PITTSBURGH -- Designs for Pittsburgh's slot machine casino have been modified to meet concerns raised by Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, and ground could be broken on the project before the end of 2007.

Asked to describe the plans for his future building on the North Shore, casino owner Don Barden quipped, "They'll see something much more attractive than Heinz Field."

New plans call for the Majestic Star Casino on the North Shore to qualify as a "green" building, Barden said Friday in Pittsburgh.

Smoking will be prohibited, except for the gaming floor. It's possible that a portion of the gaming floor would be nonsmoking, but that has not been decided, Barden said.

"There won't be smoking in our restaurants," Barden said. "There won't be smoking in our meeting spaces and part of the casino. We'll get into the details as we proceed with our construction."

Also, the facade of the casino and large, attached parking garage will have a more visually pleasing appearance than it did in the original plans, according to Barden.

"The top of the casino level and the top of the garage, we're coming up with some type of decorative façade for that," he said. "So, that will have an attractive appearance from all directions."

Barden, the head of PITG Gaming, announced the new details at a downtown news conference with Ravenstahl and Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato.

"Right now, it's full steam ahead," said Barden. "We expect to break ground sooner than later. We're mobilized. We have a lot going. We've been working quietly behind the scene."

Construction should be completed within 16 months after groundbreaking, Barden said.

Earlier this week, Ravenstahl said the plans for the garage were too large and would dwarf the $450 million casino.

He was also unhappy about the original arrangements that would not have banned smoking.

"I'm satisfied with the meeting that we had today," Ravenstahl said on Friday. "I'm comfortable from the commitments that Don has made in order to achieve a good solution."

"Every time he's (Barden) asked to participate, he shows up," said Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato. "He participates financially, and he's done everything this community has asked him to do, and I want to thank him for that."

Last week, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Steelers settled their differences with the casino over traffic concerns.

Barden said there's no blame for the city or the county in casino construction delays. But he said the lawsuits by the Steelers and Pirates caused $300 million in lost wages and tax revenues.

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