Pittsburgh Sports N'at

[Art2Gecko]

Barden scales back casino plans for now
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
In a bid to save money, representatives for Don Barden presented plans today to delay construction of an outdoor amphitheater and dock at the North Shore casino.

PITG Gaming LLC, Mr. Barden's company, is seeking to delay the construction of the amphitheater, a dock and an access path until the third year of casino operation.

Architect Michael Stern told the Pittsburgh Planning Commission this afternoon that the casino also would be limiting the amount of brick on a riverfront promenade to a small area in front of the casino and would pave the rest with a light-colored concrete. Originally, all of the promenade was to have been brick.

The casino also is eliminating a criss-crossing sidewalk just east of the building and replacing it with a lawn.

Casino spokesman Bob Oltmanns said the changes were made to save money and to keep the project within its $780 million budget. He said the amphitheater, path and dock would still be completed in a second phase of construction.

Mr. Oltmanns said the changes were unrelated to Mr. Barden's struggles to secure financing for the project. That effort has led to a work stoppage at the site.

The Riverlife Task Force objected to the change in plans, saying the amphitheater and dock were part of what got Mr. Barden the casino in the first place.

"They're cutting every single amenity out that was part of the incentives they presented to the Planning Commission and the Gaming Board [to get the license]," Riverlife attorney Cliff Levine said.

More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
First published on July 1, 2008 at 2:44 pm