URA urges approval of TIF for Technology Center garages

URA urges approval of TIF for Technology Center garages City Council candidate Mark Rauterkus equated TIF to 'bribing someone to move in.'

Building garages is 'promoting dirty air, highway gridlock, oil dependency and suburban sprawl,' said transit activist Steve Donahue.

City Councilman William Peduto urged the URA to finance the lab space, rather than the garages.

Mr. Dettore said the URA will stick with the garage plan.

An interim council vote on the TIF is expected March 15."

Peduto is right on -- but -- in the end, I expect that he'll vote the wrong way.

Case in point, if the city has a shortage of "wet labs" for bio-tech work, then build "wet labs" -- NOT PARKING GARAGES. Keep your eye on the ball.

I want Pittsburgh to be a community where we can raise our families. So, I am not interested in making it into a place where we can park our cars. And, I don't want to see homeowners who pay more than their share of taxes to a school district in crisis mode to pay for subsidized car parking of other people who don't live here, don't raise their families here.

There is an expected vote on this issue on March 15. Our election is March 14. I promise that I'll be down to Council Chambers on March 15, win or otherwise in terms of the election outcome in my favor, to speak out against another TIF.