Friday, February 28, 2025, 2:58PM |  38°
MENU
Advertisement
The Almono site in Hazelwood.
2
MORE

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto reveals plan for building projects

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto reveals plan for building projects

Saying the era of public and private development driven mainly by political interests is over, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto on Tuesday unveiled a plan under which the city’s real estate projects would be measured against a set of metrics designed to ensure they are environmentally sustainable, inclusive and accessible to a wide population.

“A seismic change is happening now for the first time in 50 years,” said Mr. Peduto. “We are not simply looking for projects to make money and jobs.”

The so-called p4 Performance Measures were unveiled at a press briefing, where the mayor and the Heinz Endowments provided a preview of the second annual p4 summit to be held Oct. 18-19 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

Advertisement

The p4 initiative focuses on how people, planet, place and performance all need to be significant components of plans to chart the city’s future development. The initiative was spearheaded by Andre Heinz, incoming chair of the endowments and the son of current board chair Teresa Heinz Kerry and the late U.S. Sen. H. John Heinz III.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh’s bicentennial events listed

He and Mr. Peduto will co-host the summit, which organizers expect to attract 500-plus people.

The 12 performance metrics provide a way to quantify and evaluate the effect of proposed development in categories such as air quality, use of renewable energy sources, benefits to low-income individuals and businesses, and access to transportation.

After last year’s inaugural p4 summit, Mr. Peduto asked an advisory committee to draft the metrics “to build inclusion and the importance of the planet into development,” he said.

Advertisement

The advisory committee included city administrators, private developers, architects and other community representatives who reached out to focus groups and 100 local experts for input, said Andrew McElwaine, the endowments’ vice president for sustainability and senior program director.

New metrics could inform future high-profile development projects targeted for the Strip District, Hill District, and the Almono site in Hazelwood, “where we want to see the highest level of standards” implemented, Mr. McElwaine said.

The endowments has an ownership stake in the Almono project along with the Benedum and Richard King Mellon foundations.

The metrics will be submitted to the city’s Urban Redevelopment Authority for review. A possible vote to adopt them could come early next year, the mayor said.

Union Trust is the only building Downtown with a stained-glass dome, a feature that was covered with tin during World War II out of fear that it could be a bombing target.
Mark Belko
URA considers tax diversion plan for Union Trust Building improvements

He said that will give the URA a tool and a transparent model to measure proposed developments so public dollars can be invested “in the best return for shareholders.”

While last year’s summit focused on how Pittsburgh perceives future development, said Grant Oliphant, president of the endowments, the second conference will focus largely on issues of equity including race, gender and poverty.

“We have to make sure we’re lifting up the people … at the same time we lift up the market,” said Presley Gillespie, president of Neighborhood Allies, a Downtown-based nonprofit that works to revitalize neighborhoods.

During the second day of the conference, Mr. Gillespie will moderate a panel on equitable development.

Other scheduled participants at the summit include Angela Glover Blackwell, president and chief executive of PolicyLink, an Oakland, California-based agency that conducts research and analysis on how to achieve inclusive public policy; Bruce Katz, centennial scholar at the Brookings Institution, Washington, D.C.; and Angela Blanchard, president and chief executive of Neighborhood Centers Inc., a Houston, Texas-based community development agency.

The conference is an invitation-only event. For more information, go to www.p4pittsburgh.org.

Joyce Gannon: jgannon@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1580.

 

First Published: October 12, 2016, 12:35 p.m.

RELATED
Developer Ethan Fellheimer is turning the 10-story Penn Rose Building in the Strip District into apartments. The building is the tallest in the Strip and offers sweeping views of the Downtown skyline and the Allegheny River corridor.
Mark Belko
Developer eyes Strip District as 'Brooklyn of Pittsburgh'
SHOW COMMENTS (0)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
Ohio State quarterback Will Howard passes against Notre Dame during first half of the College Football Playoff national championship game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Atlanta.
1
sports
Steelers NFL draft big board: Best fits at quarterback
Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic takes a timeout during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals in Pittsburgh, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.
2
sports
Penguins rally after Alex Nedeljkovic’s outburst, beat the Flyers in overtime
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, center, and teammates run the 'Tush Push' play during an playoff game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025, in Philadelphia.
3
sports
Ray Fittipaldo: The Packers are right. The NFL should ban the 'Tush Push'
The 1860s farmhouse at 317 James St. in Verona has a new gray and black color scheme.
4
life
Buying Here: Brooklyn chef snaps up an 1860s farmhouse priced at $230K
Janet Broniecki pushes a cart of bread into a temperature-controlled proofer to let the dough rise before baking. Mancini's  produces 10,000 loaves a day, 7 days a week.
5
life
Iconic Eats: McKees Rocks-based Mancini’s Bakery has been feeding the area since 1926
The Almono site in Hazelwood.
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto on Tuesday unveiled a plan under which the city’s real estate projects would be measured against a set of metrics designed to ensure they are environmentally sustainable, inclusive and accessible to a wide population.  (Ralph Musthaler/Post-Gazette)
Advertisement
LATEST business
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story