[themaguffin]

Penguins win planning commission approval for FNB headquarters at former Civic Arena site

Commission members voted 7-0 to approve a final land development plan for the first long-awaited project at the lower Hill District site, some 14 years after the Penguins won the rights to it.

The decision came at the end of a sometimes contentious five-hour hearing during which the commissioners weighed the touted benefits of the project for the greater Hill against concerns that the Penguins and developer Buccini/Pollin Group weren’t doing enough.

In the end, members decided to advance the 26-story office tower but with a caveat — future site developments that come before them will be accompanied by a report card measuring how the team is doing in meeting its community commitments.