PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown II

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Private Dick

I was referring to a small commercial district within the Summerset development

The 2011 article I linked about this phase mentioned 30,000 sqft of commercial, so maybe that is still happening.

[Private Dick]

^ Cool, yeah I read that in the link. Hope they'll follow through with that.


Also, I'm going to have to try Hokkaido next time I'm in town. Always meant to eat there when I lived in Pittsburgh, and drove past it all the time on the way to or from Homestead. And speaking of restaurants in the vicinity, anyone been to Blue Dust Tavern? Just across the tracks from the Waterfront. Good food with interesting menu for a bar (a gastropub, if you will), great beer, wine, whiskeys/bourbons, and local family running it. Good option if you're in the area and don't want to eat/drink at one of the crappy chains in the Waterfront. Have a good Sunday brunch menu too.

[Evergrey]

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/bl...port-downtown-class-a-office-market.html

Report: Downtown Class A office market the tightest

Downtown Pittsburgh’s Class A office market now has less than five percent vacancy, making it the tightest in the country.

That’s according to the new Pittsburgh Skyline Review for Spring 2013, an annual research report by Jones Lang LaSalle.

The report sees a majority of the demand in the skyline buildings it covers, comprising 16 of downtown’s best buildings, such as U.S. Steel Tower, the various buildings of PPG Place and One Oxford Centre, among others, as being driven largely by financial institutions, health care companies and law firms.

...

[Topher51]

Originally Posted by glowrock

I was just wondering what this construction site was going to be when I was over there last weekend... Any renderings of the project?

Aaron (Glowrock)

It's a 46-unit, 89,000-square-foot apartment building called Doughboy Square. The architect is Desmone & Associates (located in the "bank building" across the street). My firm is the structural engineer on the project, but I didn't work on it.

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/pr...ne-lawrenceville-apartment.html?page=all

Below are elevation and aerial renderings that I pulled from the architectural concept drawings. It probably won't look exactly like this, but it will be close.

[BrianTH]

The report sees a majority of the demand in the skyline buildings it covers, comprising 16 of downtown’s best buildings, such as U.S. Steel Tower, the various buildings of PPG Place and One Oxford Centre, among others, as being driven largely by financial institutions, health care companies and law firms.

Marcellus! Not!

Anyway, hopefully Buncher and the Penguins are taking note of all this, and go reasonably tall with their Strip and Lower Hill office buildings respectively.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Topher51

It's a 46-unit, 89,000-square-foot apartment building called Doughboy Square. The architect is Desmone & Associates (located in the "bank building" across the street).

Probably my favorite of the many recent projects like this in Pittsburgh (assuming it turns out close to the renderings). They really nailed being both contextual and cool.

[glowrock]

The rendering looks great for Doughboy Square!

Aaron (Glowrock)

[Steel City Scotty]

I know this isn't the best place to talk politics, but as an outsider, I was wondering if I could get some opinions as to who might be the best mayoral candidate for the future of development in Pittsburgh.

With Mayor Ravenstahl not seeking re-election, I would think Lamb and Peduto (who I know some people on here are pulling for) will become the top choices.

But, according to this article from this morning's P-G, it looks like several more candidates may join the race, including a few state senators, the current council president and former auditor general, Jack Wagner.

County Councilman Robinson considers running for Pittsburgh mayor
March 7, 2013 12:03 am
By James O'Toole / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Allegheny County Councilman Bill Robinson is laying the groundwork for a bid for the Democratic nomination for mayor as a variety of African-American leaders consider how best to leverage the votes of a key constituency in the May 21 primary.

Mr. Robinson, a former state legislator and Pittsburgh councilman, said Tuesday that supporters were at work gathering the 250 signatures needed to secure a place on the ballot.

"I'm in the race as of now," he said. "I am circulating petitions and I anticipate talking in depth with a number of people and organizations that are telling me I should run."

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/loca...r-pittsburgh-mayor-678166/#ixzz2MsoBfG48

Again, I don't want to create any conflict on these boards, but because the next mayor may have some ties to future development and construction (at least from a P.R. perspective), I thought it would be nice to hear some opinions as to who might be the best guy (or gal) for the job (even though I can't vote in the election).

[Brentsters]

The corner of Doughboy Square next to the old firehouse is getting infill also.



http://www.ciprianistudios.com/shops-at-...-redevelopment-of-important-city-square/

[Jonboy1983]

Steel City Scotty, I, personally, have always liked Bill Peduto. He thinks outside the box, which is something that doesn't happen all too often in Pittsburgh -- at least not until recently. As I've said before, he wants to consolidate the city with the county, he has some great transportation improvement ideas, and he had that vision for the roof of the US Steel Building!

I hope he'll be one to work with the city planners rather than against them as they continue to transform this city. Pittsburgh seems to be turning a corner for the better and I think Peduto might be the best candidate, IMO, to keep this going.

Not to mention, there is tons of development taking place in Mr. Peduto's district. The East Liberty Transit Center is at least partially within the District 8 boundary. Other notable developments include Bakery Square 2.0, the Schenley High School future development, and the Squrrel Hill development, just to name a few.

[BrianTH]

Just my two cents as a non-City resident:

Early polling so far suggests it may come down to Peduto versus Wagner, although primary polling can be very volatile. Peduto is probably best known as a big ideas guy. Wagner is best known as a good government type. Both aspects are arguably important, so I suppose I would want to know which guy really combines the most of both. That's a non-final answer, but at least it gets to a way of thinking about the contest.

[Topher51]

Originally Posted by Brentsters

The corner of Doughboy Square next to the old firehouse is getting infill also.

Lawrenceville in general seems to be exploding with redevelopment projects. I'd guess its central location between downtown and Children's Hosptial has a lot to do with that.

If I had moved here ten years ago (and was still single and without kids), that would probably be the area I would have lived in. One can daydream about what might have been, right?

Oh well, Peters isn't that bad. Far better than sprawling hell of Fairfax, VA that I moved from.

[Evergrey]

Thanks for the update, Brentsters.

...

Here's the latest on a major renovation near Consol.

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2013/03/07/doc-mendelson-coming-to-uptown.html?page=all

Doc Mendelson coming to Uptown



A long-familiar name in Pittsburgh’s bar scene is ready to tap a new neighborhood.

James Mendelson, who operated Doc’s Place Bar and Restaurant in Shadyside for more than 25 years before selling it a few years ago, is now front and center to open Blue Line Grille and a companion project upstairs from it called Uptown, an ultra lounge with a rooftop bar in a building under renovation across from Consol Energy Center.

Selling out his longtime Shadyside bar after aging out of what became a younger clientele, Mendelson sees little reason to reinvent the wheel with his new place, which he described as “Doc’s for adults.”

He does expect to a more chef-driven approach to the food offerings at the new places, expecting a little older clientele with different tastes from when they visited Doc’s in their 20s.

Mendelson will operate the new concepts under a management contract and part-owner with partner Kevin Nord, the owner of O'Hara-based Pro Towels., who is converting a four-story building on Fifth Avenue formerly home to a business called Uniforms USA. Nord is pursuing the 24,000-square-foot building conversion as a partner in a group called Blue Line Capital.

Mendelson said the combined operations will total 12,000 square feet, with 6,000 square feet for Blue Line and another 6,000 for Uptown, an indoor-outdoor arrangement on the buildings’ fourth and top floor with a rooftop deck that will be used year-round.

They’re describing Blue Line Grille as a premium sports bar, with its theme named after the Penguins hockey games played across the street.

“Kevin came to me with a beautiful property and a beautiful opportunity and I decided to maybe get back in the game,” said Mendelson, who believes the new operation will be among the largest of its kind within the Downtown area. “I hope I can deliver what he expects.”

Nord sounded confident in an overall project that will include a $5 million investment and add 10 loft apartments on the two middle floors to a larger conversion projected designed by Allison Park-based Jen Bee Design.

“It’s a high-profile project, no question about it,” said Nord, of a location that’s 90 feet from the front door of Consol Energy Center and its two-million-plus annual visitors.

The new restaurant and club should also be a conspicuous newcomer to an Uptown neighborhood working to see revitalization but yet to see much new restaurant activity that can help pull in newcomers.

Nord said he’s known Mendelson for years and credits him for succeeding with one of the city’s first rooftop deck’s at Doc’s.

“Doc’s is Doc’s,” he said. “Everybody has been there. He knows a lot of people in the city.”

Blue Line Grille and Uptown are expected to open in late summer.

[Urbana]

Here is a better picture of the Mosites development courtesy of Pop City Media.



Image Credit: Pop City Media

[Austinlee]

Wow, Doughboy Square is gonna be crazy. It's absolutely awesome. Lawrenceville is amazing.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Topher51

Lawrenceville in general seems to be exploding with redevelopment projects. I'd guess its central location between downtown and Children's Hosptial has a lot to do with that.

Indeed.

I'd also note there is really a Greater Penn Avenue thing going on, stretching from the Cultural District through the Strip, Lawrenceville, Bloomfield/Garfield/Friendship, and East Liberty.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Evergrey

Here's the latest on a major renovation near Consol.

I'm not sure I am thrilled by the rendering, but I do like the overall approach to the project. In general, it would be great to see that whole area take off--it has a lot of cool little buildings and also great infill potential.

[Private Dick]

Originally Posted by Evergrey

Thanks for the update, Brentsters.

...

Here's the latest on a major renovation near Consol.

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2013/03/07/doc-mendelson-coming-to-uptown.html?page=all

Just hope he takes care of the building better than he did at Doc's in Shadyside. That place was a fucking dirty dump.

[BrianTH]

"Westinghouse Castle" could become a destination hotel, although the plans are still in the very early stages:

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/busi...-wilmerding-castle-for-new-hotel-678416/

Some cool interior photos here:

http://triblive.com/news/1927632-74/buil...rge-homitz-festival-held-inside-somebody

[Private Dick]

Lawrenceville developments look great!