Lower Hill
The 28-acre Lower Hill redevelopment will have a significant impact on the Hill District and entire Pittsburgh region. Part of this redevelopment involves transitioning land currently used as surface parking into a mix of office, retail, and housing, including the creation of a shared parking district.
Resources
- October 10, 2019 Board Meeting Presentation
- October 18, 2019 Special Board Meeting Agenda
- October 18, 2019 Special Board Meeting Presentation
- October 18, 2019 URA Board Votes and Outcomes
- Term Sheet - Block E and Other Developments
- Term Sheet Summary
- Timeline and Process
- Lower Hill Option Agreement Take Down Process
- Hill District Development Stakeholders Lower Hill Term Sheet Recommendations for Blocks B and E
*These documents are projections, subject to URA Board approval, and are subject to further change.
Site Aerial
Project Diagram
Block E Rendering
Background
The URA's current Board is committed to ensuring equitable development in the Lower Hill and beyond. The demolishing of the Lower Hill in the 1950s displaced residents and businesses from the neighborhood to construct the former Civic Arena and other urban renewal projects. The impacts of that decision are still relevant today. The redevelopment of the Lower Hill has been a contentious and arduous process. The current proposal is a mixed-income, mixed-use development that reconnects the historic Hill District to Downtown Pittsburgh.
The Hill District community reached a benchmark Community Collaboration and Implementation Plan (CCIP) agreement with the Pittsburgh Penguins, which has development rights to the Lower 28-acre site. The URA's Board wanted to see even more in the agreement directed to ensuring the work would be a development beneficial to all, and with less burden on the public. After numerous community conversations, community briefings and outreach events related to the Lower Hill, the URA heard the priorities as communicated by the Hill District to be inclusive of the following:
- Affordable housing on the site
- Investment in the Greater Hill development and connectivity to Lower Hill
- Preservation of Hill District legacy through arts and culture
- Access to well-paying jobs
- Investments in Hill District youth and families
- Wealth-creating business opportunities and MBE participation
Development
The plan involves replacing 28 acres of surface parking with 288 units of housing, office and retail space, a parking garage, and a live music venue. In accordance with community agreements, 20% of all housing units will be priced at levels affordable to households with 80% AMI. The project will also construct a terraced park on the Lower Hill site in addition to the Cap Park currently underway.
Project Timeline
Construction will occur in several phases, with the earliest phase beginning in 2020.