The massive parking garage to be built behind the North Shore casino is coming under fire from the gaming task force appointed by Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato.

Pat Ford, co-chairman of the group and the city's top development official, said yesterday the garage would be "more visible than ever" from Mount Washington and the Fort Pitt Bridge, in part because of design changes that reduced the height of the Majestic Star casino itself.

"Quite frankly, we aren't pleased. We need to work more diligently to come up with a design that's satisfactory to our design experts and the community and the task force," he said.

The gaming implementation task force is the second group to raise concerns about the height and look of the garage, which would sit directly behind the steel and glass casino on the bank of the Ohio River.

Members of the city's Contextual Design Advisory Panel also have voiced objections. On behalf on the group, acting zoning administrator Susan Tymoczko said in a letter last month that the 119-foot height of the garage -- nearly twice that of the casino -- and the structure's "untreated" south facade combine to present "an awkward appearance" that detracts from "an otherwise high quality design."

The issue was created in large part by design changes that reduced the casino's height from 85 to 60 feet and a 110-foot drum atrium, the building's centerpiece, to 90 feet.

Mr. Ford said after yesterday's task force meeting that he is concerned about the impact the huge block-like garage, with more than 3,800 spaces, could have on views of the city skyline from Mount Washington and the Fort Pitt Bridge.

"We probably have one of the most scenic vistas and gateways into our city in the entire country. I don't want a garage of that size to be plopped on our landscape to be visible now for the next 50 years. That's something that is unacceptable," he said.

"We've got world-class facilities over there. We don't want any of those to be obstructed or detracted from by a 3,000- or 5,000-space parking garage."

The city planning commission will hold a public hearing on the casino design next week, with a vote scheduled for Oct. 2. Mr. Ford said the task force will be making its own recommendation to the planning commission during that process. Casino officials need the commission's approval to proceed with the design.

The Contextual Design Advisory board, which works under the city planning department, has recommended increasing the height of the drum atrium and extending the perforated metal screening that is to be used elsewhere on the garage to the south side to draw attention away from the massive structure.

In a response, Michael Stern, a principal with the Strada architectural firm, said the casino developers could not afford the proposed changes, which he estimated would add at least several million dollars to the project budget.

The height of the casino, being built by businessman Don Barden and his company, PITG Gaming LLC, was reduced in part to fit the 17-acre North Shore site just west of the Carnegie Science Center and the $450 million budget.

Bob Oltmanns, Mr. Barden's spokesman, said yesterday casino officials are willing to meet with city and task force representatives to try to accommodate the concerns. He said, however, that the casino already has exceeded its budget to reach an agreement with the Carnegie Science Center on traffic and other issues and is facing appeals filed with the state Supreme Court by the Pirates and the Steelers over planning commission approvals.

"So I'm saying there is not some blank check that pays for this project. We have to be responsible developers ... But at the end of the day, we have a budget we have to meet."

He also said reasonable people can disagree on "subjective design issues."

"However, I don't think anyone involved in this process wants to see design by committee or design by consensus," he said.

Mr. Oltmanns has said increasing the height of the drum atrium would take it out of proportion with the rest of the building and make it look "like a silo next to a barn instead of a glass feature as part of our casino."