Major Riverfront Redevelopment Plan Unveiled for Pittsburgh

To continue fostering riverfront redevelopment in the City of Pittsburgh, officials recently unveiled the "Allegheny Riverfront Vision Plan," which details a comprehensive, sustainable redevelopment plan for a 6.5-mile stretch of the Allegheny River between downtown Pittsburgh and the City neighborhood of Highland Park. The Plan contains a number of laudable goals, including a focus on reconnecting neighborhoods with the Allegheny Riverfront to promote housing and business development.

The Plan represents one of the most ambitious redevelopment proposals in the City's history. The footprint of the Plan encompasses approximately 2,000 acres of land in the City neighborhoods of the Strip District, Lawrenceville, Morningside and Highland Park. Notable recommendations in the Plan call for the establishment of a trolley system from the Strip District to Lawrenceville, miles of pedestrian trails along the Riverfront, a commuter line into Downtown on the existing Allegheny Valley Railroad right-of-way, redevelopment and reuse of heavy industrial sites, surface parking lots and blighted property for mixed-use development, reclamation of the Riverfront for a park and ecologically sound storm water management practices.

The Plan was sponsored by Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh, the City of Pittsburgh Department of City Planning, and Riverlife, and was prepared by Perkins Eastman. The visionaries behind the Plan call for a multi-phase initiative, beginning with the redevelopment of the Buncher Company and URA properties in the Strip District, the City tow pound lot and land owned by the Regional Industrial Development Corporation. To spur development, the Plan also suggests that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and City of Pittsburgh initiate tax credit programs for riverfront redevelopment and focus on infrastructure improvements.

Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney is helping its clients — particularly real estate developers and property owners within or near the Plan’s 2,000-acre footprint — understand how they can position themselves to participate in this exciting, large-scale project. Buchanan's attorneys will draw on their experience assisting in the redevelopment of other marquee riverfront districts throughout the region, including their work in connection with the development of the North Shore, the Waterfront, Station Square, former U.S. Steel mill sites in McKeesport and Duquesne, and the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

To truly appreciate the scope of the Allegheny Riverfront Vision Plan, please visit www.alleghenyriverfrontvision.com.