Live Nation, Penguins to build new concert venue at Civic Arena site

The Civic Arena is the storied repository for many area residents’ concert and sporting event memories.

The building with the retractable roof closed in 2010 and was demolished by 2012. But, following an announcement from Live Nation Entertainment, music will soon be heard in Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and development partner The Buccini/Pollin Group say in a release that Live Nation intends to anchor a 90,000-square-foot live entertainment venue on the 28-acre site.

The hockey team owns the site’s development rights, and announced tentative plans for its use in October.

“It’s the first time that the Penguins development team has actually advanced development on the site,” Kevin Acklin, the hockey team’s general counsel, said at the time. “This is going to be hard. This is going to be a multiyear process. This is the first time that you’ve ever seen this level of development in the Lower Hill District.”

Constructed above an underground 850-space public parking garage at the intersection of Wylie Avenue and Logan Street, the venue’s design will feature a “three-in-one” concept.

Including an enclosed seating area for club and theater performances, the property also will offer an adjacent outdoor amphitheater lawn. Operators anticipate the venue to be in use for more than 200 nights a year between ticketed shows and corporate events.

With a capacity of up to 6,600, the venue is expected to fill a gap for midsized live music venues in Pittsburgh, and enable the city to attract acts who find a “suitable midsized venue” lacking, the release states.

“There will not be another venue like this in the region, and we expect it will become the entertainment anchor for the Lower Hill, drive significant business to nearby restaurants and contribute to the rich fabric of live music in Pittsburgh,” Penguins CEO David Morehouse said in the statement.

“Ever since we established our full-time office in Pittsburgh, we’ve been focused on adding a music venue within the urban core of the city,” added Tom Loudermilk, president of Live Nation Pittsburgh. “We believe this venue will complement the existing set of venues throughout the market to further enhance the live music experience for all fans.”

The Penguins remain in discussion with local entertainment operators about establishing adjacent intimate jazz and live entertainment concepts along Wylie Avenue.

“We are thrilled to partner with Live Nation to bring live music back to Wylie Avenue in the Lower Hill, at the center of jazz history in our city. This announcement builds upon our existing partnership with FNB Corporation to develop a new office tower, and creates even stronger momentum on our site,” Acklin added on Thursday.”

Mixed use

Planners compare the new venue with two similar enterprises anchoring mixed-used districts: The Anthem in Washington, D.C., and Toyota Music Factory in Irvin, Texas.

As part of an overall $1 billion private investment in the Lower Hill, the music venue and public parking garage $120 million mixed-use development on a 2.5-acre site.

Project plans also include:

• 17,000 square feet of ground floor commercial space, including more than 1,200 square feet fronting Wylie Avenue provided at no cost for the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Catapult Program

• Up to 34,000 square feet of second and third floor retail space along Wylie Avenue

• 285,000 square feet of public parking garage

According to the statement, the project will increase parking capacity and provide more than $400,000 annually in city amusement taxes.

The project also is expected to produce approximately $5.3 million in Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance benefits that the development invests in the Greater Hill Reinvestment Fund.

As part of the music venue development agreement, the Penguins and Buccini/Pollin Group will build a new public safety building, estimated at $1.2 million, on the parking garage’s Bedford Avenue side, to relocate Rescue 2 and EMS 14.

“Live Nation’s 20-year commitment to this project will serve as the second entertainment anchor, along with PPG Paints Arena, and bring this transformational project one step closer to fulfilling its vision,” said Buccini/Pollin Group co-presidentChris Buccini.

The project “will complement the recently announced FNB Tower,” and create demand for additional retail and entertainment development, BPG Vice President of Development Boris Kaplan added in the statement.

Groundbreaking is expected this summer, with Live Nation and retail businesses planning occupancy by early 2022.