New South Side Development Offers Public Link From Carson Street To Mon River
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A new redevelopment project kicked off on the South Side today, and it promises to a new link from Carson Street down to the Mon River.
Near Station Square in the 300-block of East Carson Street on the South Side is an historic terminal warehouse built over a hundred years ago separated by a road that runs down the middle of the complex.
On Thursday, Governor Wolf, elected officials, and owner McKnight Realty Partners broke ground to convert this space into a modern office and retail complex called The Highline, linked by a pedestrian walkway from Carson Street to the Monongahela River.
"What is happening all throughout Pittsburgh [is] the revitalization of a great city," said Wolf, "and this is part of it. this is the South Side, South Shore, and up until a few years ago this was a place that was a little rough, and it's really coming back."
The Highline offers some 500,000 square feet of office space, 100,000 square feet of retail space, and a 500-foot elevated green park-like pedestrian walkway with lighting and seating down to the river.
At the end of the pedestrian walkway, there will be two staircases on either side and an elevator taking pedestrians right down to the waterfront.
Stacey Vernallis with Friends of the Riverfront says this allows completion of a key bike and walking trail.
"This is the only gap we have in the city for the 24 miles of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, and this is the tipping point," Vernallis told KDKA money editor Jon Delano.
Developer Izzy Rudolph says the public use is key.
"Our focus is really on the green space, which is what makes it so unique," says Rudolph.
"This is really the only space where you can walk in off a street and walk to the waterfront and feel and touch the water."
To encourage use, an old paper products warehouse underneath The Highline is being turned into a 527-space public parking garage.
Expect completion of the project by next April.