Residents in 10 southwestern PA counties may get to
vote as early as November on whether "saving" the Pirates
and "keeping" the Steelers is "worth" paying higher sales
taxes, according to Steve Massey of the PITTSBURGH POST-
GAZETTE. A private-sector group called the Regional
Renaissance Partnership (RRP) is seeking money for a new
ballpark, a new or renovated football stadium and an
expanded convention center and "appears committed" to a
regional sales tax increase that would raise "up to" $400M
for those and other downtown projects that have a projected
total cost of $1B. RRP "hopes" to shortly unveil a specific
plan so state lawmakers can vote on legislation that would
"clear the way" for residents of Allegheny and outlying
counties to vote on a tax in November (POST-GAZETTE, 4/29).
DOWN BY THE RIVER: A report released by HOK Sports
Facilities on Monday suggests two potential sites for a
62,000-seat stadium for the Steelers, both near the current
Three Rivers Stadium. The east site would cost an estimated
$197M while the west site would cost $203M. In a December
report, HOK put the cost of remodeling Three Rivers at $121M
(Tom Barnes, PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 4/29).
