URA approves partial demolition of Strip terminal
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A developer won clearance Thursday to demolish part of the Strip District's historic produce terminal as part of a broader redevelopment that proponents saw as visionary and one opponent described as "an Olive Garden."
The city's Urban Redevelopment Authority board unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding with the Buncher Co. that allows the developer to demolish more than 500 feet of the 1,478-foot-long terminal to clear a path for residential development with up to 1,000 units.
Buncher plans to remove the western portion of the building -- the newest section, added in 1929 -- to extend 17th Street to the Allegheny River. Michael Kutzer, a representative for Buncher, said doing so is how the developer hopes to "draw the Strip District into the riverfront."
He said the right of way would span 120 feet at the site with plazas on both sides and widen as 17th gets closer to the river.
"This is a very, very wide opening that will draw people into the site, into the river, to the terminal," he said.
Buncher is planning a mix of townhouses, flats, and other residential rental units on its property, which is mostly used for parking now, behind the terminal.
The rest of the century-old terminal will become a "service-oriented" retail and office facility with restaurants, the public market, arts establishments and other businesses.
"This will really go from a loading dock, which it is currently today, to a facility for pedestrians. People will be able to utilize this building, enter this building, and enjoy this building," he said.
The handful of produce wholesalers, long the lifeblood of the Strip, likely will be moved out at some point after their leases expire at the end of the year.
Nonetheless, Yarone Zober, URA board chairman and chief of staff to Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, said the proposed redevelopment can be a "special kind of place."
"I think if we do it right, this will really be not just a place for commerce or a place for industry or a place for residents but a place that we all can really be proud of," he said.
But others argued that the same goals could be accomplished without obliterating part of the terminal.
Rob Pfaffmann, a Downtown architect, said a proposal he developed for the produce terminal allowed for cut-throughs for pedestrians or vehicles but kept the entire building and its roof intact. He said such a plan would be a "win-win" -- giving Buncher even more room for restaurants, offices and other uses in a repurposed terminal while preserving the building. A former plan also called for the creation of a piazza on Smallman Street.
Now, "instead of a beautiful piazza here, we're going to have an Olive Garden," he said.
First Published February 10, 2012 12:00 am
