Schenley Plaza to be renovated

Recent plans to redevelop the area between Hillman and Carnegie libraries, or Schenley… Recent plans to redevelop the area between Hillman and Carnegie libraries, or Schenley Plaza, into a new “town square” are under way with University support, according to Robert Hill, vice chancellor of public affairs.

The “town square” will include vendor sales, food venues and portable furniture.

According to G. Reynolds Clark, Pitt’s vice chancellor for community and governmental relations, they are a long way from any final decisions and are still in the conceptual stage.

Clark said he hopes to get the project off the ground as soon as possible, especially since it is a “very functional part of Oakland.”

We want to know how that space could be used to better serve Oakland and the Oakland community at large,” Clark said.

Last month, the land use consultants of BRV Corporation of New York City submitted a 30-page report after consulting the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, city officials, the Oakland Task Force, and more than 20 other institutions and representatives from local businesses and community groups, on the usage of the 5-acre plot of land.

The BRV Corp. is best known for restoring Bryant Park in midtown Manhattan, where they took a run-down, drug-ridden park and turned it into a place were people now go on a daily basis for lunch and local events.

“We are planning to move forward to work on how it would look aesthetically and how it would function as a public space,” Clark said.

According to Clark, there is no set date yet because there is still so much to iron out within the framework. There are still a few years of sorting out ideas left.

“We have a lot of ideas but we need to do further investigation on where to go from here,” Maureen Hogan, assistant director of the planning department, said.

Hill agreed that Pitt would be active in the planning of the project.

“[The Schenley Plaza renovation] is not a Pitt project, but Pitt does participate in the Oakland Task Force,” Hill said. “Right now we are still in the style of developing thoughts and concepts.”

According to Hill, there will be a design concept competition in the spring of 2003 for final decisions on the project.

A major concern of the project is the question of traffic and parking issues that have yet to be answered, along with the maintenance of the area and its cost.

But Clark said the plans, once finished, could transform the area completely.

“[We hope to] bring Schenley Plaza back to being the grand entrance to Schenley Park as it once was many years ago,” Clark said.