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Updated 2 hours ago
A $940,000 state grant to upgrade the Brilliant Avenue entrance to Aspinwall Riverfront Park could be used instead to turn Eastern Avenue at Freeport Road into a shared-access route to the park and the proposed Riverfront 47 commercial development.
Aspinwall Councilman Trip Oliver at a Wednesday meeting asked members to vote to shift allocation of the grant to the Eastern Avenue reconstruction project, providing that the R47 developer meets several conditions. The proposal is expected to be considered for a vote at a council meeting next week.
“It's weird that the money was given to us to fix the park entrance and now that a developer came in, it's being asked to be changed,” resident Heth Turnquist said.
Park Board President Trish Klatt said members of her group support development of the access road as a safer alternative to the Brilliant Avenue entrance.
“From the park's perspective, we want it moved,” she said of Eastern Avenue.
Other opponents of building the access road for the park and commercial development were quick to criticize the proposal.
“Reallocating a grant paid with taxpayer dollars (and) intended for park improvements, to create an entrance to a commercial mega development so that R47's developers may profit from the marketing cachet and financial benefits of an Aspinwall address, would be misguided,” said Jan Beumer, a member of Priority Aspinwall, a group that opposes redesigning Eastern Avenue.
Oliver told the audience that state Sen. Randy Vulakovich, R-Shaler, who helped secure the grant, is urging council to put the money to use or risk losing it in an unsteady economy. Vulakovich was not available for comment Wednesday.
Riverfront 47 is a partnership of The Mosites Company and Fox Chapel residents Susan and Currie Crookston. They plan a development that could include housing, retail space, offices and light manufacturing along the 1.5-mile property that parallels the Allegheny River from Aspinwall to Sharpsburg. Mosites has proposed redoing Eastern Avenue as a shared access, and in return would give up land to extend the park's walking trail.
Beumer said shifting the money would represent the first step in advancing plans “that would be detrimental to the safety and quality of life of this community.
“While we fully support responsible development, the path to true progress for Aspinwall will not be paved with Eastern Avenue,” he said.
Council President Joe Noro said the resolution would be available by Monday to view on the borough's website at aspinwallpa.com. Council will meet at 7 p.m. Feb. 8 in the municipal building along Commercial Avenue to consider the proposal.
The proposal would require the developer by June 30 to agree to keep construction vehicles off borough-owned roads during construction and to pay for traffic studies in the area. The proposal also requires approval by Norfolk Southern Railway, which the access road would cross.
Tawnya Panizzi is a staff writer for the Tribune-Review. Reach her at 412-782-2121, ext. 2 or at tpanizzi@tribweb.com.
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