Salt Lake City mayor visits Pittsburgh to talk redevelopment

PITTSBURGH — The Steel City’s accomplishments and challenges are the focus at this meeting of the minds.

“I’m gonna learn a lot from Pittsburgh, but mostly look forward to getting out there,” said Mayor Erin Mendenhall of Salt Lake City.

Mendenhall and the Salt Lake City Redevelopment Agency are visiting Pittsburgh to take back what works and learn from challenges.

What do Pittsburgh and Salt Lake City have in common? A lot of things: size and median house income just to name a few.

“Pittsburgh has been through a lot. You didn’t start with a clean, blank slate to create those neighborhoods that we’re exploring today, and that character is beautiful. It’s part of the history and it gives you a sense of place,” said Mendenhall.

Affordable housing is a challenge in both cities.

“There is a significant vacancy downtown with our buildings and I think we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg with downtown vacancies,” said Susheela Nemani-Stanger of the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh.

Nemani-Stanger says those commercial vacancies might provide housing solutions.

The visit with Mendenhall includes a tour of the Kaufmann Center, a historic building in the Hill District that recently expanded with 2,500 square feet more space to house ACH Clear Pathways, an afterschool arts program for children in the community.

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