Do You Think Pittsburgh Can Avoid A BOOM (Philadelphia, Republic: subdivision, tax rates)

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by loveautumn

Isn't Pennsylvania in general attractive to retirees, for taxes purposes, etc.?

Yes, retirement income isn't taxed in Pennsylvania.

[subdivisions]

Originally Posted by Katiana

Where is this store in Colorado Springs? My daughter just moved there and I go there sometimes to visit her. I have to make due with Wal Mart, JoAnn, Hancock, and, if I want to drive almost to Colo. Springs, Denver Fabrics, which is great. (Sorry for hijacking, I'll get back on topic.)

Yeah, Denver Fabrics is a good place. I would have mentioned that store too but I forgot about it. Why can't we have a "Pittsburgh Fabrics"?

Anyway, Mill Fabric Outlet in Colorado Springs...it's on Prospect Street, off Nevada Avenue halfway between the freeway and downtown, if that makes any sense. Here's the website: Mill Outlet Fabric Shop

We now return everyone to their regularly scheduled argument between cheerleaders and doomsayers....er, I mean....discussion about Pittsburgh's future.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by subdivisions

Another home sewer (seamstress? tailor?) here - gotta say +1000 to this post!

I can't stand Jo-Ann's and it is a constant source of irritation to me that I am basically forced to patronise them for various supplies, including fabric. What makes it even worse for me is that I have to drive out to f-ing BFE Pennsylvania to grudgingly do my shopping there. It's such a hassle, and I don't even want to go there in the first place but am basically forced to shop there so I'm already mad when I walk through the door, which never makes for a good experience. And then they just have endless aisles of overpriced crap inside.

Actually, I think my #1 personal wish for Pittsburgh would be for a *good* fabric store to open within the city limits somewhere, particularly a discount bulk fabric outlet sort of place like Jomar in Philadelphia or Mill Fabrics in Colorado Springs, something like those places.

Do you quilt or do garment sewing? Plenty of quilt stores. I think there is a supposed to be a great clothing fabric store in Mt Lebo. Home Dec sewing I can't help you...

And it's nice to find people that don't like JoAnns....

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by LynchburgLover

Outsider here, so don't yell at me but the headline caught my eye. I'm confused because I just saw a news article that Pittsburgh was so desperate for cash they were going to tax college students. What makes you think it's going to suddenly boom? And why would you want to avoid it? Just curious.

It's just the Democrats trying to tax not only people that work through the nose, but those that want to work, when they graduate.

What do you expect, this town has been Democratically run for what, plus 70 years?

[subdivisions]

Originally Posted by Tallysmom

Do you quilt or do garment sewing? Plenty of quilt stores. I think there is a supposed to be a great clothing fabric store in Mt Lebo. Home Dec sewing I can't help you...

And it's nice to find people that don't like JoAnns....

Actually, I am primarily a costumer, but I do lots of different things. For instance, I made all the custom window treatments for my house.

I get a lot of fabric online these days. If you are experienced enough and know exactly what you need, you can find some really great stuff on EBay. I also have a line on a couple of online fabric stores (one is Denver Fabrics, actually), including a relatively inexpensive place that specializes in unusual silks - I found that last site by reading Pittsburgh Magazine, which mentioned it in connection with the Pittsburgh Ballet costume person.

I think I've driven by that place in Mt. Lebanon, but never checked it out. It looked small. I guess I just assumed it had a few hideously expensive (and hideous) home decor fabrics and not much else.

Not that Mt. Lebanon is all that convenient to me either, but it would be preferable to driving to Robinson, Monroeville, or McKnightmare Road to go to Jo-Ann's.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by subdivisions

Yeah, Denver Fabrics is a good place. I would have mentioned that store too but I forgot about it. Why can't we have a "Pittsburgh Fabrics"?

Anyway, Mill Fabric Outlet in Colorado Springs...it's on Prospect Street, off Nevada Avenue halfway between the freeway and downtown, if that makes any sense. Here's the website: Mill Outlet Fabric Shop

We now return everyone to their regularly scheduled argument between cheerleaders and doomsayers....er, I mean....discussion about Pittsburgh's future.

Thank you. I'm sure my daughter can help me find it.

[greg42]

Originally Posted by bethany12

But there is the same lack of character. A chain store in a complex or a chain store in a renovated space are the same thing. A chain store. Target is a Target in any city. Wouldn't it be more productive to encourage mom & pop local stores instead of chains? Who wants spend money and take the effort to travel to a new city just to visit another Walgreens? Tourism is driven by local establishments not national chains.

Oh, and I do believe that sprawl occurs in cities. Look at the brownstone neighborhoods in New York City that have been torn down for mid or high rises. That could be considered a form of vertical sprawl.

I just think that sprawl entails the use of mucho land as well as the lack of character. That's why it's called sprawl, given prior meanings of that word. I think the chain store thing, while related in some ways, is a separate issue, equally worthy of attention. Semantics, I suppose, as it seems I otherwise agree with much of your sentiment in this case. But we shouldn't always just explain away things as semantics; sometimes the distinctions are important.

[bethany12]

Originally Posted by loveautumn

Isn't Pennsylvania in general attractive to retirees, for taxes purposes, etc.?

Not many people retiring anymore unless they worked for a union.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by bethany12

Not many people retiring anymore unless they worked for a union.

That answer is completely irrelevant to loveautumn's question.

[BrianTH]

The City of Pittsburgh is in the midst of a fiscal crisis for various reasons, but in a nutshell it is because they incurred a bunch of liabilities back when the City was much higher in population, and the City now doesn't have the tax base to cover those liabilities without raising tax rates on somebody, which no one likes. The tuition tax in particular is a complex issue, but probably is best understood as a gambit designed to get some big local nonprofits to negotiate higher "voluntary" payments to the City.

I'm honestly not sure what all that has to do with the odds of Pittsburgh experiencing a population boom--I think we'd all acknowledge that if Pittsburgh does experience a boom, it would be a break from the recent past. I might also note that a boom in the City itself would likely help out its fiscal situation considerably.