This $40 million building was supposed to be a welcoming center Downtown. 4 years later, it's still not open
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The building was supposed to be a welcoming place for the public.
But $40 million and four years later, 420 Boulevard of the Allies is still not renovated or open for business, raising questions of whether that will ever happen.
Four years ago, the city committed $40 million for the purchase and renovation of the signature Downtown building, promising to transform it into a one-stop shop for all manner of city services. But four years later, the building is still closed to the public and remains a cavernous shell.
"If they're not doing that, then why did we spend $40 million for the building?" City Controller Michael Lamb said.
The city committed those funds rather than renovate 200 Ross Street, the former home of several city departments. But since then, the taxpayer has continued to bleed money. While renovations have been on hold, the city closed 200 Ross Street and has been paying $14,000 a month to house its departments next door.
"This was a mistake from the start," Lamb said.
Lamb, who originally opposed the plan as too expensive and grandiose, said the money has long been allocated and the renovations should have been done by now.
For its part, the Ed Gainey administration says the project is not its baby. But though conceived under the Bill Peduto administration, the new mayor believes the building will eventually prove to be a public asset, providing services like a walk-in counter for city permits and licenses.
Press spokesperson Maria Montano says the new administration is committed to moving the project forward. A contractor was hired in August and is working on the build-out plans.
"We feel there's a necessity to have spot, a one-stop counter for residents, for business owners, for contractor owners to come," Montano said.
The city concedes that work won't be done until mid-summer next year at the earliest, a full five years after the building's purchase.
So far, only the Urban Redevelopment Authority has managed to renovate its two floors of the building and begin operations. The offices for the Housing Authority appear to be almost complete but will need an occupancy permit from the Department of Permits, Licenses, and Inspections, whose employees are mostly working remotely and are also waiting for new offices in the building.
"They still can't get people in the building because they can't get the permits from the people who are supposed to be working in the building," Lamb said.
The city says it cannot issue that permit because the Housing Authority has not completed its renovations. Also, renovations have not started on the other floors and are becoming more expensive by the day. The administration just asked Pittsburgh City Council for an additional $3 million to fund the project.