By Ron DaParma
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, April 17, 2008

Three loft-style townhomes to be built in Bloomfield are another example of an “exciting” transformation of housing on Penn Avenue in four city neighborhoods, community leaders said Wednesday.
Small projects like this one “can really stabilize a corner in a community,” Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said at an event marking the start of construction of an $800,000 residential complex at Penn and Gross Street.

“There are amazing things happening along the Penn Avenue corridor, and this is just a little gem of a project, but it’s a missing tooth,” said Jeffrey Dorsey, executive director of Friendship Development Associates.

Dorsey’s organization, developer of the project, acquired the property nine years ago with housing development in mind.

A $462,000 equity investment by Landmarks Community Capital Corp., a nonprofit created last year by the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, moved it forward, he said.

When the townhomes are completed in about 12 months, they will join dozens of single-family homes, townhomes and condominiums built or planned in Bloomfield, Garfield, Friendship and Lawrenceville, said Richard Swartz, executive director of the Bloomfield-Garfield Corp.

These projects replace vacant lots and less desirable row housing, Swartz said.

About eight blocks away, Friendship Development is ready to start building the Glass Lofts, a “green” condominium project at Penn and Fairmont Street with 18 loft units, a restaurant, art studios and office space.

“We have commitments for eight sales already,” said Dorsey.

The units will range in size from 845 to 1,873 square feet and be priced from $180,000 to $330,000, according to the neighborhood group’s Internet site. But a number are reserved as “affordable” housing that can be purchased for about $80,000, he said.

As many as 80 single-family homes or townhomes have been built in the four neighborhoods in the past five years, Swartz estimated.

At the same time, about 35 businesses — mainly artists, studios and arts organizations — have moved into spaces in some of the vacant commercial buildings in the area.

Reducing neighborhood crime and developing Children’s Hospital in Lawrenceville were key to the transformation, officials said.

Ron DaParma can be reached at rdaparma@tribweb.com or 412-320-7907.

Christian Morrow
New Pittsburgh Courier
April 17, 2008

From the first question, “When is groundbreaking?,” it was clear the Hill District community is far more receptive to the opening of a discount grocery than even three months ago when Save-A-Lot first expressed an interest in the community.

And the St. Louis-based grocer showed the community how serious it is by bringing nine of its executives to make a presentation on the project during an April 12 community meeting at New Light Temple Baptist Church.

About 50 residents—several of whom also took a prior bus trip to see the company’s Wilkinsburg store—attended the meeting and most applauded the proposal to put a 16,850 square-foot store on Centre Avenue across from the Hill House Association.

The company has 1,180 stores in 39 states and locally in Wilkinsburg and Crafton. Company director Dick Koop said a store in the Hill would offer frozen foods, dairy products, fresh meat cut on site daily, fresh produce, a bakery and ethnic items, which could be customized specifically for the Hill District market.

Koop also said the company’s custom label foods, offering the most frequently purchased items in the most frequently purchase size, allow for saving up to 40 percent.

The project site is the same proposed for an Aldi’s store three years ago that was roundly booed by the community amid calls for a “full-service” grocery. Although housing activist George Moses “demanded” such a store at Save-A-Lot’s January meeting, most residents are coming to the realization that no such store is coming anytime soon.

Because Save-A-Lot stores do not provide delis, bakeries or pharmacies, Alicia Jackson opposed the idea until she visited the Wilkinsburg store. She said it was clean and well lit. She said she has had enough of shopping at Giant Eagle on the South Side or in Shadyside.

“We made them fat, and they don’t even want to be here,” she said. “That should tell you how to spend your money.”

Hill Councilwoman Tonya Payne, who organized the forum with Landmarks Community Capital Corp. CEO Howard Slaughter, plans to hold additional meetings. She distributed surveys to residents and said if the response is as positive as it appears, a community committee will be formed and the Urban Redevelopment Authority would be approached to sell or lease the property.

Hill Community Development Corp. Chair Marimba Milliones, still would like to see a store that included a pharmacy, and presented a list of questions on store services to the Save-A-Lot representatives.

Slaughter said a successful Save-A-Lot would likely lure a drugstore to the 3.5-acre site, which could easily accommodate the space.

“We have to crawl before we can walk, and walk before we can run,” he said.

(Send comments to cmorrow@newpittsburghcourier.com.)

By Ron DaParma
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, April 15, 2008

A three-unit residential development planned for the Bloomfield/Garfield neighborhood could be a prototype for addition loft-style living opportunities in the city.

Located near the new Children’s Hospital under construction in Lawrenceville, the project, known as 5000 Penn Avenue, will feature attached townhouse units that provide an opportunity for occupants to live and possibly work in one location.

“They are called ‘lofters’ said Howard B. Slaughter Jr., CEO of Landmarks Community Capital Corp., in describing the residences.

The nonprofit corporation has made a $462,000 equity investment to help build the project. Construction is expected to start within the next two weeks and take about 12 months to complete.

The three-story units will feature nine-foot-high ceilings and vinyl entranced tile and carpet. First floors will feature flex space with options for studios, dens and integral garages, with second and third floors offering kitchen, living room and bedroom space.

“Urban loft-style townhouses are becoming more popular around the country,” said Mayor Luke Ravenstahl in a statement issued today.

The city’s Urban Redevelopment Authority is kicking in $161,297 in funding support, including a $87,817 grant and a $73,480 loan, Slaughter said. Overall cost of the project is expected to be almost $800,000.

The Friendship Development Association is working in conjunction with Team Construction & Development Inc. of the South Side in developing the project. Eight years ago, the community group purchased the vacant lot that is project site.

“This development is representative of the opportunity to increase marketability in Pittsburgh’s urban communities by development a mix of affordable and market-rate housing,” Ravenstahl said.

Units will be sized at 2,118 square feet; 1,898 square feet and 1,793 square feet, and priced at $208,000, $190,000 and $180,000, respectively.

Slaugther said they would be ideal for physicians and other medical personnel working at the Children’s Hospital, which is only two blocks away.

“The development will help fill a blighted vacant lot …, and continue to shore up the business corridor of Penn Avenue and provide quality housing for three new families,” he said.

Ron DaParma can be reached at rdaparma@tribweb.com or 412-320-7907.

By Bonnie Pfister
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, April 13, 2008

A deal to open the first grocery store in the Hill District since the early 1980s at a location across from the Hill House community center could happen in the next few months, City Councilwoman Tonya Payne said Saturday.

At a forum organized by Payne and Landmarks Community Capital Corp., nine executives from St. Louis-based Save-A-Lot presented their proposal for a 16,850-square-foot store at Centre Avenue and Haldeman Street. The 40 or so residents at the forum conducted at the New Light Temple Baptist Church cheered the plan, although one activist said the proposal requires further vetting.

At issue is whether the Hill District should accept a Save-A-Lot, a stripped-down grocery that touts prices 40 percent below average, but offers no pharmacy, deli or bakery, or if the neighborhood should try to attract a larger store with those amenities. Landmarks CEO Howard Slaughter quoted Pittsburgh Tribune-Review news stories in which executives of such regional chains as Giant Eagle, Aldi and Kuhn’s have said they are not interested in opening stores in the Hill District.

By bringing in a Save-A-Lot, he said, other businesses would follow.

“We have to crawl before we can walk, and walk before we can run,” Slaughter said
Alicia Jackson, 57, said she had opposed the Save-A-Lot plan, believing it to be a substandard alternative meant to appease the Hill. But after visiting the clean, brightly lighted Save-A-Lot in Wilkinsburg yesterday morning, she said, she changed her mind.

“We made them (Giant Eagle and other chains) fat, and they don’t even want to be here,” Jackson said.

Payne passed out surveys at the forum asking whether residents wanted Save-A-Lot to come to the neighborhood. A citizens committee would be formed to discuss the issue. If feedback is positive, she said, city, community and company representatives would begin working on a deal for the site, which she described as mostly city-owned property.

But Marimba Milliones, who said she is chairwoman of the Hill Community Development Corp., said she hopes discussions would continue.

“My concern is not to support or oppose Save-A-Lot, but rather to find a creative way to meet as many community needs as possible in this development,” Milliones said.

She pointed to the Shop ‘n Save/Save-A-Lot store in Lawrenceville as a hybrid that could bring a pharmacy and other amenities to the Hill. But Save-A-Lot executive vice president for development Rick Meyer described that store as a unique venture that “is not all that successful.”

Bonnie Pfister can be reached at bpfister@tribweb.com or 412-320-7886.

Sunday, April 13, 2008
By Bill Schackner,
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A long sought-after grocery store for the Hill District appeared closer to reality yesterday with a publicly owned site identified and a St. Louis chain telling residents it is prepared to strike a deal.

At a meeting to gauge community support, executives with St. Louis-based Save-A-Lot said that with necessary approvals in place, a store could open next year across from Hill House along Centre Avenue near Heldman Street.

“We’ve made the decision that we are certainly very interested,” said Mark Goodman, executive vice president and chief operating officer for the national chain of nearly 1,200 stores. “We believe we are a great candidate.”

The city and its Urban Redevelopment Authority earlier land-banked the site totaling 3.5 acres as a way to entice a grocer, according to City Councilwoman Tonya D. Payne. A neighborhood advisory committee will be empaneled, and with its blessing, the city and URA will be approached to hammer out a land sale, she said.

For decades, say residents of the neighborhood, getting meat, produce and other groceries has meant driving, catching a bus or even walking to the South Side, the North Side or Shadyside.

The first question posed yesterday — “When is ground-breaking?” — typified a largely warm response the chain received from the 70 residents who settled into pews inside the New Light Temple Baptist Church yesterday. Some had taken a bus trip earlier in the day to see Save-A-Lot’s Wilkinsburg store.

“Everything we want we’ve had to leave the community” to get, said Eloise McDonald, president of the Oak Hill residents’ council. “I’m so, so happy.”

“Price,” she said, when asked what impressed her most about Save-A-Lot. “It’s way cheaper than the (other) chains.”

That said, questions from some people yesterday indicated lingering desire for a full-service store that would include, among other things, a pharmacy. Save-A-Lot stores typically do not include such amenities, and instead claim to offer savings of up to 40 percent through a limited inventory of 1,200 to 2,000 items. Plans call for a Hill District store with just under 17,000 square feet of space.

Marimba Milliones, board chairwoman of the Hill Community Development Corp., said she hopes neighborhood interests are fully vetted. She conveyed to project backers written questions on issues ranging from store hours and quality control to likely investment by Save-A-Lot in the neighborhood.

Organizers of yesterday’s meeting, including Ms. Payne, said Giant Eagle, Kuhn’s and Shop-N-Save, among others, have indicated they will not open a Hill District store. That point was not lost on some, including Hill District resident Alicia Jackson.

“That should tell you how to spend your money,” she implored the audience. “Support those who support you.”

She turned toward the Save-A-Lot executives and said, “We’re going to do you good. Just be there.”

Howard B. Slaughter Jr., chief executive officer of Landmarks Community Capital Corp. and a proponent of the Save-A-Lot plan, echoed the sentiment.

“I want to thank you for being interested in this community.”

Bill Schackner can be reached at bschackner@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1977.
First published on April 13, 2008 at 12:00 am

On March 28, 2008, Dr. Howard B. Slaughter, Chief Executive Officer of Landmarks Community Capital Corporation (“LCCC”) announced that Charlie Batch, Steeler’s quarterback and President & CEO of Batch Development Company, Inc., and Dr. Emma Lucas-Darby, Professor at Carlow University, recently joined the board of Landmarks Community Capital Corporation.

LCCC was formed in October 2007 with a mission that focuses on community revitalization and economic development in urban neighborhoods. Dr. Slaughter said, “Our goal in establishing LCCC is to strategically finance revitalization efforts in urban communities and to cultivate a strong committed board of directors who advocate holistic urban community revitalization, which results in substantive and systemic change leading to growth, vibrancy and improved communities. This is why I am extremely pleased that Dr. Emma Lucas-Darby and Charlie Batch have joined the board.”

Dr. Lucas-Darby is a well-respected tenured professor at Carlow University and brings great ideological beliefs grounded in theory and practice. She has served in the capacity of Associate Dean and Director, School of Social Change. She is also a licensed social worker in the State of Pennsylvania, a member of the Pennsylvania Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapist and Professional Counselors, appointed by Governor Ed Rendell. She has received numerous awards and fellowships and was recently honored as a 2008 Woman of Achievement by Celebrate & Share, an organization that focuses on the needs of women and children in the community.

Dr. Lucas-Darby said, “Joining the board of LCCC will afford me the opportunity to continue the work I have begun in the neighborhoods across the region and to utilize my experience in furthering positive change in urban communities. I have known Howard for many years; he was a student of mine when he attended Carlow University on his way to becoming Dr. Slaughter. I look forward to working with LCCC as we help shape the landscape of economic development in urban communities throughout the region.”

Dr. Slaughter said he is equally pleased that Steelers’s quarterback and President & CEO of Batch Development Company, Inc., Charlie Batch has also joined the board of LCCC. Charlie Batch brings a strong sense of development expertise and commitment to an ever-growing need that exists in urban communities for positive change, mentorship and leadership. Batch said, “I share Landmarks Community Capital Corporation’s vision in empowering entrepreneurs and community organizations to create new opportunities and cultivate those opportunities that already exist. I believe that we can positively impact economic development and promote growth, which will ultimately benefit everyone. I am happy to serve on the board and look forward to contributing significantly in many ways.”

Other members of the Landmarks Community Capital Corporation Board include:

Mark Bibro – Vice President & General Manager, Pittsburgh Terminal Properties

Eric Dickerson – President, Eric Dickerson Associates, LLC

Henry Phipps Hoffstot – Chief Financial Officer, Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation

Doug Smith – Senior Vice President, Wilbur Smith Associates

Arthur Ziegler, Jr. – President, Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation

Save-A-Lot Grocery Store has expressed interest in locating in Pittsburgh’s historic Hill District neighborhood. Save-A-Lot has provided two rather interesting videos and one commercial that highlight their business, design of the grocery store, and focus on customer satisfaction.

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By Jeremy Boren
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, January 29, 2008

A St. Louis-based grocery store chain that specializes in serving inner-city neighborhoods could set up shop in the Hill District, according to the Landmarks Community Capital Corp.
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