URA Announces Meeting for Community Feedback on Future Centre Avenue Redevelopment

PITTSBURGH, PA (November 19, 2019) – The Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (URA) and Councilman R. Daniel Lavelle will host a community meeting for interested Hill District residents and stakeholders to hear presentations from the 11 developers who submitted proposals for the Centre Avenue Request for Qualifications (RFQ) and give feedback on the proposals received.

“I highly encourage all Hill District residents concerned about the redevelopment of Centre Avenue to attend,” said Councilman R. Daniel Lavelle. “I believe residents will be both encouraged and excited to hear from the respondents. Their voice is critical in determining which proposals to advance.”

The URA issued an RFQ in July 2019 seeking multiple developers to participate in the revitalization of various publicly-owned, scattered sites along the Centre Avenue Corridor in the Middle Hill neighborhood of the City of Pittsburgh. Following the October 22, 2019 deadline, the URA received 11 responses. Summaries of the responses can be found here.

"As a lifelong resident of the Hill District, I am happy for the opportunity to present my ideas to the community," said Thomas Boyd, owner of Big Tom's Barbershop and one of the developers who submitted qualifications. "I was impressed with how transparent the process was and want to thank Neighborhood Allies for the support they have given me."

“Ujamaa Collective has been eager to participate in equitable placemaking for Africana artists since our inception 10 years ago,” said LaKeisha Wolf, executive director of Ujamaa Collective. “We're excited to present our proposal for activating space for arts and entrepreneurship, which includes cooperative production, light manufacturing and a maker's lab for STEAM learning for youth and adults in our community.”

The meeting will take place on Saturday, November 23, 2019 at the Jeron X. Grayson Center, located at 1835 Enoch Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Doors will open at 9:00 a.m., and presentations will run from 9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Following the presentations, Councilman Lavelle and the URA will give a community briefing on the future of the Centre Heldman Plaza from 1:30-2:30 p.m. The event is family friendly and food will be provided.

“The URA is excited to advance the revitalization of the Centre Avenue corridor using an inclusive process,” URA Deputy Executive Director Diamonte Walker said. “RFQs are a new approach for the URA, designed to allow for greater nonprofit and small developer participation in support of community ownership. This process was paired with technical assistance and intended to reduce barriers for small businesses, diverse developers, and nonprofits who want to purchase and redevelop URA property. The URA is actively working to create healthy, vibrant communities through equitable development. This is a model that we hope to implement in other neighborhoods.”

More information on the Centre Avenue RFQ can be found here.