As $740 million Esplanade approaches Tuesday hearing, Manchester residents unsure of their voice

Stanley Lowe, center, deliberates to board members of Manchester Neighbors during a meeting held at his house in Manchester, on Thursday, November 7, 2024. (Photo by Michael Swensen/PublicSource) A Ferris-wheel-topped development would cast a long shadow on a historic, majority-Black neighborhood — one that so far lacks the kind of community organization that could bring resident concerns to Pittsburgh’s decision makers. “PublicSource is an independent nonprofit newsroom serving the Pittsburgh region.& Sign up for our free newsletters.” by Tony Norman, PublicSource November 11, 2024 More than 50 people, mostly Black, gathered on the 6th floor of the Comfort Inn in Deutschtown on Oct. 29, with a panoramic view of the city’s skyline and the evening light falling on the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.& It was a beautiful backdrop to an often blunt conversation ahead of a City Planning Commission hearing and possible vote scheduled for Nov. 12. That’s when Esplanade, a proposed $740 million development topped by a Ferris wheel, is set for a public hearing and potential vote. It would sit in Chateau, next to Manchester, Pittsburgh’s largest majority-Black historic neighborhood.& & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & &...