Submitted by _koopatroopa_ t3_z6850r in pittsburgh
capt_lunatic t1_iy027jz wrote
The Strip District has one of the faster growing residential communities in the city, and the Terminal is their version of Pittsburgh Mills. All the sizzle, none of the substance. This place will be empty storefronts within years. It’s as if no one learned anything from Allegheny Center Mall, and the irreversible damage it caused to the North Side.
The most insufferable part of the article was “The Parking Problem” write up. Quit catering to the suburban population (yes, I know I’m one) and tailor this to the people within walking distance. Any redevelopment plan for the Strip District that doesn’t include turning Penn Ave in to a pedestrian shopping district is a big fat L.
eastlibertarian t1_iy07439 wrote
Hear hear. The half-assed attempt at making Smallman St really gets me--it added a bike lane that doesn't feel safe, it created angle parking that makes the street feel like a strip mall parking lot, and they painted bump outs for "traffic calming" that people just drive over or park in. They rebuilt the whole street from scratch and put in crappy temporary-feeling materials.
All that concrete and asphalt (with no Belgian block, brick, or stone) makes it feel so cheap and soulless. Combined with the focus on chain establishments, it's a real missed opportunity.
SavageGardner t1_iy0amxb wrote
Last year I was in that bike lane and some boomer in a convertebile drifted into it, spooking my SO who usually only rides on trails. I loudly said "mind the bike lane" and he lost his shit. He swerved over, slammed on his brakes, kept yelling at me, and eventually stopped to get out of his car and started coming at me.
They should have moved the parking closer to the road and protected the bike lane behind the parking. There's so much room for them to do that.
threwthelookinggrass t1_iy0d9b3 wrote
> They should have moved the parking closer to the road and protected the bike lane behind the parking. There’s so much room for them to do that.
It is not legal to build parking protected bike lanes in Pennsylvania, unfortunately.
SavageGardner t1_iy0ei57 wrote
I did not know that. Is there a reason for this? Sounds like something that should be changed.
threwthelookinggrass t1_iy0fa7u wrote
The law says something like cars must park within 12 inches of the curb. The legislature actually recently tried to change the law to allow for the creation of parking protected lanes, but republican senators sabotaged the bill. https://triblive.com/news/pennsylvania/protected-bike-lane-bill-named-for-a-pittsburgher-vetoed-over-late-gop-amendments/
superm455ive t1_iy1df67 wrote
That only applies to state owned roads like Forbes. Smallman is probably city or county, I highly doubt it’s a state road.
B0bb3r7 t1_iy16qrr wrote
I think that this is only the case for parallel parking. afaik, there is no 12-inch-from-curb requirement for other parking styles.
esotweetic t1_iy08jdo wrote
r/fuckcars would applaud you for this comment
username-1787 t1_iy0e8hx wrote
Unfortunately the city's plan for Penn ave in the strip is "more cars more parking"
trail-coffee t1_iy0pm87 wrote
praise the lord more parking, sometimes i have to do the loop TWICE to find a spot!
/s
Edit: no to mention have to walk a block or more to the first store i need
nopantsforfatties t1_iy25v0b wrote
That's what happens when you let a dude from Chicago in to "revitalize Pittsburgh" 🙄
AirtimeAficionado t1_iy2ydxg wrote
I don’t think it is going to do damage to the Strip like Allegheny Center, Allegheny Center was way more destructive to the surrounding neighborhood, eliminating significant buildings and creating a very weird neighborhood structure that was (and remains) confusing to navigate. The Terminal is just impacting one building that was already in disrepair. The businesses there don’t seem to have any appreciable impact on the Strip staples, and are completely different businesses in most cases.
As for its future, I agree that many of these businesses will fail in the long run, and that it will be an unsuccessful development. That being said, I don’t think the space will go to waste, and I think it is likely that it might be used in 5-10 years for the public market we all want. I view this development as just priming the pump for that, renovating the building and getting things ready for a better use once this development scheme fails.
DERBY_OWNERS_CLUB t1_iy1u6uz wrote
>This place will be empty storefronts within years.
This is a wildly off-base take of what you want to happen, not what will actually happen.
If the Strip can support half a dozen knock-off Steelers t-shirt shops, it can support a Chipotle.
Hi_Im_A t1_iy3ewc4 wrote
FWIW, parking is still relevant for those in walking distance. Living in a neighborhood where too many people are fighting for too little parking is a nightmare. It impacts you any time you need to leave your neighborhoods and come back, and it impacts the general safety and peace of trying to go about your day when the streets are overrun with angry drivers, increased accidents, etc.
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