Fwd: Re: Truck Access - Proposed Bottom Dollar Store
Stephan Koledin
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: Truck Access - Proposed Bottom Dollar Store
Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2011 12:37:45 -0500
From: Dutch MacDonald <dutchma...@mac.com>
Currently tractor trailers pull in to the site for Shaedler Yesko
(formally Service Electric.) They are leaving because they need more
warehouse space, so the building will be empty, and ripe for some really
low-end thing that does not require variances or talking to the neighbors.
I think that we have learned that we can get more by working with
developers than by stomping our feet. When I think about the hot
opposition to the Clarendon Place project, the Glass Center, and the
Rite-Aid/Eckerd, I am glad that some cooler heads prevailed. Over the 19
years I have been here, we can usually sit down together and hammer out
concerns and get unoccupied buildings or sites occupied in appropriate
ways. By any standard - urban design, economic, property values, crime
prevention - this is preferable to a very large empty building and site.
For example, when we presented our concerns in a rational way with the
RIte Aid Developer, we were able to convince them that the existing
building provided a buffer to the neighborhood and was worth reusing
(they wanted to tear it down and build their standard white, 1 story
box.) We also worked with locating their dumpsters and where tractor
trailers pull in off of Roup Avenue to unload (and yes, sometimes they
block the street for a minute or so.) We were also able to persuade them
to put in a few benches, and to close no later than 9PM.
It is best to get these commitments on both the submitted site plans to
Zoning as well is in a private agreement with the neighborhood
organization (probably BGC in this case.) Ken Stiles can attest how
valuable the private agreement can be when Don Allen did not honor the
commitment to use real stone retaining walls at the Marriott overflow
parking lot. (It can be enforced in court if necessary.)
--------------------------------------
So as I said in earlier emails I would look at the site plans, and I
looked at the 4 plans they submitted. In my opinion, the only one worth
discussing is labeled CP2. This keeps the building on the corner, and
put no traffic onto Coral Street (and might mean that a truck stops
traffic while they enter the site.) My primary concern is that there is
not much landscape buffering at Coral Street. If it were possible to
obtain the A&M Market building, it could help the plan (not only with
more parking) but enable a much more generous buffer at Coral Street, as
well as a wider sidewalk along the eastern (parking) side of the
building and planting strips within the parking lot with tress (like the
Whole Foods lot) this will soften the whole site.
In general, site plan principles I would push for (in the aforementioned
agreement):
* _Building on the Corner_
* _All access from Penn Avenue_
* Maintain existing maturer street trees along Pacific
* Plant street trees along Penn full frontage of site.
* _Get details on fencing and screening along Coral, in particular
get the densest possible tall plantings._
* _Along Penn, make sure there is a planting area at the parking lot
frontage (none is sho_wn)
(If A&M comes into play):
* Add planting strips/trees in the parking area.
* Widen sidewalk along building facing parking, add trees/plantings
and/or benches and TRASH CANS.
As to the building, the existing building is no great shakes: lots of
addition, mismatched brick, bad patching everywhere, bad paint job,
poorly maintained). However it is masonry which is a plus. Things I
would push for:
* Durable materials - brick or metal panel preferred
* _As much glass as possible along Penn Avenue (and some along
parking and Pacific if possible) _
* No large blank wall along Coral and Pacific - even if one material
like brick, should have some relief or joints to break down the mass.
And for operations:
* _Reasonable hours 8A to 8 or 9PM for example_
* _Trash removal in accordance with city law (not permitted between
10P and 6AM)_
* Recycling as per city requirements - Which means two trash
compactors or dumpsters. Primarily for cardboard (Again better of
we could get the A&M into play, more room)
* Engagement with the community (sponsor festivals and events, be a
good neighbor)
* Access to the store manager for issues.
Now we won't get everything we want (I think I learned that in
Kindergarten) but we should be able to get many of the critical things.
The ones I underlined are the ones I think are the most important.
--------------------------------------
From the time I moved here 19 years ago, I have heard people lament the
loss of the Giant Eagle, and the subsequent proliferation of high-priced
convenience stores along Penn. Although it is not high-end, I doubt the
Giant Eagle was either. It is a good sign that any grocer chain wants to
invest here as they avoid or pull out of other areas of the city. One of
the best ways to make sure this is a good business and good neighbor is
to frequent it - it may likely be a good alternative to the craziness of
the Market District.
We just have to make sure they do it right, and are able to enforce the
agreements.
Dutch
Stephan Koledin
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: Truck Access - Proposed Bottom Dollar Store
From: Martha Ann Terry <mat...@pitt.edu>
I am on pretty solid speaking terms with the manager of the Family
Dollar, and they take a delivery from the big semi truck on Wednesday
mornings (other delivery trucks are smaller) - this week the delivery
was on Thursday, but that's not usual.
Martha Ann Terry, PhD
Assistant Professor&
Director, MPH Program
Department of Behavioral& Community Health Sciences
222 Parran Hall
412.624.5887
Graduate School of Public Health
University of Pittsburgh
On 2/11/2011 12:29 PM, Bill Collinge wrote:
>
> I think we need clarification on the number of trucks. Three was
> stated at the meeting, Brant Tillman�s Dec 22 email to Aggie states
> �there are 5-7 deliveries per week before 5pm�. I don�t mean to imply
> a huge difference between say, 3 and 5, but it shouldn�t be hard to
> confirm. Are there delivery trucks of different types & is this
> responsible for the difference? Also does anyone know how often Family
> Dollar gets 18-wheelers like the one from David Nash�s photo? (for
> comparison).
>
> Bill Collinge
>