Group seeks agreement on North Shore land use
About three dozen people stood in the chill and slush near Heinz Field today, chanting and shouting, but they weren't celebrating the Steelers' big AFC Championship victory yesterday.
Camped in front of a sign stating "No Tax $ For Unfair Development," members of the group Northside United brought their campaign for a community benefits agreement to the site of a $12 million entertainment complex proposed by the Steelers and Columbus developer Continental Real Estate Cos.
"A CBA will bring North Siders justice. We are going to get it. We deserve it. We will have it. We demand it," said Dr. Shirley Atkins, a lay leader at New Hope United Methodist Church and a board member of the Pittsburgh Interfaith Impact Network.
Northside United, a consortium of labor, environmental and community groups, has been trying to negotiate a community benefits deal with Continental for months over a proposed Hyatt Place Hotel development closer to PNC Park, but so far it has been unsuccessful. Today, the group turned its attention to the four-acre riverfront site that would house the year-round entertainment complex.
In the past, Northside United has complained about the sale of the four-acre parcel to the Steelers by the city Stadium Authority for $1.37 million, charging that the price was too low for a prime piece of riverfront real estate. An appraiser hired by the Stadium Authority valued the land at $1.1 million based on its intended use.
"We want jobs. We want health care. We want quality education. We want this land. We want development on this land to benefit us," said the Rev. John Welch of the Pittsburgh Interfaith Impact Network.
Barry Ford, president of development for Continental in Pittsburgh, could not be reached for comment.