Pittsburgh advances redevelopment plans for two city-owned sites Downtown and in Strip District
Pittsburgh and the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh announced July 9 that redevelopment proposals for two city-owned properties—2608 Penn Ave. in the Strip District and 604 Liberty Ave. Downtown—were scheduled for presentation to the URA Board of Directors.
The announcement, involving Mayor Corey O’Connor’s administration and the URA, signals that the two properties are moving through the authority’s board process. It does not establish that either project received board approval or that construction has been authorized.
Two city-owned properties
One of the sites is the former Office of Municipal Investigations building at 2608 Penn Ave. in the Strip District. The other is 604 Liberty Ave. in Downtown Pittsburgh.
The city and URA identified both as city-owned properties. The available announcement did not name final developers for either site or provide a project description beyond the redevelopment effort.
It also did not specify total project costs, financing terms or construction schedules. No projections for jobs, housing units or private investment were included in the supplied material.
Stated goal and next step
The administration said the redevelopment effort is intended to attract small businesses, residents and visitors to the greater Downtown area. That is a stated objective, not a confirmed result of the proposals.
The next identified step is presentation to the URA Board of Directors. The available source does not give a meeting date or establish whether the board later approved either proposal.
Those outstanding decisions and details will determine the form, cost and timeline of any redevelopment at the two sites.
Separate Strip District grant
In a separate July 16 announcement, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives reported that MI Strip Works LLC received a $5 million community redevelopment grant for Brickworks, a proposed 3.5-acre residential development in Pittsburgh’s Strip District.
The House release described Brickworks as two multi-purpose, multifamily buildings with residential units and in-building parking. The supplied sources do not establish a connection between that grant-funded proposal and either of the city-owned properties at 2608 Penn Ave. or 604 Liberty Ave.
For the two city-owned sites, the July 9 announcement remains an account of proposals headed for the URA board process, rather than a record of final project approvals.
Sources
- URA Announces Two Projects to Redevelop Vacant Buildings and Invest in Vibrancy in Downtown and the Strip District, City of Pittsburgh / Urban Redevelopment Authority
- Rep. Lindsay Powell welcomes $6 million in community redevelopment grants, Pennsylvania House of Representatives