Allegheny General Hospital's 10-year development plan gets recommendation of Pittsburgh planners

Pittsburgh’s Planning Commission voted Tuesday to recommend a long-range development plan for Allegheny General Hospital, despite hearing concerns from nearby residents.

The proposal now moves to City Council for final approval.

The long-range development plan, or master plan, includes the potential construction of new buildings within the hospital’s existing North Side campus, though officials reiterated there are no concrete plans to build anything yet.

The hospital — which has 524 beds and sees about 24,000 inpatient visits and 300,000 outpatient visits a year — plans to see growth in its cardiac, neuro, surgery and medicine departments over the next 10 years, according to information presented to the Planning Commission. The 10-year development plan aims to address potentially changing needs for the hospital.

It includes a focus on transitioning to entirely private patient rooms, a need that became particularly evident during the covid-19 pandemic, according to Mark Nussbaum, the hospital’s CEO.

The master plan also proposed three potential sites for new buildings within the hospital’s existing campus. The proposed potential development sites sit at Sandusky Street and North Avenue, James and North streets, and James and Hemlock streets.

Officials did not provide specifics about the potential uses or designs of the buildings, but plans show the new structures would not be taller than buildings already on the sites.

Another element of the proposal suggests the hospital may move its helipad to the roof of the Snyder Pavilion building, a move that officials said would reduce noise for the surrounding community without changing flight routes.

The plan also focused on reducing the number of employees who drive to work by promoting environmentally friendly options such as biking or taking public transit.

During the public comment portion of Tuesday’s meeting, community members offered mixed reactions to the plan.

“I think the (master plan) and everything within the plan is a great thing for our people and our businesses and our overall community,” said Gina Grone, executive director of North Side/North Shore Chamber of Commerce.

The plan also was endorsed by the Neighborhood Community Development Fund and the North Side Leadership Conference, whose executive director, Dana Fruzynski, said she felt the plan kept local residents in mind.

“We are confident that if this institutional master plan is passed, the hospital will come back to the neighborhoods” to garner additional feedback and address remaining concerns,” she said.

Other residents voiced concerns about parking and traffic difficulties and complained about the noise from helicopters coming in and out of the hospital.

Several residents said they were worried about the impact of potential construction on nearby residential areas and questioned whether the noise would disrupt people working from home and whether construction vehicles would take up already hard-to-find parking spaces.

Richard Smith, who lives near the hospital, was one of several residents who said he wished the master plan offered more specifics on what construction and new developments might look like.

“It’s not very clear how (the master plan) is going to be panned out,” he said.

Commissioner Becky Mingo acknowledged that the hospital is working on a “tight site” and she appreciated the struggles Allegheny General faces in moving ahead without expanding its physical footprint.

The commission voted to recommend the master plan to City Council and also recommended hospital officials continue working with the community to address concerns and provide further information about potential next steps.