Amazon is looking for a second HQ. Why not, Pittsburgh? (Franklin: stores, Walmart)

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Faer

If Amazon chose the strip, I wonder if the T could be extended as far as 14th Street and a pedestrian walkway added over to the strip. I've been not-really-proposing that we route more west/south busroutes to a turnaround loop at the same area. That would really unlock some interesting options, like developing along a lower Strip/Lower hill-Downtown/First side (blow up the jail!)/Station Square corridor. Also a brown line running down there would be a viable option and do wonders for Allentown. The switch and signal system for that is already in place to handle that although the single track bottleneck is still a thing.

Keep in mind there's still that plan that AVRR has had to turn their (mostly unused) railroad right of way back into a commuter rail line which would stretch to New Kensington (meaning Oakmont would have commuter rail into the city). Connecting it with the T might be difficult, because Buncher's plan has cut right into it, but it's not impossible to work around it.

[Faer]

Originally Posted by krogerDisco

Instead of buses, I'd use autonomous street cars (no fare). I'd also extend it to include Station Square on one end and at least the Produce Terminal on the other.

I think I'm envisioning a much larger scope. Namely running basically all south, west busway routes through penn station, making it a major hub. East busway routes could go in reverse with a turnaround at eithe south hills juntion or station square.

[Merge]

Originally Posted by gg

Seems there is gun discharge monthly. Can't help it they don't have any training with guns and can't aim. I suspect we are going to see a few people shot that are just standing there waiting for a bus. So far we have been lucky there isn't anyone that can shoot, but the bullets hit something eventually.

You don’t need to use so many words to concede the point. Quit clutching your pearls.
It’s unseemly.

[gg]

Originally Posted by Merge

You don’t need to use so many words to concede the point. Quit clutching your pearls.
It’s unseemly.

Seems you are okay with some innocent person getting shot by some moron that doesn't know how to use a gun and is tying to kill some classmate. Guess we can just agree to disagree with our lifestyles. I will take mine thanks. Plenty of room in Wilkinsburg for that stuff, but downtown? Too much to lose. We are trying to build the city and hopefully land Amazon as well as all the others that would follow to grow the city to what it once was. Time to look to the future and stop holding on to the near past. Some of us progressives want to progress.

[Merge]

Originally Posted by gg

Seems you are okay with some innocent person getting shot by some moron that doesn't know how to use a gun and is tying to kill some classmate.

Why are you still going on about something that didn’t happen? You certainly do live an alternative lifestyle, divorced from reality.

[Goinback2011]

Given that Bezos is getting "incentives" - tax breaks - for Amazon to locate here, who would be funding these infrastructure improvements? Are you counting on much higher property taxes? I doubt Peduto and Wolf will be securing federal funds for it.

[gg]

Originally Posted by Goinback2011

Given that Bezos is getting "incentives" - tax breaks - for Amazon to locate here, who would be funding these infrastructure improvements? Are you counting on much higher property taxes? I doubt Peduto and Wolf will be securing federal funds for it.

You are losing me here. Our area's largest employer is tax exempt. What if tomorrow UPMC was gone? I can't stand them because they are not providing service to "the community", which is a requirement by law if you claim a tax exempt status, but they get away with it. Why? The amount of employees that are paying taxes, purchasing things in our area (more taxes), buying a car at 7% instead of 6% because of our county, paying property taxes if they live in the city, wage tax and the list of taxes go on and on. Corporate welfare is smart if you are progressive. If you are in the dark ages, you are toast in today's business climate. I always get a kick out of people thinking our city can just magically not offer up incentives and somehow we would be considered? Get real! Look at how successful UPMC is and how much money even without all that property on our tax rolls brings our city. Mind-blowing how corporate welfare to that degree, which is off the charts works.

So to answer your question, the infrastructure improvements will be coming from the massive tax gains from all the employees and the incredible amount of other smaller companies that would follow Amazon to service all these new residents. Talk about a windfall. Look at it like how a large strip mall operates. They have an anchor store that pays less per square foot and then they have all the smaller stores that pay more since they are getting all that foot traffic.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by gg

You are losing me here. Our area's largest employer is tax exempt. What if tomorrow UPMC was gone? I can't stand them because they are not providing service to "the community", which is a requirement by law if you claim a tax exempt status, but they get away with it. Why? The amount of employees that are paying taxes, purchasing things in our area (more taxes), buying a car at 7% instead of 6% because of our county, paying property taxes if they live in the city, wage tax and the list of taxes go on and on. Corporate welfare is smart if you are progressive. If you are in the dark ages, you are toast in today's business climate. I always get a kick out of people thinking our city can just magically not offer up incentives and somehow we would be considered? Get real! Look at how successful UPMC is and how much money even without all that property on our tax rolls brings our city. Mind-blowing how corporate welfare to that degree, which is off the charts works.

So to answer your question, the infrastructure improvements will be coming from the massive tax gains from all the employees and the incredible amount of other smaller companies that would follow Amazon to service all these new residents. Talk about a windfall. Look at it like how a large strip mall operates. They have an anchor store that pays less per square foot and then they have all the smaller stores that pay more since they are getting all that foot traffic.

That's what Walmart says when they argue for tax abatement to locate in a community.

[gg]

Originally Posted by Katarina Witt

That's what Walmart says when they argue for tax abatement to locate in a community.

A small community and a large city aren't very comparable, so what is your point? Walmart can't negotiate some great deal with the city of Pittsburgh, but I suspect they do get a good deal on rent rates since they are an anchor store, just like any big store like a Giant Eagle or Target or whatever.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by gg

A small community and a large city aren't very comparable, so what is your point? Walmart can't negotiate some great deal with the city of Pittsburgh, but I suspect they do get a good deal on rent rates since they are an anchor store, just like any big store like a Giant Eagle or Target or whatever.

My point is that Walmart often negotiates to not pay property taxes for a certain number of years and other incentives. Yet they are reviled for it, while Amazon doing the same thing is considered beneficial.