Westinghouse Park Planning Process Begins
The Westinghouse Park 2nd Century Coalition (WP2CC) and the Point Breeze North Development Corporation (PBNDC) are pleased to announce they have jointly received a Neighborhood Initiative Fund (NIF) grant by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) to work toward the creation of a master development plan for the park.
This collaboration creates a mechanism for working with Pittsburgh’s Department of Public Works, City Planning, other expert entities, and the community to develop the criteria for soliciting requests for proposal for a master plan for the park.
Supplemented by additional support from ICON Development, the project is expected to run from July 2020 through May 2021.
The plan will focus on four key elements:
1) Recreation and Relaxation: Neighbors and community members currently use the park for myriad reasons, bicycling, strolling, jogging, dog walking, and socializing. Its playground is popular with families. The plan seeks to enhance and expand those activities and experiences. For example, the existing, 60-year-old, concrete block structure, built over the remains of George Westinghouse's laboratory, is unattractive, decrepit, and insufficient for neighborhood needs. It should be removed, relocated, and replaced. An academic design project by graduate students at CMU’s School of Architecture has generated 11 visions of how a new community building might look.
2) Historic and Cultural Significance: “History Happens Here” is more than the park’s motto. From 1871 to 1918, it was the site of "Solitude," the Pittsburgh home of George Westinghouse, including his private underground laboratory. In addition to a lengthy list of luminaries who visited, myriad historic events actually occurred there. Preliminary archaeological studies indicate the probable presence of numerous artifacts at the site of the house, the lab, and the 220-foot-long tunnel that connects them.
3) Environmental Stewardship: The 10-acre park contains lawns, pathways, and many magnificent trees, including several planted by George Westinghouse some 140 years ago. The park also provides an opportunity for storm water mitigation. In addition to preservation of historic elements of the landscape and beautification of the Park overall, the plan will explore possibilities for incorporating features such as rain gardens, bio-swales, permeable pathways, and other green infrastructure into the design. Since the park is a primary headland for the Negley Run watershed, PW&SA and Alcosan will also consult and contribute to the plan.
4) Community Building: Westinghouse Park attracts visitors from beyond the immediate Point Breeze North neighborhood. The current connection with Homewood is a decrepit footbridge over the rail/bus way, which is made less accessible by multiple flights of stairs. Similarly, relatively few Point Breeze neighbors cross Penn Avenue to visit the park. This project will engage and involve park stakeholders on both sides of those division lines. It will establish and support a positive, cooperative relationship with the new sports facility now being developed at Homewood Field. The plan will also consider the new residential and commercial development at the former Lexington Technology Park, one block away.
Community participation is the essential element in this planning process, and a range of activities will be implemented over the coming months to nurture and quantify that participation. A series of meetings and park events are also envisioned to take place, as allowed by evolving Covid 19 concerns.
For developments, please check the Westinghouse Park web site (www.westinghousepark.org) or follow us on Facebook at Westinghouse Park.