PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown II

[eschaton]

Pop City actually has a pretty good summary of the recent history of the Downtown residential resurgence.

Not much we don't know already, but it makes me wonder, with (yet another) new editor if it's going to get its groove back.

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Pop City actually has a pretty good summary of the recent history of the Downtown residential resurgence.

Not much we don't know already, but it makes me wonder, with (yet another) new editor if it's going to get its groove back.

I enjoyed reading that article.

[daviderik]

River Life has convinced Forest City to allow pedestrian access to the river along their new development at station square.

http://www.riverlifepgh.org/blog/cre...tation_square/

[daviderik]

Developer wants to build apartments between PNC Park, Heinz Field

Columbus developer Continental Real Estate Cos., in conjunction with the Steelers and the Pirates, pitched a plan to the city today to build 200 to 300 apartments on the North Shore on land adjacent to the Hyatt Place hotel.

Preliminary plans call for the construction of an eight- to nine-story building housing a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments, said Frank Kass, Continental chairman.

It goes on to say the developer wants to break ground the beginning of next year, But the stadium authority has to replace the lost parking. But 9 stories sounds more like it.
http://www.post-gazette.com/local/ci...s/201501280200

[Jonboy1983]

Originally Posted by daviderik

Developer wants to build apartments between PNC Park, Heinz Field

It goes on to say the developer wants to break ground the beginning of next year, But the stadium authority has to replace the lost parking. But 9 stories sounds more like it.
http://www.post-gazette.com/local/ci...s/201501280200

A 9-story building containing 200 to 300 apartments must be pretty big in terms of lot coverage. Will this be built on top of a parking structure like a nearby office complex? If I remember correctly, that was a proposal involving a 5-level parking structure topped with two 11-story office towers.

Frankly, I'd like to see this proposal increase in terms of overall units as well as height; the taller, the better. Plus, it would help the city keep up the pace with demand. Right now, they're not building enough apartments. I even keep saying, and I'm sure I'm not alone, that residential buildings should be built taller than what is currently being built or proposed in and around Downtown. I guess 9 stories would be right around the maximum height of either stadium...

[shipsterns]

Hey guys, don't mean to butt in here and go off topic but I have a question: are there any books out there that document pittsburgh's urban land development/planning history? Really interested in reading something comprehensive about land use in this city. Thanks a lot!

[BrianTH]

Taller would be good too, but 8-9 stories would not be bad given what has happened on the North Shore so far.

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by Jonboy1983

A 9-story building containing 200 to 300 apartments must be pretty big in terms of lot coverage. Will this be built on top of a parking structure like a nearby office complex? If I remember correctly, that was a proposal involving a 5-level parking structure topped with two 11-story office towers.

Frankly, I'd like to see this proposal increase in terms of overall units as well as height; the taller, the better. Plus, it would help the city keep up the pace with demand. Right now, they're not building enough apartments. I even keep saying, and I'm sure I'm not alone, that residential buildings should be built taller than what is currently being built or proposed in and around Downtown. I guess 9 stories would be right around the maximum height of either stadium...

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Taller would be good too, but 8-9 stories would not be bad given what has happened on the North Shore so far.

Yeah if the majority of the North Shore ends up around 9/10 stories it would be a pretty nice dense new "mini city".

[Austinlee]

Oldie but goodie. The story of Pittsburgh's urban renewal.

http://old.post-gazette.com/business...stliberty1.asp

[Austinlee]

So Target just announced it is closing down ALL of its stores in Canada, 133 of them to focus expanding their urban US store expansion which they said is "capital intensive". This got me to thinking even if it were a bit smaller, a location somewhere in downtown Pittsburgh would be awesome. It would have basics, household items AND groceries and we already know they killed it with their urban store in East Liberty.

I personally think somewhere on Smithfield within a block or two of the Macy's would be perfect. Smithfield is centrally located for downtown's growing residential population and is becoming more of a pedestrian & cycling friendly zone and being near Macy's might be complimentary for downtown residents.

[BrianTH]

Completely agree--a Downtown Target would be awesome. A full "City Target" would be cool (that might be around 80,000 sqft), but even one of their new "Target Express" stores would be a welcome addition (those are down around just 20,000 sqft).

[BrianTH]

Checking in on the Tiny House project--they actually did a pretty substantial redesign of their Minim template:

http://www.citylabpgh.org/9134/

Apparently the story is they found out they would need variances for the project after all, so now they are going for a bunch of variances, allowing for a comprehensive overhaul of the plan. The new plan:

So we have redesigned our tiny house into a compact L-shape which hugs the back of the site. We’re planning a beautiful garden out front and the owner will park on the street. While we’ll keep some interior elements of the Minim design, we’re ready to call it The Garfield Tiny House instead.

Our zoning hearing is in March and we’ve applied for the following variances:

A reduced rear yard setback of 3 feet;
Waiver of the on-site parking requirement; and
Permission to build on a site that is smaller than 1,800 square feet.

I like it--more house-like and less trailer-like, and no need for a parking pad would be huge given the goal of maximizing usable outdoor space on a small lot.

[photoLith]

If they were like under 400 a month I'd totally want to live in one of those.

[eschaton]

If they don't need a parking pad, I'm not sure why they are putting it on the rear of the property, rather than the front. Traditionally front yards have been seldom used for socializing, and are basically there for show. In contrast, rear yards are where entertaining takes place, as they offer a modicum of privacy.

I do like the design, but somehow it looks like something more appropriate for the Southwest than here, looking at the rendering. I'm not sure how you'd make it look more "Pittsburgh" without upping the price considerably however.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by eschaton

If they don't need a parking pad, I'm not sure why they are putting it on the rear of the property, rather than the front. Traditionally front yards have been seldom used for socializing, and are basically there for show. In contrast, rear yards are where entertaining takes place, as they offer a modicum of privacy.

I'm going to guess this was largely because they wanted the yard to function smoothly as an extension of the deck outside the entrance. You could do both a front deck and back deck, or a wraparound, but all that is going to chew up a lot more garden space.

Certainly, though, this is not going to be a residence designed for large parties, indoor or out.

I do like the design, but somehow it looks like something more appropriate for the Southwest than here, looking at the rendering. I'm not sure how you'd make it look more "Pittsburgh" without upping the price considerably however.

I'd have to see the materials to know for sure, but to me it reads as sort of Arts and Craft or Prairie School. So I see more Great Lakes or Pacific Northwest, maybe, than Southwest.

I agree that isn't particularly Pittsburgh, but on the other hand it isn't particularly not Pittsburgh either. In fact, I think this would blend in pretty well in eclectic neighborhoods like Squirrel Hill, Regent Square, or Highland Park--the latter perhaps being the most important comparison for this particular location.

[pghaedesign]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Completely agree--a Downtown Target would be awesome. A full "City Target" would be cool (that might be around 80,000 sqft), but even one of their new "Target Express" stores would be a welcome addition (those are down around just 20,000 sqft).

A City Target would be great not only for downtown residents, but that also would make it much more accessible on transit than even the east liberty location.

I think a Market District Express would be a good addition to downtown as well. I would be surprised if Giant Eagle wasn't at least considering it. The one in McMurray is 15,500 sqft.

[Evergrey]

Originally Posted by pghaedesign

I think a Market District Express would be a good addition to downtown as well. I would be surprised if Giant Eagle wasn't at least considering it. The one in McMurray is 15,500 sqft.

I doubt Giant Eagle is considering a Downtown location... they do not seem to be very innovative or thoughtful when it comes to urban market opportunities. Downtown will get some other brand or an independent grocer before it ever gets a Giant Eagle.

[Minivan Werner]

Didn't see this mentioned...

http://www.post-gazette.com/business...sing-deal.html

• Approved plans for a 15-story, 159-room Hampton Inn and Suites to be built next to the Duquesne Incline on West Carson Street. Construction is expected to start this summer and be completed in 18 months.

Pretty significant height for such a location. I assume it'll be on the south side of Carson where they just demolished some old warehouse type buildings.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Minivan Werner

Didn't see this mentioned... Pretty significant height for such a location. I assume it'll be on the south side of Carson where they just demolished some old warehouse type buildings.

I believe it is actually going on the river (north) side of Carson, in the spot just up river (east) of the Incline parking lot.

And I agree, that is a nice project for that location. Along with the first phase of Forest City's Station Square expansion, that is going to be a lot of activity starting over there this summer.

Speaking of which:

Among other changes, the Cleveland developer also made a connection to McKean Street on the eastern border of its site and modified the look of the buildings to give the development more of an urban feel.

That is all good news. More urban sounds good (although that is kinda subjective), and I think that connection to McKean is really crucial to tying this development into the area around the bridges and ultimately on to the South Side. I actually like walking McKean around there because it is more pleasant than Carson, and there are also a lot of cool old industrial buildings.

[BrianTH]

So BNY-Mellon is selling 525 William Penn, and planning to gradually move out of the 650,000 sqft it is occupying there:

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburg...st-office.html
http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburg....html?page=all

I'm not sure exactly what that means for Downtown's office market, since it sounds like they are also planning to consolidate into their other Downtown buildings--if they go into 500 Grant Street in particular, presumably that would be netting back out some otherwise marketable space.

Anyway, I've always liked the look of that building--I think of it as "the Mad Men building" because to me it really has that 1950s/60s NYC vibe. On the other hand, I've heard it is not all the pleasant to work in. So I even wonder if this is another candidate for a partial residential conversion, like PMC is doing with the former ALCOA HQ (a building of similar scale and vintage).