PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown III

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Captain Crash

They should rename the West End Bridge as the Meriwether Lewis Bridge in recognition of it spanning the first segment of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

I love this idea.

Of course it will take about the same length of time since the expedition for Pittsburgh natives to stop calling it the West End Bridge . . . .

[East Edge]

Originally Posted by Captain Crash

They should rename the West End Bridge as the Meriwether Lewis Bridge in recognition of it spanning the first segment of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Lewis began in the city where he had the ships custom built and planned the Corps of Discovery expedition (Clark didn't join until they reached Indiana). The first segment of the voyage left Pittsburgh and made its first stop shortly thereafter on Brunot's Island, both of which are in view from the bridge.

Now that the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail is likely to be extended to Pittsburgh, maybe they could get some federal/NPS money to help fund the walkway on the West End Bridge if they frame it as a destination point along the historic trail.

https://www.wesa.fm/post/lewis-and-c...al-recognition

GREAT IDEA! I like the way you think. Hopefully this can get floated in front of the right people to pursue it!

[PITairport]

Some West End Bridge pedestrian proposals from years past:







http://bridgescape.net/bridges/more/?7







http://lateraloffice.com/filter/Urba...AUSE-PLAY-2006








http://www.ladallman.com/prj_west_end_bridge.html

[eschaton]

While a more pedestrian-friendly West End Bridge would be nice to have, I'm not sure I see a pressing reason for it. There's nothing worth walking to on the southern side of the bridge. Sure, the West End still exists, but you'd also need to fix the intersections to make them much more pedestrian friendly (they're basically highway onramps) and it's another 10 minutes once you cross the bridge to get down into the village. Unless you really want to go down to that stained glass studio there's nothing worthwhile by the water.

An interesting and more useful idea I heard someone float lately is a new pedestrian bridge where the 43rd Street Bridge used to exist in Lawrenceville (up until the 1920s, when it was demolished due to the 40th Street Bridge being built). You can see exactly where it used to be, as 43rd Street goes right to the water. On the Millvale side, it would mess with the marina a bit (I think this is where the bridge landed) but it would allow for safer pedestrian traffic between Lawrenceville and Millvale - and much, much safer/easier access to the riverfront trail.

[BobMcKelvin]

There was some map recently released by the city that showed a future bike connection being the unused railroad bed that runs through the West End with the giant trestle over Woodville. So much potential here. On one end it would connect with the Seldom Seen Greenway and (in my dreams) a future Wabash Tunnel bike lane. On the other end there is the abandoned tunnel in the hillside next to the West End Circle.

If this trail is ever completed, or the river trail is ever extended to McKees Rocks (unlikely anytime soon after PennDOT missed a wonderful opportunity a few years back with the reconstruction of 51), the West End Bridge link will be sorely needed. Until then, I can think of 20 places I’d rather see that money spent on bike/ped infrastructure.

[eschaton]

3/21 ZBA is online. Items of interest:

1. Expansion of Grandview Avenue library - already discussed the other week because it was covered in the HRC presentation.

2. An attempt by Sal Williams in Uptown to continue to use this vacant lot for parking. According to the newish Uptown Public Realm zoning, surface parking is no longer allowed, meaning this would require many variances. It will be a nice test of how vigorously the ZBA intends to enforce this.

3. A new three-story mixed use building on Ellsworth in Shadyside, right next to the Bovie House apartment. Currently there's a small foursquare from the 1920s there which was converted into a dentist office - so nothing of value is being lost. They're asking for nearly complete (97%) lot coverage, so I dunno if this goes through. Still, regardless of the final design it would be a trade up - the Ellsworth corridor needs a lot of work to get a full street wall effect.

4. A plan to convert the former McNaugher School in Perry Hilltop into a community center. This needs to go through ZBA because although schools are allowed in residential zoned areas by right, community centers are not.

[Urbanthusiat]

Small bits of good business news.

Astrobotic looks to expand

https://www.bizjournals.com/pittsbur...to-expand.html

Global software firm ready for new home in East Liberty

https://www.bizjournals.com/pittsbur...e-in-east.html

[Jonboy1983]

Originally Posted by eschaton

While a more pedestrian-friendly West End Bridge would be nice to have, I'm not sure I see a pressing reason for it. There's nothing worth walking to on the southern side of the bridge. Sure, the West End still exists, but you'd also need to fix the intersections to make them much more pedestrian friendly (they're basically highway onramps) and it's another 10 minutes once you cross the bridge to get down into the village. Unless you really want to go down to that stained glass studio there's nothing worthwhile by the water.

An interesting and more useful idea I heard someone float lately is a new pedestrian bridge where the 43rd Street Bridge used to exist in Lawrenceville (up until the 1920s, when it was demolished due to the 40th Street Bridge being built). You can see exactly where it used to be, as 43rd Street goes right to the water. On the Millvale side, it would mess with the marina a bit (I think this is where the bridge landed) but it would allow for safer pedestrian traffic between Lawrenceville and Millvale - and much, much safer/easier access to the riverfront trail.

I remember when they ruined that bridge by erecting those monstrosities when they redid PA 65 as a highway. Some years back I used Sketch-up to come up with a reconfiguring of what whole area to make it more pedestrian/transit friendly and more marketable to redevelopment. My re-thinking involved eliminating the highway and incorporating it into a modified Chateau St./Beaver Avenue, replacing the existing elevated highway portion into a 100-foot wide green space with a light rail extension going right down the middle of it. I'm not sure if Milcraft's idea for Beaver Ave is similar to mine or not, but I'm curious to see what their idea looks like.

[Jonboy1983]

Originally Posted by bobmckelvin

there was some map recently released by the city that showed a future bike connection being the unused railroad bed that runs through the west end with the giant trestle over woodville. So much potential here. On one end it would connect with the seldom seen greenway and (in my dreams) a future wabash tunnel bike lane. On the other end there is the abandoned tunnel in the hillside next to the west end circle.

If this trail is ever completed, or the river trail is ever extended to mckees rocks (unlikely anytime soon after penndot missed a wonderful opportunity a few years back with the reconstruction of 51), the west end bridge link will be sorely needed. Until then, i can think of 20 places i’d rather see that money spent on bike/ped infrastructure.

oooh i share that same vision!!!

[photoLith]

Luxury movie theater planned for closed Bally’s fitness in Pittsburgh’s Downtown

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is planning a six-screen movie theater in a Downtown building that had a long history as a cinema before it was turned into a health club.

Kevin McMahon, who heads the cultural trust, said the organization is renovating the building at 115 Sixth St. with plans to open the multiplex showing first-run movies within two years. The trust has so far raised $8 million of an estimated $11 million needed for the project, McMahon said Friday.

“Obviously $3 million is a lot of money, but we’ve been pretty successful so far, and we’re moving forward. We think this is a great opportunity to further increase the offerings of the Cultural District,” McMahon said. “We want to make sure there is something in the Cultural District for everyone, and we see this as just another opportunity to bring more people into our Downtown.”

https://triblive.com/news/pittsburgh...rghs-downtown/

[dfiler]

Wow, those west end pedestrian bridges are extravagant. I'm an avid biker and love pedestrian/cyclist infrastructure... but think a west end pedestrian bridge would be a massive waste of money.

Both ends of the bridge are a concrete nightmare that only makes sense when you're in a car. New development next to the casino could generate some traffic. But still there are no destinations or access routes on the southern end. People might as well bike up the ohio river trail and cross duquesne bridge to point state park. From there you have direct access to the jail trail or the south side trail via the fort pitt bridge. No road riding necessary at all.

A better ramp to and from the existing bridge could be of some use but still isn't absolutely necessary. I just carry my bike up and down the steps.

Overall, bridge sidewalks around town are adequate. If spending money to get pedestrians and cyclists over these bridges, what we really need are safe routes connected to each end of the bridge. For example, the Birmingham bridge has bicycle lanes. But you have to have somewhat of a death wish to access the bridge by bike on the northern end.

Or am I missing something about the west end bridge? Where would all this pedestrian and cyclist traffic be traveling to and from?

[East Edge]

Originally Posted by dfiler

Wow, those west end pedestrian bridges are extravagant. I'm an avid biker and love pedestrian/cyclist infrastructure... but think a west end pedestrian bridge would be a massive waste of money.

Both ends of the bridge are a concrete nightmare that only makes sense when you're in a car. New development next to the casino could generate some traffic. But still there are no destinations or access routes on the southern end. People might as well bike up the ohio river trail and cross duquesne bridge to point state park. From there you have direct access to the jail trail or the south side trail via the fort pitt bridge. No road riding necessary at all.

A better ramp to and from the existing bridge could be of some use but still isn't absolutely necessary. I just carry my bike up and down the steps.

Overall, bridge sidewalks around town are adequate. If spending money to get pedestrians and cyclists over these bridges, what we really need are safe routes connected to each end of the bridge. For example, the Birmingham bridge has bicycle lanes. But you have to have somewhat of a death wish to access the bridge by bike on the northern end.

Or am I missing something about the west end bridge? Where would all this pedestrian and cyclist traffic be traveling to and from?

This all stemmed from the thread that the Esplanade development adjacent to the West End Bridge could potentially be complete in the next 5 years. There is a lot of momentum happening at Station Square which is just down from the West End Bridge and the GAP trail essentially ends that the lower parking lot for the Duquesne Incline. The idea of connecting the North shore directly with the South Shore allows, pedestrians, bikers, runners, etc with a loop or a circuit connecting the trails from the South Side Works to the West End Bridge across the river to Esplanade all the way up the Allegheny to connect to LVille back towards town through the strip to the Point then down the Mon down the Jail trail to the Hot Metal Bridge back to SS Works. It would be intense and we could have HUGE bragging rights about a complete network or riverfront trails, hopefully lined with meaningful development, residences, landmark communities and more...and WHAT A VIEW from a sick ass pedestrian crossing at the West End!! Could really put us on the map a destination city IMHO.

[PITairport]

Originally Posted by dfiler

Wow, those west end pedestrian bridges are extravagant. I'm an avid biker and love pedestrian/cyclist infrastructure... but think a west end pedestrian bridge would be a massive waste of money.

Another problem with every one of those designs is that they are well below the main bridge deck. That poses a problem for when this thing comes to town:

It barely fits under the bridge as is; all of these former proposals would prevent it from coming all the way in to the city. Visits to Pittsburgh are few but when they do happen it seems to be a big deal. Any design should not prevent one of the river Queens from arriving.




Behind paywal:
"Grant applications hint at millions of dollars in proposed downtown development"
"North Carolina-based real estate investment trust Highwoods Properties, owner of PPG Place and EQT Plaza, wants to build a new office building downtown.

According to the application, Highwoods seeks $10 million from the state to help leverage its private investment for "a large development" of a "new office building with retail space on the first level within Pittsburgh's downtown central business district.

Highwoods, which dropped plans to build new offices at the SouthSide Works last year, didn't specify in its grant application on what site it is considering to build and executives for the company weren't immediately available for comment."

Also:
"The Molnar family, operating as Oakland Portal Partners LP, is working to resusitate long dormant plans to build on a parcel it owns on Fifth Avenue on the western edge of Oakland’s business district

Seeking funding to build new road infrastructure through the site, which spans from Fifth over to Forbes Avenue, Oakland Portal Partners plans a mixed-use office-and-hotel project similar to what it was considering around 2012.

That includes a 13-story office-and-hotel building estimated to total 260,000 square feet, with the office component totaling 140,000. Oakland Portal Partners expects the project will create "opportunities for local, national and international technology and research companies to locate or expand in the Oakland neighborhood" in a project to include a 145-room hotel.

The site is a short walk from the Fifth Avenue site on which Walnut Capital Partners is seeking an $8 million RACP grant for its new "Innovation Research Tower" slated for an assemblage of properties on which it proposes to build a 12-story office tower."
http://https://www.bizjournals.com/p...ollars-in.html

[BrianTH]

A new office building Downtown? Very interesting.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Jonboy1983

I remember when they ruined that bridge by erecting those monstrosities when they redid PA 65 as a highway. Some years back I used Sketch-up to come up with a reconfiguring of what whole area to make it more pedestrian/transit friendly and more marketable to redevelopment. My re-thinking involved eliminating the highway and incorporating it into a modified Chateau St./Beaver Avenue, replacing the existing elevated highway portion into a 100-foot wide green space with a light rail extension going right down the middle of it. I'm not sure if Milcraft's idea for Beaver Ave is similar to mine or not, but I'm curious to see what their idea looks like.

Ideas were floating for awhile to perhaps turn 65 back into a surface boulevard, but unfortunately since it's owned by the state they had their own ideas and appropriated money for reconstruction as is. Due to the sunk cost fallacy it's probably stuck in current conditions for another 10-20 years.

Originally Posted by East Edge

This all stemmed from the thread that the Esplanade development adjacent to the West End Bridge could potentially be complete in the next 5 years. There is a lot of momentum happening at Station Square which is just down from the West End Bridge and the GAP trail essentially ends that the lower parking lot for the Duquesne Incline. The idea of connecting the North shore directly with the South Shore allows, pedestrians, bikers, runners, etc with a loop or a circuit connecting the trails from the South Side Works to the West End Bridge across the river to Esplanade all the way up the Allegheny to connect to LVille back towards town through the strip to the Point then down the Mon down the Jail trail to the Hot Metal Bridge back to SS Works. It would be intense and we could have HUGE bragging rights about a complete network or riverfront trails, hopefully lined with meaningful development, residences, landmark communities and more...and WHAT A VIEW from a sick ass pedestrian crossing at the West End!! Could really put us on the map a destination city IMHO.

If you're talking about extreme long term, this makes sense, since it would link together developable riverfront neighborhood (South Shore, West End Village, and even Esplen - always seems like Esplanade should be there instead).

That said, there are a lot of potential issues here. First, Station Square isn't really that close to the West End Bridge. We're talking about a 1.3 mile stretch, which still has a big industrial property which is blocking trail expansion. The West End itself now has a horrible "entrance" from a pedestrian perspective. Then past the West End Bridge the shoreline gets even narrower, with barely enough room for West Carson and two railway tracks. Quite honestly this area needs more road infrastructure, not less, because the West Busway kinda peters out here onto West Carson, which makes it not correctly function as a BRT line.

Originally Posted by BrianTH

A new office building Downtown? Very interesting.

Let's see. It's almost certainly not the Burns-Scalo plot, because they would be developing it themselves. That realistically leaves the lot across from the City-County Building, the Post Gazette site, and maybe one of the vacant lots in the area down by Ross Street/Fourth Avenue.

Also glad to hear Portal Place isn't totally dead. Were there ever any site plans for it? It's a very weird development site in terms of both layout and topography. I wondered how they planned to pull it off. An extension of Robinson down to Forbes seems like a no brainer to help break up the superblock.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Also glad to hear Portal Place isn't totally dead. Were there ever any site plans for it? It's a very weird development site in terms of both layout and topography. I wondered how they planned to pull it off. An extension of Robinson down to Forbes seems like a no brainer to help break up the superblock.

I want to say plans went before the Planning Commission in 2013.

And here is a rendering I googled up of the Molnar plan back then, although I vaguely recall it went through some changes:

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

I want to say plans went before the Planning Commission in 2013.

And here is a rendering I googled up of the Molnar plan back then, although I vaguely recall it went through some changes:

Interesting. That definitely includes new buildings on a lot of parcels they don't own, including the Carlow parking lot (which is being redeveloped now anyway) the Forbes-facing parking lots of Magee, and various junk buildings south of Forbes and around Boulevard of The Allies (including the old auto dealership building that Walnut Capital just converted to

Hell, they don't even own the entire block. This vacant building, and this occupied one, are in different hands, and UPMC owns some of the vacant parcels indirectly. So if they really went it alone, and didn't have options still in effect, this would be a much more limited-scale development.

Edit: I just noticed that Robinson Street still is mostly intact through the superblock. Looks like some forest might have chomped into it in the middle, but you there's clearly a complete intersection on the bottom by the Forbes offramp, and a remaining paved path on the top end.

[Urbana]

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[Urbana]

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[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Urbana

Its amazing that site has remain vacant for so long.

Reminder of the interesting "Two Oxford Centre" that was once proposed for the site.

That's actually the reason why that lot is one exception to my general hatred of land-banking surface parking lots. That particular lot should definitely wait for a signature, top-5ish tall, skyscraper to become economically viable.

One potential site could be a parking lot adjacent to the Highwoods-owned EQT Plaza on Liberty Avenue.

I think that, on the other hand, would be a fine spot for a more middle-rangey sort of project.

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.4432...7i13312!8i6656

Another could be the site of the former jail annex at Fourth Avenue and Ross Street.

That one I have mixed feelings about:

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.4375...7i13312!8i6656

It is a bit of a forgotten corner of Downtown, but that's a really large lot just off Grant and right near the First Avenue T Station. So I kinda want to put it in the same category as the Two Oxford site, but then again if you told me there was a live project for something in the 25+ floor range, I'd probably be pretty excited anyway.