After nearly two decades, it’s easy to see what a mistake it was for the then-powers that be to give the Pittsburgh Penguins exclusive development rights to the old Civic Arena tract:
A Post-Gazette analysis shows the venerable NHL franchise has broken ground on projects that cover less than a quarter of the site.
To be fair, it’s not all, solely, the Penguins’ fault. Their hands have been tied to varying degrees by this codicil and that restricting what they can do, and how they can do it, by this community group and that.
It’s been such a classic case of so many, too many, cooks in the kitchen that the pot might as well be thrown out.
That doesn’t mean developers should not work with the Hill District community. But neither should it be a poison pill that make redevelopment a losing endeavor.
And now that there’s continuing talk that current franchise owner Fenway Sports Group might be shopping the team, it’s the perfect opportunity to reconsider a development deal that has led to anemic results at best.
Check that: It’s two decades past time to reclaim this parcel — characterized by the P-G as “a chunk of land about the size of 14 football fields” – from the non-nod-nod, wink-wink faux “marketplace.”
That is, it must be returned to the open marketplace where these old Civic Arena tracts are put out to bid to non-government-favored developers instead of the tools of command economists and central planners.
Now, let’s backtrack here a bit. Even if Fenway does not sell the Penguins, the P-G reminds the team is running out of time to complete the redevelopment. In fact, in about a month.
It can extend that time frame, however, but at a premium and for only two more years. The Pens have indicated they plan to do just that. And offer even more delays?
As we’ve repeatedly said, had there been no sweetheart development deal, these parcels would have been developed, organically, and, greatly improved, a long time ago. And they already would have been producing more – much more — for the badly wanting Pittsburgh economy and its taxpayer kitty.
The time is ripe to get the lower Hill District redevelopment done. Let’s get on with it and stop it from rotting on the vine. Government has made this Hill unnecessarily too difficult to climb.
Colin McNickle is communications and marketing director at the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy (cmcnickle@alleghenyinstitute.org).
