Carrie Furnace in Rankin/Braddock (Pittsburgh, Swissvale: crime rate, homes, neighborhood)

[raubre]

A friend of mine said she heard that they want to develop another lifestyle center (like the Waterfront) on the old Carrie Furnace site in Rankin/Braddock (not sure which neighborhood it's in.) Anyone heard any truth to this? If it is true, I guess it could be good for the community, but the crime rate is already high in Bradock, I'm not sure if it would work. Maybe if more artists would discover Braddock it could be the next big thing (like what could be going on in Lawrenceville or Garfield.)

(Sorry to ramble )

[BrianTH]

Last I knew the County owned the land, and was in the final stages of environmental cleanup and running in water, sewer, and storm drains. After that they plan to market it to developers, around mid-2010. I believe they are thinking more South Side Works than Waterfront, meaning more residential/office/tech park than retail.

I think the site actually straddles all of Pittsburgh, Swissvale, and Rankin, but really it is its own thing. I think part of the plan is to reopen a hot metal bridge across the river (ala the Hot Metal Bridge to South Side Works), and also connect it by trail to Duck Hollow, and from there to Frick Park and Downtown. They also want to build a flyover to the newly-renovated Rankin Bridge. They are trying to get stimulus money to fund all that.

[mr.davon24]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Last I knew the County owned the land, and was in the final stages of environmental cleanup and running in water, sewer, and storm drains. After that they plan to market it to developers, around mid-2010. I believe they are thinking more South Side Works than Waterfront, meaning more residential/office/tech park than retail.

I think the site actually straddles all of Pittsburgh, Swissvale, and Rankin, but really it is its own thing. I think part of the plan is to reopen a hot metal bridge across the river (ala the Hot Metal Bridge to South Side Works), and also connect it by trail to Duck Hollow, and from there to Frick Park and Downtown. They also want to build a flyover to the newly-renovated Rankin Bridge. They are trying to get stimulus money to fund all that.

Sounds too good to be true..

[Pitt Chick]

Originally Posted by raubre

If it is true, I guess it could be good for the community, but the crime rate is already high in Bradock, I'm not sure if it would work.

That is exactly what people said when hearing about plans for The Waterfront in Homestead.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by mr.davon24

Sounds too good to be true.

It is a great vision. The immediate question is whether they will get stimulus funding for the big road and bridge projects--and they might, because this fits right into what the stimulus money is supposed to be going for. The longer term question is whether they can sell the land to a developer who shares the vision and has the funding to make it work. I have no idea, but it doesn't seem implausible to me: this is a good location, so if the County isn't looking to make a killing on the sale, why not?

[groar]

i heard at some point that they were actually going to preserve the furnace. am i totally off?

i have fond memories of sneaking in there and climbing around on the furnace, but they've ramped up security in recent years.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by groar

i heard at some point that they were actually going to preserve the furnace. am i totally off?

Nope, you are right. It is already a National Historic Landmark, and they have talked about turning it into some sort of museum/exhibit.