PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown II

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by greg42

Appropriate typo. ;-)

Haha. Good call.

[Private Dick]

Originally Posted by Evergrey

That's where I've been since Day 1.

I guess I was just blinded for a time by such architectural masterpieces as this...

[eschaton]

If Pittsburgh was going to go the tiny house route, I always thought that they should look like this.



Or hell, we have a tiny house vernacular already.

[Minivan Werner]

I would not want to see tiny houses catch on, and especially not on normal-sized lots and mixed among normal-sized houses. And the price makes me wonder just what kind of dip would pay for all that when they can just get a normal house, all be it one that might need a small amount of work, for the exact same price?

[themaguffin]

Originally Posted by greg42 View Post
Appropriate typo. ;-)

ha

[PITairport]

"FORE Systems Founding Principal and tech entrepreneur Francois Bitz is pursuing a plan to build an 18-story condo development in the Strip District, an early stage project expected to total 70 to 80 units in a building that could reach more than 200 feet in height."

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburg...ndo-tower.html

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Minivan Werner

And the price makes me wonder just what kind of dip would pay for all that when they can just get a normal house, all be it one that might need a small amount of work, for the exact same price?

Why do people pay so much rent for new "micro" apartments when they could pay the same rent for bigger but older apartments?

Personally, I like old houses, but there is a big market for people who prefer new houses. This was an attempt to deliver a new house, with low energy bills, and a nice little outdoor space, all in a walkable small-lot neighborhood, for cheap.

If they had gotten the cheap part right, I think there would have been a market for the rest.

[BrianTH]

[Bitz] expects the chance to build a tall building to be a key draw for the project for what’s slated to be a high-end development, in which the condos offer views of downtown and the river, and with some units designed to lay out over two floors. He expects the units to be between 3,000 square feet and 4,000 square feet. So far, he said the neighboring property owners haven’t shown any real objections to the project in a stretch of the Strip District in which there’s very few homes. “I’m trying to do something totally different,” said Bitz, whose company built the distinctive headquarters in Warrendale now known as Keystone Summit Corporate Park. “I am pushing the environment of what’s allowed in terms of height restrictions.”

Bitz described the need for height as a potential deal breaker for the project, acknowledging that financing condo projects can be challenging as well. "If I don’t get the height, I’m not interested," he said.

Um, wow. That would be very cool, and could set an excellent precedent.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by PITairport

"FORE Systems Founding Principal and tech entrepreneur Francois Bitz is pursuing a plan to build an 18-story condo development in the Strip District, an early stage project expected to total 70 to 80 units in a building that could reach more than 200 feet in height."

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburg...ndo-tower.html

Tallest in the neighborhood seems to imply it will beat the Penn-Rose building, which is 9 or 10 stories. That's, to paraphrase Vice President Biden, a big fucking deal.

More importantly than height, the Smallman-centric development is finally starting to close in the gaps on Penn Avenue. The Strip will be so much nicer once the parking craters along Penn Avenue are filled in.

[Evergrey]

Originally Posted by eschaton

1. Zoning change of the block of East Deutschtown behind the East Ohio to Neighborhood Industrial. Undoubtedly related to the planned hotel complex. I'm not sure why NDI is preferable to LNC (commercial) however.
.

http://www.post-gazette.com/business...s/201509010188

Developer seeks zoning change for hotel and apartment project on the North Side

September 1, 2015 4:32 PM

By Mark Belko / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A developer is seeking a zoning change to clear the way for a proposed $20 million hotel and apartment project that targets a blighted block of the North Side near East Ohio Street.

October Development is seeking a change in the zoning from residential to neighborhood industrial on property bordered by Phineas and Chestnut streets, Madison Avenue, and Guckert Way in the East Deutschtown section of the North Side.

In a briefing before the city planning commission today, representatives for October presented plans for a 100-room limited service hotel with a pool, a fitness center and meeting space and a 50-unit apartment building.

The hotel would be built next to the historic Workingman’s Savings Bank, more recently known as ARC House, which would be redeveloped with plans for a restaurant and perhaps office space.

“This area has been dormant for a long time. This project ideally will encourage this area to become economically viable and provide the adjacent residential area with the beginnings of a business district,” said David J. Montgomery, October’s attorney.

“The whole block is crying out for some attention.”

The zoning change is needed to give October the flexibility to build the hotel and the apartments. Currently 16 of the 19 parcels in the block are vacant. Mr. Montgomery described the block as “bleak” and “without any vitality or activity.”

He added that the city essentially has abandoned Guckert Way, which cuts through the block’s lower end.

“Guckert makes the Ho Chi Minh Trail look good,” said Mark Fatla, executive director of the Northside Leadership Conference, which is serving as project manager for October.

...

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by Evergrey

http://www.post-gazette.com/business...s/201509010188

I'm so excited about this project! This really should be the lynchpin to revitalize East Deutschtown. There's already quite a few townhouses being fully renovated in the neighborhood. I have personally toured several of them.

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by PITairport

"FORE Systems Founding Principal and tech entrepreneur Francois Bitz is pursuing a plan to build an 18-story condo development in the Strip District, an early stage project expected to total 70 to 80 units in a building that could reach more than 200 feet in height."

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburg...ndo-tower.html

This is great news. I have been wanting to see more height in the Strip for years. Of all places, there's no Nimbys there and there is also a mountain next to it so it doesn't block any views. It only makes sense.

[Private Dick]

Originally Posted by PITairport

"FORE Systems Founding Principal and tech entrepreneur Francois Bitz is pursuing a plan to build an 18-story condo development in the Strip District, an early stage project expected to total 70 to 80 units in a building that could reach more than 200 feet in height."

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburg...ndo-tower.html

Cheers to this news. 18 stories in the Strip would be a standout tower... and would help extend the downtown skyline, even if the location is all the way down to 26th St.

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Why do people pay so much rent for new "micro" apartments when they could pay the same rent for bigger but older apartments?

Personally, I like old houses, but there is a big market for people who prefer new houses. This was an attempt to deliver a new house, with low energy bills, and a nice little outdoor space, all in a walkable small-lot neighborhood, for cheap.

If they had gotten the cheap part right, I think there would have been a market for the rest.

This is an interesting trend. I was discussing this with two prominent Pittsburgh architects recently. They were saying how a large segment of the millennial generation values amenities over things like architectural character/history and space. This plays well for the micro-apartments that often include building amenities like bike lockers, pool, cafe, gym, rec room, patio, etc.

However, I don't see how this jibes with the tiny house thing since they pretty much offer zero in terms of amenities. But agreed on the price part... just who are they looking to sell to with a $100 grand price tag? I could totally see this in a prohibitively-expensive market, but makes no sense to me in Pittsburgh.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Private Dick

However, I don't see how this jibes with the tiny house thing since they pretty much offer zero in terms of amenities. But agreed on the price part... just who are they looking to sell to with a $100 grand price tag? I could totally see this in a prohibitively-expensive market, but makes no sense to me in Pittsburgh.

In workshops and such, the big appeal was the outdoor spaces--space for a small deck, garden, and so on. If the mortgage was low enough, you'd actually be saving versus renting a micro apartment, and could use those savings for maid service, a gym membership, and so on.

Again, not necessarily for everyone, but I think it would have a market.

[AaronPGH]

Originally Posted by Private Dick

]I was intrigued (and tepidly supportive) at first, but have steadily moved in the direction of thinking that this is more of a gimmick than anything.

Eve Picker loves a good gimmick.

[AaronPGH]

Originally Posted by PITairport

"FORE Systems Founding Principal and tech entrepreneur Francois Bitz is pursuing a plan to build an 18-story condo development in the Strip District, an early stage project expected to total 70 to 80 units in a building that could reach more than 200 feet in height."

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburg...ndo-tower.html

This would be the first moment that felt like something out of SoMA, Seattle, Portland, Denver. Making tall the selling point in a low-slung neighborhood.

[eschaton]

I feel embarrassed I didn't notice the article on the new Strip District condos said 18 floors. I wonder if that's inclusive of parking levels, or just the residential stories?

Originally Posted by Evergrey

http://www.post-gazette.com/business...s/201509010188

I can understand why they no longer want it zoned as R1A-H - Pittsburgh's residential zoning is pretty restrictive. I can't understand why industrial is a better zoning category for this block than commercial however. Then again, I can't understand why much of the Strip is still zoned industrial either. It really seems to me Pittsburgh needs a new "mixed use" zoning category to replace a lot of the old zoning types (local neighborhood commercial, neighborhood industrial, neighborhood office, etc).

[Evergrey]

Originally Posted by AaronPGH

Eve Picker loves a good gimmick.

[BrianTH]

BRGR is expanding and moving to Penn Avenue (still in East Liberty):

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburg...nn-avenue.html

I think this is a sign of things to come for Penn as the hotels and a lot more apartments come on line.

[SWPA]

Fantastic news about BRGR. I saw the article in the P-G but they didn't say exactly which corner of Penn and Highland, but now I see it's the northwest corner in the block with the Kelly-Strayhorn Theatre and the Indigo. So glad that development is now hitting the core of East Liberty, which, with its wide sidewalks, is perfect for outdoor activity. Now looking forward to the completion of the new apartment building on the southeast corner, which is going up fast.