Greensburg council backs proposal for amphitheater at vacant Pennsylvania Avenue lot

Greensburg officials have endorsed a proposal to transform a vacant lot on South Pennsylvania Avenue into a space for outdoor performances or presentations.

City council on Monday agreed to send a letter of support for the development concept to the Westmoreland County Land Bank. The county organization has assumed ownership of the property at 127 S. Pennsylvania Ave., where a deteriorating building that had housed Derby’s Delicatessen was demolished in 2021.

City Cribs team member Suzanne Ward said her firm is proposing to transform the sloping property to create a small amphitheater that would include a grassy area and a flexible deck that could be configured for indoor or outdoor use.

It would be linked with a yet-to-be-named eatery that is being eyed as one of two tenants in an adjacent building City Cribs is developing that had been occupied by Art-Tech Supplies. RSVP Gifts and More is the other prospective tenant.

Ward suggested the former Derby’s site could be used for a variety of programming, including live musical performances, poetry readings and yoga instruction.

“The idea is it hopefully would bring more people into the city of Greensburg,” she said.

“I personally think this is something the people of downtown Greensburg would certainly enjoy,” city councilman Gregory Mertz said of the City Cribs submission. “It’s a very well-put-together proposal that’s going to add a lot of value to our downtown.”

While City Cribs was the sole party to respond to the Land Bank’s request for proposals for the property, a developer has yet to be selected to enter into negotiations for a project there.

“This proposal met all of our initial expectations in terms of form and content,” Land Bank executive director Brian Lawrence said. “We will be preparing a written list of questions and comments that were solicited by us, from the city, our Land Bank board and staff.

“It is expected that the selected development team will submit full design-build plans within three months of notice of selection, along with a financing package.”

Ward said she wasn’t surprised that no other proposals were submitted, given the rising costs of construction, especially since the arrival of the covid-19 pandemic.

“Construction costs soared through the roof,” she said. “They have started to come back down some, but they’re not where they were back in 2019.”

She said City Cribs will be able to contain costs for developing the Derby’s lot because the deck will be an extension of the former Art-Tech building, which has existing utilities that can be extended.

According to Ward, completion of the Art-Tech building development will remain on hold until City Cribs learns whether its neighboring amphitheater proposal has been approved.

She estimated the firm has invested about $50,000 so far in the building and expects to spend up to $200,000 more to realize the concept for it and the adjacent lot. That doesn’t include what the tenants would spend to finish the areas they will occupy.

Across the street, at 136 S. Pennsylvania Ave., City Cribs has completed a $1.3 million redevelopment of a four-story former furniture store that now houses shops on the ground floor and 10 upper-story apartments that are all occupied. Again, that doesn’t include the merchants’ individual costs.

“I do think there’s a level of trust in working with City Cribs,” Mertz said. “They actually put their money where their mouth is. They’re very good at what they do.”

Council unanimously approved a letter of support for the proposal. Councilmen Gregory Mertz and Donnie Zappone were not present.