The state has commissioned a study to determine potential reuses for the closed Western Penitentiary on the North Side, just months after getting authorization to sell the property.
Michael Baker International has been hired at a cost of $343,262 to help the state’s Department of General Services determine the “highest and best use” for the 22-acre site on the banks of the Ohio River.
Factors to be considered in making that determination include overall economics, job creation, community benefit and public use, cash value, taxes, demolition costs, environmental issues, approved zoning, and public recreation and open space.
The decision to conduct a feasibility study comes several months after the state Legislature, after much delay, passed a bill authorizing the Department of General Services to solicit proposals for the sale of the property.
But before that can happen, the state must determine the best possible reuses and just how much it will cost to remediate the site, said state Sen. Wayne Fontana, D-Brookline.
“They need to make sure what’s the highest and best use, basically,” he said. “I don’t have an issue with that at all. The idea is to get it back on the tax rolls and to create jobs.”
The state has been searching for a buyer for Western Pen since September 2017 when the Manchester Bidwell Corp. voided an agreement to purchase it.
As part of its work, Michael Baker is tasked with commissioning an independent real estate appraisal, a market analysis, environmental site assessments and an asbestos survey.
Mr. Fontana, whose district includes the prison, said there’s little doubt that there will be a need for asbestos remediation. The soil also must be examined to determine if there are issues.
People right now “don’t have a clue” as to how much it will cost to clean up the site, remove asbestos and to perhaps demolish parts of the old prison to make it ready for development, he added.
“The study will reveal that and let everybody know exactly what they’re getting into,” Mr. Fontana said.
The senator added there also may be historic issues to consider since the property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
As part of the study, Michael Baker must hold at least 20 individual stakeholder meetings and one public meeting during which it will present initial findings and a “preliminary scenario.”
Mr. Fontana and former state Rep. Jake Wheatley, now chief of staff to Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, have been pushing for community representation in the decision making.
That could include the Brightwood Civic Group, which represents the Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood where Western Pen is located.
Mr. Fontana said he has been told by Michael Baker representatives that the study could take until June. The work, he explained, is needed to ensure that the state finds the right buyer.
“You can’t just give it to somebody hoping they will end up doing something and it ends up sitting there,” he said.
The old prison has been a favorite location for multiple film and television projects, including the Emmy-award-winning series “Escape from Dannemora”; the series “Mindhunter”; and “The Mayor of Kingstown,” a Paramount Plus series.
Dawn Keezer, director of the Pittsburgh Film Office, has described the property as a “real asset” and an “amazing film location.” She has been hoping a client like Paramount Plus might buy it.
Western Pen closed in 2017.
Business news desk: business@post-gazette.com
First Published: October 20, 2022, 10:00 a.m.
Updated: October 20, 2022, 3:19 p.m.
