6—The Daily Collegian Thursday, March 8, 1979
olitics figure in Oxford land development battles
By JIM WILIIELM
Daily Collegian Staff Writer
The Oxford Development Co. has won
one battle, but it may soon find itself
fighting a two-front war.
The Monroeville-based firm was
recently awarded the right to negotiate a
sales agreement with Allegheny County
to develop the proposed $lOO million
Grant Street skyscraper complex in
downtown Pittsburgh• a keystone
project in the city's Renaissance II
program.
Analysis
Oxford got the nod on a controversial
2-1 vote by Allegheny County com
missioners over the • competing Grant
Land Co. Grant Land, a subsidiary of the
Hillman Co., has vowed to fight the
decision in court a move that could tie
up the project for months.
It is not the only court hassle facing
oxford. Oxford also is the developer of
the proposed Ferguson Mall on N.
Atherton Street in Ferguson Township.
Citizens' groups opposed to the con
struction of the mall on the 150-acre
I)reihelbis farm tract have successfully
received a preliminary injunction to halt
a zoning change Oxford needs to con
struct the mall. The injunction by Judge
Richard M. Sharp forbids the Ferguson
Township supervisors from acting on
Oxford's request to rezone 100 acres of
the farm from residential to commercial
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until the citizens' groups have their say
at a public hearing Tuesday.
Oxford now finds itself in the unen
viable position of fighting a two-front
war in the courts to get their proposed
projects off the drawing boards and
under construction.
The decision by the Allegheny County
commissioners to - award the Grant
Street project to Oxford is highly
political in nature. The two com
missioners voting in favor of Oxford
Jim Flaherty and Tom Foerster are
Democrats. Curiously enough, Edward
Lewis, owner of Oxford development,
was a chief contributor to the un
successful gubernatorial campaign of
Jim's brother Pete Flaherty.
Voting against Oxford and in favor of
Hillman's Grant Land was Com
missioner Robert Peirce. Although
Peirce claims he voted against Oxford
because Grant Land has offered more
money for the 1.8 acres of prime real
estate in the city, there could be and
undoubtedly is another motive for his
vote.
Peirce is the lone Republican com
missioner. The Hillman Co. is owned by
the husband of Elsie Hillman, a national
GOP committeewoman and Peirce's
political patron.
When all things are considered, it
becomes quite obvious the decision to
give the Grant Street project to Oxford
was political. 'The Allegheny County
Planning Commission reviewed volumes
of information on both firms' proposals
and decided the Grant project was the
better both financially and in overall
Photo by MI Norton
The Dreibelbis farm, located off N. Atherton Street zoned from residential to commercial so construction can
(Route 322) in Ferguson Township, is the site for Oxford begin. Shown here are part of the 23 acres of the former
Development's proposed $lO-$l2 million Ferguson Mall. dairy outlet that are already zoned commercial. The
A group of Ferguson Township residents has opposed at- Nittany Mountains are in the background.
tempts by Oxford to get almost 100 acres of the farm re-
construction
Oxford is worth about $65 million. The
Hillman Co. is valued at almost $llO
million. Hillman has a definite tenant for
occupying at least half of one of the two
towers. Allegheny Ludlum Industries
has said they would rent space in one of
y y .mb a thummer vacation.
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the towers if the project had been
awarded to Grant Land. Oxford has no
such commitment for tenants and their
competitior is willing to up the sale price
for the land.
Meanwhile, in Centre County, Ox
ford's mall has become the target of
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wrath from many Ferguson Township
residents. Most Ferguson residents
aren't actually opposed to the mall's
construction in fact, they favor
development in their community. Their
biggest complaint is the location of the
mall.
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Oxford's proposal to locate the malt
along heavily-traveled N. Athertoti
Street (Route 322), near a large, ,
residential area and adjacent to an,•
elementary school, just doesn't sit wep
with property owners in the area.,
Fearing a drop in their property values
and a traffic mess rivaling a 1:25 p.m.
arrival to a Penn State home football,
game, the residents of Park Hills arid'
other surrounding housing plans have
taken up arms against Oxford.
A group of them has even formed an
organization to collect funds for legal
battles against Oxford and to work for
responsible development in the com
munity. Known as ACORD (A Com
munity Organization for Responsible,
Development), they've collected,
numerous signatures on petitions for,
presentation to Ferguson supervisors pi
Tuesday's meeting.
How Oxford will fare in the local battle :
remains to be seen. The possibility of.
another lengthy court battle to gain land, -
for development could leave Oxford with,
no choice but to shelve its plans for
development in Ferguson Township,:
After all, nobody relishes the idea pfli‘
fighting court battles all over the state. ,
A decision by Oxford to forget coll.:,
struction plans in Ferguson Township
could set a dangerous precedent. Other,
developers interested in Centre Region,
land might develop the attitude thp,t,
trying to accomplish something in thisf
area isn't worth the effort or the high
cost in legal fees. „
That's a battle Centre Region
residents can't afford to lose.
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