The former Civic Arena redevelopment in the lower Hill District has a new name. But not all Hill residents are happy about it.
In unveiling their new vision for the 28-acre site at a community meeting Wednesday evening, the Pittsburgh Penguins also coined a name for the $750 million development — the Centre District.
Kevin Acklin, the Penguins’ senior vice president, said the new name is taken from Centre Avenue, one of the main streets that runs through the Hill, and the Hill District itself.
It is a moniker that is meant to honor the Hill. “It was our way of creating an identity and a name,” he said.
But some residents didn’t see it that way.
“That does not respect the history or the culture,” said C. Denise Johnson. “I understand this is different but can we at least have some semblance of the Hill?”
Another resident, Deidra Washington, said the team and its partners made a point of emphasizing the desire for the development to reflect the history and culture of the Hill and to provide jobs and other opportunities for the people who live there.
“If they want [the development] to reflect the culture, the history and the people, what’s wrong with keeping [the Hill District] name?” she asked.
Mr. Acklin said the intent was not to slight the neighborhood. “It will always be the lower Hill District,” he said.
More than 100 people packed a conference room at the Energy Innovation Center to get a rundown of the Penguins’ latest plan for the site, one that calls for up to 1,420 new units of housing, 810,000 square feet of office space, 190,000 square feet of retail, a 50,000-square-foot music venue, a food hall and a 220-room hotel.
Representatives of Intergen, the minority developer doing the first two phases of the housing, said they plan to start the first 288 units in the fall on part of the site near Crawford Square.
Buccini/Pollin Group, a Wilmington, Del.-based real estate company hired to do the commercial aspects of the development, intends to start the first mixed-use complex — 200,000 square feet of office and 50,000 square feet of retail this winter.
It already has a deal in place with Punch Bowl Social to occupy 23,000 square feet of the retail space.
In a sign that the Penguins are serious about getting moving on the redevelopment after years of delays, Mr. Acklin said the team has submitted letters of intent to the Sports & Exhibition Authority and the Pittsburgh Urban Redevelopment Authority, the owners of the site, to start the process of purchasing land.
The parcels involved relate to those needed for the first phase of the housing, the office and retail complex, the live music venue and planned open space. The Penguins hold the development rights to the land. “This is about delivering the development for the public,” Mr. Acklin said.
One aspect that continues to be a point of contention with some residents is the plan to make 20 percent of the housing affordable to households at 80 percent of the area median income.
The Hill District Consensus Group has complained that the neighborhood master plan calls for at least 30 percent of the units affordable to households at or below 50 percent of the AMI.
It fears the team’s plan will exclude many African Americans from being able to rent units.
The Penguins last year lost out on a bid to secure low-income tax credits that would have allowed for deeper levels of affordable housing. The commitment it now has in place was negotiated with Hill leaders several years ago.
Mark Belko: mbelko@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1262.
First Published: May 16, 2019, 2:31 a.m.
