to help preserve movie theaters. The site links “movie theater owners and enthusiasts in an effort to help save the last remaining movie palaces across the country.”
In the early days, movie theaters would open at 10 a.m. and close at 11 p.m., said Michael Aronson, assistant professor of English at the University of Oregon and author of a soon-to-be-released book on the early days of movies in Pittsburgh.
“Some people would go after work. It was an alternative to going to the saloon,” he said.
The social aspect of going to the movies made them stand out, Aronson said. “It wasn’t just what was on the screen.”
Today, neighborhood movie theaters are luring customers with lower ticket and concession stand prices.
The January reopening of the Hollywood Theater in Dormont has added an extra draw to the business district, attracting patrons to nearby Potomac Avenue and its restaurants, merchants said.
The Bradley Center, an agency serving children with mental, emotional and developmental disabilities, reopened the 300-seat Hollywood for second-run films.
Dan Bahur, 50, of Pleasant Hills got his start in the “movie biz” as an usher when he was 16.
“My friends were working at theaters and I got a job. I got sucked in and never left,” said Bahur, manager of the Hollywood, where he worked 20 years ago. He came back when he heard the theater was reopening.
The theater, which opened in 1933, has undergone extensive renovations to its lobby and projection booth. The theater is Dolby-digital capable and has new seats.
“We have a really good theater here. We have an awesome place to see a movie in,” Bahur said. ” ‘Ben Hur’ on a 19-inch screen is a lot different than on a 30-foot-screen.”
The Hollywood has been a hit with neighbors.
“It’s so nice to have a theater in your neighborhood. A lot of people walk to it,” said John Maggio of Dormont. With its single screen, “you don’t hear other movies in the other rooms.”
The Ambridge Family Theater got its start in the late 1960s in a former sewing machine store.
“This is a great little business. It’s not going to make us wealthy by any means,” said Glenda Cockrum, who bought the theater with her husband, Rick, about 10 years ago.
The theater is involved in the community, and often hosts Scout troops or high school groups. Cockrum said she was bitten by the “movie bug” while working as an assistant manager for Carmike Cinema.
Her own theater is a little smaller. It seats 134.
“We used to have four movie theaters in Ambridge. This is the only one left,” said Mayor Carl “Buzzy” Notarianni, who saw “Serpico” and “The Ten Commandments” at the theater.
It’s a family operation. Cockrum handles booking, advertising, painting and the box office. Her husband is the projectionist, plumber, electrician, computer programmer and bookkeeper.
For the Cockrums, who have four children, simple economics dictated their plans to buy the theater.
“It was cheaper to buy the theater than to take the kids to the movies each week,” Glenda Cockrum said with a laugh.
Craig Smith can be reached at csmith@tribweb.com or 412-380-5646.