That is fantastic news, I've always thought that building could be incredible restored to its original glory, as of now it looks like a run down dump.

It looks like the developer is also ready to get started on the Produce Terminal renovation as well. Hopefully, that stretch of Smallman will look very different in the near future.

Some of the back loading areas of the PT were open last week. It looked to me like maybe they were clearing out of some of the vacant spaces to prepare for something a little more substantial, development-wise. But there was no one around so maybe I was just being hopeful. :haha:

P-G article on the Crosstown cap park:

http://www.post-gazette.com/business...s/201712040015

http://www.post-gazette.com/image/20...napark1204.jpg

This is pretty cool:

Glad to see Keisha is still involved.

I take it this is a possible use for the out parcel:

That would be nice.

Generally it is probably worth remembering that design details aside, a big part of the value here is just blocking out the noise, sight, smell, etc. of the highway. It is going to feel pretty different transitioning from Downtown to the Lower Hill.

^
And a big thing holding the Hill back from redevelopment is the mental barrier that the highway represents.

It will certainly help make the Civic Arena site more marketable, but the Lower Hill proper (Crawford Roberts) is already mostly redeveloped with infill, except for some areas closer to Uptown.

Of course, it was redeveloped in a way too low density manner, but given it wasn't market-rate, and the neighborhood wasn't desirable at the time, it's not surprising.

Pitt is buying 3441 Forbes Avenue (the Health Department building) from Allegheny County.

Not much on the details of what Pitt wants to use the building for, other than part of an "innovation district." I hope it's not knocked down - it's a beautiful old building, and would be even nicer if it were restored - but if it's replaced by something of greater density I wouldn't be that upset. Pitt owns the one-story 3447 Forbes next door, and immediately on the other side The Bridge on Forbes (the new 197-unit apartment building) will be constructed. Also, that new office project at the corner of Forbes and Coltart is directly catty-corner. So another office building wouldn't be out of scale here.

Forty-six townhouses proposed near Strip District produce terminal

Sorry to be posting this long email I just got but anyone who can should attend the meeting, I cant because of work but Ill be emailing the people in the email about preserving the two buildings they are idiotically thinking about tearing down.

I sent an email to the HRC. Definitely worth doing at least that much.

I don't know what happened at the last meeting, but I can't see how the demolition would even be in question any longer. The developer has submitted a plan to save the facades. Carol Peterson is on the board, and she is a vehement preservationist (to the point she's preserved a historic outhouse on her own property. Matthew Falcone is the president of Preservation Pittsburgh. There are nominally six people with voting power at the HRC, but only 4-5 show up at any given meeting, so all the preservationists would need was one more vote. Ray Gastil and Erik Harless are both city employees, and thus presumably responsive to public pressure.

The foundation and podium permit for 1 of the 2 Station Square apartment buildings was finally issued Nov.17 and on my trolley ride to work this morning, I could see that work was beginning.

Edit: As I look at the site from across the river, it appears the heavy equipment is actually being used for a CSX rail project.

A bit too much like an advertisement for me, but Next Pittsburgh has a feature on a set of three "passive homes" soon to be built on the 900 block of Mellon Street (here)

https://www.nextpittsburgh.com/wp-co...Plattform.jpeg

The design is garbage generic modernism, IMHO, but I wouldn't expect anything different from Pittsburgh infill.

^
Ewwwwww

That block in general is a big disappointment to me. It used to be a semi-mixed use area, with several storefronts on the western side of the street. Over the last two years two of these abandoned storefronts have been converted into single-family homes. The only remaining business is a dog grooming place. And of course the big vacant lot, which could have housed a small apartment building, will be more rich people housing. I still hope that the one remaining vacant storefront will eventually house a coffeeshop or neighborhood market (or maybe nearby Costar Brewing could take it over), but what was the largest potential cluster of shops between Bryant Street and Penn/Highland will just be another quiet, residential, pseudo-suburban streetscape.

Does anyone actually live in that brutalist duplex on the left? It looks more like something you'd see in Moldova.

That's actually a three-unit, according to the assessor's site. It's owned by the Highland Park Community Development Corporation, so my guess is it's vacant. It was built some time between 1900 and 1910 judging by the historic maps, so it must have just been horrendously remuddled at some point, not intended to be brutalist.

Eyeball report: looks like the Larimer development phase across from the Target is moving along well--there are cranes and structures going up. That is really going to transform that stretch of Broad and further expand the "East Liberty" footprint.

More information about Walnut Capital's purchase of the Pittsburgh Athletic Association's clubhouse in Oakland