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So it’s that time of year again Mt. Washingtonians. First Night Pittsburgh….where fellow Pittsburghers and out-of-towners hanging on to the last vestiges of Christmas join us on our mountain top for the last Zambelli display of 2008. Here are the road closures and public transit routing plans for everyone planning to head downtown or inviting people to head up. We here at 15211 wish you all a happy, healthy and hopeful start to the new year!

Street closures

Our friends from the Post-Gazette e-mailed a list of key street closings, which start at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow (December 31) and remain closed until about 1:00 a.m. on Thursday.

• Penn Avenue from Stanwix Street to Tenth Street
• Stanwix Street from Liberty Avenue to just before the entrance of the Ft. Duquesne Parking Garage
• Sixth Street from Liberty Avenue to the Ft. Duquesne Garage
• The Seventh Street Bridge and Seventh Street between Liberty Avenue & Theatre Square Parking Garage
• Eighth Street from Liberty Avenue to the 8th Street Parking Garage; and
• Ninth Street from Liberty Avenue to the 9th Street Garage

Check the Post-Gazette’s Traffic Report for the most up-to-date info on traffic conditions.

PAT detours

Detours on Downtown routes will begin at approximately 10 a.m. and continue through the conclusion of regular service. Downtown street closures affecting bus routings include:

• Penn Avenue from Stanwix Street to Tenth Street
• Stanwix, Seventh and Ninth streets from Fort Duquesne Boulevard to Liberty Avenue
• Tenth Street from Fort Duquesne Boulevard to Liberty Avenue (inbound lane only)

Port Authority will operate holiday service on Thursday, January 1, 2009, New Year’s Day. Customer Service will be open from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. and the Downtown Service Center will be closed.

It’s probably best to go directly to PAT’s site to figure out if your bus stop or schedule has been modified.

Image courtesy of George Cannon Photography.

As we struggle with shopping lists and invitations, compounded by December’s bad weather, it is good to be reminded that there are people in our lives who are worth this aggravation, and people to whom we are worth the same.

- Donald E. Westlake

According to an article in today’s Post-Gazette, East Liberty Development Inc. (a non-profit community development corporation) is rehabbing an entire block of the neighborhood (near Highland Park) with private builder, S&A Homes. My immediate reaction was “Why aren’t we doing that?!” until I read a little further. In an area where houses are valued at approximately $50K, prices on homes in the new development will start at $240K. Additionally, they will be designed, built and marketed like planned developments in the suburbs. 

And so it goes with the development pendulum. It seems to be either all or nothing. In this case, the “all” being cookie cutter homes that price a lot of people out of the neighborhood. I suppose when faced with this choice or vacant homes and empty lots that the former is preferred. But there are other alternatives.

Growing smart

Communities across the country (Hillsboro, Oregon for one) have successfully embraced smart growth principles, which include creating a range of housing choices for diverse lifestyles and socioeconomic levels. While it’s beneficial for communities to partner with the private sector, most developers draw from their experiences in suburban development and are not well-equipped to lead compact, mixed use development initiatives. This is likely because they’ve never had the financial incentive to do anything other than build three or four prototype homes and fill an entire swath of land with them. With these types of houses also come driveways, garages and large front yards, none of which fit well into the urban landscape.

So what’s a neighborhood to do?

What came to mind for me after reading Diane Nelson-Jones’ entire article are the three townhomes that sit on Bailey Street in our neighborhood. I don’t begrudge anyone the luxury of having the biggest, most beautiful home they can afford. But why live in an urban community if you’re going to wall yourself off from it? Let’s leave the gates, walls, fences and homogeneity to the suburbs. If we put our heads together, we can figure out how to encourage development without demolishing all of the reasons we chose to live in Mt. Washington.

As a wise 15211 reader (aptly named Common Sense) pointed out, there are gifts to buy in Mt. Washington. How about:

A gift basket from Packs and Dogs. You get to pick from a variety of seasonal and import beers that you can’t find at just any beer distributor. And the recipient will be so appreciative and impressed by the originality and creativity of your gift that they will share.

Mountopoly. Who cares about Park Place when you can buy a lovely property on Shiloh Street in Mountopoly? Give it to the person who’s getting the Packs and Dogs basket and make it a drinking game. And the money does go to a good cause (the MWCDC), which is ultimately you if you think about it.

A gift card from the Shiloh Inn. It’s a restaurant with a fancy schmancy air, but not unreasonably priced and sometimes there’s even live music.  Not to mention the interesting story attached to it about the alluring Mrs. Soffel and Ed Biddle played by Mel Gibson. You could actually buy the DVD and gift it with the gift card. Or is that overkill?

Grand Brew treats. Grab a big gooey cinnamon bun and coffee as a treat to yourself for being so nice and buying everyone presents. Maybe buy a few more pastries to take to your pals at work.

Eiseltown gifts. Candles, plants and lottery tickets. It’s a mom’s and grandma’s delight.

And then wrap it all up with paper, gift bags and bows from Lucky Bucks.

It’s the five days of Christmas (due to the economic downturn, we can’t afford 12) Mt. Washington style!

The Pittsburgh City Paper’s “Best of 2008″ issue was released this week. Mt. Washington captured some of the top spots in categories we would expect to sweep because of that darn spectacular view. I’ve listed them here, but I encourage you to check out all of the “Best Of” winners and City Paper staff recommendations.

Best fine dining
1st Eleven / Strip District
2nd Le Mont / Mount Washington
3rd Monterey Bay / Mount Washington and Monroeville

Best romantic restaurant
1st LeMont / Mount Washington
2nd Monterey Bay / Mount Washington amd Monroeville
3rd The Melting Pot / Station Square

Best seafood restaurant
1st Monterey Bay / Mount Washington and Monroeville
2nd Mitchell’s Fish Market / Waterfront and Mount Lebanon
3rd Original Fish Market / Downtown

Best place to take an out-of-towner
1st Mount Washington
2nd The inclines
3rd Primanti Brothers / various locations

I guess it’s nice to get a shout out, but let’s work on Mt. Washington getting into categories other than “Restaurants most of us can’t afford on a regular basis” next year. We need to create a thriving neighborhood (with new businesses and the like) that people think about as a destination for more than birthdays, weddings and one-a-year holiday parties.

Of note, the staff named Mt. Washington-based poetry publisher Autumn House Press “Best Indie Poetry Publisher”. Even though writing may not be your thing, it’s kewl that a renowned national publisher chooses to call our community home.

MWCDC meetings can get frustrating at times, but ultimately (and especially with the new members of the board), decisions are made and actions are taken. Imagine having to try and get consensus among 6 different community groups in order to get anything accomplished? Well that seems to be the reality in Bloomfield as of late.

According to a Post-Gazette article about the project, community members opposed some of the details of the developer’s plans for a multi-million dollar hotel complex on Liberty Avenue at the site of the former Don Allen car dealership. Points of contention included the height of the building and how exits and entrances would affect neighborhood traffic patterns. Hmmm, sounds vaguely familiar.

This is not to say that those aren’t perfectly legitimate concerns, but unfortunately they weren’t addressed to the community’s liking and the project’s been put on hold. And so it goes. When does the potential economic benefit for the whole of the community trump the few people worried about how they’re going to get in and out of their driveways?

Hi all. Two quick things:

• The PNC branch on Shiloh Street is having a Holiday open house on Thursday, December 18 from 10 am to 4pm. There will be complimentary gift wrapping, a children’s coloring contest, games, food & refreshments, and also a chance to win a $200 gift card. All are welcome.
• A 15211.org reader thinks he lost his glasses on Grandview Ave. or at the top Sycamore before going down to the South Side. If you’ve seen them, please use the contact form or e-mail us at 15211org@gmail.com. Thanks.

As is happening to some degree in cities across the country, Pittsburgh area non-profit organizations are suffering. The federal government and state governments have tightened their purse strings and revenue streams that non-profits used to be able to count on are disappearing.

In response, The Pittsburgh Foundation has launched an emergency funding mechanism called Neighbor-Aid. Neighbor-Aid will attempt to help non-profits meet the sharp rise in demand for necessities–food, shelter, transportation and utilities–until which time the economy rebounds.

Non-profit organizations can submit project proposals through the Neighbor-Aid web site and an advisory committee will assess requests on a case-by-case basis. Donations are being accepted for the fund at The Pittsburgh Foundation’s web site. Consider helping out if you can. Your generosity will benefit people that may be living right here in our neighborhood.

Another candidate for District City Council 2 threw her hat into the ring formally today, according to an article in the Post-Gazette. Ms. Georgia Blotzer of our very own Mt. Washington joins the three people we mentioned yesterday in the Feb 3 special election.

If you don’t know Georgia, join her at the Chatham Village clubhouse on Thursday evening. You can meet her, get her take on some of the issues you feel strongly about and mingle with her supporters.

It’s been said that Mt. Washington hasn’t been represented on City Council for over 60 years. So that means, the most visited spot in Pittsburgh for tourists hasn’t had a dedicated advocate since before the polio vaccine and Three Rivers Stadium!