February 11th, 2010
Reports the Tribune-Review:
It’s up to Braddock’s elected officials to make the next move on the future of the borough’s abandoned hospital, Allegheny County officials said yesterday.
With the county’s $29 million plan to raze and redevelop the closed UPMC Braddock sitting on the table, and the hospital now empty for almost two weeks, both sides are hoping to meet soon and decide the facility’s future. Borough council spent last week panning the county’s plan, and so county officials now want to hear from those elected officials about what they would prefer, Economic Development Director Dennis Davin said.
Council President Jesse Brown said he’s asked to meet with County Executive Dan Onorato next week. Brown, like many hospital advocates, is pointing to a consultant’s report, released Friday, that laid out five options for reusing the hospital as evidence the 270,000-square-foot building can survive. He wants to propose putting a MedExpress, a family clinic, a drug store and convenience store inside.
“There has to be a drive for somebody to make a buck in there. That’s what’s really missing,” said Bob Hurley, the county’s deputy director of economic development. “It’s easy to come up with a scenario (for the building). But it’s difficult to get funding for it.”
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