Tribune-Review
Bloomfield project plans unveiled
Tony LaRussa
Wednesday, March 23, 2005

Plans for a 13,000-square-foot retail development in Bloomfield, to be known as Centre Plaza, were unveiled Tuesday afternoon before the city Planning Commission.

Walnut Capital of Shadyside plans to build a single-story building at the corner of Centre and Millvale avenues on the site of a shuttered gas station across the street from a Pep Boys auto parts store.

Three apartment houses on Centre Avenue would be torn down to make room for the project. Earlier Tuesday, City Council approved a measure changing the zoning for the apartment houses, which contain a total of 19 units, from residential to commercial use.

The new building would house a Qdoba Mexican Grill, a Supercuts hair salon and a dental office. Negotiations also are under way for a coffeeshop to occupy another retail space, and there might be room for an additional retail business once the project is completed, said Anthony Dolan of Walnut Capital.

The structure would be built as a "tall" single-story that would allow tenants to add a mezzanine if they wish to expand. Dolan did not have an estimate for how much the project would cost. Work is expected to begin in June and take a year to complete.

Architect David Morgan, who designed the project, said he was trying to achieve an "urban" feel by using brick, limestone and granite. The storefronts come right to the sidewalk in an attempt to make them more inviting to pedestrians.

Parking for 48 vehicles will be to the rear and side of the building to avoid making it look like a store in a suburban strip mall, he said.

Window areas are designed with stainless steel and black metal marquees over them, and the main entrance would feature a black canvas awning.

Bob Reppe, the city's zoning administrator, hopes the project will serve as "a model for future projects" because of the approach the developer is taking in its design as well as the level of concern for preserving architectural features from the apartment houses, which once were large single-family homes.

"We are trying to find a balance between the need to tear down the buildings to move the project along and taking the time to remove treatments such as leaded glass that are worth saving," Dolan said.

Money from the architectural features that are salvaged and sold is to be used to pay for artistic treatments on the building designed by local artists.

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