Penguins' Hotel Deal Near Arena Gets OK

Reshaping Of Uptown Pittsburgh, Hill District Continues

UPDATED: 7:46 am EST December 17, 2008

PITTSBURGH -- Plans to build a luxury hotel near the Pittsburgh Penguins' new arena were approved Tuesday by the city's Planning Commission.

The hotel will be built next to Consol Energy Center, which is under construction across the street from Mellon Arena. It's the first major development in the new arena agreement between the Pens and Horizons Property Group.

"We're very excited about it. It's the first step in the arena being a revitalization for the entire region. We're excited that we're moving forward this quickly," Pens president David Morehouse said in October, when the deal was announced.

The Penguins' letter of intent for the project calls for 135 rooms, a full-service restaurant, a barista bar and conference facilities.

"This hotel will create jobs. it's one of the things that we talked about when we were talking to the community and the public officials. This will create jobs, will create an expanded tax base. The next step for us will be the Fifth Avenue retail space that will be built into the arena," said Morehouse.

The team hopes to bring a new look to downtown Pittsburgh along Centre Avenue by the start of the 2010-2011 hockey season.

"It calls for a reconnection of the uptown area with downtown and, doing so, reconnecting the hill with downtown Pittsburgh," Morehouse said.

So far, there's no word on which chain will operate the new hotel.

Joe McGrath, of Visit Pittsburgh, said the city still needs a mega-hotel linked to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center to compete for national conventions.

"A headquarters hotel that matches the size and demand of that convention center -- Pittsburgh still needs that," McGrath said.

Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato said the city hasn't given up on the idea of a larger hotel near the convention center, and will be seeking a new round of proposals for such a project.

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