PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown III - Page 166

pj3000 · #**3301** Posted **Jan 24, 2020, 8:30 PM**

Yeah, I get the proximity aspect of the area.

I guess I’m just talking more about Baum-Centre in particular... it basically functions as the shit you have to go through to get to the good stuff.

But hopefully, all the apartment developments will improve/are improving the area as we speak.

Austinlee · #**3302** Posted **Jan 25, 2020, 11:08 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by pj3000

Yeah, definitely... the proximity to Oakland, Shadyside, E Liberty is the selling point. And there are certainly all the amenities ones requires within walking distance. The immediate area is such a damn ugly mix of auto-oriented blandness in a rather dense location. It’s kind of a weird twilight zone area in between urban and suburban form.

What’s great about the area? Aside from proximity.

I’m asking seriously... I very well might be missing the appeal. It just seems to me like a location that offers all the negatives of urban living with few of the positives (i.e., poor walkabilty, few local shops/restaurants)

Just being close to everything. I have frequented many of the businesses there and if I lived in one of the many apartment buildings there I would walk everywhere.
As Aaron said, super easy to get around.

AaronPGH · #**3303** Posted **Jan 27, 2020, 10:32 PM**

BrianTH.....your dream is becoming more real! A gondola proposal from Peduto!

https://triblive.com/local/pittsburg...trict-oakland/

Austinlee · #**3304** Posted **Jan 27, 2020, 10:41 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by AaronPGH

BrianTH.....your dream is becoming more real! A gondola proposal from Peduto!

https://triblive.com/local/pittsburg...trict-oakland/

Holy shit. It's happening...

In all seriousness, that would be the perfect place for it.

photoLith · #**3305** Posted **Jan 27, 2020, 11:51 PM**

Whoa wtf that's insane.

BrianTH · #**3306** Posted **Jan 28, 2020, 12:27 PM**

Holy Unexpected Transit News!

That's a great idea for a starter line. The Strip has emerged as a critical tech hub, Oakland is still booming, and connecting the Hill directly to both would be fantastic for its long-term redevelopment. And it is a perfect demonstration of the unique benefits of the technology--nothing else can cheaply solve the problem of providing such a direct connection in light of the intervening topography.

Generally, I love the vision of transforming the Parking Authority into a Mobility Authority seeking public-private partnerships. As the article gets into, the City is frequently screwed on transit issues by the degree of control rural representatives have over state and federal funding. Maybe things will get better at the state and federal level in coming years, but to the extent the City can take more control of its own fate with locally-controlled revenues--that, to be blunt, are often paid by commuters into the City--that seems like a justified response to the lack of good-faith cooperation by the non-City political components of the region.

Austinlee · #**3307** Posted **Jan 28, 2020, 3:22 PM**

The gondola story is on the front page of both the Post Gazette and Trib websites and being shared on Facebook by wpxi and other news stations. I am surprised by that even people I know who don't seem to have any interest in Pittsburgh development are sharing this story. It seems to have a certain degree of mass appeal.

BrianTH · #**3308** Posted **Jan 28, 2020, 4:50 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Austinlee

The gondola story is on the front page of both the Post Gazette and Trib websites and being shared on Facebook by wpxi and other news stations. I am surprised by that even people I know who don't seem to have any interest in Pittsburgh development are sharing this story. It seems to have a certain degree of mass appeal.

I think there is obviously a certain hunger for ideas that will take us out of the same old debate topics (who wants to argue about an Oakland subway again for the 1 millionth time over the past century?) and build on our emerging branding as a cool, creative, cutting-edge, unique city.

I also think when you look at things like the massive and ongoing demographic shift which lies just beneath the surface of the City's static overall population numbers, it is inevitably going to have political consequences eventually.

The Post Gazette article contains this line:

Quote:

Mr. Peduto stressed that there are going to be some “critical pinch points where past Pittsburgh has a different vision than next Pittsburgh and some of those will be discussions we have to have.”

That's phrased as a "discussion," but in truth he could also be talking about elections, and the political center of gravity is rapidly shifting with every passing year from "past Pittsburgh" to "next Pittsburgh" (understanding there are plenty of people who have been here a long time who will join in pushing for "next Pittsburgh" too).

The City is part of that, but so are, say, the parts of the County that overwhelmingly voted for Conor Lamb. And while Fitzgerald is not exactly singing the same tune as Peduto, he isn't pushing back either.

pj3000 · #**3309** Posted **Jan 28, 2020, 6:46 PM**

I attended that developers forum yesterday... generally, one of those same old events with the same people jacking each other off. But it was good to see the future of transportation in Pittsburgh emerge as a primary topic of discussion at what has been more of a traditional real estate industry function.

It would have been even better if regional air quality were discussed with same level of interest and enthusiasm. But other than Peduto, no one really has the balls to address the issue with meaningful words. As the head of the County, the ball is in Fitzgerald's court, and his bread is buttered by the oil/gas/chemical industry... so all he does is tout the huge improvements in air quality since the 1960s (which is obviously nothing to brag about) and state that there's more work to do, all the while supporting policy that degrades regional air quality.

And predictably, neither the Trib nor the PG mentioned anything in their coverage of the air quality issue which Peduto addressed at this event as a vital determining factor to whether or not all of the other fancy, shiny projects that people like to talk about come to fruition in both the near and long term. He is really the only one who seems to get it, or at least doesn't fear the political ramifications of his statements. Fitz' comments on the topic were basically, "the air's better than it was".

BrianTH · #**3310** Posted **Jan 28, 2020, 9:41 PM**

Yeah, that is sadly also predictable as a political consequence.

In fact, here is a map of the 10 worst industrial polluters in Allegheny County as of 2013:

https://pennenvironment.org/reports/pae/toxic-ten

Only #8, the McConway & Torley Foundry, is actually in the City. And they are not necessarily political heavyweights, and there is organized activism against them:

https://www.publicsource.org/in-form...ct-the-future/

eschaton · #**3311** Posted **Jan 29, 2020, 2:18 AM**

Hello all. Back from a mini-vacation to DC. Good to see the city potentially taking gondolas seriously finally.

Anway, a new HRC agenda is up for February. There are thirteen items - and as is typically the case most of them are small-scale residential projects. There are also two small commercial projects on East Carson, but neither one really bears mentioning.

The first item on the agenda, however, is somewhat interesting: Extensive improvements to the northern portion of the Allegheny Commons park. To simplify, the plan is to restore a 1930's era design of a central promenade through the northern portion of the park with limited trails curving off of it, resulting in an overall reduction in the amount of hardscaping (particularly around King elementary school) and allowing for the planting of over 100 new trees. Small things like this make a big difference in how effective park space is - and given the nearby fountain reconstruction was so successful, I expect this will be a great step forward for the park (and the North Side) as well.

eschaton · #**3312** Posted **Jan 29, 2020, 2:33 AM**

Some other low-level development news over the past few days:

1. The Marathon gas station in Oakland recently closed. The site has been sold to a developer who plans to build a student housing "tower" on the location.

2. The Post-Gazette has more information about the new Strip District apartment project I noted from the ZBA agenda the other week. The planned development is 89 units, 81,000 square feet.

Urbanthusiat · #**3313** Posted **Jan 29, 2020, 2:52 PM**

This is pretty cool:

Almono pushes forward with roundhouse renovation at Hazelwood Green

wpipkins2 · #**3314** Posted **Jan 29, 2020, 3:32 PM**

I would like to add

Bakery Square is now visible from the Parkway East between the inbound Greensburg Pike and Wilkinsburg interchanges. The new garage and gleaming glass from the new Philips office building looks huge on the East Liberty skyline. The East Liberty Presbyterian church added LED lighting and it looks amazing from miles around.

BrianTH · #**3315** Posted **Jan 29, 2020, 3:36 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Urbanthusiat

This is pretty cool:

Almono pushes forward with roundhouse renovation at Hazelwood Green

Hazelwood Green has not exactly exploded yet, but what they are doing so far is pretty cool.

And it may take quite some time to build out their vision, not least because it is far from the only game in town--there are ongoing plans for similar new development in the Strip, Greater East Liberty, Oakland proper, and more. But that's OK--it is good to have lots of places for this to occur, and we should be patient so it all happens at a sustainable pace (more or less).

Speaking of which--you know, a logical next place to expand a Strip-Hill-Oakland aerial gondola line would be Oakland-Hazelwood Green, and in fact then to the South Side Flats and then perhaps up into the hilltop neighborhoods.

Connect smartly to both the East Busway and the planned East End BRT system, and you would really have a nice network incorporating lots of these critical development areas, along with nearby residential communities that could benefit from being on such a network.

AaronPGH · #**3316** Posted **Jan 29, 2020, 3:39 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by wpipkins2

The East Liberty Presbyterian church added LED lighting and it looks amazing from miles around.

They really nailed this one. Hats off to them...it is some of the best architectural lighting I've seen in Pittsburgh.

BrianTH · #**3317** Posted **Jan 29, 2020, 3:39 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by wpipkins2

I would like to add

Bakery Square is now visible from the Parkway East between the inbound Greensburg Pike and Wilkinsburg interchanges. The new garage and gleaming glass from the new Philips office building looks huge on the East Liberty skyline. The East Liberty Presbyterian church added LED lighting and it looks amazing from miles around.

Cool! I'll have to watch for that (I drive there all the time but I am usually focused on traffic).

PITairport · #**3318** Posted **Jan 29, 2020, 4:31 PM**

According to "Construction Dive", the Crystal Lagoon project at The Esplanade is one of the top construction projects to watch in 2020:

https://www.constructiondive.com/new...n-2020/571150/

eschaton · #**3319** Posted **Jan 29, 2020, 8:27 PM**

2/20 ZBA agenda up. Items of interest:

1. Proposal for a new 6,000 square foot "fitness center" in Larimer. This is the location - a largely vacant parcel which currently has a single house on it.

2. Infill house in Lower Lawrenceville. Location appears to be here.

3. Baumhaus Phase 2 officially lands at the ZBA. Looks like their asking for one special exception (related to height) and two variances (related to height and FAR).

4. Continuance of the six-story infill apartment building proposed on South Craig in Oakland.

wpipkins2 · #**3320** Posted **Jan 29, 2020, 8:32 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Hazelwood Green has not exactly exploded yet, but what they are doing so far is pretty cool.

And it may take quite some time to build out their vision, not least because it is far from the only game in town--there are ongoing plans for similar new development in the Strip, Greater East Liberty, Oakland proper, and more. But that's OK--it is good to have lots of places for this to occur, and we should be patient so it all happens at a sustainable pace (more or less).

Speaking of which--you know, a logical next place to expand a Strip-Hill-Oakland aerial gondola line would be Oakland-Hazelwood Green, and in fact then to the South Side Flats and then perhaps up into the hilltop neighborhoods.

Connect smartly to both the East Busway and the planned East End BRT system, and you would really have a nice network incorporating lots of these critical development areas, along with nearby residential communities that could benefit from being on such a network.

I mention this "second phase expansion" in another forum. I was shunned and laughed at.