Hill District coalition lists development aims for new arena

A full-service grocery, a multipurpose center similar to the Homewood YMCA, jobs and training, and a community improvement fund anchor the list of demands by the One Hill CBA Coalition in negotiations with local leaders and the Penguins over a community benefits agreement.
 

The One Hill CBA Coalition released its "Blueprint for a Livable Hill" last weekend. The document is expected to guide the coalition's negotiating team in discussions with Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, Allegheny County Chief
Executive Dan Onorato and the Penguins over the community benefits agreement.

In a statement, the coalition said the blueprint represents thousands of hours of community input in setting priorities for the development of the Hill. Many of the demands are similar to those developed by a separate group of ministers who also have been meeting with local leaders about Hill redevelopment.

Requests include development of a master plan for the Hill to include land use, transportation, community facilities and services, parks, recreation, green space, capital improvements, historic preservation and economic development.

The group also is seeking to establish a full-service grocery in the Hill, a matter the Penguins already have been looking into, and the creation of a "community improvement fund" made up of unspecified ongoing revenue to support economic development, education and youth services, preservation and green space, and drug, alcohol and mental health services.

Members of the coalition will hold a meeting on the blueprint Saturday at noon at the Blakey Program Center, 1908 Wylie Ave., in the Hill. The coalition's negotiating team already has had several meetings with the Penguins and city and county officials. The Penguins have indicated a willingness to negotiate a community benefits agreement with Hill leaders.