North Side residents offer mixed opinions on Allegheny General Hospital's proposed development plan

People in Pittsburgh’s North Side expressed mixed opinions about Allegheny General Hospital’s potential development plans for the next decade during a City Council public hearing Wednesday.

The potential development plans, contained in AGH’s proposed 10-year institutional master plan, earned the support of the city’s Planning Commission in June. None of the would-be developments mentioned in the master plan have been finalized or formally proposed by the hospital.

They include the potential construction of new buildings within the hospital’s existing North Side campus, with possible development sites at Sandusky Street and North Avenue, James and North streets and James and Hemlock streets.

The master plan notes the hospital anticipates growth in its cardiac, neuro, surgery and medicine departments over the next decade. It also lays out a plan to convert all patient rooms to private rooms so people don’t have to share their hospital rooms.

The master plan’s most contentious idea among residents suggests moving the hospital’s helipad to the roof of the Snyder Pavilion building, a move hospital leaders have said could reduce noise for nearby residents because it would move the helipad higher off the ground.

Allegheny General CEO Mark Nussbaum said the hospital has been trying to address resident concerns about the existing helipad. No changes would be made without first conducting necessary sound studies to determine the impact on nearby residents, he said.

Joan Kimmel, who lives a block from the hospital, said she’s often bothered by “the almost debilitating noise of the helicopter” and the “smell of burning fuel oil.”

Kimmel said she can’t enjoy time outdoors in her neighborhood because of the medical helicopters and urged the hospital to move the helipad to Snyder Pavilion and add sound baffles in an effort to direct noise away from residents.

David Cerone argued that moving the helipad to Snyder Pavilion would bring the helicopter landing zone closer to his home, which he felt would “put undue burden on the residents of my street.”

Cerone’s suggested that the hospital could offer to buy nearby homes and help homeowners relocate elsewhere.

“The hospital should consider just making offers to neighbors for the properties that are going to be highly impacted by the increased noise pollution, the increased air pollution, all the workers that are going to be moving into our neighborhood during construction,” Cerone said.

Nussbaum said the hospital is trying to work with community members to alleviate any concerns. Officials aren’t planning to expand the hospital’s footprint beyond its current site, he said, and no new buildings will be taller than what is already at the campus.

Rebecca White, another neighbor, said she’s growing frustrated with the multitude of construction projects that have happened at the hospital campus in recent years, including cancer center renovations and work on a parking garage.

“There’s always something going on,” she said. “Obviously, it’s disruptive.”

Other residents said they felt AGH was a good neighbor and a valuable community asset.

Ken Turnbull, pastor at Allegheny Center Alliance Church, said he feels the hospital has been communicative throughout the process and lauded its efforts to work with the community.

“It’s been a really amazing blessing for our church to be directly across the street from the hospital,” he said. “I see the level of collaboration so much higher and the level of trust so much higher.”

“AGH has been very cooperative and collaborative throughout this whole institutional master plan process,” said Douglas Kamper, who serves as the president of the East Allegheny Community Council.

He said he was sympathetic to neighbors’ concerns, but felt “there’s ways we can find solutions to some of these things.”

“Community-based hospitals are important,” said LaShawn Burton-Faulk, who serves as the chair of the city’s Planning Commission and executive director of Manchester Citizens Corporation. “They provide a safe space. AGH does this with excellence.”

She said the hospital has been “a friend, a partner” to the community it serves. Burton-Faulk said residents represented by Manchester Citizens Corporation have described the hospital as innovative, with top-notch doctors and a willingness to partner with local organizations to lift up the community.

Councilman Bobby Wilson, D-North Side, said it was “obvious” the hospital offers public benefit, but he also wanted to be mindful of the “quality of life” for nearby residents voicing concerns.

The institutional master plan was recommended by the Planning Commission, but is awaiting final approval from City Council.