Downtown -- as in the rich getting richer -- in an exclusive kinda way.

Downtown living?

Piatt grows vision for Downtown - PittsburghLIVE.com Millcraft wants exclusive rights to develop each of the 19 Downtown properties owned by the city's Urban Redevelopment Authority.

What about a bid process. Is O'Connor just going to give away these exclusive rights?

Some payoff if that is true.

Where is the RFP (request for proposals)????

I do like the plan, as a concept. I like that thought has gone into it. I like that there are affordable units. I like that there is student housing in the mix too. But, I can't stand it that this is an exclusive deal at the request of the mayor for his cronies. No-bid contracts should be in the domain of the church, the bishop, and perhaps a temple with the monks. But for a commercial space in an urban center with government owned land -- give us a competitive bid process.

$269 million Downtown redevelopment plan unveiled Given the city's OK, Millcraft could start building apartments 'right away,' he said.

Millcraft isn't asking the city for a subsidy, nor for free property, but it does want exclusive options on 19 properties owned by the city's Urban Redevelopment Authority, he said. Given that, its marketers would take their plan to the International Council of Shopping Centers convention, which starts May 21 in Las Vegas.

Millcraft isn't asking for a subsidy -- but the assumption is that this is an exclusive. This is a hand-picked contract. This is a favorite friend deal. This is a cronie thing. This is a "screw the rest of the world deal where they say 'hell to the marketplace' and 'hell to those who are not buddies.'

I say that this deal, as a process question, needs to review and evaluation.

I say that Bob O'Connor was NOT elected CZAR of the city.

I say that there should be some 'stewardship' in terms of hard questions asked from the public officials for the benefit of the public interest.

I say that a deal like this could land Bob O'Connor in jail. The Feds will be on this in a New York minute.

This might be a splendid plan. It now needs to be put out to bid. You don't want to build the apartments right away.