Stan Klysz acknowledges he feels a tinge of sadness when he looks at the rusting steel mill being demolished across from his Lawrenceville home on a 21-acre site the city is clearing for redevelopment.

"I worked in that mill back in the 1950s," said Klysz, 84, whose Sawyer Street home affords a bird's-eye view of the collection of buildings along the Allegheny River near the 62nd Street Bridge that were home to several steel companies for nearly a century.

"I had a good career in steel, and got a nice pension from it, but those days are gone," he said. "I'd like to see them build something good there, but I can't imagine anything they put in will be as good as what we lost."

The city's Urban Redevelopment Authority bought the land from Tippins International last year for $2 million. It has been mostly vacant since Tippins left in the early 1980s. The property is expected to be cleared by spring.

"Whatever they do, I hope it's something that creates decent-paying jobs for this community," said Ryan Uhric, 28, who does vehicle fleet maintenance at the Allegheny Motors repair shop on Butler Street, across from the Tippins site.

"I can't see something like a strip mall working, because the Waterworks Mall and Pittsburgh Mills are so close. How many more places to shop do people need?" Uhric said.

Kyra Straussman, director of the redevelopment authority's real estate division, said a series of community brainstorming sessions will be held early next year to determine the best uses for the land, the last large riverfront property in the city to be developed.

"We really want to make sure that whatever we do on the site is something that serves the community well," Straussman said. "There's several scenarios we believe can work, but we're not going to make any decisions until we've had a chance to bring people together to discuss the issue."

Stephen Baker, whose company, Crescent Supply, sells premium kitchen and bathroom fixtures, said he was "ecstatic" when demolition began on the site, which is only several hundred feet from his showroom.

"I hated the fact my customers had to see that eyesore when they came here, so the fact that it's finally coming down is a major improvement," said Baker, 58, whose father moved the company to Lawrenceville from Springdale in 1964.

Baker said he would like to see the site successfully developed, but hopes that what goes in doesn't hurt his business.

State Sen. Jim Ferlo, D-Highland Park, said the Tippins site might be able to help Lawrenceville increase its available housing by absorbing businesses unwanted in other areas.

"The (Tippins) site itself might not be the best location for housing, but we could make it easier to develop housing in other parts of the neighborhood by relocating the manufacturing and trucking businesses that are now in the middle of residential areas," said Ferlo.

The Sunoco gasoline storage terminal adjacent to the Tippins site is among the reasons cited by people who do not believe the location is suitable for housing.

Relocating companies that rely on heavy trucks and tractor-trailers would address a major complaint among residents and retail shop owners, said Tony Ceoffe, who heads the Lawrenceville United community group.

"It would be nice to get the trucks off side streets so we can do some more rehabs and new construction," Ceoffe said.

The site offers trucks easy access to highways because it's next to the 62nd Street Bridge, which connects with Route 28.

Roger Levine, who operates a popular furniture and home accessory shop called "Who New• Retro Mod Decor" hopes that whatever goes on the site has some thought behind it.

"For years Pittsburghers have complained that public access to the rivers was cut off because the land was controlled by industry," Levine said. "I just hope that in the rush to do something there, they don't forget that it's a wonderful location."

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