How North Shore Went From No Man's Land To Budding Business District

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – It's the grand opening on Pittsburgh's North Shore.

A homegrown chain, Burgatory, is now serving burgers, shakes and more from its fifth local restaurant, right in the middle of what's become red-hot real estate between Heinz Field and PNC park.

It joins a bunch of restaurants already in the area, catering to sports fans, office employees and tourists. And there are several more to come.

But how did we get here? What made the North Shore take off when it had been dormant for decades?
Three Rivers Stadium was supposed to bring development, but for three decades, it sat in the middle of a sea of parking lots.

But when it came down, everything started to change.

Today there are two stadiums on the North Shore and the space between them is full of hotels, corporate offices and restaurants. Burgatory is only the latest addition.

"It's great down here now," said Josh Becker of Mt. Washington. "With all the new restaurants and everything, this just opened today."

Today, the North Shore is a place where people can sleep, work and eat, as opposed to just seeing a ballgame.

What's the reason behind the success?

For starters, the two sports teams were given favorable development rights, with one proviso: use them or lose them.

The teams were under deadlines to develop, but with the new stadiums and millions of fans suddenly coming over, bar and restaurant tenants were not hard to fine.

The feds, state and the foundations also chipped in in reclaiming the rivers, footing the $14 million bill to landscape the beautiful Waterfront Park – and funding the T's North Shore connector.

"We have Big Heart Pet Brands," said Jay Sukernek with Riverlife. "We have Starkist and we have PJ Dick and People's Gas. A number of employers that have chosen to locate here because of the amenities that their employees want."

No longer a parking lot, the North Shore is alive and generating the excitement of a destination.

"I think it's beautiful," said Elizabeth Compelio of New Castle. "And I think people come down to use and it seems people enjoy what's going on down here."

Public-private partnerships that have reclaimed the waterfront. It's been a recipe for development that has succeeded on the North Shore when other efforts have failed in the past.

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