Controversy over the impact the North Shore casino's massive parking garage will have on the city skyline has prompted the developer to request a delay in a public hearing on the design.

The casino owner was set to go before the city planning commission Tuesday for a hearing on the building shell but asked for a postponement for time to have "more dialogue" with city planners, said Bob Oltmanns, spokesman for owner Don Barden.

He added the issue related specifically to concerns over the design of the parking garage, which at 119 feet high, has the potential to overwhelm the riverfront casino, which is about half that height, and perhaps impact views from Mount Washington and the Fort Pitt Bridge.

A host of public officials and agencies have raised concerns about the size and look of the garage, including Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato, the gaming implementation task force he and Mayor Luke Ravenstahl created, and the city's Contextual Design Advisory Panel, which operates under the city Planning Department.

The garage would be built directly behind the casino, which will sit on the bank of the Ohio River, just west of the Carnegie Science Center.

Pat Ford, gaming task force co-chair and the city's top development official, has said the 10-story garage, with more than 3,800 spaces, has the potential to mar the city skyline. He said it was "unacceptable" to have a garage of that size "plopped on our landscape to be visible now for the next 50 years."

Without commenting specifically on the garage, Mr. Ravenstahl has said the city will do "whatever we have to do to preserve" scenic views from Mount Washington and the Fort Pitt Bridge, a prime entrance into Downtown. Mr. Onorato has said he wants to see changes made.

Mr. Oltmanns would not say whether casino developer PITG Gaming LLC is prepared to make concessions to accommodate the concerns.

"We're open to having a productive and constructive dialogue about this issue, professional to professional. I think it's premature to start talking about changes until we've gotten down to specific concerns and issues," he said.

"I'm not going to speculate on what the end result is going to be. That's why we want to take the time to have those conversations."

Mr. Oltmanns said one reason the casino requested the delay is that there really hasn't been any "face to face dialogue" with city planners over the garage design since a Contextual Design Advisory Panel meeting in late July.

City planning officials had no comment on the postponement. Mr. Onorato could not be reached for comment.

PITG Gaming has asked the Planning Department to tentatively reschedule the public hearing for Oct. 2. Mr. Oltmanns said the two-week delay should have no impact on the timetable for the casino's construction.

Mr. Ravenstahl plans to hold a community meeting Sept. 25 on the North Side to discuss the design and physical impact of the casino development.

However, Mr. Oltmanns said the request for the delay in the public hearing was unrelated to that meeting.

Mr. Barden already has received planning commission approval to begin casino foundation and steel work. Mr. Oltmanns said it would be "quite some time" before exterior features are added. PITG Gaming officials hope to have the casino up and running 16 months after the start of construction, which is expected to get going this fall.

The garage became more of an issue after design changes reduced the height of the casino from 85 to 60 feet and a 110-foot drum atrium, the building's signature piece, to 90 feet.

Members of the Contextual Design Advisory Panel have called for changes that include increasing the height of the atrium and extending the perforated metal screening that is being used elsewhere on the structure to the side of the garage facing the Ohio River.

The casino architect has rejected the changes as too expensive, and Mr. Oltmanns has said the project must stay within its $450 million budget. Nonetheless, Mr. Onorato has said he is hopeful the concerns can be resolved.