ICYMI: Pennsylvania Breaks Attendance Record at NFL Draft, Showcases Pittsburgh to Prospective CEOs and Makes Progress on Downtown Revitalization

"We showed our region - and showed the world - what can be accomplished when we all work together toward the common goal of revitalizing Downtown Pittsburgh."

In October 2024, Governor Josh Shapiro united Pittsburgh's private sector, corporate leaders, local nonprofits, and county and city government behind a historic 10-year revitalization plan for the city's downtown.

Harrisburg, PA - In a recent Op-Ed published in TribLive, Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Secretary Rick Siger highlighted the success of the 2026 NFL Draft and underscored the Shapiro Administration's continued commitment to revitalizing Downtown Pittsburgh.

The 2026 Draft in Pittsburgh set an all-time attendance record for the NFL Draft with more than 800,000 people - smashing prior predictions. As part of Governor Josh Shapiro's 10-Year Revitalization Strategy for Downtown Pittsburgh, a refreshed Point State Park, the new Arts Landing, and a reimagined Market Square all opened in time to greet visitors from around the country.

Continuing that commitment, work is underway to add and preserve 1,000 residential units in Downtown - a third of which will be affordable. Additionally, Phase two renovations of Point State Park will also begin, and the Shapiro Administration will continue its support of the Downtown Pittsburgh Partnership's work to improve street outreach, cleanliness, public safety and small business support.

Throughout events with CEOs, site selectors, and business professionals over the course of the weekend, Governor Shapiro and his Administration touted Pennsylvania's booming business climate, the Administration's work to reduce permitting times, and invest in business friendly programs like Pennsylvania First, while highlighting the strength of the Commonwealth's workforce to attract even more new investment to the region.

A full list of projects included in Pittsburgh's 10-year revitalization plan and a breakdown of the Commonwealth's investments is available online.

You can read the full Op-Ed below:

Rick Siger: Draft was just the beginning for Downtown Pittsburgh

Two years ago, a broad coalition of public and private sector leaders from across Pittsburgh came together with Gov. Josh Shapiro to announce a 10-year, $600 million strategy to revitalize Downtown Pittsburgh, which had been struggling in recent years with a lack of affordable housing, empty office buildings and public spaces in desperate need of repair. Since the launch of that plan, we have worked together to turn those ideas into action.

Just last week, ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, we announced that phase one of the strategy was completed to greet visitors from across the country. A refreshed Point State Park, the new Arts Landing and a reimagined Market Square all opened in time for more than 800,000 people to descend on Downtown Pittsburgh for the three-day event - setting an all-time attendance record for the NFL Draft and smashing prior predictions.

These major public space transformations will have a long-lasting impact on Downtown by creating a vibrant neighborhood where people want to live, work and gather, and we encourage Pennsylvanians to go and check out the new public spaces and patronize our small businesses.

The Shapiro administration put a significant amount of time, attention and resources into getting Pittsburgh ready for the draft - but just because the draft is over doesn't mean our commitment to the city ends. In fact, our work in the Golden Triangle is just beginning.

As part of our 10-year strategy, work is underway to add and preserve 1,000 residential units in Downtown - a third of which will be affordable. Currently, three of those projects are under construction and we expect to break ground on more in the coming months. Phase two renovations of Point State Park will also begin, renovating the park office, updating parking facilities, adding public restrooms and ensuring the park is ADA-compliant and accessible for all guests. In addition, the Shapiro administration will continue its support of the Downtown Pittsburgh Partnership's work to improve street outreach, cleanliness, public safety and small business support.

Further underscoring his commitment to strengthening communities across Pennsylvania, Shapiro's latest budget proposes even more funding to support small businesses and main streets, address affordable housing, improve education and invest in public spaces like Arts Landing and Market Square. And we're going to keep implementing the governor's 10-Year Economic Development Strategy, investing in and attracting innovative companies to the commonwealth so these businesses can grow and thrive here, creating more opportunity for Pennsylvanians. These investments will ensure that businesses set down roots here, hire employees here and help retain more talent from our world-class higher education institutions like Pitt, CMU and Duquesne.

As a Pittsburgh native, I know firsthand what makes this area special: We work hard to drive progress and "get stuff done" together. That's how the Shapiro administration got our private partners to commit more than $500 million for the Downtown revitalization. That's how we persuaded Roger Goodell and the NFL to bring the 2026 draft here alongside our partners at the Pittsburgh Steelers. And that's how we'll keep building on our progress and delivering real results for Downtown.

We showed our region - and showed the world - what can be accomplished when we all work together toward the common goal of revitalizing Downtown Pittsburgh. Together with our partners, the Shapiro administration will continue to invest in the city's people, places and businesses to keep this exciting momentum going and drive even more progress. I'll see you Downtown.

For more information about the Department of Community and Economic Development, visit the DCED website, and be sure to stay up-to-date with all of our agency news on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.

• MEDIA CONTACT:
• Governor's Office, [email protected], 717.783.1116
• DCED, [email protected]