Stadium Authority Considering New Parking Garage Near Heinz Field

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - A possible new parking garage could provide almost 1,000 spaces near Heinz Field.

From restaurants and hotels to corporate offices, a casino and sports stadiums, over the last decade, the North Shore has been booming with new development. But there is at least one drawback to all of that development: these new businesses are being built on land people used to park on. But now, there's a plan to build something to help, right in the slice of real estate near Heinz Field.

Part of Lot 1 near Heinz Field could be the next parking garage with construction only months away.

From the time the Three Rivers' dust settled, the intention was never two stadiums and a sea of parking.

"The plan was to create development there and gradually replace those surface spaces with structured parking," said Mary Conturo, executive director of the Sports and Exhibition Authority.

And to that end, structured parking arrived. Development grew and surface lots like Gold Number Two went from 1,200 spaces down to 200.

"So development has progressed," Conturo said, "and it's now time to do the next structured parking facilities."

And none too soon. The development and the North Shore connector have created a parking crunch on the North Shore, where by late morning, the number of spaces is, according to Alco Parking president Merrill Stabile, "not many."

"That's the whole thing," Stabile said, "is that, what happens when all of a sudden they're gone? And then there's nothing and sooner or later, you have to built for the future."

So the corner of Lot 1, right by the T tracks and Art Rooney Way, will sprout the next parking garage.

"We're looking at a five-story garage that would have about 800 spaces," Conturo said, "and that would create 600 new spaces in the area."

The footprint of the new garage will take out 160 existing daily spaces, initially making the daily crunch even tighter.

"Any kind of construction project, there's short-term pain for long-term gain," Stabile said.

Stabile says the construction will take out only 13 percent of the Lot 1 spaces.

"Lot 1 will continue to have a considerable amount of surface parking," he said.

Conturo says some relief could come next summer. The Sports and Exhibition Authority is considering not renewing Allegheny General Hospital's employee parking agreement in the West General Robinson garage, and that would open up about 700 spaces. Look for construction of the new garage next spring, with it open for business in the spring of 2017.

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