20 Fenchurch Street
Image courtesy Andropogon/Riverlife
The steep banks and industrial history of the Allegheny River pose challenges to ecological restoration. Railroad tracks, the site of an 1877 strike, run along the river to the Strip District, a landmark marketplace on the river’s southern shore. An early plan by Andropogon for the Allegheny Riverfront Green Boulevard proposes strategies for stabilizing the failing riverbank and slowing stormwater runoff. The scheme calls for a continuous 95-foot setback for public use. A proposal by the Buncher Company for a mixed-use development on a 55-acre site that is part of the area covered by the boulevard plan has sparked controversy by limiting setbacks to 50 to 70 feet between the water’s edge and new buildings.