The Pittsburgh Pirates are heading for home in their bid to build a fan-centric entertainment plaza adjacent to PNC Park.
Pittsburgh Stadium Authority board members on Thursday unanimously approved the sale of the land needed for the 30,000-square-foot plaza to the team for $569,467.
The price of the land is equal to the cost of buying out the 60 parking spaces Alco Parking is losing to make way for the new venue, which will be located at West General Robinson and Mazeroski Way directly across from the PNC Park home plate entrance.
Formally acquiring the property was one of the last big steps needed before construction can begin. Stadium Authority solicitor Rodney Pratt told board members that the parties plan to close on the transaction next week.
Once that happens, work is expected to start within 60 days, with an anticipated completion before the start of the 2025 baseball season, he said.
The Pirates are working with HiLife Hospitality, the group behind the Burgatory restaurant chain, to develop the plaza. The goal is to further enliven entertainment options on the North Shore, both on game days and at other times of year.
Plaza elements will include a giant 22.8-foot-by-40.5-foot video screen, two stages, a covered beer garden next to a food stand, a variety of seating options, and interactive activities like shuffleboard.
The plaza will be adjacent to a 15,000-square-foot restaurant, bar and experiential entertainment venue that will be built on the ground floor of the new 108-unit North Shore Flats apartment complex that just opened. The Pirates will own that space as well as the plaza.
On game days, the plaza will be programmed with Pirates-centric content for fans before and after “to create a block party atmosphere,” as Mr. Pratt put it.
At other times, it could be used for farmers markets, movies, concerts or other activities. It also can be reserved for private events like weddings or corporate gatherings.
The plaza development is expected to create 100 to 150 construction jobs and 150 full-time permanent jobs. Annual real estate taxes are estimated at $15,000, Mr. Pratt said.
In a separate action, the authority board authorized the sale of a small piece of land in the parking lot across from the plaza to the Pirates for the development of a parklet.
As with the land needed for the plaza, the $96,036 the Pirates will pay for the parklet represents the buyout of nine parking spaces at a cost of $10,670 for each.
Under its agreements with Alco Parking, the authority either has the option of buying out parking spaces or providing substitute spaces in cases where that real estate is needed for development. The price is based on a formula that estimates the per-space cost with the help of the consumer price index.
Pirates officials plan to plant shrubs and trees in the parklet. Some of the trees will help to shield the giant video screen from motorists passing by on the Fort Duquesne Bridge or Interstate 279.
While the Pirates have been working with the Steelers and Columbus-based Continental Real Estate Companies for years in developing the land between the two sports venues, the plaza and the experiential restaurant and bar ventures represent their first individual forays into North Shore real estate.
The buyout for parking spaces, meanwhile, dates to the construction of Three Rivers Stadium, which opened in 1970 and was demolished in 2001 before Acrisure Stadium (then Heinz Field) and PNC Park opened.
Alco secured the lease for the parking as part of a deal to guarantee the bonds needed to build Three Rivers. The guarantee was essential to the stadium’s construction.
Mark Belko: mbelko@post-gazette.com
First Published: March 21, 2024, 6:03 p.m.
Updated: March 22, 2024, 2:51 p.m.
