 |
 |
CONSOL ENERGY CENTER Overview In March 2007, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was agreed to among the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Allegheny County, City of Pittsburgh, the SEA, and the Lemieux Group LP to finance the development of a new multi-purpose arena. In November 2008, the final project budget was established at $321 million. The Consol Energy Centerris owned by the Sports and Exhibition Authority (SEA) and master leased to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins had primary responsibility for design and construction. A team of professional service firms was put in place to manage the construction process. Populous (formerly HOK Sport) was designated by the Penguins as the principal architect. ICON Venue was hired by the Penguins to provide Developer's Representative services and a joint venture PJ Dick-Hunt served as at risk Construction Manager. The SEA contracted with a joint venture, Oxford-Chester Engineers, to provide Owner Representative Services.
The arena ensures that the Penguins hockey team will remain in Pittsburgh for 29.5 years following completion of the arena,, and will also provide an exciting venue for large concerts and other events. The arena will seat approximately 18,087 hockey fans at capacity, approximately 1,000 more than the Civic Arena. The development of the arena was divided into 3 separate projects. These are:
Key Facts
The arena has three public entrances:
A site plan and further descriptions can be found in the Master Plan. The arena's project cost is $321 million. The $321 million includes both soft and hard costs. $290 million is funded by a 30 year revenue bond issue and backed by annual payments of $7.5 million from the Pennsylvania Economic Development and Tourism Fund, $7.5 million from the Pittsburgh casino license holder, and $4.1 million annual rent from Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins and the Commonwealth are responsible for $15.5 million and $10 million, respectively. The SEA is responsible for $5.5 million which is funded by a $2.75 million loan from the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County (RAAC) and a $2.75 million loan from the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (URA). In addition, the Consol Energy Center received a LEED-Gold certification from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), making the building the first LEED certified NHL arena. Schedule
Master Plan The SEA, the Department of City Planning, and the Penguins initiated a public planning process to engage neighborhood residents and key stakeholders in developing a Master Plan for the new arena. The Penguins hired Urban Design Associates (“UDA”) to manage the public planning process, which included community participation meetings & focus groups, Contextual Design Advisory Panel (CDAP) briefings, Planning Commission (PC) briefings and hearings, and submission of a master plan. The public planning process was extensive in scope. On November 14th, 2007, UDA delivered the initial Master Plan submission to the Planning Commission on behalf of the Penguins and the SEA. More information and documents related to the arena's public planning process can be found on the City of Pittsburgh 's Department of City Planning website.
Last Updated 4/11/11
|
