P-G: Mt. Lebanon Light rail center to go above, beyond

Plans for a mixed-use building and parking garage near the Mt. Lebanon Light Transit Rail station are still in the early stages, but local leaders already are calling the project the major development opportunity for the municipality.

Municipal planners and representatives from AECOM, an engineering company, presented the plan for the Transit Revitalization Investment District to commissioners Tuesday night after almost a decade of conversations about how to develop the area between Washington Road and Shady Drive East.

Read more:

• www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-south/mt-lebanon-light-rail-center-to-go-above-beyond-644286 (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Settlement Reached Over Hotel Zoning

A court settlement between a developer and Mt. Lebanon's zoning board paves the way for construction of a hotel in the 600 block of Washington Road.

The resolution gives the developer all the variances he was seeking. The developer wanted exemptions from the maximum building and maximum lot coverages outlined in the municipal zoning code. The zoning hearing board denied those exemptions on April 10. But the zoning board did not contest the subsequent appeal of its ruling to Common Pleas Court.

The municipal zoning code outlines what percentage of a lot a building can occupy, and the maximum size of a building on a given lot.

Link: www.thealmanac.net/ALM/Story/07-30-ML-hotel-appeal-B

Updated links as of August 4, 2008 (documents courtesy of Bill Matthews):

The Consent Order (pdf)

The Zoning Hearing Board Decision (pdf)

Development Around T Stations Will Spur Economy, Officials Say

Underground parking. More than 10,000 square feet of pedestrian-friendly retail space. A 100-suite hotel. Planners say these are the building blocks of development around Port Authority's T station in Mt. Lebanon.

"It's a way to use public transit ... to catalyze private development," said state Rep. Matt Smith, D-Mt. Lebanon. Erik Wittmann isn't so certain. The Mt. Lebanon man worries developers are focusing on big-box development instead of boutique shops, which he thinks better fit the community's suburban character.

"Mt. Lebanon has to stop trying to compete with downtown Pittsburgh," said Wittmann, 62, a disaster consultant who chairs Shady Drive East Taxpayers Association.

Link: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/southwest/s_556877.html

Link 2: www.thealmanac.net/ALM/Story/03-12-ML-TRID-plan-B

Study Shows How Growth May Fit Around T Stations

Dense housing, improved parking and pedestrian-friendly retail shops would sprout around three South Hills T stations under a Transit Revitalization Investment District planning study presented Wednesday night at the Mt. Lebanon Municipal Building.

The study, funded by state grants of $75,000 each to Dormont and Mt. Lebanon, offers potential developers and residents both low- and high-density development concepts.

Link: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_555773.html

Link 2: www.alleghenyinstitute.org/blog/2008/03/trid-stuck-at-station.php

Public Hearing Slated On South Hills Plans

The final public hearing about developing areas around South Hills T stations is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Mt. Lebanon Municipal Building.

An intergovernmental group has been considering long-range plans for development around the Dormont and Mt. Lebanon T stations. The study, paid for by state grants totaling $150,000, is being led by the Allegheny County Department of Economic Development, the Port Authority and the two towns.

Link: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_555044.html

TRID Grant Assists With Planning Near T Station and CBD

With funding from a state-awarded Transit Revitalization Investment District (TRID) grant, Mt. Lebanon is completing a study of two development scenarios for sites surrounding its Washington Rd. T station. The $75,000 multi-municipality project also involves the Borough of Dormont.

“We’re taking advantage of an untapped asset we have in the T, and its proximity to our central business district. There’s a trend around the country of people moving back into urban centers,” says Mt. Lebanon’s commercial districts manager, Dan Woodske. “It calls for more high-density residential. It makes sense for people who work in Pittsburgh.

Link: www.popcitymedia.com/developmentnews/trid0227.aspx