PITTSBURGH MAYOR ED GAINEY APPLAUDED FELLOW ELECTED OFFICIALS FOR THEIR EFFORTS IN ATTAINING THE BIG GRANT FOR THE HILL DISTRICT. MARIMBA MILLIONES, RIGHT, HILL CDC PRESIDENT/CEO, CALLED THE GRANT “TRANSFORMATIONAL” FOR THE HILL DISTRICT.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will the revitalization of the Hill District.
But little by little, day after day, progress is being made on a number of fronts to restore the Hill back to its glory.
The latest news, an $11.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, will go towards the reconstruction of public infrastructure in the Hill.
“This grant is not just an investment into essential infrastructure, it is also an investment in correcting long-standing harms that have isolated the Hill from Downtown,” said Mayor Ed Gainey, in a statement obtained by the New Pittsburgh Courier, Aug. 12. “Designing solutions and getting them funded required a true community partnership, and this is an example of the kind of ambitious reinvestment in our city that can happen when we all work towards a common purpose and shared goal.”
The federal transportation funding for the Hill was awarded through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability & Equity (RAISE) Grants program. The RAISE Grant program awards funding on a competitive—very competitive —basis. The $11.3 million grant was one of 166 grants totaling $2.2 billion in funds.
“There’s 435 congressional districts that were all putting in for these RAISE grants and only (about) 160 were awarded, only two in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” Allegheny County Chief Executive Rich Fitzgerald said at a news conference in the Hill District announcing the grant, Aug. 12.
The money will fund construction to improve the public transportation infrastructure in the Hill, including the reconstruction of intersections, street corridors, city steps, and it will include the installation of traffic calming measures, sidewalks, and green infrastructure, according to a release from Allegheny County.
“It has long been a goal of the city to reconnect and invest in the Hill District, and this project is another major piece of the puzzle in terms of upgrading the Hill District’s infrastructure,” the release read.
A drive through the Hill District, and one can see the overall progress being made when it comes to improvements. Nestled between the Black Beauty Lounge and the Hill District Federal Credit Union is the construction of the New Granada Square Apartments, a five-story, 40-apartment development. Last summer, at the apartments’ groundbreaking ceremony, The Hill Community Development Corporation said that the New Granada Square Apartments was the largest commercial development and investment along the Centre Avenue corridor “in generations.”
A block down the road, there’s high anticipation for Salem’s Market and Grill to open its second location at the former Shop ‘n’ Save site at the Centre Heldman Plaza. There is a temporary Salem’s sign on the building, and plans to beautify the building and the concrete that runs along Centre Avenue with artwork led by Kyle Holbrook are already in motion. Salem’s, which has gained fame in the community due to its offerings at its Strip District location, seems elated to adding a location in the heart of the Hill.
In the lower Hill, First National Bank is constructing a $240-million, 26-story hub that, at first, was the source of concern by some Hill District residents. However, with news that $7.5 million in anticipated tax revenues coming from the building will be earmarked by the bank for use in other parts of the Hill District, and a commitment from developer Buccini/Pollin Group to divert millions in tax revenues to the neighborhood, the concerns have turned into hope.
And Thomas Boyd Sr., owner of Big Tom’s Barbershop, was awarded a $500,000 grant late last year to move his shop into the former Hamm’s Barbershop, which for decades was an institution at 2178 Centre. Also in the building will be four affordable housing apartments and an outdoor community area.
Independent of the $11.3 million grant, adept eyes in the Hill have seen speed bumps placed along Bedford Avenue, where plenty of kids play and school buses pick up and drop off children. Those speed bumps were placed there in the past month. Expect more road-style improvements to come.
U.S. REP. MIKE DOYLE
“This grant is the culmination of years of hard work to invest in the revitalization of the Hill District,” U.S. Representative Mike Doyle said in a release. “This project will provide safer streets, better transit, and improved accessibility in the Hill District. Along with the federal funding we secured to reconnect Downtown and the Hill District with the I-579 Cap Project, this grant will ensure that we are investing in the middle and upper Hill District equitably.”
ALLEGHENY COUNTY EXECUTIVE RICH FITZGERALD
Congressman Doyle added: “I worked persistently with Mayor Gainey and County Executive Fitzgerald to secure this funding —including arranging a meeting with the Mayor and Secretary (Pete) Buttigieg earlier this year to stress the importance of this project—and I believe that the combination of unified advocacy and project merit won this grant for Pittsburgh. This project also bolsters the city’s Avenues of Hope project to work with local and minority business owners to invest in historically marginalized corridors throughout the city, a project for which I secured $2 million in Congressionally Directed Spending in Fiscal Year 2022.”
“We were glad to support this important project that will improve the quality of life for residents in the Hill District,” Fitzgerald said in a release. “Through continued investment in the neighborhood, we are improving infrastructure, mobility and access for those who live there, but also for those who come to eat, shop and visit.”
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