PITTSBURGH — Fruit and vegetable wholesalers in the city's historic Strip District are wary of a redevelopment plan that they say may not leave enough room for their businesses.

A nonprofit group called Neighbors in the Strip wants the city's Urban Redevelopment Authority to turn much of the district into something called Strip Market Hall. The 45,000-square-foot development would include public market and restaurant space.

Wholesalers contend that the project might squeeze them out, and they question why the successful 90-year-old Strip District should be replaced with an unproven concept.

"There's no space for this market place right now without expelling people who are here," Brad Kokowski, 50, who has run Superior Produce for 16 years, told a Pittsburgh newspaper for a story in Saturday's edition.

Most of the concerns center on the Pennsylvania Railroad Fruit Auction and Sales Building, an iconic, one-story building that spans more than a city block with loading docks and storage space.

The building is the centerpiece of the Strip District, parts of which have been transformed in recent years by night clubs and restaurants.

Becky Rodgers, president of Neighbors in the Strip, believes the new project can coexist with the wholesalers.

"Produce has historically been a very important part of the neighborhood," Rodgers said. "But it's changed a little over the years. It used to be a lot bigger than it is now."

The group wants to invest $8 million, mostly from state and local grants, to renovate. Rodgers contends the redevelopment would create 200 jobs and leave space for 34 small vendors.