Support growing for eco-hotel, condos atop Mt. Washington
Friday, June 19, 2009 at 01:00PMPittsburgh Tribune-Review - June 19, 2009
By Chris Togneri
A long-vacant, crumbling eyesore atop Mt. Washington soon could be replaced by an eco-friendly hotel and condominium complex.
Developer Steven Beemsterboer intends to raze the former Edge Restaurant — which sits next to the Monongahela Incline and is visible from Downtown and the South Side — and build a 110-room hotel on Grandview Avenue with 50 condominiums on the hillsides below.
Though the project will require the site to be rezoned because it would be taller than current regulations allow, support is growing.
"It's good for the neighborhood and for the city of Pittsburgh," said Councilwoman Theresa Smith, who represents Mt. Washington. "I am in total support of the project."
About 45 people at a Mt. Washington Community Development Corp. meeting Thursday night voiced support for the project. After hearing an update on the proposal, Beemsterboer and Downtown architect Luke Desmone were roundly applauded.
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