By John Lyon
Ripples from the proposed PNC Park for the Pittsburgh Pirates are being felt throughout the North Side. Last November Allegheny West in anticipation of upcoming problems hired a development specialist to determine how to plan for the parking, traffic and other impacts of the North Shore development on their neighborhood. In order to make room for the proposed baseball park, Three Rivers Plaza, a senior citizen high rise building will be razed. The tenants will be moved to Allegheny Center until a new high rise can be built on a lot adjacent to Allegheny Center, the current site of the Farmer’s Market.
To make up for lost parking on the site of the new senior high rise, Allegheny Center will build two surface lots on the spaces to the northeast and northwest sections of Allegheny Center. In addition, Allegheny Center will purchase the recently developed parking lot along Canal Street for about $200,000.
To secure the contiguous neighborhoods (Central Northside, East Allegheny, Allegheny West) support for the parking lots, the City has agreed to assist the Allegheny West neighborhood to acquire property “that may be developed for surface parking lots” for housing development.
In East Allegheny the City will work with the neighborhood to reduce the number of “illegal and non-conforming surface parking lots and other nuisance uses” caused by stadium traffic and parking.
The Central Northside will receive assistance with resident permit parking.
Meanwhile along the lower Federal Street corridor, merchants are starting to scramble to find space. All of the buildings in the area with the exception of the General Electric Building have been purchased by the Stadium Authority. Tenants are receiving notice they must move. The State Liquor Store closed its doors on Saturday, January 23rd. Other merchants have been notified they must leave by the end of February or face eviction.
One of those affected is Rich Kuntz of I.P.P. Printing. He has been looking for spaces on the North Side in both Allegheny West and East Ohio Street. He was notified on the 15th of January the building where he rents space was sold.
“I have spent 28 years of my life down here,” Rich said. “The spaces that I have looked at were either 40 per cent smaller or 30 per cent bigger than I currently have and have a 30% higher rent than I am paying.”
In addition, he is worried about losing his customer base from the Martin Building and other Federal Street businesses since many of his customers will also be moving to other sites.
“I have a million questions,” he continued. “The representatives of the Stadium Authority have talked about a possible rent subsidy, but they will not tell me how long it will last or what will happen when it runs out.”
However, he still has hope he can find a spot on the North Side. He is getting quotes on moving his equipment.
Ted Szoch of Exercise Equipment sometimes feels like “an unwanted stepchild.” His store has been on the 100 block of Federal Street for 20 years and has helped make it what it is today.
“Now that it’s getting good (ie customers, customers, customers) we must make room for the new Pirate ballyard. Since I am a fan ‘ambivalence’ has become my middle name. Exercise Equipment is looking for space in the suburbs.”
Another business that must move is Shear Ego. They are looking at a space in Allegheny West.
Kim Scott the owner of Shear Ego attended a meeting in November organized by City Shops and PNC Bank at Firewater’s. The URA, and property owners from Allegheny West and E. Ohio Street attended along with representatives of the Mattress Factory to talk about the Federal North project. Unfortunately she claims the meeting “did not help.” Both Scott and Kuntz said PNC Bank was offering a reduced rate if the to be displaced tenants wanted to purchase a building.
Through it all, however, Szoch remains philosophical. “It’s graduation time – things are going to get better or they are going to get worse and I always say better first.”
