Pittsburgh City Council advances new master plan for Allegheny General Hospital
Pittsburgh City Council is poised to approve a 10-year institutional master plan for Allegheny General Hospital.
This comes after council members in September heard mixed opinions from North Side residents about the plan, which includes potential developments on the hospital’s site.
The master plan lays out a plan to convert all patient rooms to private rooms.
It shows that the hospital is considering constructing new buildings at Sandusky Street and North Avenue, James Street and North Avenue, and James and Hemlock streets. The hospital has not finalized plans for development at any of those sites yet.
Hospital leaders said they anticipate growth in AGH’s cardiac, neuro, surgery and medicine departments over the next decade.
The plan suggests moving the hospital’s helipad to the roof of the Snyder Pavilion building, which hospital leaders said could reduce noise for nearby residents.
The city’s Planning Commission recommended the institutional master plan in June, despite concerns from some residents about helipad noise, parking availability near the hospital and the impacts of additional construction projects on nearby neighbors.
Hospital leaders have said they would continue working through those concerns with the community.
“I’m happy to see AGH’s commitment to the discussion around what they can do to make it more livable for the residents around there,” Councilman Bobby Wilson, D-North Side, said ahead of a preliminary vote Monday. “I appreciate AGH’s leadership on making sure they’re heard, and they’re going to minimize impact.”
Wilson acknowledged that there were “many people, individuals and entities” that voiced their support for the master plan, as well as those who had concerns.
All council members present Monday supported the measure in a preliminary vote. Councilmen Ricky Burgess, D-Point Breeze; Bruce Kraus, D-South Side; and Anthony Coghill, D-Beechview, were not present for the vote.
Council is expected to take a final vote on the proposed master plan next week.
Julia Felton is a TribLive reporter covering Pittsburgh City Hall and other news in and around Pittsburgh. A La Roche University graduate, she joined the Trib in 2020. She can be reached at jfelton@triblive.com.
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