PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown I

[Evergrey]

So many exciting elements to this new development

http://www.popcitymedia.com/developmentnews/du0109.aspx

$35M Power Center opens along Forbes Ave. at Duquesne University



On Jan. 7, just in time for the first day of its second semester, Duquesne University opened the new $35 million Power Center

Located at the corner of Chatham Sq. and Forbes Ave., the 130,000-square-foot multipurpose facility marks the first phase of Duquesne’s campus master plan, the university's comprehensive 10-year development strategy.

Duquesne’s first new construction in twenty years, the Power Center houses a two-story Barnes & Noble Booksellers, three-story 80,000-square-foot recreation center and a Starbucks. Named for Duquesne’s first president, the facility also boasts a 7,500-square-foot conference/ballroom, balcony and full-service kitchen.

“This is a very important day in our history. It significantly expands recreational opportunities for our existing students and gives us a showcase for recruiting students of the future," says Duquesne University president Charles Dougherty. “There’s a throng of students coming and going over there. People were already working out there today at eight-thirty in the morning, right when we opened."

The center’s green building elements include controlled lighting, carbon dioxide sensors, waterless urinals, and energy-efficient heating and cooling systems.
“We expect to be LEED certified, probably at the Silver level,” adds Dougherty, who says that the region's first Jamba Juice will open at the Power Center within the next ten days, along with the Red Ring restaurant. DRS Architects designed the five-story project; contractor is Gendeco.

The Power Center is connected to Duquesne’s recently dedicated Sklar Skywalk, Pittsburgh’s highest pedestrian bridge. The $3 million 138-foot skywalk links the Power Center to the Duquesne Union and Forbes Ave. parking garage.

Writer: Jennifer Baron
Source: Charles Dougherty, president of Duquesne University
Image courtesy Duquesne University

[Austinlee]

I think that power center is a handsome structure, especially with the very high footbridge, but it looks very alone standing there as it does... I just hope the university has a plan to infill around it some other like minded structures.

[edncc1701d]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08009/847770-53.stm

Plans for Oakland hotel unveiled
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
By Amy McConnell Schaarsmith, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Booking a room for graduation weekend might soon become easier with a proposed 225-room, 11-story hotel on Forbes Avenue between the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University.

If built according to current plans, the Museum Park Hotel would be the tallest structure in the immediate neighborhood, where other buildings are six stories or less.

The hotel, which would overlook Junction Hollow, would open much of its first two floors to the public, with a lounge, restaurant and alfresco dining on the first floor, and a spa, exercise facility, salon and meeting rooms on the second. Rooms would take up the top nine floors, and an all-valet two-story parking garage would be underground.

Currently, the building site is a gas station next to the Graphic Arts Building. The hotel's backers say the site could be put to better use.

"We've really made a point of making this a building that people in the neighborhood are going to use," said Sara Kroloff, a project manager for design firm Burt Hill who presented preliminary plans to the city's Contextual Design Advisory Panel yesterday. "It's something that starts to fill in what really is a void in a very exciting part of town."

The hotel would be operated by Concord Hospitality Inc. under a flag, or hotel brand, that has yet to be determined. The building could open as early as the spring of 2010, according to architects.

The hotel would be the seventh in Oakland.

[Evergrey]

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_546535.html

URA considers 3 city projects

By Bonnie Pfister
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, January 9, 2008


The Urban Redevelopment Authority board of directors will consider Thursday whether to give a $600,000 state grant to the developer of luxury condos in the former Union National Bank building, Downtown.
The grant would be used to offset the cost of replacing a utility vault in The Carlyle, the $15.6 million redevelopment of the century-old building at Fourth Avenue and Wood Street, according to the board's agenda.

Columbus, Ohio-based E.V. Bishoff Co. purchased the 21-story structure from National City Bank Corp. in 1997. Construction began in March to convert the building into 60 condominiums, ranging in price from $215,000 to $400,000 per unit, not including the penthouse. Twenty-nine units already are under contract.

The marble-pillared, first-floor space will be converted to retail or commercial use.

Expected to open by October, The Carlyle would feature a doorman, valet parking, an exercise room, home theater with cinema-style seating and a billiard parlor.
The URA would pass through a "Growing Greener II" grant from the state Department of Community and Economic Development to E. V. Bishoff. The work includes replacing the sidewalk, relocating a storm sewer, installing new electric connections and replacing concrete, steel and block work.

E.V. Bishoff President David Bishoff did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment Tuesday.

The URA will also vote whether to execute a deed for The Soffer Organization to acquire land at SouthSide Works for a Pittsburgh version of Munich's Hofbrauhaus.

Construction is expected to begin in May on the German-style beer hall and restaurant, between the Cheesecake Factory and the Monongahela River. The third Hofbrauhaus in the United States is scheduled to open by early 2009.

The authority also will decide whether to approve a $700,000 contract for landscape architectural design on the South Shore's Riverfront Park. The contract with Environmental Planning and Design LLC would be paid from a combination of state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources funds and private foundation money.



Bonnie Pfister can be reached at [email protected] or 412-320-7886.

[Evergrey]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08009/847716-85.stm

Casino targets May 2009 opening

Design changes appease critics

Wednesday, January 09, 2008
By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pittsburgh's Majestic Star casino is expected to open on May 1, 2009.

Ed Fasulo, the casino vice president and general manager, said yesterday that date is subject to construction delays or other factors that could impact the schedule.

Businessman Don Barden broke ground on his $450 million North Shore casino Dec. 11, after nearly a year of delays.

Workers are on a very tight 16-month construction schedule to complete the city's lone slot machine casino.

So far, the work is off to a good start, Mr. Fasulo said.

The casino work has claimed one casualty so far -- the closing of the North Shore riverfront trail at the site of the construction.

Spokesman Bob Oltmanns said the casino needed the space for construction staging and other activities.

Mr. Oltmanns said the trail would reopen and there would be full access to it once the casino opens.

City transportation planner Sidney Kaikai said he is working with Bike Pittsburgh and Friends of the Riverfront to try to devise a safe detour for trail users around the casino site during construction.

The casino's architects also have reworked the appearance of the casino's much-debated parking garage, mostly satisfying previous concerns from a group that advises the city planning commission on building design.

The entire building will be stained light buff to match its cast stone base, rooftop mechanical equipment will be screened and a curving, perforated metal screen will be extended around all four sides of the garage.

In previous plans, a 59-foot-tall garage wall facing Mount Washington and the West End Bridge was left plain concrete, drawing objections from the Contextual Design Advisory Panel. But the silvery screen that now will face south will mirror its surroundings, making the building attractive from all sides, members said at a meeting yesterday.

"They're picking up the color of the sky and the color of the hillsides and the surrounding environment and it's breaking up the building's mass," said Bill Kolano, a panel member who runs an East Liberty design firm. "It's a very good architectural device."

Staff writer Amy McConnell Schaarsmith contributed. Mark Belko can be reached at [email protected] or 412-263-1262.
First published on January 9, 2008 at 12:00 am

[cdc]

Originally Posted by Evergrey

I saw that too, cdc. I believe the new kiosk will still serve hot dogs as well... as "hot dog" is still present on the signage. I don't know what to think about an Atria's in Schenley Plaza... never been to one... and not sure how it may positively or negatively impact the area.

As I understand it, the general concept is to add something kind of
"Tavern on the Green"-ish to the edge of the park in the Plaza. I
haven't been to an Atrias either, so I'm not sure how well it fits
with the concept. In theory, I'm OK with the idea. The main thing I
wonder is if that site can sustain a full service restaurant or not?
It won't have a parking lot (and Pitt students often fill up the Plaza
parking area) and we've already had 2 food kiosks fail there. But I'd
like to see it work, especially if the architects can come up with an
attractive design...

Oh, if anyone has or finds a link to renderings for the proposed
Museum Park Hotel in Oakland that the PG said was just "unveiled" --
please post!

[Austinlee]

a curving, perforated metal screen will be extended around all four sides of the garage.

Sweet! The garage will still be a hulking mass, but at least they agreed on 4 sides of screening. That's the least they could do.

[Gilamonster]

Who are these critics of the casino garage who are appeased by the screens and concrete staining? I believe most of the negative comments I have heard about this garage are from the sheer size of it.

[Johnland]

Originally Posted by Gilamonster

Who are these critics of the casino garage who are appeased by the screens and concrete staining? I believe most of the negative comments I have heard about this garage are from the sheer size of it.

Yes, it was the hulking mass of the stupid thing that I objected to. So they are going to stick on some crap to cover it up. A piece of shit design still stinks no matter what you dress it in.

[xyagentguy]

Yes, it was the hulking mass of the stupid thing that I objected to. So they are going to stick on some crap to cover it up. A piece of shit design still stinks no matter what you dress it in.

I think it's fine. It's really no bigger and actually smaller than a couple other garages on the same shore. They are going to paint it and use decorate screening on every side now.

I'm not exactly sure what people want. Is it perfect? No. But it'll do. I think the new renderings look acceptable.

[tooluther]

[QUOTE=Evergrey;3268692]

http://www.popcitymedia.com/developmentnews/marketsq0109.aspx

Commercial leases filling up in Downtown Pittsburgh's Market Square

[marinog]

Hotel, offices, condos planned for Don Allen site
Thursday, January 10, 2008
By Dan Fitzpatrick, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A development partnership with offices in Pittsburgh, Chicago and Fort Myers, Fla. announced plans today for a major redevelopment of a three-block area on the Shadyside-Bloomfield border, replacing the Don Allen Auto City site with a mix of townhouses, condominiums, a 120-room hotel, office, medical and retail space.

DOC-Economou, which is also planning a $48 million hotel-condo-retail project on the Souith Side, unveiled its plans for the property along Baum Boulevard and Liberty Avenue a week after the family that owns Don Allen told employees about its plans to sell the 7-acre auto dealership.

"The Baum-Liberty site is located in two of Pittsburgh's premier neighborhoods -- Bloomfield and Shadyside," said Phil Hugh, a principal with DOC-Economou and originally from Fairchance, Fayette County. The spot is "a perfect area for an upscale mixed-use development like this."

The development, spanning three blocks, will include 350,000 square feet of "boutique" retail, 58,000 square feet of street-level "commercial" retail, 300,000 square feet of office and medical space and a 120-room hotel with the upper levels reserved for 150 condos and townhomes. Parking will be on the lower levels, mostly underground.

A park will also be part of the new project.

[marinog]

http://www.pittsburghpostgazette.com/pg/08010/848187-100.stm

Sorry, forgot to post the link for above

[hyperion1110]

Originally Posted by marinog

Hotel, offices, condos planned for Don Allen site
Thursday, January 10, 2008
By Dan Fitzpatrick, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A development partnership with offices in Pittsburgh, Chicago and Fort Myers, Fla. announced plans today for a major redevelopment of a three-block area on the Shadyside-Bloomfield border, replacing the Don Allen Auto City site with a mix of townhouses, condominiums, a 120-room hotel, office, medical and retail space.

DOC-Economou, which is also planning a $48 million hotel-condo-retail project on the Souith Side, unveiled its plans for the property along Baum Boulevard and Liberty Avenue a week after the family that owns Don Allen told employees about its plans to sell the 7-acre auto dealership.

"The Baum-Liberty site is located in two of Pittsburgh's premier neighborhoods -- Bloomfield and Shadyside," said Phil Hugh, a principal with DOC-Economou and originally from Fairchance, Fayette County. The spot is "a perfect area for an upscale mixed-use development like this."

The development, spanning three blocks, will include 350,000 square feet of "boutique" retail, 58,000 square feet of street-level "commercial" retail, 300,000 square feet of office and medical space and a 120-room hotel with the upper levels reserved for 150 condos and townhomes. Parking will be on the lower levels, mostly underground.

A park will also be part of the new project.

Based on their design for the SSW project, I think this will be a very handsome development!

[chucka]

Baum-Liberty
They have renderings:

http://doceconomou.com/baum-liberty/

Media Kit







I think it looks great.

[Austinlee]

that looks pretty upscale!
Can't wait to see it built there. How far is this from where you live Evergrey?

[hyperion1110]

I really think this development will be amazing. After this, I think development needs to move up center avenue. It's kinda rundown for about 2 blocks, right as it runs into North Oakland. Once that area is redone, you will have a giant, contiguous, upscale-but-not-gentrified urban landscape from Oakland through Bloomfield, Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, and into East Liberty.

The East End of the city is really coming back in a big way. We just need to spread this momentum elsewhere in the city.

[Evergrey]

I live just a few blocks away from this development

I'm suprised we're learning about this so quickly after the press release about Don Allen closing and selling the property... what a huge project... it will transform a rather desolate automobile-corridor landscape into a dense urban streetwall... this certainly fits into Peduto's Baum-Centre corridor plan that called for high-density development

here's a couple more links about this development:

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_546833.html

http://pittsburgh.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2008/01/07/daily31.html?surround=lfn

[hyperion1110]

Pittsburgh seems to buck every national trend. Housing market plummets, Pittsburgh stays strong. Credit crunch slows developments, they accelerate in Pittsburgh. And before anyone brings up many of the troubles we face, I'm aware. Just let me revel in this for a bit...

On a somewhat related note, these Hill residents making these demands for the new arena are really ticking me off. I understand that this arena is nominally Uptown. But, honestly, this is arena is functionally downtown. It's quite far from the Hill proper. But, all that aside, what right to these people have to demand taxpayer money to control for their own pet projects??? We sink enough money into that place already. If they want to improve their neighborhood, tell them two stop selling crack and get real jobs!

Rant concluded.

[chiaroscuro]

Anyone able to read the text on the Baum-Liberty site plan drawing?