A six-mile stretch of land northeast of downtown Pittsburgh is getting ready for a big transition. What is currently the Allegheny Valley Railroad Right-of-Way will be the future home to the Allegheny Riverfront Green Boulevard.

The boulevard could include riverfront park access, neighborhoods, kayak and boat access, and a multi-use rail corridor capable of transporting people to offices or entertainment downtown.

Rob Stephany, executive director of the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh, said that the first public planning meeting is this evening from 6:00-8:00 PM in the Strip District. 

“Consultants will be there explaining the process, talking about some of the early existing conditions, findings that they’ve found, and going to start to engage the community on wants and desires, and what their visions are of finally, after several hundred years, maybe being able to reconnect back to a river,” Stephany said.

Stephany said that consultants have been developing ideas for months. He said that the planning project will take place over the next year, and is made possible by a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and the Department of Transportation.

Stephany said that the project is really exciting. “The notion of turning everybody’s back door into a front address is really a catalyzing idea,” said Stephany. “Especially the notion of doing something that’s a block and a half away from the river’s edge.”