On Tuesday morning, there will be a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Majestic Star Casino project. The final design has not been released to the public, the public has not had the opportunity to comment and the Planning Commission has not yet approved the final plan.

EVOLUTION OF AN EYESORE:

DEC. 2006

This image of the casino was part of the Master Development Plan presented to the public in December 2006. Rather nice.

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DEC. 2006

And from the same plan, here's the casino from another angle, with the West End Bridge in the background.

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JULY 2007

A half-year later, Majestic Star releases new renderings. A massive garage becomes part of the plan, dwarfing the once-appropriate casino.

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JULY 2007

Here's another artist's conception, created by Majestic Star, of the proposed casino with parking behemoth.

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A recently announced "compromise" plan shows a massive parking garage that looms over the casino -- rather than the signature riverside building with parking spaces for patrons that was originally planned. The scale of the revised garage building is enormous.

Without appropriate changes, it would create an eyesore on a prime riverfront site for generations, setting back the years of effort and investment toward redefining our riverfront architecture.

Let's not forget how far we have come in transforming Pittsburgh's riverfronts.

In 1999, the Riverlife Task Force launched a public conversation about creating a great urban park at the confluence of the Three Rivers. Thousands of citizens came together over the course of two years to share their visions and to create a riverfront master plan. Spurred by this simple idea, $2.4 billion in public and private investments has since come to our Downtown riverfronts. Undaunted by tough times, civic forces have pulled together public, private and philanthropic dollars to deliver new riverfront parks, trails, hotels, restaurants, stadiums, parking garages and corporate headquarters.

We are not asking for a special investment. We expect only that the Majestic Star would match the private investments made by Alcoa, PNC, Del Monte, Equitable Resources, American Eagle, Seagate and others who set a new standard for public space and design quality on our waterfront.

Pittsburgh foundations invested philanthropic dollars for the new North Shore Riverpark, which is enormously popular, and the new Convention Center -- a first-of-its-kind green building that has redefined the skyline with a breathtaking design. One by one, our urban projects are bringing the rivers into the heart of the city.

The end goal is just now beginning to be realized: Riverfront development, particularly on the North Side, is now synonymous with business opportunity. Just as important, our new amenities are attracting workers, residents, runners, artists, cyclists and new Downtown residents.

Don Barden recognized all of this potential in his original Majestic Star Development Plan and noted the need to "diminish the impact of the garage." (See text at the bottom of the page describing PITG Gaming's original intention.)

We recognize the pressing financial consequences of the very high tax rate (54 percent) on gross revenues of the casino and the costs of promises made to the community. But we also recognize that in only a few years, we have proven that significant buildings and beautiful spaces boost development prospects and encourage investment. This development will occupy one of the most visible sites in the region: front and center in our views from Mount Washington, Point State Park and the West End Bridge.

The final plan will present a make-or-break moment. If the garage is reduced and successfully reintegrated into the project, the new casino can extend pedestrian-friendly waterfront development, creating a new North Side district for growth and development.

The alternative is to leave us with an unfortunate monument to shortsighted planning.

The Majestic Star needs ample parking spaces as a condition of the gaming license to successfully operate, and Don Barden needs our community's good will as much as our critiques.

We need a parking scheme for the area between Heinz Field and the West End Bridge that anticipates the new T station coming to Allegheny Avenue, the expansion of the Carnegie Science Center and a growing number of sporting events and expanding retail over the next decade. Surely the need to guarantee enough parking for casino patrons could be met by a phased development scheme that is cooperative, with an agreement among neighbors to assure delivery of those spaces as part of a larger parking plan.

We inhabit one of the most beautiful cities on Earth. Our revitalized brownfields have come to symbolize civic spirit and the gritty determination to do better -- qualities that have always defined Pittsburgh. This is not the moment to lose heart and settle for "good enough" in riverfront building design -- or to settle for second-best to Atlantic City in terms of quality gaming attractions.

This is the moment to do what Pittsburghers always have done so well: to muster all the resources at hand and create a development that will add to, rather than detract from, the mix.

Don Barden and his team got it right with their original plans for a green and beautifully appointed riverfront edge and a casino with cafes and restaurants that open on to the water and extend our waterfront development.

A public hearing will be held on Jan. 14. The public deserves to see and understand the casino's proposed Project Development Plan, to have input in the final design and configuration. Register your opinions on our Web site -- www.riverlifetaskforce.org. Tell us that you support adhering to the principles of the original plan and finding a solution we can all live with.

We can do better than this "compromise." We must or we will live to regret it.