Thursday, November 13, 2008

Thursday: Your Local News

Tax Abatement
Myspace Glitter Graphics; h/t Trib, Andrew Russell

Lest we forget. Now today, here is the Trib's take:

Pittsburgh's strategy to lure people to live Downtown with the promise of 10-year tax abatements is showing signs of success, city officials said Wednesday.

Bearing a gift basket of Merlot, biscotti and bags of gourmet coffee, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl welcomed Todd and Dorna Palcic to their new two-bedroom condominium...

Darned if that isn't the news. Now in the P-G's take, compare this:

The 16 families that have bought at 941 Penn are the first to get the benefit Downtown; a handful of homeowners in other neighborhoods are enjoying it.

"We have to do a better job of marketing it," said Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, as he visited 941 Penn yesterday. "Long term, we're going to have families living here in Downtown and some of our other neighborhoods that are eligible for the tax abatement."

To this:

"We're getting a lot of out-of-towners" who like the proximity to Downtown and the tax break, said Mr. DePasquale. "I don't think it would move forward as rapidly" without the break, he added, noting that he's now planning a 30-home project.

We're getting the impression this was a lot of sound and fury signifying rather little in the grand scope of encouraging residential growth.

But wait!

Mr. Ravenstahl said there's a "larger-scale development" under way in the West End that will use the program.

Smells like news.

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No mention here of gentrification and the apparently rapid transformation of East Liberty. It's a complicated subject -- a Target in town, taken on it's own, does seem pretty positive. (P-G, Mark Belko)

PNC continues to be um ... good. (P-G, Patricia Sabatini)

I'm already convinced. Now what about our many commonses that are not piled high on Wood Street? (P-G, Edit Board)

A sign of life on county council! (Trib, Jim Ritchie)

Oh, now I see why Ruth Ann Daily doesn't get Barack Obama! And why the Post-Gazette seems so sullenly resigned to its fate! (P-G, Ruth Ann Daily)

AND FINALLY: Malik Rahim just came to town from New Orleans to receive honors from the Thomas Merton Center. So you think you know what to expect, right?

What was your reaction to Barack Obama's victory?

None, other than to say that history was made. And now it's: How we can really come up with a plan to clean our environment, and then second, do something to save our economy without just giving bailouts to the rich?

Read it. (CP, Adam Fleming)

12 comments:

  1. Do you think a new (proposed) strip club in the West End will put a damper on the new housing project there?

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  2. Ah, glad you mentioned that, Mark. I heard a Rumor. Rumor has it, the young squire has given up his bid to open a strip club at that location. Instead, he now intends to open a massage parlor with all-nude service providers at that location. Yup.

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  3. Instead, he now intends to open a massage parlor with all-nude service providers at that location.

    His parents must be so proud.

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  4. His father is the superintendent of the West Mifflin school district.

    Bram I heard the same rumor and I was going to post it on my blog.

    I don't think the Strip Club/massage parlor will affect the plans.

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  5. A massage parlor!!! Whooo hooo! That will actually make the cess pool of crap that is the west end seem almost upscale.

    What a great investment in the community for the better!

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  6. what is this big plan in the west end? where is it? what is it ?

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  7. I dunno. Ask Rich Lord. Ask the Mayor. I assume it would have to go into a district previously designated as Abatement-worthy.

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  8. No one has been able to figure out where this development is. No one knows.

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  9. P-G says a larger scale development "under way". Let's take that at face value. What largish scale developments are currently under way in the west end?

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  10. None right now but I did find out what this development is and it's nice.

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