Teh One Who Knocks
09-09-2021, 10:35 AM
By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS)
https://i.imgur.com/8Jq8sPVh.jpg
Another move is afoot to try to sell the closed State Correctional Institution Pittsburgh on the North Side, two years after Manchester Bidwell Corp. backed out of a deal to buy it.
State Sen. Wayne Fontana, D- Brookline, has advanced legislation that would set up a competitive process to accept proposals for the sale of the 20.2-acre property in the Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood.
The bill, which has been approved by the Senate, also involves the sale of the former warden’s house on Shadeland Avenue about a mile from the old prison. A couple has offered to buy the house for $140,000.
Unlike the warden’s home, there is no sale pending for the prison, once known as Western Penitentiary. It opened in 1882.
But Fontana and state Rep. Jake Wheatley, D- Hill District, who is overseeing the bill in the House, believe the site could attract the attention of developers.
“We think we have several interested parties that could make something significant happen at that site,” said Wheatley, whose district includes the old prison closed in 2017.
The property has been in limbo since September 2017 when Manchester Bidwell Corp. voided an agreement it had with the state to buy the former correctional facility.
Fontana, whose district also includes Western Pen, and Wheatley acknowledged that there is work that needs to be done to make the property more marketable. That likely includes asbestos and soil remediation issues that need to be resolved, Fontana said.
They are hoping to get funding from Gov. Tom Wolf to help with such efforts.
https://i.imgur.com/gt1xJlXh.jpg
Beyond that, the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t helped efforts to market the property. Before it hit, a group from New York had an interest in perhaps turning the site into an entertainment center, Fontana said.
While some of that interest now appears to be rekindling, it hasn’t reached the serious stage, Mr. Fontana acknowledged.
“There are people who want to see it, look at it and tour it,” he said. “That’s about it.”
The legislation did not list a price for the property. It requires the Department of General Services to select the proposal that “offers the best value and return on investment.”
The only thing the legislation bars from being considered is a casino or another type of gambling facility, Fontana said.
Troy Thompson, a General Services spokesman, said the prison is being maintained at a cost of about $600,000 a year, which is being paid by the state Department of Corrections.
Although the facility has been shut down since 2017, it hasn’t gone totally unused: Netflix, Showtime, and Amazon all have used the site for filming in recent years.
https://i.imgur.com/8Jq8sPVh.jpg
Another move is afoot to try to sell the closed State Correctional Institution Pittsburgh on the North Side, two years after Manchester Bidwell Corp. backed out of a deal to buy it.
State Sen. Wayne Fontana, D- Brookline, has advanced legislation that would set up a competitive process to accept proposals for the sale of the 20.2-acre property in the Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood.
The bill, which has been approved by the Senate, also involves the sale of the former warden’s house on Shadeland Avenue about a mile from the old prison. A couple has offered to buy the house for $140,000.
Unlike the warden’s home, there is no sale pending for the prison, once known as Western Penitentiary. It opened in 1882.
But Fontana and state Rep. Jake Wheatley, D- Hill District, who is overseeing the bill in the House, believe the site could attract the attention of developers.
“We think we have several interested parties that could make something significant happen at that site,” said Wheatley, whose district includes the old prison closed in 2017.
The property has been in limbo since September 2017 when Manchester Bidwell Corp. voided an agreement it had with the state to buy the former correctional facility.
Fontana, whose district also includes Western Pen, and Wheatley acknowledged that there is work that needs to be done to make the property more marketable. That likely includes asbestos and soil remediation issues that need to be resolved, Fontana said.
They are hoping to get funding from Gov. Tom Wolf to help with such efforts.
https://i.imgur.com/gt1xJlXh.jpg
Beyond that, the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t helped efforts to market the property. Before it hit, a group from New York had an interest in perhaps turning the site into an entertainment center, Fontana said.
While some of that interest now appears to be rekindling, it hasn’t reached the serious stage, Mr. Fontana acknowledged.
“There are people who want to see it, look at it and tour it,” he said. “That’s about it.”
The legislation did not list a price for the property. It requires the Department of General Services to select the proposal that “offers the best value and return on investment.”
The only thing the legislation bars from being considered is a casino or another type of gambling facility, Fontana said.
Troy Thompson, a General Services spokesman, said the prison is being maintained at a cost of about $600,000 a year, which is being paid by the state Department of Corrections.
Although the facility has been shut down since 2017, it hasn’t gone totally unused: Netflix, Showtime, and Amazon all have used the site for filming in recent years.