In the Blogosphere
The Planning Commission Meeting [Overture]
The undercard (the event coming before or supporting the main event) was a consideration of the old Garden Theater of the Central Northside for historic review.Every single member of the Pittsburgh City Planning Commission was seen to giggle.
The southern chamber of the first floor of 200 Ross Street was standing room only -- and not much of it.
The room was crowded, hot, and very stuffy. Most folks wore heavy coats and sweaters, even though the sun beat down through open windows in a most un-Decemberlike manner.
Most of these folks were not gathered for the undercard.
The City's historic review official recommended that the old Garden Theater building in fact be given Historic Designation. She listed four (4) separate reasons -- including the specific architectural styles utilized, and the actual building designer Thomas H. Scott.
She further testified that all public letters and comments received by the department thus far have been positive toward Historic Designation. No opposition.
Planning Commission member (and Walnut Capitalist) Todd E. Reidbord said he wanted to hear from the URA first, before the commission takes any action. No URA reps rose to opine.
Reidbord said, "We don't like" when historic preservation "runs in at the last minute."
Another member of the nine-member commission volunteered, "I don't think it's viable as a theater -- I'd like to see something else."
Commission Chair Wrenna L. Watson moved to table the business for a matter of weeks, presumably to make sure that the Urban Redevelopment Authority, and some potential Federal Street developers, are aware of this -- and can get their ducks in a row. All nine commissioners immediately nodded and murmured approval.
Personal Instinct: This was exactly the right call. However, it would have been nice if just one Commission member had piped up during deliberations to offer, "Then again, this may truly be an historic building. Let us examine this with some care."
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The main event was the new Penguins arena.
A phalanx of between 40 and 50 citizens wearing black "One Hill" stickers began positioning themselves to speak, even as two representatives of the Pittsburgh Penguins organization and their consulting organizations assumed the floor.
For more on that, see the Pittsburgh Comet. Like, later on.
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Enjoy also:
Post Gazette, Rich Lord: Hill District residents: No deal, no arena
Tribune Review, Jeremy Boren: Hill residents accuse city of stalling on arena benefits