Hill District residents give feedback on redevelopment of former Civic Arena site

Date Published: 
Wednesday, September 17, 2014

The first panel of the Civic Arena roof comes down in January 2013

Hill District residents and community leaders gathered Tuesday night to provide feedback on the growth of their neighborhood a week after an agreement was reached about the redevelopment of the former Civic Arena site in the Lower Hill District.

"When you look at this, you should think, 'Oh, wow, there's an opportunity for me,' " Marimba Milliones, president and CEO of the Hill Community Development Corp., told the more than 100 attendees. She opened the meeting by walking residents through the redevelopment plan, as well as sticking points and their resolutions.

The agreement between local political leaders and the Pittsburgh Penguins, finalized Sept. 9 after more than a year of negotiations, settled issues such as affordable housing and minority participation.

City Councilman R. Daniel Lavelle of the Hill District explained how money generated by the project will benefit the whole neighborhood.

The plan also created money to be reinvested in the middle and upper Hill District. That money would come from a tax increment financing plan expected to generate at least $22 million -- some estimates are as high as $50 million -- over 20 years.

The tax increment district will be the largest in city history, and virtually all of the revenue for the improvements will be generated by the arena redevelopment itself. Under the TIF, 65 percent of new tax revenue produced by the project will be used for improvements. The other 35 percent will go to the city, county and city school district.

One woman asked how residents would keep up with property tax increases.

Mr. Lavelle said the goal of the plan is that as "property taxes will rise, the community rises with it." If the community decides, money funneled back into the community could be used to help pay those taxes, he said.

UDream, a Carnegie Mellon University initiative working to increase diversity in design jobs, presented an envisioning plan and manned stations on each of its proposals helping residents re-imagine the Hill District's Centre Avenue between Soho Street and Herron Avenue.

Their proposals included small housing, housing space for artists, units to live and work in, and spaces where people will want to stop and stay, all while keeping the character of the neighborhood in mind.

EvolveEA, selected in July 2014 to help with the redevelopment of Centre Avenue, sought input from community members on the corridor.

Residents were given blue, green and orange sticky notes to place on a small-scale, street view of Centre Avenue identifying places important to them, the community and places that need to be improved.

One couple posted a note on an empty lot that said it would be important to the community as, "my new food establishment with parking lot." Others wanted empty storefronts leveled and green space maintained.

EvolveEA also asked attendees, "It's 2020 ... What would you come to do on Centre Ave.?" They responded with: upscale salons, sports bars, jazz clubs and public art.

Lexi Belculfine: lbelculfine [at] post-gazette.com or 412-263-1878.

For further details go to: http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/09/17/Hill-District-resident...