For leaders of one Hill District group, an agreement signed at historic Freedom Corner yesterday represents not an end, but a start to efforts to revitalize a struggling neighborhood showing signs of rebirth.

The One Hill Neighborhood Coalition, the Penguins, Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato put their signatures to a community benefits agreement aimed at using the new arena construction as a catalyst to drive development above Crawford Square.

The agreement, crafted over some "pretty fierce" negotiations, took more than a year to finish and is the first of its kind in the region, and perhaps in Pennsylvania. But it is not a conclusion, said Carl Redwood, One Hill chairman.

"This represents a milestone in the development struggle of the Hill District, but it does not represent the end," he told the large, jubilant crowd gathered at the civil rights monument.

The hard part will be to use the agreement as a framework to bring needed development to the neighborhood, which is now considering proposals from two grocery stores interested in locating in the Hill. The neighborhood has not had a grocer for many years.

One Hill realizes "the struggle is not over. We have a lot more work to do at every level," Mr. Redwood said, adding that there was open drug trafficking taking place five blocks from Freedom Corner.

The agreement includes $2 million, with $1 million coming from the Penguins, toward development of a neighborhood grocery store, drafting of a Hill master plan, and creation of a resource center to link residents to jobs. The latter includes a commitment of $300,000 from the city and county.

It gives Hill residents a one-week head start to apply for arena-related service positions before those jobs are made available to the general public. It also calls for creation of family-sustaining jobs with benefits in the redevelopment of the 28 acres where Mellon Arena now sits.

Mr. Redwood said the first priority will be creation of the master plan, which he sees as the key to percolating development in the Hill. Under the agreement, it is to be completed by Feb. 19, 2010.

"We want to work together with you, with the residents of the Hill District, to build a new city on the Hill, and I think this agreement today allows us to do so," Mr. Ravenstahl said.

Mr. Onorato said that development "just can't stop" at the Mellon Arena site, which will be redeveloped by the Penguins, but must extend deep into the Hill.

He envisions development on a par with that taking place around Heinz Field and PNC Park on the North Shore.

Mr. Redwood said one of the trickiest aspects of crafting the master plan might be developing consensus in the Hill itself.

That was evident during yesterday's ceremony, when representatives of 45 groups or organizations, from Abe's Market and Tim's Bar to the 3rd and 5th Ward Democratic committees, were called to affix their signatures to the agreement.