Planning commission again rejects Citizens Bank's plans for East Liberty branch

Pittsburgh’s Planning Commission this week unanimously voted against a proposal to tear down and replace the Citizens Bank in East Liberty.

Citizens Bank — which opened a branch at the site in 2002 and later closed it in March 2020 — proposed tearing down the existing structure and replacing it with a new building better tailored to their needs.

Previously a Mellon Bank branch, the building at 6112 Penn Ave. was constructed in 1969 and 1970.

The building was nominated for historical designation, which was recommended by the city’s Historic Review Commission and Planning Commission. City Council, however, voted against the historic designation in July 2021.

The bank had previously been denied a similar proposal to demolish and replace the structure last fall, and returned to the Planning Commission with a revised plan.

They “love the location,” but felt the existing two-story structure — which is about five or six times the size of a typical Citizens Bank branch — didn’t match their needs, said Michael Knipper, executive vice president at Citizens Bank.

He said the building has housed a bank since at least the 1940s, and Citizens was hoping to continue operating a bank there in a new, smaller building.

Their plans call for a new one-story, 2,6000-square-foot building at the site, said Bruce Bisbano, the principal architect on the project.

Planning commissioners and members of the public voiced concerns for tearing down the existing building, which some view as a landmark for the East Liberty neighborhood.

“I understand that this is not a historic building,” Commissioner Becky Mingo said, referring to the lack of an official historic designation. “It is still, however, a significant building, a significant structure and a significant place.”

The proposal for a new building, she said, does not match the significance of the existing structure.

Efforts to include a nod to the existing building were not enough to appease those who wanted to see the existing structure remain intact.

A plan to use salvaged slabs of granite from the existing building to create a wall along the parking lot was “especially offensive,” said Brittany Reilly, who sits on the board of directors of Preservation Pittsburgh and chairs the Pittsburgh Modern Committee.

The plan, she said, would “obliterate a unique, existing, quality building” and replace it with one that “does nothing to reflect Pittsburgh, its people or its history.”

Skip Schwab, deputy director of East Liberty Development Inc., said he felt arguments about the bank’s history became irrelevant after City Council denied historic designation. he credited Citizens Bank and their development team for their willingness to work with the community to create “concessions” with their design.

“They have been, I think, very active and engaged with the broader community,” Schwab said.

In a presentation given to the Planning Commission, Citizens Bank said the new building design is “meant to be more engaging at the pedestrian level” and tie into the surrounding neighborhood with its use of glass and brick.

Mingo, however, argued that the proposal’s request for an additional curb cut would have a negative impact on pedestrians and bikers.

Because of that — and concerns regarding visuals and the historic nature of the existing building — Mingo said she did not feel the proposal “fits the criteria for approval.”

The commission unanimously voted to deny the project without prejudice, leaving the door open for Citizens Bank to rework their plans to again bring an updated proposal before the commission.

Commissioners Jennifer Askey, Dina Blackwell and Sabina Deitrick were not present for the vote.