1.35 Million Dollars Granted to Pittsburgh For South Side Works Dock

Pittsburgh received $1.35 million to build a dock for boats and other recreational water vehicles between the Hot Metal Bridge and 27th street. The docking facility will run approximately four blocks, from the Hot Metal Bridge to 25th Street, with vehicle access where an extended 27th Street hits the Monongahela River. It will be part of a $10.5 million park, parts of which will be constructed this year.The project will begin this year with the building of a park and concluded in 2011. It will be part of the South Side Works, which will add the recreational water park to its commercial and business development. From what I've seen this is well needed down there because I don't think the South Side Works is doing to well. There have been at least three to four business's that have closed down there including Kenneth Cole and Sharper Image. The business space has not all been rented yet, and the residential space's rent has been skyrocketing to make up for the loss. The problem in my eyes is that they really didn't offer anything that was worth paying for parking. Most of the stores are already in malls, and the ones that aren't fail to draw enough people down there. Aside from Puma and Urban Outfitters you can go to the mall and get the same stores. The rent is too high to bring in stores that can appeal to young people. Further, there are no young people in Pittsburgh to support something like South Side Works. It is a perfect example of Pittsburgh's issues. We don't have young professionals with expendable incomes. If we did they would shop in the South Side Works. Instead the stores are closing. Its sad, but maybe the addition of a park with an amphitheatre will help. I used to live down there and have always said that they need to bring people in, and make it more boutique and less corporate. Boutiques can't pay the high rent, so only chains corporations can open stores.  A nightclub, Armani Exchange, and concert venue are three things that I have always thought would have really made the South Side Works into the destination that it was trying to be. The Cheescake Factory can't do it all.