15211.org

Councilwoman Smith recently met with Mr. Craig Cozza of Grandview Avenue vacant lot fame and representatives from the MWCDC and was kind enough to share a synopsis of the meeting with us. (If you’re not familiar with Mr. Cozza’s role in the development story in our neighborhood, you can check out some of the media coverage [...]

I’ve been hesitant to write about the former Mr. Magoo’s Variety Store at 100 Boggs Avenue for several reasons. First, I know that trying to get the funding necessary to renovate a rundown building or construct something new on a vacant lot is difficult in this tight credit market. And secondly, we haven’t been privy [...]

Typically I reserve this space for more newsworthy items and less Mountain Girl commentary because it’s the community’s forum, not mine. But today, I’m going to offer an opinion on two topics because they’ve been dominating the comments and message boards and crowding our e-mail inbox.
The Edge
A contentious debate seems to be going on [...]

It’s no secret that we here at 15211.org are 100% FOR the “One Grandview (The Edge) Project”. We also know that the majority of our readers are in favor of it also. 
If you haven’t heard the MWCDC has created a petition to show support for this project. If you would like to sign it, please [...]

From the Tribune Review:
Pittsburgh and Dormont police have charged two teenagers suspected of tagging at least 31 Brookline homes and businesses with graffiti, authorities said today.
The Brookline residents were taken into custody and questioned by Dormont police in February, and their tags — “Herme” and “Rens” — were entered into a graffiti tracking system and [...]

It looks like McArdle Roadway did not make the cut on PennDOT’s ambitious project list for 2009. Check out the bridges and roads that will be repaired here.
I’d be interested to hear how these decisions were made. Perhaps McArdle Roadway repairs can be paid for via some other funding vehicle. For those of us that drive it [...]

Sandy Fundy thought she was battling vandals while sprucing up her neighborhood. Turns out, she and other Mt. Washington residents unknowingly were breaking federal law. READ MORE.

According to an article by Diana Nelson Jones in today’s Post-Gazette, the MWCDC will have another tool in their arsenal to fight blight in the neighborhood thanks to Rep. Don Walko. The Abandoned and Blighted Property Conservatorship Act, 13 years in the making, is expected to be signed into law by the Governor and could remedy [...]

Friends are visiting from out-of-town this week and made mention of the vacant lots on Grandview, which made me start wondering what’s going on with them. Can anyone give us an update on Mr. Cozza’s plans for those properties? And what is the latest with The Edge? Last we heard, Mr. B had a zoning [...]

The last thing I want to do is criticize a writer on the angle s/he chose for a story, but I’m a bit confused about Sam Spatter’s decision to lead an article about The Edge development with the Grand Staircase. I wasn’t at the interview with Mr. Desmone though and maybe he was the one [...]