New Face of East End Human Services

Pittsburgh’s Urban Redevelopment Authority has given a local human services nonprofit $1.5 million to build a new facility in East Liberty.

The East End Cooperative Ministry says the URA grant is the last piece of funding it needs to begin construction of the $13.5 million site.

EECM Board President Mark Bibro says the Penn Circle “Community House” will have a LEED Platinum certification for environmental impact. He says the structure itself will be “like none other,” and augment current redevelopments of East Liberty.

Currently, EECM operates from about twenty churches in the East End, providing services like a homeless shelter, a food pantry, a soup kitchen, and several youth programs. Bibro says this new facility will house them all, including a much-expanded homeless shelter and transitional housing for disadvantaged hospital patients.

Bibro says getting the URA grant has made new tax credits possible, which should put about $2.4 million more toward the project in the future. He says construction will begin this fall.

Bill Would Allow Economic Furloughs of Teachers

The Pennsylania House and Senate are considering legislation that would make it easier for school districts to furlough teachers. Currently, school districts can lay off teachers only if there is a drop in enrollment over multiple years or if educational programs are eliminated, or if there is a merger of districts.
Lebanon County Republican State Senator Mike Folmer is sponsoring legislation that would allow districts to lay off teachers for economic reasons. The House Education Committee held a hearing on the legislation this week and their Senate counterparts are expected to do so soon.
Folmer says school districts need to be run more like businesses. But Jerry Oleksiak, treasurer of the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) told the committee schools are not businesses......"Schools cannot shut their doors when revenue is insufficient, nor can they turn away any student, regardless of the individual challenges they may present."
However, school boards are looking to balance budgets and their authority to raise taxes was diminished by approval of the Taxpayer Relief Act of 2006 which offset some property tax reductions with revenues from gambling.
Wythe Keever, spokesman for the PSEA, says the union is very aware of the problems the recession has caused for school districts.....
"What we're saying is if you're going to look at this type of legislation, then look at it the right way and create some clear and hard criteria under which a school might do an economic furlough" rather than allow school boards to determine when economic conditions justify layoffs based on subjective criteria. Keever says class sizes could go up.

New Development Coming to Downtown

More construction is coming to the heart of Pittsburgh. Millcraft Industries, a Washington, PA real estate development company has been buying up property downtown south of Forbes Avenue between Wood Street and Market Square. Lucas Piatt, Millcraft's Chief Operating Officer says this is the third phase of a project that has been on the table since they first introduced it to then mayor Bob O'Connor. "Our Fifth and Market project consisted of the renovation of the former Lazarus-Macy's building into Piatt Place, the revitalization of the former G.C. Murphy building into a project called Market Square Place and a project called the Gardens, which we are now pursuing." The Gardens will consist of a hotel, office and retail space and parking. It's estimated to cost $50-60 million. The Urban Redevelopment Authority will vote Thursday on a proposal to extend the negotiating period with Millcraft to the end of December on seven URA-owned parcels that would be used for the development. Piatt says he's confident the days of downtown as a deadzone after the workday ends, are over. "We're seeing this wonderful organic growth happen in downtown Pittsburgh right now. We think it's very strong, very sustainable -- it's the center of the region." Piatt says right now they're looking at schematic designs, and hope to break ground in 2012 and have occupancy midway through 2013.

URA Considers Development Lease in Strip

A fixture of the city's Strip District could be forced out within a few years. Pittsburgh's Urban Redevelopment Authority is to vote this afternoon on a proposal to lease city's landmark produce terminal in the Strip to a developer. Under the proposed 5 year lease, the Buncher Company would have the option to buy the warehouse and loading dock terminal for $1.8 million. U.R.A. executive director Rob Stephany acknowledges the fruit and vegetable wholesalers might have to move to make way for restaurants, offices and showroom spaces. But he claims that might help the wholesalers remain competitive in the long run.

Next Phase of 9 Mile Run Project

An $11 million state loan has been approved to continue the restoration of the former Nine Mile Run slag dump site located near Frick Park. The loan is part of a $45.6 million project that will include residential and commercial development, 20 acres of open space, 5.4 acres of public parks and the installation of 9,600 feet of storm water lines. The site produces runoff with high pH and heavy metals contaminating storm water that runs into Nine Mile Run and the groundwater.
will be used to set the foundation for a residential expansion of Summerset at Frick Park, one of the nation’s first residential neighborhoods to be built upon a former waste site.

State Representative Dan Frankel of Pittsburgh says the 20-year loan, provided through the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority, will help to set the foundation for the residential expansion.

“There’s a great deal of reclamation that needs to take place. There’s a great deal of infrastructure that needs to be put in place on the undeveloped site in order to continue with this successful development.”

This is the third and final phase of the development. Frankel says Summerset at Frick Park was built upon the idea that residents can experience the feel of an urban neighborhood without being located in the heart of the city.

“It’s not like the suburban developments that you see outside of the city of Pittsburgh where you have acre lots. This is really a true urban neighborhood extension of Squirrel Hill but at the same time it does have some of the feel that you’re sort of separated from the city, you’re overlooking the park. You know, it’s the best of all worlds.”

Frankel says the project is much more than just residential.

“Part of this has been cleaning up Nine Mile Run and extending Frick Park all the way over to the Monongahela River,” Frankel says. “If you take a look at trails that have been reclaimed, it’s a great project from so many different views.”

The project is to create an estimated 550 construction jobs and is to begin in July and be completed in July 2016.

YMCA gets Land in Hill for new Facility

Now that the board of the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh has agreed to sell 18 parcels of land on Center Ave in the Hill District, the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh says it is just about ready to break ground on a new full-service facility. YMCA CFO Bill Jones says bids are coming in for the construction work and he expects to have a contract with the URA and the builder in place in the next 30 days. Jones says the 42,000 square foot facility will include a pool, gym facilities and programming space. He says the neighborhood is an underserved area when it comes to the type of services the YMCA can provide. “This market has been screaming for this type of facility,” says Jones. The YMCA has been working on the project for more than two years and already holds title on one parcel in the 2100 block of Center Ave where the building will be erected. The URA is giving up the vacant parcels it holds for $237,250. Jones says the total price tag for the project is expected to come in somewhere around $12 million. He hopes to break ground in August and then cut a ribbon on the facility 15 months later. The facility will be named after lifetime Hill activist Thelma Lovette.

City Issues Public Art Planning Document

The Pittsburgh Office of Public Art has published a new document titled, “Add Value Add Art” The document billed as a, “public art resource guide for developers,” was produced at the request of Urban Redevelopment Authority which wanted to help promote public art in new developments around town. Office of Public Art Director Renee Piechocki says the document deals with ways to get in touch with an artist and how to integrate art into a development. She says the most basic way to add art is to simply purchase a work to be mounted inside or outside of a new building. From there Piechocki says the document talks about way art can be made part of the structure of the building or can be used in place of off-the-shelf” items such as benches or fences. “When a designer comes up with a list of items there is always a bench and there is a line item for what those are going to cost, and what this document is about is saying you know you are going to spend $1,000 a bench instead of buying it from a catalog where anyone in the country can have it, why not commission a local artist to make the same bench to the same specs and for the same costs,” says Piechocki. The document will also include photographs and descriptions of different types of public art projects.
Piechocki says,” This guide is the first step in giving developers in Pittsburgh the tools they need to work with artists on their projects.” The document can be found at the URA web site.
A list of local artists can be found here.

Development Study

There are tens of thousands of commuters that pass through the South Hills Junction T stop each day. But Urban Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Rob Stephany says those commuters typically don’t take notice in their surroundings, since there is no reason for them to do so. Stephany sees potential there. A $227,000 study funded by the State Department of Community and Economic Development could draw a connection between the local light rail stop and economic development within its surrounding neighborhoods of Mount Washington, Beltzhoover and Allentown. By looking at national trends, Stephany says practical ideas for the area could include building park and ride lots, developing a convenience stops that sell newspapers and coffee, and building apartment complexes nearby. Pittsburgh officials are inviting proposals from urban planning and transportation consultants to study possible developments.

Acklin's Plan for Restoring City Pensions

Independent Mayoral Candidate Kevin Acklin said his plan to solve the city's pension problem would be to redirect funds from the Urban Redevelopment Authority into the pension fund. He says the URA holds at least $417 million in assets - almost larger than the entire general fund of the city of Pittsburgh.
He says using about half of the money would restore the city's pension funding to above the fifty-percent solvency level within two years that would help the city avoid having the pensions transferred to the state.
Acklin said redirecting money from the URA would also allow him to refocus the URA on neighborhood investment and community development. He says he feels the URA focuses their efforts on certain neighborhoods and ignores others.

Urban Park Groundbreaking

Pittsburgh leaders have initiated construction for a "world class urban park" near the South Side Works to be completed in 2012. Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl says the $12 million redevelopment will take better advantage of the city's riverfronts. "Our riverfronts are assets," he says. When completed, the park will connect to the Hot Metal Pedestrian Bridge and bike trail that eventually leads to Washington DC, and will allow for the expansion of waterfront activities.

Council Okays Bakery Square Grant

City Council approved application for a grant that would have the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh construct a parking garage for a development in Bakery Square of East Liberty. Council passed that measure with a vote of eight to one, with Councilman Bruce Kraus giving the only “no” vote.

URA Executive Director Rob Stephany says the area’s job market and property tax value will be given a boost by the project. However, Kraus contends that not all is as it seems with this particular development. “There’s an argument being made that this is intended to help East Liberty. This isn’t intended to help East Liberty, ‘cause those people that will work these jobs, they’re not going to earn a living wage... This is being built next to Shadyside for a reason. There’s a very upscale demographic that’s going to benefit from a development like this,” says Kraus.

Councilman Bill Peduto says there are many other things to spend money on in East Liberty, but this grant is better than nothing. Councilwoman Tonya Payne says things will change for East Liberty after this development is built. “Those residents, through the good, the bad, the ugly – and right now they’re with the bad and ugly – they’re hanging in there, but they’re just asking for us to help them hang even a little bit longer, because they see, eventually, this project turning the community around. This is the start,” says Payne.

Public Riverfront Vision Meeting Scheduled

The first of three public meetings for the Allegheny Riverfront Vision will be held Thursday. The two-hour meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at the Heinz History Center. Community members are invited to learn about redevelopment slated to happen in the Strip District, Lawrenceville, and Highland Park. Urban Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Rob Stephany says a 6-mile stretch of land along the Allegheny River will see many of its stagnant warehouse properties converted into something more productive. “We’re kind of excited about the idea of converting warehouses into places really for the universities’ technologies to be dreamed up and turned into technologies for research, if not be fabricated and moved forward,” says Stephany. He says housing is another riverfront option, as some of the current successful businesses in the area are attracting people from places like Seattle and New York City. Stephany says the project will keep the good things and change the bad along the riverfront: “It’s both about saving what’s great and trying to reposition the stuff that’s not so great as it is trying to connect those things that are really strong and vibrant and make them more so by connecting them to the river.”

URA Applies for State Redevelopment Funding

The city of Pittsburgh and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) are applying for state grants from the Neighborhood Stabilization Program to move housing projects forward. The application seeks $20 million in state funding for the redevelopment or demolition of foreclosed, abandoned or blighted properties in the city. URA Executive Director Rob Stephany says some of the areas most in need include Sheraden, the Hill District and the Wood Street Commons downtown. Stephany says since the city is competing against other towns in need of funding, the quality of the redevelopment work will have to meet the high expectations of state auditors. The URA may also be involved as the developer of the project, should the application be accepted and the property owners consent.

South Hills High Transformed

After more than 20 years of standing vacant, the former South Hills High School in Mount Washington will become a senior housing complex.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority agreed to the sale and finance of the building yesterday. URA's Director of Real Estate Kyra Straussman says the structure, which was both large and old, was vacant for such a long time partly because of difficulties in finding a "good fit." There were also difficulties in finding proper funding for the project. Thanks to Senator Wayne Fontana's push and the approval of state housing tax credits, the project is now underway.

Despite the long period of time it went unused, Straussman says "the bones of the building are in pretty good shape." There will be some demolition and reconstruction that takes place, in order to make room for a parking lot and to eliminate unnecessary spaces such as an auditorium, but some areas of the school will be preserved. Straussman says these spots may be recognizable to South Hills High graduates.

URA Details Selling of School Buildings

Community activists learned more about efforts underway to sell off 18 closed Pittsburgh Public school buildings. The Pittsburgh public school district is spending about $2 million a year maintaining the closed buildings so there is some pressure to sell quickly but the board wants to make sure the properties are put to thee best use not just awarded to the highest bidder. The District has teamed up with the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh to figure out how to best move the land onto the tax rolls. URA Director of Real Estate Kyra Straussman says the highest use may not be the best use. She says if a developer wants to divide the school into 400-thousand dollar lofts in a neighborhood that can only support $50 thousand homes the URA may try to look for another option. Straussman says while some of the buildings are very marketable others will be hard to sell. Part of the URA’s evaluation process is not only making sure a buyer has the cash to make the purchase but also has the ability to sustain the property. Straussman says that is why it may be hard for non-profits to open community centers. Requests for proposals will be written with community groups in mind to make sure a building is used in both a sustainable and community friendly manner. A school official says the board is for the most part against the reuse of the buildings as charter schools and would like to see the buildings put onto the tax rolls rather than used by a non-taxable organization.

Ford Resigns From URA

The suspended head of the Pittsburgh Urban Redevelopment Authority has submitted a fiery letter of resignation. Pat Ford says he will leave the post when his contract expires at the end of the year. He has been on paid leave since April when it was revealed that he accepted Christmas gifts from an executive for Lamar Advertising. The company has been embroiled in a controversial contract with the city. In the letter, Ford says he and his wife (former mayoral spokesperson Alecia Sirk) “are being persecuted with no support from the administration…” it goes on to say he supported the Ravenstahl administration because he thought it had vision but could no longer support the mayor because, “ … that vision never materialized, and as I have always said, 'Where there is no vision, people perish.’ I have no desire to perish along with Luke Ravenstahl's Pittsburgh." Mayor Ravenstahl is in Denver this week for the Democratic National Convention. He says he has not seen the letter but has learned of its contents. He says he is surprised and “saddened by some of the comments in it.” He says he was waiting to hear a definitive answer from the State Ethics Commission, which was investigating Ford’s actions, before making any decision on Ford’s future. Ravenstahl says he will have more comments when he returns home and has time to read and digest the contents of the letter.

Mayor Wants Official Word on Ford

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl says he will not make a statement on Pat Ford's future in city government until he hears from the state Ethics Commission. Ford has been on paid leave from his job as Executive Director of Pittsburgh's Urban Redevelopment Authority since April. The Ethics Commission launched a preliminary investigation into a gift Ford's wife received from a Lamar Advertising executive. But Ford's attorney says that investigation is over and that his client did not break any law.

Ravenstahl says once he hears from the state Ethics Commission, it will be up to the URA's board to decide whether to reinstate Ford. But Ravenstahl says he will give his input. If the investigation is truly over, he says it would be "good news" because it would show that no wrongdoing occurred.

URA Approves signing of CBA for hill district

The Urban Redevelopment Authority today voted to support the Community Benefits Agreement between Hill District residents and the city of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County and the Penguins. The CBA has yet to be signed by any party involved, but the URA's vote now puts pressure on them to sign. URA board chair Yarone Zober says he believes all parties involved will sign within a "month or so." The URA has agreed to help the One Hill Coalition in its development of a master plan, commit $1 million to a grocery store to be developed in the Hill, and to help in the construction of a planned YMCA.

URA Seeks Help in Making Over Market Square

Pittsburgh's Urban Redevelopment Authority will seek a $5.6 million loan from the state to help improve Market Square. The URA is applying for the funds through Pennsylvania's Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program.

Pittsburgh's Historic Review Commission has approved the proposed re-design of Market Square. But the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation, which has invested in the project, has objected to plans that would remove some traffic from the square. Vehicles would still be allowed to drive around the perimeter of the square, but not through it.