Pittsburgh Reaches Deal for 'Transformative' Redevelopment of Lower Hill District

The old Civic Arena site, formerly the home of the Pittsburgh Penguin NHL team, will be redeveloped with the help of the city's largest-ever tax increment financing district.

1 minute read

September 10, 2014, 2:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


"Local political leaders and the Pittsburgh Penguins have cleared the way for the redevelopment of the former Civic Arena site with a wide-ranging deal that creates the largest tax diversion district in the city’s history while giving the team more time to get started," reports Mark Belko.

The redevelopment of the site will attempt to undo the urban renewal project that birthed the Civic Arena. "Mayor Bill Peduto said the deal not only would ensure the redevelopment of the arena site in the lower Hill but would help to 'mend and heal' the neighborhood, which was separated from Downtown and saw 1,300 buildings leveled in an early 1960s urban renewal plan built around the Civic Arena construction."

As for the TIF deal that will drive the redevelopment of the area: "At the center of the agreement is a tax increment financing plan that will generate at least $22 million — some estimates are as high as $50 million — over 20 years for redevelopment activities in the Hill and adjacent Uptown." Moreover, "[under] the TIF, 65 percent of the new tax revenue produced by the project will be used for improvements. The other 35 percent will go to the city, county and city school district."

Tuesday, September 9, 2014 in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

Nithya Ramen talks to an older man. She is smiling and wearing a yellow dress. They are both outside.

Los Angeles just elected an urban planner as its mayor

Transportation analysts are optimistic that Raman will be more aggressive in addressing transit issues than Bass.

4 hours ago - Los Angeles Times

Mamdani behind a microphone, in front of a snowbank

Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge

A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.

November 6 - CNN

A road in north eastern Nebraska with power lines on either side, and grassy fields.

Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity

Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.

November 6 - Grist

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.