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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – So much is built in the name of progress and development, but in some cases, the best progress may be no development at all.
That’s the view of those who live and work near North Park and have explored the possibilities for change.
You don’t have to look far to see new housing being developed in our area. It looked like the future on the edge of North Park.
Nine irons away from Western North Park’s welcome sign, people have long been honing their golf skills and working on their batting swings.
“My grandfather started the batting center in 1952,” said North Park business owner John Williams.
Williams’ father built miniature golf across the street in the early ’60s, and the Williams family built a driving range and par-3 golf course over the years. A summer base for family fun.
“It was very upsetting to think it was coming to an end,” Williams added.
The family who owned the land no longer lived here and were considering selling it. McCandless changed the zoning and developers came knocking on the door with housing in mind.
they are packed [houses] Traffic jams will be a problem. It’s not fun. If that happens, the park will lose its atmosphere,” said Julie Gatti of Scherer.
That’s exactly how Susan and Jason Wolfe, who live nearby, felt.
“It would be really heartbreaking to lose this,” Susan said.
So Jason, an entrepreneur who has founded and sold four Internet companies, contacted the property owner and made an offer.
“I told them, ‘I’m going to leave everything as it is.’ And the woman, Joy Irwin, burst into tears. [was] what she wanted. Her family didn’t want this to happen,” Jason said.
The Irwins responded, “Yes, the deal closed on Dec. 22, and in some cases, all the businesses signed leases for the first time.”
”[When] When I woke up, I was sitting on the balcony crying. I have to say that,” Williams said.
“I’m not going to develop this land. I don’t need to develop this land. I’m not a developer. I’m not in the business of building townhouses. I’m just an entrepreneur in the city of Pittsburgh. “Pittsburgh has been good to me, so I want to give back,” Wolf said.
Although Jason waived his share in the sale price, he stressed that he was not in this to make a lot of money.
Susan grew up in Westview and enjoyed North Park as a child. Jason is from the Hershey area. He attended the Milton Hershey School and currently serves on the board of the Hershey Trust and is a member of the Pittsburgh Technology Council.
Among the companies he founded and sold are Giftcards.com.
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