Hazelwood LTV Site's Time Has Come Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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Sunday, December 25, 2011 Hazelwood LTV Site’s Time Has Come By Diana Nelson Jones Almono LLC, the consortium of foundations that owns the former LTV coke works in Hazelwood, has begun fundraising to build new infrastructure on the 178- acre site for housing, retail, OAKLAND offices and clean manufacturing. “It is going to move forward, GREENFIELD finally,” said Don Smith, president of the Regional Industrial Development Corp., which manages the site for Almono. “We are very confident we are going to be able to facilitate development.” The first phase of the campaign needs $25 million, which would come from a variety of sources including federal and HAZELWOOD state governments, he said. The site stretches between the Monongahela River and study, said Tim White, RIDC’s as if [the expressway extension] Second Avenue from near the assistant vice president for is not going to happen.” Hot Metal Bridge into the heart development. The development plan of Hazelwood. It is the city’s last Completing the Pittsburgh link defines the land in four zones brownfield. of the Mon-Fayette is on hold -- residential, with a street grid The vast area has been for now because there is no that would connect with the rest as obvious a location for funding. Even with funding, an of the neighborhood; industrial; development as its former existing environmental impact office and commercial, and brownfield kin across the river statement would have to be a green zone in the middle -- Southside Works and the updated for the road to proceed. “because of topography Waterfront in Homestead -- but “Our activity is dormant,” challenges,” said Mr. Smith. “It the possibility that the Mon- said Tom Fox, a spokesman may look flat from the road, but Fayette Expressway would pass for the Pennsylvania Turnpike it isn’t.” through has been cited as the Commission. “If we ever got the The most recent hope for 30 inhibitor of investment. The site funding to reopen our activity acres of the site was dashed also was contaminated. on this project, we would try to last summer when UPMC The land has cleared design a road to bring maximum ended its bid to invest upward Pennsylvania’s Land Recycling advantages” to the places along of $800 million for a vaccine environmental standards, and its route. development center that would the owner group has hired an Mr. Smith said the waiting is have employed 1,000 people. engineering firm to do a traffic over: “We are moving forward “We just move on,” said Jim

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Richter, executive director of the not isolated”, he said. Carnegie Mellon University’s Hazelwood Initiative, a nonprofit J&L Steel built and operated Field Robotics Center occupies community development on the site from 1884 until 1974, the old J&L round house, where organization. “I am cautiously when LTV bought the plant. It rail cars were repaired when optimistic that the spring and closed in 1997. J&L operated its own railroad summer will show results we The Benedum Foundation, between its mills on the South haven’t seen in the past by Heinz Endowments, Richard Side and in Hazelwood. The virtue of the new master plan [by King Mellon Foundation and robotics center uses roads Rothschild Doyno Collaborative] McCune Foundation created on the site to test automated being completed.” Almono LLC and bought the site vehicles. Sculptor Tim Kaulen Architect Ken Doyno led for $10 million in 2002. is working in the bar mill using the effort. “Our charge was to In those nine years, a lot has reclaimed steel. Construction develop a vision that connected changed, Mr. Smith said. companies have used the the community, welcomed The expressway was site to store equipment and investment to the site and made anticipated at that time. “We as staging areas, including sense of all the physical realities, thought the railroad might Trumbull Industries in its work which are many -- railroads, abandon some of the lines on on the subway tunnel under the infrastructure, old buildings,” he the site,” he said. “Now that Allegheny River. Fill from that said. “We wanted to interweave doesn’t seem like it will happen, and other projects has been and connect every possible so we’re proceeding with the trucked to the site to raise the place with the community that one [railroads] and not the other land above the 100-year flood surrounds it.” [the expressway]. plain. This development will bring “We are contemplating some “There are no more housing up to Tecumseh Street industrial uses so the rail could brownfields available,” said Mr. and extend Hazelwood Avenue be useful, and if there were Doyno, “so it’s just a matter of down into it. It also will connect an opportunity for dual use time for this site. I think we are to the trail system, Mr. White to include passengers from on cusp of growing again. We said. Hazelwood through Oakland to have the capacity to make that “We have put a big focus Lawrenceville, that would be come true, and it is starting to on learning from other tremendous improvement for get exciting.” developments so that this site is Hazelwood.”