Sharpsburg seeks nearly $25 million in federal grant money to aid private developer

Sharpsburg officials have applied for a $24.4 million federal grant to help with transportation infrastructure for the Allegheny Shores development.

Council unanimously voted at a special meeting April 9 to seek the grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s RAISE program, which stands for Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity. RAISE grants invest in road, rail, transit and port projects that have a significant local or regional impact, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Council President Adrianne Laing declined to comment about the grant application.

Allegheny Shores is the master planning project of The Mosites Co., a Pittsburgh-based real estate development and property management company.

Allegheny Shores spans about 1.5 miles on about 52 acres through Sharpsburg, O’Hara Township and Aspinwall along the Allegheny River. The proposed mixed-use development is expected to have 500 housing units, light industry and retail shops.

Land acquisition began in 2015 under the name Riverfront 47. It was originally 47 acres, but the project grew the past few years into a larger scale development.

No construction has taken place because there is no access to the sites.

The developer plans to use the money to build streets, sidewalks, bike lanes, recharging stations for electric vehicles, stop signs, traffic control devices and related amenities, according to Lynn Colosi, vice president of the consulting firm Delta Development Group and funding plan coordinator for Allegheny Shores.

Other related upgrades include improvements to the intersection of Main and 13th streets in Sharpsburg and to the existing roadway, tunnel and sidewalk down to James Sharp Landing.

Mosites entered into a public-private partnership April 9 with Sharpsburg in an effort to seek the federal funds, and the developer pledged to cover the 20% match to whatever the federal government awards. Only a public entity can apply for a RAISE grant, which must be used for infrastructure.

“What the beauty is with the RAISE grant is it allows you to take a huge bite of an apple,” she said. “It allows you to complete a whole bunch of stuff at once.”

Colosi said RAISE grant projects would be limited to Sharpsburg and O’Hara since Aspinwall’s portion is mostly park and green space.

Mosites sold six acres in Aspinwall to the Allegheny RiverTrail Park, formerly Aspinwall Riverfront Park, in July 2021, which expanded the park.

Colosi called RAISE a highly competitive grant with about 1,500 applications submitted nationwide and about 100 projects getting funded.

Construction could still be done without the grant, but it would be in sections based on available funds and likely take longer.

“If we don’t get a RAISE award, we’ll implement a different strategy,” Colosi said.

“The project’s too important to the community to let something like that stand in the way.”

Company President Steve Mosites said he has confidence in his project’s chances of getting a RAISE grant.

“I’d put it up against any project that’s competing against it,” he said.

“All in all, and what the leverage is and the upside for the overall region and the community, it’s going to transform people’s access to the water.”

Deadline to apply for the grant was April 14.

Federal officials announced the opening of the program on Jan. 28.

“It’s all for the betterment of items that would increase public access to the space,” Councilwoman Carrie Tongarm said. “While it is a private-owned space with intentions for some elements of private development, we can all agree this isn’t another shopping mall. This isn’t another Homestead. This isn’t another build a Home Depot and call it a day and make your money. There’s a real intention here to bring money into the borough.”

Councilman Jon Jaso said Mosites informed the borough about the grant around April 6.

Council had to call a special meeting to approve the grant application so that it would make the April 14 deadline.

Voting to approve the application took place on a Saturday night because the borough had to meet advertising requirements for the public meeting.

“People have better things to do on a Saturday night than government stuff,” Jaso said.

Colosi explained the development team was working on another grant application and was unable to move forward with the RAISE application earlier.

The other grant was for $4.8 million through the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Economic Adjustment Assistance program for an estimated 1.27-acre public outdoor space at the end of 19^th Street called the Riverfront Village Commerce Center, which is part of Allegheny Shores.

That project is estimated at $6 million. The grant comes with a 20% match, which Mosites will cover, Colosi said.

Jaso noted his support for Allegheny Shores via email after the special session.

“It’s a project that I really hope comes to bear, but it just seems that they have been dragging their feet for years,” Jaso wrote.

The RAISE program was previously known as the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) under President Donald Trump, and Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) under President Barack Obama.

Who would administer the RAISE grant should Sharpsburg receive it has yet to be determined.

“We will still have to decide that, but what I am pushing for (is) a 3rd party nonprofit that has experience with this process,” Jaso said.

“Someone like the Urban Redevelopment Authority or some other entity that would help us with this. I am supportive of the whole project in general.”

Mosites had secured a $9.6 million loan from a private investment fund in February 2019 for preparation of what is now the Allegheny Shores site.