PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown I

[mackb]

Sorry to steer away from where the posts were going, but...

Did anybody notice that the Mon Wharf Trail seems to be moving along? Looks like the design changed from the original ... much more plain.


Also, looks like there's a Market Square blog up http://marketsquarepgh.blogspot.com/

Looks like it had good info to post a first and then died off... mentioned a few new stores going up in the area and a new restaurant, if anyone is interested.

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by Tombstoner

It might depend on what we mean by "isolated" -- if you mean "not as frequently accessed from adjacent neighborhoods, due to desolate pockets in those neighborhoods" then, yes, it is isolated. If you mean isolated in the sense that "there are no good means of getting to and from the area from surrounding parts of the city" (which was, I think, your original claim) then I disagree. Using the first definition of isolation, the answer is urban renewal, using the second definition, the solution is better transit. My point was that I don't think transit is the crux of the problem; if nicer surrounding areas created a pleasant urban transition from the East End to Downtown, I think better transit would naturally follow.

Both of the definitions you offer are valid in the case of downtown Pittsburgh; and I addressed both in my previous posts on downtown's isolation. It is a fact that downtown is cut off from its neighborhoods (Evergrey very succinctly demonstrated my initial points) and it is a fact that Pittsburgh has long had a transit problem into and out of its urban core (due primarily to its incredibly challenging topography).

Or, would "nicer surrounding areas creating a pleasant urban transition" naturally follow from transit? That's usually the way it goes. As a professor of mine once said, "You've gotta be able to get there first". Transit may not be the crux of the problem, but it usually plays a part one way or another.

Either way, I agree that a greater emphasis on residential development downtown will provide a positive impact all around.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Originally Posted by UrbaniDesDev

There was a chance to have a business district thru the Hill, along Center Avenue. Instead they chopped the wide boulevard of Center Avenue off right at the top, at Crawford. It oddly and abruptly becomes a narrow street lined with single family residences. Now the new arena fronts on Center Avenue and there will be little positive effect felt east of Crawford Avenue on Center. Heavy traffic goes better with apartment/condo buildings than single family homes, and there's going to be heavy traffic.

I'm hoping they reintroduce Wylie Avenue through the arena land. I guess there is nothing left of the original, historic street and it's musical past, but putting it back in would be a good homage. Perhaps creating a center business district there.

I, for one, have never been a big fan of the development on the Hill. Yes, it has been successful and I actually wouldn't mind living in one of them. I feel it should of had a more dense urban feel. More low rise mixed with some high rise residential would have been more appropriate. Particularly along Center Avenue. The entire Hill District has amazing views and should be exploited. I'm hoping that what will be eventually built on all that Mellon Arena land

Those are some good points, looking at Google street view right now, where do they plan on having businesses take up shop in the newly built hill? I hope they don't expect all of those residents to have to bus to other parts of the city to buy anything, even though it is in such a centrally located place.

[Steel Boy]

I think the reason that Centre Avenue abruptly goes from four to two lanes at Freedom Corner is because the community drew a line in the sand in the early 60s. I remember seeing a photo from that era with demonstrators and a big sign behind them that said "Not an inch more!" Most of the neighborhood was bulldozed with no community input back then and the neighborhood saw what was happening and said that there would be no more destruction beyond that point. There was supposed to be a big performing ats center where the Crawford-Roberts townhouses are now and some other high-rises like Washington Plaza. There are renderings of the proposed development in Stefan Lorant's "Pittsburgh: The Story of an American City" - first edition from 1964. Most of that stuff was never built.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Originally Posted by mackb

Sorry to steer away from where the posts were going, but...

Did anybody notice that the Mon Wharf Trail seems to be moving along? Looks like the design changed from the original ... much more plain.


Also, looks like there's a Market Square blog up http://marketsquarepgh.blogspot.com/

Looks like it had good info to post a first and then died off... mentioned a few new stores going up in the area and a new restaurant, if anyone is interested.

Do you have a link to this change? I really liked the floating barge part of the design, I hope it is still in the works.

[mackb]

New Mon Wharf trail pics I found on WDUQ News' facebook page. They also have some nice pics of the inside of the new Children's Hospital and it looks pretty impressive. The old pics of the Mon Wharf are from Riverlife's webpage which looks like it hasn't been updated in forever. Looks like the floating barge is out.









I'm not much of a blogger, so if the images don't show up, I won't be surprised.


You can find the original plans at http://www.riverlifetaskforce.org/projects/monwharf/

[mackb]

And I failed at the pics it seems, so let me try the WDUQ link to the page...
http://www.facebook.com/photos.php?id=56314884576

First page has pics of Consol's Arena top off, second has pics of Mon Wharf

[dugdogmaster]

I can't wait for that concrete behemoth to be transformed !

[AaronPGH]

So this has to be about the 50th time this project has come back to life. This is a serious chunk of change though! Maybe it's for real this time...



Pittsburgh region gets $28 million to plan maglev project
Thursday, September 10, 2009
By James O'Toole, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Federal Railroad Administration has awarded a $28 million grant for preliminary work on the long-planned Pennsylvania High-Speed Maglev project.

The grant was announced this afternoon by Sens. Arlen Specer and Bob Casey, along with Rep. Mike Doyle. The project, billed as the first phase of a cross-state high speed network, would start at the Pittsburgh International Airport and travel to Downtown Pitsburgh, then to Monroeville and on to Greensburg. The grant is the largest federal commitment to the project so far, but construction would still be well into the future. The funds to be released by the FRA are for planning and other preliminary work.

"This $28 million award is the most significant development in the 29 years we've been working on Maglev," Mr. Specter said in the release announcing the project.

"The vision is to have a 250 mile-an-hour train traveling from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia with intermediate stops. Such a train would be a tremendous economic boon with thousands of new jobs in the steel and construction industry and would meet our increasing demand for transportation, reduce highway congestion, improve air quality and reduce our dependence on foreign oil."

"This project has the chance to help establish a world-class transportation system in Pennsylvania," Mr Casey said. "This initiative has the potential to spur job creation while helping to improve our environment and bolster the Commonwealth's long-term economic competitiveness."

"I've been working to build a mag-lev system in Pennsylvania throughout my service in Congress," said Congressman Mike Doyle. "I believe it could be a major new engine for job creation and economic growth in our region. It's great to see all our hard work paying off."

Maglev Inc. of McKeesport, the developer, has spent more than $27 million in federal and state funds since the mid-1990s. The group is close to finishing an environmental impact study on the project.

More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Politics Editor James O'Toole can be reached at [email protected] or 412-263-1562.
First published on September 10, 2009 at 5:38 pm

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09253/997097-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml#ixzz0QkdsfBIL

[mackb]

So who is going to get some sort of tracks from the airport to downtown first... Maglev or the Port Authority?

[EventHorizon]

Pittsburgh region gets $28 million to plan maglev project

Pretty cool news!

I thought this was interesting... it's a picture of a proposed Maglev station in Pittsburgh:



courtesy of Maglev Inc. of McKeesport

[dugdogmaster]

Ok, is this thing seriously gaining some steam this time?

[AaronPGH]

Originally Posted by mackb

So who is going to get some sort of tracks from the airport to downtown first... Maglev or the Port Authority?

This is the reason I sort of hate this maglev project. Port Authority needs to get there first. Such a waste of money if the north shore connector doesn't make it to the airport.

[Tombstoner]

Does anyone have a link to the proposed route of the Maglev through metro Pittsburgh? I'm curious as to whether it would stop anywhere in the East End prior to heading out towards Monroeville. Given that Oakland is the third largest business district in the state, it would seem like a missed opportunity not to stop there.

[dugdogmaster]

Originally Posted by AaronPGH

This is the reason I sort of hate this maglev project. Port Authority needs to get there first. Such a waste of money if the north shore connector doesn't make it to the airport.

The Port Authority is working in conjunction with the Mag Lev project.

[Tombstoner]

Originally Posted by Wiz Khalifa

Do you have a link to this change? I really liked the floating barge part of the design, I hope it is still in the works.

Yeah, the barge was a nice feature.

[AaronPGH]

Originally Posted by dugdogmaster

The Port Authority is working in conjunction with the Mag Lev project.

Really? Then why pass off their north shore connector as an airport line when Maglev will be taking care of that? It'd be redundant.

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by Tombstoner

Does anyone have a link to the proposed route of the Maglev through metro Pittsburgh? I'm curious as to whether it would stop anywhere in the East End prior to heading out towards Monroeville. Given that Oakland is the third largest business district in the state, it would seem like a missed opportunity not to stop there.

Maglev is a high-speed train (reaching 250+ mph). From what I understand, it is not being proposed, nor feasible, to make frequent stops. I think it's just airport, downtown, Monroeville, Greensburg.

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by AaronPGH

Really? Then why pass off their north shore connector as an airport line when Maglev will be taking care of that? It'd be redundant.

Again, Maglev is a high-speed line, and not redundant with a light rail system that makes frequent, in-town stops.

The Pennsylvania Project's route will connect the Pittsburgh International Airport to Downtown Pittsburgh, and the Eastern suburbs of Monroeville and Greensburg. The route will cover 54 miles and will take approximately 35 minutes including stops from start to end. Estimated trip times between Stations are as follows:

Airport (landside terminal) to Airport (Enlow Road) 3 min.
Airport (Enlow Road) to Downtown 8 min.
Downtown to Monroeville area 11 min.
Monroeville to Greensburg area 10 min.

[AaronPGH]

Originally Posted by pj3000

Again, Maglev is a high-speed line, and not redundant with a light rail system that makes frequent, in-town stops.

So they are planning on eventually having both Maglev and light rail lines to the airport? It seems like overkill to me with so few passengers at PIT anymore.