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case study, click here. Stages of Proposed Site Development
Environmental Information on the Site
| Site: | Former Duquense Slag Co. slag dump along the Monongahela River, "Nine Mile Run" |
| Location: | In Pittsburgh, between the communities of Squirrel Hill and Swisshelm Park |
| Size: | A maximum of 134 developable acres on a 238 acre site |
| Features: | Two large slag heaps cross-sectioned by Nine Mile Run |
| Owner: | Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) of Pittsburgh |
The Nine Mile Run stream valley got its name during the French and Indian War. "Nine Mile" refers to the distance between Dagworthy's Breastworks, a fort built in 1758 at the mouth of Nine Mile Run, and a colonial trading post, Loyalhanna. (Walkinshaw, 1939) After the war, this land was deeded to Elias Davidson in the Revolutionary Army and was later broken into several smaller parcels. However, most settlers following the Monongahela river valley up from Maryland and Virginia preferred to live closer to Fort Duquense. (Pittsburgh Press, 1950) Consequently, the stream valley remained undeveloped until the early nineteen hundreds.
Because of easy river access and rich coal deposits, industry and manufacturing plants flourished along the Allegheny, Ohio and Monongahela rivers in late 1800's, and by 1920 Nine Mile Run was bordered by four growing residential communities. It was because of its central location that the Citizens Committee for City Planning chose Nine Mile Run as the best place in the City of Pittsburgh to create a large recreational facility. Their Parks Report, published in 1923, called for the creation of an artificial lake, a golf course, a country club, a baseball field and walking trails to serve the surrounding communities. (Citizens Committee, 1923)
Shortly after this report was published, however, the Duquense Slag Company purchased the entire west bank of Nine Mile Run for the creation of a slag dump, known today as the "Nine Mile Run" site. (Duck Hollow Web Page, 1995) Slag is a by-product formed in smelting from impurities in the metals or ores being treated. Shipped by barge from the Jones & Laughlin steel mill and shipped by rail from the mill in Rankin, the slag heaps grew to heights of 150 feet up until the late seventies. At this time, debris from the construction of I-376 became the last additions to the heap. (Duck Hollow Web Page, 1995)
In 1974, the first study to determine the feasability of developing the slag heap was conducted by Geo-Mechanics, Inc. for the Duquense Slag Company. (Monessen, 1974) It identified traffic access as the most important factor in site development.
In August of 1982, the City of Pittsburgh's Department of Planning submitted a Nine Mile Run Development Proposal. It suggested that 71 acres be used to develop up to 618 residential housing units, while another 45 acres be appropriated for office, research and development, and light industrial uses. The plan also set aside a large area for recreational use, including a marina along the Monongahela River. (City of Pittsburgh, 1982) At this time, however, no private firm opted to develop the site.
In 1987, J.J. Gumberg Co. obtained an option to buy the site from Duquense Slag Co. The developer had plans to construct a shopping center and office complex that would cost up to $400 million and consist of 3 million square feet of retail space, four major department stores, four office buildings, and a hotel. (Spatter, 1989) GAI Consultants were hired in 1988 to do a traffic study, and concluded that "the construction of the (Parkway) interchange is essential to full development..." (GAI, 1988) With I-376 already intersecting their communities, citizens protested against the possibility of another large highway. Without the Mon-Fayette Expressway through Pittsburgh, the plan never proceeded forward.
In June of 1994, it was disclosed that the City of Pittsburgh was interested in developing the site into a residential neighborhood. (Rotstein, June 2, 1994) In November of the same year, the city's Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) agreed to purchase a one year option to buy the site from Standard Lafarge, the company that owns Duquense Slag, for $100,000. (Post Gazette, 1994) The city also agreed to pay $10,000 to Bet-Tech International, the company that already held an option to buy the site. (Gannon, November 1994)
In October of 1995, the city voted to exercise their option to buy the 238 acre site for $3.8 million. (Barnes, 1995) Cooper Robertson & Partners, a New-York based consulting firm, was hired to study the development options,(Rotstein, October 1995) and in April of 1996, they released their Master Plan Report for the site. A nine member team, headed by Rubinoff Co. and Montgomery & Rust Inc., was then chosen in June to develop the site. (Barnes, 1996)
In April of 1996, the New York-based firm of Cooper Robertson & Partners released their Master Plan Report for the site. It detailed a new community consisting of 950 to 1,150 housing units, 115,000 sq. ft. of retail space, an elementary school, and 54 acres of streets and open spaces. (Cooper, 1996) Once the initial site regrading and landscape remediation program has been established, the plan consists of four construction phases over a period of 10-15 years. (Cooper, 1996) Each phase would see the construction of 200-300 housing units ranging in price from $130,000 to $350,000.(Rotstein, 1996) A nine member team, headed by Rubinoff Co. and Montgomery & Rust Inc., was then chosen in June to develop the property. (Barnes, 1996)
The remediation of the land will consist of two phases. During Phase One, the stream will be partially culverted and the site will be regraded, considerably reducing the steepness of the slopes. The undevelopable slopes will then be remediated and planted at the same time that wetlands in Frick Park will be constructed. During Phase Two, remediation of the soil in developable areas will occur simultaneously with the four phases of new housing construction. With each phase of housing development, the first one being in the NE corner of the site near Forbes Ave and Beechwood Blvd, streets, parks and utilities will be constructed. (Cooper, 1996) City officials' preliminary cost estimates for preparing the site for housing construction range from $30 million to $60 million. (Rotstein, November 1995)
Chester Environmental, a consulting team hired in 1994 for $289,000, released the Phase I Environmental Site Assessment in January of 1995. (Rotstein, October 1995) It concluded that no environmental or engineering impediments existed that would inhibit residential development on the slag. The subsequent Phase II Assessment, released in November of 1995, confirmed this. The Phase II Assessment did reveal a level of chromium in the slag in excess of the December 1993 DER Cleanup Standard, but this Standard is based on long-term ingestion by a child. Final residential landscaping requires covering the slag with soil to permit vegetation, thereby limiting the chance of ingestion. (Chester, November 1995, "Phase II")
During the course of the Phase II Assessment, the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority (ALCOSAN) initiated a detailed engineering inspection and review of the sewerage problems of Nine Mile Run. The Allegheny County Health Department had noted problems with the stream as early as 1982,(Chester, November 1995, "Sewer Study") but little was done due to a lack of cooperation from the municipalities responsible. Field investigations during the Phase II Assessment revealed that portions of the Nine Mile Run trunk sewer are in poor condition and are in need of major repair. The damage results in frequent sewage discharge into the stream and corresponding high fecal coliform levels. The total projected cost of rehabilitating the sewer system was estimated to be $2.6 million. (Chester, November 1995, "Sewer Study") Additionally, a flood plain area upstream of the Nine Mile Run site in Frick Park is being considered for the development of wetlands which would biologically filter the stream water. (Cooper, 1996)
For a more detailed version of this
case study, click here.