Funding In Place For Hill District Grocery Store

With only a few days before a deadline to raise $2 million for a grocery store, the Hill House Association says it has closed its funding gap. With help from Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, State Rep. Jake Wheatley and various local sources and foundations, the Hill House plans to move ahead on the Kuhn's grocery store project. Onorato contributed $750,000 from the county in the form of a community development block grant, Wheatley was able to secure $500,000 in state money, and local foundations and supporters raised the final $750,000.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority had given the Hill House until Thursday to secure the funding. If it had not met the deadline, discount grocer Save-A-Lot would have emerged as the front-runner to build a smaller limited-service grocery.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and URA are contributing another $2 million to the store as part of a community benefits agreement that was reached last year.