Envisioning Downtown - PittsburghLIVE.com Piatt, who attended the breakfast with his father, Jack Piatt -- the founder and chairman of Millcraft -- called on O'Connor to offer tax incentives to people who want to buy apartments and condos Downtown.The trend to watch and guard against is to do things so that the super rich get rich while the poor get poorer. Making the rich rich isn't what government should be about.
They also want to see the city's 50 percent parking tax drastically reduced so people will come from out of town to shop in Piatt's building, which Lucas Piatt called a 'regional destination.' The building would contain 25 luxury condos, 20 roof-top townhouses, 50,000 square feet of retail space and 180,000 square feet of office space.
O'Connor pointed out the city's parking tax is scheduled to decrease in 2007, but he was hesitant to give up any real estate tax revenues that would help financially strapped Pittsburgh.
Rather, we should let marketplace forces come into play.
To build up downtown with housing that is subsidized is to only rob against the local tax payers in real neighborhoods who are asked to carry their load too. And, to pull people out of non-subsidized houses in other parts of the city or in other parts of downtown.
People live downtown now. That's great. I have no problem with downtown living. We can do more there, for sure. But, downtown lofts, condos, apartments and other options need to come along and pull their own weight -- without the subsidization.
Once we subsidize one project -- we bribe them to come here. And, then we'll never get another project without a tax break as well. So, don't do any tax breaks.
They want to do a Tax Break (TIF) in Mt. Lebo for a new housing project. That is wrong too.
This is what I mean by the campaign song on the campaign CD -- "Lay The Shovel Down." The first thing I'll try to do on city council is to stop digging in the hole of debt and dispair. We need to stop these wrong-headed projects.
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Envisioning Downtown
By Jeremy Boren
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, March 4, 2006
A national developer's role in building retail space and residential living Downtown appears to be fading as a local developer charges ahead with a master plan to invigorate Pittsburgh's depleted core.
Lucas Piatt, vice president of Washington County-based Millcraft Industries, said the former Lazarus building his company is developing into retail and luxury residential space is part of a master Downtown development plan he wants to show Mayor Bob O'Connor in two weeks.
O'Connor has invited developers to submit proposals for improving the Fifth-Forbes corridor.
Included in Piatt's pitch will be a Downtown grocery store.
"We feel it is the most important piece to get residential development," he said Friday during a breakfast organized by the Airport Area Chamber of Commerce at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Moon where O'Connor and Urban Redevelopment Authority executives showcased Piatt's plans for the Lazarus building.
Piatt said he's negotiating with grocers Whole Foods, McGinnis Sisters and Giant Eagle. A grocery store could go either in Piatt Place -- the company's $40 million development of the Lazarus building -- or the nearby G.C. Murphy Building on Forbes Avenue.
Although Piatt said Giant Eagle has the most potential as Downtown's sole grocery, a spokesman for the chain said it is not interested.
"Giant Eagle has no plans for a Downtown location at this time. That would consist of the Lazarus building or any other often-reported locations," said spokesman Dick Roberts, who declined to elaborate.
"We're not going to limit our development to Piatt place," Piatt said. "We're putting together a master plan to propose to the mayor in two weeks."
Hints of Piatt's plan to expand beyond the former Lazarus building are upstaging Washington, D.C.-based Madison Marquette.
Madison Marquette has been working for months with the Pittsburgh Task Force, a private group that took the lead in efforts to redevelop the area while Tom Murphy was mayor. But in January, O'Connor balked at the company's request for 120 days of exclusive rights to develop city-owned properties in the Fifth-Forbes corridor. In recent public appearances, O'Connor has hailed the role of local developers in building momentum for Downtown, while downplaying the efforts of out-of-town companies.
Task force leader Herb Berger did not return calls seeking comment yesterday.
Jeff Ingram, a spokesman for Madison Marquette, declined comment.
Piatt has an option to buy the former Revco building next to Piatt Place on Fifth Avenue. The building would probably be demolished. He said details of its fate would be in the master plan he presents to O'Connor.
Piatt, who attended the breakfast with his father, Jack Piatt -- the founder and chairman of Millcraft -- called on O'Connor to offer tax incentives to people who want to buy apartments and condos Downtown.
They also want to see the city's 50 percent parking tax drastically reduced so people will come from out of town to shop in Piatt's building, which Lucas Piatt called a "regional destination." The building would contain 25 luxury condos, 20 roof-top townhouses, 50,000 square feet of retail space and 180,000 square feet of office space.
O'Connor pointed out the city's parking tax is scheduled to decrease in 2007, but he was hesitant to give up any real estate tax revenues that would help financially strapped Pittsburgh.
"It's a very tough struggle, because our budget is on the nickel right now," O'Connor said. "I've got to be very careful with incentives. I'm not saying no, but I'm being very cautious."
O'Connor wouldn't comment specifically on Madison Marquette, but said he's continuing to meet with developers interested in building in the Fifth-Forbes corridor and has focused on working with local developers rather than those from out of town.
Jeremy Boren can be reached at jboren@tribweb.com or (412) 765-2312.
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