After years of waiting, Hill District residents consider the Penguins’ latest plan for the Civic Arena site

After years of delays and previous plans that fizzled, Hill District residents can expect a new round of community meetings regarding plans announced Friday for the former Civic Arena site. The site has been a sore spot since the 1950s when Lower Hill District residents were displaced to build the arena, which was demolished in 2012. Now residents are wondering how the Pittsburgh Penguins’ latest proposal for retail, offices, housing and park space will ultimately impact the community.“When they first tore down the [Civic] Arena, they made the black community all these grandiose promises, which to this day have never been filled,” said Meta Hairston, a retired special education teacher and Hill resident. “It never sounded like they were going to do anything for the low-income people that have been displaced” for decades.The land currently serves as parking for Downtown workers and visitors to the PPG Paints Arena, which opened as a replacement for the Civic Arena in 2010. The Penguins communications office did not respond to an interview request Wednesday.Councilman R. Daniel Lavelle said he hopes residents will be able to provide input as developers submit more detailed plans. He expected the public process would begin in the next couple months.