Okay, time for another little development roundup.
I didn't cover yesterday's Planning Commission presentation, because there were only two items on the agenda.
One is a planned rezoning of a small bit of Shadyside by the new Echo Realty mixed-use site (The Meridian), from RM-H to UNC. While this does offer more options, it's not being consolidated into The Meridian, and will by all accounts house a (presumably one-story) bank, so it's pretty meh. The other thing of note was splitting up Gateway Center so each building is on a different parcel, which I presume is to ease the way for residential conversion of one or more of the towers.
The June 6 ZBA agenda is online, and there's a lot to note here. Going through the interesting items:
1.
Final sign variances for The Meridian's Giant Eagle, plus
permits for the first retailer in the building (Shake Shack).
2.
Expansion of the Guardian Self-Storage on Centre Avenue to take up two existing buildings. This is pretty meh, but at least more of the block is being consolidated for future development.
3.
The permitting associated with the ALCOSAN tunnel project. This is most notable because it's the first time we've seen public plans of any of this. It's also...complicated...because there are actually six different projects shown here:
A. A big chunk of Schweizer Lock - taking out almost everything from Progress to Canal, west of Chestnut. The historic nomination of
the Babcor building seems to have saved it, but they're still planning on demoing the last two remaining houses and the building which previously housed the diner. On the good side, it looks like they will plant street trees and pull up the broken concrete for grass lots, so the area will look a bit more parklike.
B.
This block of Schweitzer Lock west of 579 will be taken out as well. Just a parking lot now, so this will offer more structural density.
C. Elimination of
a block of Chateau right by the railroad tracks. Nothing much lost here other than two small, ugly industrial buildings.
D. Work taking out
most of a parking lot next to the Clark Building.
E. Taking out
a building in Chateau by the West End Bridge.
F. Work on their campus in Marshall-Shadeland.
General development updates:
1.
Live Nation is building the music venue prior to the parking garage, with work to start as soon as this fall. In no way can this be seen as a bad thing, and hopefully the garage continues to get pushed back, if not downsized/killed eventually.
2.
The "Teamster Temple" site is for sale in Central Lawrenceville. This is huge for local development. Although it doesn't look big from Butler, the site
flares back into a big parking lot, and is zoned LNC, allowing for multifamily. There will be NIMBY concerns probably along 47th, but I expect a project with some density to be built here.
3.
City of Bridges broke ground on three new affordable modular homes on Columbo Street in Garfield.