The Urban Redevelopment Authority on Thursday voted to approve the first phase of the Manchester-Chateau Transit Revitalization Investment District (TRID) plan.
A TRID is a public financing tool the URA can use to help fund large public development projects in Pittsburgh — such as roads, bridges and parks — that might not be funded otherwise.
“In my opinion, and I think most [URA board members] would agree, it's really our most powerful local economic investment tool to invest in economic growth in our city,” said Thomas Link, chief development officer at the URA.
On Tuesday, the Pittsburgh City Planning Commission gave the go-ahead to a $740 million development project called the Esplanade in the city’s Chateau neighborhood. Plans for the Esplanade include building a mix of high-end and affordable apartments, a pavilion with restaurants and shops, an amphitheater that opens up onto the Ohio River and a giant Ferris wheel.
The Manchester-Chateau TRID is a way to leverage the tax revenue from the Esplanade development as well as future private and public investment to improve infrastructure in the nearby community. It’s all centered around a transportation hub — in this case, Allegheny Station on the North Side.
Typically, infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges and sidewalks are paid for by bonds or loans. By creating this district, these debts can be repaid by future increases in tax revenue from new development projects, such as the Esplanade.
“It's super-important to understand that there are two things at play here,” Link said. “None of this can happen unless the Esplanade development gets funded. And the TRID cannot happen without the Esplanade. These things work hand in hand.”
The goal is to reconnect the historic neighborhood of Manchester with the proposed development in Chateau, currently separated by Route 65. Infrastructure projects funded by the TRID will be guided by the Manchester Reunited TRID Action Study, commissioned by the Department of City Planning in 2022. Turning Beaver Avenue from a one-way to a two-way street, creating bike and pedestrian paths on the Juniata Street underpass and providing gap funding for affordable housing projects in Manchester are some of the proposed uses in the first phase.
Future projects could include exploring how to lower Route 65 through the neighborhood, redesign street connections on the North Shore and expand public transit options.
Across town, a TRID in the East Liberty neighborhood centered around the East Liberty bus station has been underway since 2013. It’s been used to fund the conversion of Penn Circle back into a two-way street along with bike paths, crosswalks and green space, for example.
The URA will be in charge of implementing the TRID, and the boundary will be in place for the next 40 years.
