Enright Park in East Liberty will remain intact as a two-acre public park at Penn Plaza, Mayor Bill Peduto’s office said Tuesday, following a public hearing featuring strong opposition to rezoning the park to make way for a Penn Plaza redevelopment project.
Under city directions, the park will remain publicly owned and not be transferred to Pennley Park South Inc., the developer of the adjacent site. The developer wants to have the entire 10-acre property including the park rezoned from residential to mixed use to include housing and retail. It would use park property in the development with green and public space reconfigured there.
But the mayor’s office said any changes to the park would happen, if at all, only after a detailed public process led by the city planning department. “At the end of this process, residents are going to have an Enright Park that is better than what is there presently,” said Kevin Acklin, Mr. Peduto’s chief of staff.
Jonathan Kamin, an attorney and spokesman for Pennley Park South, said he still expects the entire property, including Enright Park, to be rezoned from residential to mixed use but agreed the park will remain intact until the company goes through the full public approval process. The city would retain ownership of the reconfigured public area.
“There’s no news there,” Mr. Kamin said. “We heard the public comments, and the park will remain publicly owned as it is now or if it is reconfigured.”
About 20 residents from East Liberty and surrounding communities, along with representatives from community groups, testified Tuesday against the sale or reconfiguration of the park. They said it represents precious urban green space with two swing sets, two basketball courts and a playground that’s largely isolated and widely used.
Testimony also focused on the loss of 300 affordable-housing units at Penn Plaza, scheduled for demolition, with 200 families now facing an April 1 deadline to move. The new development will include some affordable housing, but specific plans won’t be available until the company has all 10 acres rezoned.
Mr. Peduto and other elected officials agreed with Pennley Park South to include park property in the rezoning process in return for $1,600 in relocation assistance for each family that was evicted, along with more time to move.
Pennley Park South presented rough plans at the hearing, showing reconfigured public space on the property that included a promenade, which Mr. Kamin said would be similar to Market Square where festivals and farmers markets could be held.
One of many who voiced opposition to park alterations, Arthur Allen of East Liberty, said only three of 17 mature oak trees on park property would survive the development, with green space reduced to a few grassy areas and public space shrinking to two-thirds of the current 99,000-square-foot park.
“They are including the promenade, the urban plaza and land between buildings and sidewalks as green space,” he said.
David Templeton: dtempleton@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1578.
First Published: March 22, 2016, 8:06 p.m.
Updated: March 23, 2016, 3:18 a.m.
