Urban Open Space in The Lower Hill District

Block F2 Urban Open Space is the westernmost gateway of the Lower Hill Master Plan’s comprehensive Urban Open Space framework that stretches eastward to Crawford Square and the historic Hill District Neighborhood, as well as historic and cultural sites such as the August Wilson House and Freedom Corner nearby. Situated at the corner of Washington Place and Centre Avenue, and stretching to Logan Street, the Block F2 is part of a connected series of open spaces that will link the Lower Hill along the re-established Wylie Avenue corridor to the recently completed Frankie Pace Park and Pittsburgh’s downtown business district, and beyond.
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The landscape design is molded into the site’s steep topography and uses a series of switchbacks pathways to facilitate universal accessibility throughout the space. It draws on the Lower Hill PLDP’s sustainability strategies, using the open space for stormwater management and infiltration, as well as a primary native planting and a rich palette of materials that complement the other public open space improvements in the Lower Hill.

​This Final Land Development Plan (FLDP) for Block F2 Urban Open Space is part of a cohesive and contiguous framework of parks and public spaces for the Lower Hill redevelopment. Block F2 is a 1.27-acre tract that will extend the open space now under construction and approved as part of an earlier FLDP submittal for Block G4 and will provide community gathering spaces featuring an event lawn, overlooks, informal amphitheater, seating terraces, gardens, plazas, and pavilions which support active and passive uses. Block F2 will also provide continuous universal accessibility throughout the entire site from Washington Place to Logan Street when fully built out. The proposed uses and programming conform to and are consistent with the recent Preliminary Land Development Plan (PLDP) Amendment approved by City Planning in January 2023.

Development Activities Meeting
​November 20 | 6:00 pm | Zoom Link here

Join us for a presentation on the Block F2 Urban Open Space being hosted by the Hill District Consensus Group, Hill District Community Development Corporation and the Hill District Collaborative November 20th at 6:00 pm for a Development Activities Meeting.