The Penguins’ "vision for redeveloping" the former Civic Arena site includes "houses, townhouses, office and apartment towers, a 150-room hotel, sidewalk cafes, retail and a huge outdoor plaza with a large video screen to watch playoff hockey games or movies," according to Mark Belko of the PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE. The Penguins, who "hold the development rights to the land, are proposing 1,100 units of housing, 500,000 square feet of office space and 250,000 square feet of commercial space on the lower Hill site." The preliminary land development plan, which the city planning commission "must approve, will serve as the blueprint for the development." The team also is "seeking to change zoning to a specially planned district so it can implement its vision." Although many development details "have been known, some new wrinkles emerged." One is a proposed “major public destination facility plaza” across the street from Consol Energy Center and adjacent to the new Wylie Avenue. It would include a “gently sloping lawn that culminates in an amphitheater and a stage.” The site would "feature a large video display screen, attached to the stage, a pavilion or an entertainment/retail complex planned as part of the development." Another "new element is a deck to be built over Crosstown Boulevard to help reconnect the Hill to Downtown." The Penguins are "planning a stand-alone pavilion with a restaurant with outdoor dining or a retail destination with outdoor seating as part of the deck" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 9/21). In Pittsburgh, Natasha Lindstrom noted early estimates put the project's cost at $440M. But Penguins COO Travis Williams said the new plan "could very well exceed" $500M. He said that the Penguins have "met with community members more than 50 times" and are "setting up one-on-one meetings" with 15-20 community groups (PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 9/21).
