Demolition prep set to begin within days at Penn Plaza

Whole Foods, offices, apartments in the works

Workers are set to undertake demolition preparations April 1 for the controversial Whole Foods Market redevelopment effort in East Liberty, a lawyer confirmed Friday.

Actual demolition should follow in about three months at the remaining Penn Plaza apartment building, said attorney Jonathan Kamin, who represents Pennley Park South, an affiliate of developer LG Realty Advisors. But the timing of any new construction appears uncertain amid an ongoing court fight between his client and Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto’s administration.

The parties remain locked in a legal dispute over plan approval while the last Penn Plaza tenants prepare to vacate by their Friday deadline. Mr. Kamin said he had “no idea” when new construction may start. First-phase plans include the upmarket grocer, 200 apartments and 12,000 square feet of offices.

“We have contractors ready to start” pre-demolition prep work late in the week, Mr. Kamin said. He said the group would not do full demolition “with people in the building.”

As of Friday, two residents still at Penn Plaza had yet to line up their next homes, although both have been offered housing, Mr. Kamin said. A spokesman for Mr. Peduto estimated that fewer than 10 remain out of more than 200

Joseph James requested formal legal briefs by midApril.

In the meantime, a remaining Penn Plaza tenant, Franklin Means, 71, said he suffered through a ceiling water leak in his kitchen. He said he wasn’t sure if it was sewage or clean water seepage that cost him $350 in soaked food and utensils.

The steady drip appeared to vanish late last week following a visit from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, about two weeks after the problem first emerged, Mr. Means said.

“I think they neglected the fact that [some] tenants are still here,” he said.

Mr. Kamin said Mr. Means failed to report the leak until it became serious and that he repeatedly impeded access to maintenance staff — an account that the tenant rejected. A lease agreement required Mr. Means to have renter’s insurance, Mr. Kamin said. He said the plumbing was fixed.

“I’m sorry that there was a leak,” Mr. Kamin said. “It could have been better handled if he had actually provided access to the property.”