PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown II

[psuhoops123]

Does anyone know why they're taking the Exxon down by Station Square.. Does this have anything to do with Garden City or am I just getting excited over nothing...

[markson33]

Originally Posted by popstar

There seems to be so much momentum right now in Pittsburgh, and the development to me seems like mostly positive development that will spur a thriving city. I'm fairly new to Pittsburgh, so I'm wondering if the development going on now and the vibe/energy in the city feels different than other "renaissance" periods in the last 30 years or so. If so, why/how?

I would say yes, it feels different.

The current economy in Pittsburgh is very vibrant and feels permanent, like we have really turned a corner and it's just the tip of the iceberg. I don't sense any imminent slow down. This boom is Pittsburgh centric - meaning its not heavily reliant on outside forces.

The local economy during the tech boom around 2000 felt even more vibrant and explosive, but was obviously temporary. That boom wasn't Pittsburgh centric though, so we were greatly impacted by outside forces.

The real estate development during the early 90s was just that - real estate development for developments sake. Some large corporate players wanted new digs and got government money to do it. It's a little before my time, but I don't recall any significant economic boom in Pittsburgh.

[glowrock]

Originally Posted by psuhoops123

Does anyone know why they're taking the Exxon down by Station Square.. Does this have anything to do with Garden City or am I just getting excited over nothing...

Good question. I'm not sure, either, but inquiring minds certainly want to know! Hopefully I can find out more information in the near future.

Aaron (Glowrock)

[markson33]

I understand the Exxon is nothing important - don't get your hopes up. I've even heard that another gas station may want that site.

[Found5dollar]

I drove past Iron City Brewworks yesterday and they are moving earth around in the back. Has construction officially started there?

[psuhoops123]

Well it better be a Sheetz, if it's another GetGo.. I'll officially freak out -Altoona native lol

[BrianTH]

Wonky, but some very interesting news in the state's February employment news release for the Pittsburgh MSA (available as a PDF here):

http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=552914&mode=2

After revision, it turns out that construction employment in the MSA, rather than declining from 2011 to 2012 as originally reported, actually increased nicely:



This makes a LOT more sense given all the other news about local construction activity, and it restores part of what I originally expected to be a crucial feedback loop between increasing population and new business sites on the one hand and additional new employment opportunities in fields like construction on the other.

[novaCJ]

Steeling Beauty
Nicole Anderson
The Architects Newspaper
27 March 2013
http://archpaper.com/news/articles.asp?id=6566

A long stretch along the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh, once home to steel mills, suffered, like so many cities along the Rust Belt, from the decline of local industry. The Allegheny Riverfront Green Boulevard (ARGB) Study, led by Sasaki Associates with the help of Hacin + Associates, seeks to transform this 6.5-mile-long strip from an industrial corridor, filled with vacant tracts of land, into a mixed-use area that provides a robust connection between the existing neighborhood and riverfront.

[glowrock]

Originally Posted by markson33

I understand the Exxon is nothing important - don't get your hopes up. I've even heard that another gas station may want that site.

This makes little sense to me. That station was in good shape and is on a strange lot configuration. My guess is not another gas station but perhaps a precursor for something with station square. Maybe I'm just being optimistic, but I'm sticking to it!

[Topher51]

Almono - Mill 19 Building - Hazelwood

Things are getting started at Almono. I found out this afternoon that my firm will be doing the structural condition assessment for the Mill 19 building at the site. It is a high bay, one story building, but they are looking to add internal floor framing to make it a multi-story structure.

Based on the "Eco-Tech Park" site map I pulled from the Almono website, it looks like they are going to demo the middle section of the building and create a creek or pond between the remaing two sections.







http://almono.org/map/eco-tech-park

[Jonboy1983]

Originally Posted by Topher51

Almono - Mill 19 Building - Hazelwood

Things are getting started at Almono. I found out this afternoon that my firm will be doing the structural condition assessment for the Mill 19 building at the site. It is a high bay, one story building, but they are looking to add internal floor framing to make it a multi-story structure.

Based on the "Eco-Tech Park" site map I pulled from the Almono website, it looks like they are going to demo the middle section of the building and create a creek or pond between the remaing two sections.







http://almono.org/map/eco-tech-park

Let me get this straight. They want to make that into a multi-story building, and yet according to the master plan map, it's going to be industrial use. What exactly would fit/be suitable for a multi-story industrial building? I do not see this being a warehouse -- as those are typically one story.

It would be neat to see this used for something else. What about a mix of ground-level retail with office on the upper floor(s)?

[Steel City Scotty]

I stopped by Bakery Square for the first time while in Pittsburgh this weekend. While I was there, I thought I would take a few pictures of the demolition being done on the former Reizenstein school.

[Topher51]

Originally Posted by Jonboy1983

Let me get this straight. They want to make that into a multi-story building, and yet according to the master plan map, it's going to be industrial use. What exactly would fit/be suitable for a multi-story industrial building? I do not see this being a warehouse -- as those are typically one story.

It would be neat to see this used for something else. What about a mix of ground-level retail with office on the upper floor(s)?

To clarify, they are planning to build internal framing to turn the one-story, high bay building into a 2 or 3-story building within the same shell. I can't link the picture directly, but the second to last slide shows a concept of this building and the surrounding area.

http://www.rdcollab.com/places_almono.html

As for the usage, there will be plenty of other retail and office buildings in the area, but this portion of the site will be light industrial. I don't know what type of tenants they will be marketing too, but I imagine they wouldn't be renovating it in a manner that wouldn't be appealing to modern day industry.

[BrianTH]

[biscuit]

Originally Posted by psuhoops123

Does anyone know why they're taking the Exxon down by Station Square.. Does this have anything to do with Garden City or am I just getting excited over nothing...

It's a renovation for another gas station. Specifically, a natural gas and conventional fuel station that will be under the same ownership as the one approved for the former cement plant further up Carson. It was at the zoning board a few weeks back. If it's any consolation, it looks like it'll be much nicer and upscale than the current Exxon.

[BrianTH]

Some interesting information in this article about the latest city planning commission hearings:

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/busi...impress-pittsburgh-city-planners-681874/

The Hotel Indigo project in East Liberty hit a speed bump because the commission didn't like part of its design, but the architect seemed confident the issue could be addressed with a quick redesign. Otherwise this was the project summary:

Governor's Hotel Co. LP hopes to break ground this spring and have the hotel open about a year from now. The developer will utilize three existing buildings, including the former Governor's Hotel, and a new five-story addition. The hotel will feature oversized beds, hardwood-style floors with area rugs and spa-style showers. It will be managed by InterContinental Hospitality Group. Rates are expected to range from $140 to $150 a night.

The reuse of the Governor's Hotel is a very good thing, and those are not terrible rates for a boutique hotel.

Also in the article was more information about the Transit Center project, which seems to be moving along quite nicely:

A short distance away, Mosites Co. is proposing a 360-unit apartment complex on a four-acre parcel of land adjacent to the East Busway. The $52 million transit center, which will serve as the hub for nearly 1,000 bus arrivals and departures each day, will feature new bus shelters, a new pedestrian bridge and a bicycle depot. The development also will include 42,000 square feet of retail space, a central courtyard with a swimming pool, a rooftop garden, and parking for 540 vehicles. Mosites already has landed a clothing store to anchor part of the retail space. Steve Mosites, president of Mosites Co., said bids should go out on the transit center, the parking and other site infrastructure this summer. Mosites expects to get started on the apartments next year, with the first ready for occupancy in spring 2015.

We've talked about it before, but between the hotels, the Transit Center apartments, the Highland/Wallace project, and maybe The Odeon, the indigenous nighttime population of East Liberty is set to greatly expand in the next few years, which should help transform the street level scene as well.

[Topher51]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Thanks for the backup. Love all the green in that rendering; I can't wait for Spring.

[glowrock]

Originally Posted by biscuit

It's a renovation for another gas station. Specifically, a natural gas and conventional fuel station that will be under the same ownership as the one approved for the former cement plant further up Carson. It was at the zoning board a few weeks back. If it's any consolation, it looks like it'll be much nicer and upscale than the current Exxon.

To be honest with you, I never minded the (now undergoing demolition) Exxon station that's currently at the site. Frankly, it's a very convenient gas station and one that I used very frequently on my commute to and from the office every day. So I have no real issues with another gas station being built there, especially if it's got the natural gas fueling station as well.

That site is definitely a strange one, and unless it were to be merged with Station Square, nothing else could really be put there, most likely.

Aaron (Glowrock)

[BrianTH]

Postcard of the Governor's Hotel, aka Kirkwood Hotel:



Apparently it was built circa 1911:

http://www.emporis.com/building/governor-s-hotel-pittsburgh-pa-usa

[Evergrey]

http://popcitymedia.com/devnews/federalhill040313.aspx

Federal Hill final phase now under construction, 44 new homes in Northside

Wednesday, April 03, 2013

The third and final phase of the Federal Hill development is underway in the Central Northside, a project that has brought a total of 44 new homes to the historic neighborhood.

The current phase (2A) of six new townhomes brings to a close the five-year project.

Federal Hill is a project of the Central Northside Neighborhood Council (CNNC), S&A Homes and the URA, along with architects Rothschild Doyno Collaborative. The three- and four-bedroom homes range from 1,400 to 2,300 square feet, and units on the corners of each block include a third-floor, open-air balcony.

All of the new homes are under contract with buyers. Andy Haines of S&A Homes says his company receives continuous calls of interest for Federal Hill.

“It's one of our best selling developments throughout the three states we work in,” Haines says.

...