SECOND SKATE
Ice rink back in plans for old Hunt Armory
An ice skating rink is back at the forefront of the plans to redevelop the historic Alfred E. Hunt Armory in Shadyside.
The Mosites Co. and partners David Light and Lafe Metz have been selected by the Pittsburgh Urban Redevelopment Authority to move forward with a plan to turn the cavernous armory into a fullsize hockey rink and a smaller “studio” rink.
As part of the proposal, the development team also is planning 30,000 square feet of office space, 100 to 115 parking spaces, and firstfloor retail and classrooms. In the summer, depending on the demand for ice, the rink could remain or could be converted into an all-sports surface for soccer and other field sports.
URA board members are expected to vote Thursday on whether to authorize up to six months of exclusive negotiations with Mosites and its partners for the possible sale of the 93,671square-foot facility, which once was a storage center for weapons and ammunition.
It marks the second time the URA has entertained a proposal for an ice rink at the site. It’s an amenity that many Shadyside residents have been clamoring for. But an earlier plan to redevelop the building into an Olympic-size ice rink collapsed when the developer was unable to secure financing.
“If we do get the vote, we’ll give it our best shot. It’s a lovely building. We’d love to bring some life back to it,” said Steve Mosites, president of the Mosites Co.
Mr. Mosites said his team has been consulting with the Pittsburgh Penguins on the plan. The team recommended a smaller “studio” rink to complement the regulation-size surface, he said.
The goal, he added, would be for the Penguins to operate the rink and for Mosites to manage the office component, which could be
related to health care.
“We needed someone who could operate and understand the ice. [The Penguins] do that and they do that in Cranberry very well,” he said, referring to the team’s UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex.
The Penguins would not be investors in the project but are open to a management role.
“The Penguins organization would love to see another hockey rink in the region and, in particular, we would like to see one in the city. We are very supportive of the efforts of Mosites and their partners to make that happen,” said Travis Williams, the Penguins’ chief operating officer.
Mr. Mosites did not have an overall development cost for the proposed plan.
URAboard member Jim Ferlo, a former city councilman and state senator who nominated the armory for a city historic designation, said that some of the details of the Mosites plan remain unclear but that he supports moving ahead.
He noted his main concerns are the building’s preservation and getting it off the books of the URA, the current owner. “Overall, I think it’s a positive step forward,” he said.
A minimum $1.8 million sales price has been set for the building, but Mr. Ferlo said there may be an effort afoot to get that reduced. The state, which previously owned the armory, would get 80 percent of the proceeds.