A change in development rights in the Lower Hill District has residents talking about what they’d like to see in the neighborhood’s future. “Affordable housing, but definitely a grocery store. They don’t have no grocery store for the whole Hill District, and they need that up here,” said resident Michael Brown.The Pittsburgh Penguins had maintained the rights to develop 28 acres of the Lower Hill since 2007, but as of Thursday at midnight, the Amended and Restated Comprehensive Option Agreement with the Sports & Exhibition Authority and the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh has now expired. The rights were reverted back to the authorities at the end of the deal. “The Hill is a great opportunity. It’s a lot of historical things going on, so they dropped the ball in my opinion,” Brown told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4. The former site of the Civic Arena has seen a couple of new developments, like the FNB Financial Center and the Citizens Live at The Wylie, which is still under construction. That leaves 21 acres of land up for redevelopment. For longtime Hill District resident Henry King, it’s important to see Bethel AME Church back in the Lower Hill. “They tore down Bethel Church just to build the Civic Arena, and you know they didn’t get the finances that they should have gotten,” King said. Back in 2023, the Penguins gave the development rights to a parcel of land in Lower Hill to Bethel AME Church. The church at the time said it planned to build affordable and middle-income apartment housing, a daycare center, and other mixed-use at the site. In a joint statement, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey and City Councilman Daniel Lavelle said in part, “While this transition marks a significant change in the course of the site’s redevelopment, it also represents an enormous opportunity to move beyond the barriers that have hindered truly equitable progress.”Meanwhile, the Penguins said in a statement that the organization plans to stay involved in the redevelopment, despite the loss of rights. “The Penguins remain committed to the vision for inclusive development in the Lower Hill and are proud of the meaningful progress achieved in recent years with community leaders despite challenging economic circumstances. Following the expiration of the Option Agreement, the organization will stay engaged in the City’s plans for the area and continue to be a collaborative partner in advancing future development.” The SEA and URA shed light on what the next steps are in a joint statement. “The Authorities will continue to engage their respective boards of directors to evaluate future redevelopment options that include a transparent public process. The Authorities thank all community stakeholders for their time and commitment to the redevelopment process up until now and look forward to future engagement as development moves forward.”

PITTSBURGH —

A change in development rights in the Lower Hill District has residents talking about what they’d like to see in the neighborhood’s future.

“Affordable housing, but definitely a grocery store. They don’t have no grocery store for the whole Hill District, and they need that up here,” said resident Michael Brown.

The Pittsburgh Penguins had maintained the rights to develop 28 acres of the Lower Hill since 2007, but as of Thursday at midnight, the Amended and Restated Comprehensive Option Agreement with the Sports & Exhibition Authority and the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh has now expired.

The rights were reverted back to the authorities at the end of the deal.

“The Hill is a great opportunity. It’s a lot of historical things going on, so they dropped the ball in my opinion,” Brown told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4.

The former site of the Civic Arena has seen a couple of new developments, like the FNB Financial Center and the Citizens Live at The Wylie, which is still under construction.

That leaves 21 acres of land up for redevelopment.

For longtime Hill District resident Henry King, it’s important to see Bethel AME Church back in the Lower Hill.

“They tore down Bethel Church just to build the Civic Arena, and you know they didn’t get the finances that they should have gotten,” King said.

Back in 2023, the Penguins gave the development rights to a parcel of land in Lower Hill to Bethel AME Church.

The church at the time said it planned to build affordable and middle-income apartment housing, a daycare center, and other mixed-use at the site.

In a joint statement, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey and City Councilman Daniel Lavelle said in part, “While this transition marks a significant change in the course of the site’s redevelopment, it also represents an enormous opportunity to move beyond the barriers that have hindered truly equitable progress.”

Meanwhile, the Penguins said in a statement that the organization plans to stay involved in the redevelopment, despite the loss of rights.

“The Penguins remain committed to the vision for inclusive development in the Lower Hill and are proud of the meaningful progress achieved in recent years with community leaders despite challenging economic circumstances. Following the expiration of the Option Agreement, the organization will stay engaged in the City’s plans for the area and continue to be a collaborative partner in advancing future development.”

The SEA and URA shed light on what the next steps are in a joint statement.

“The Authorities will continue to engage their respective boards of directors to evaluate future redevelopment options that include a transparent public process. The Authorities thank all community stakeholders for their time and commitment to the redevelopment process up until now and look forward to future engagement as development moves forward.”