PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown II

[Private Dick]

Originally Posted by markson33

While I would agree that the opulence of some of Detroit's wealthy neighborhoods outpaces those of Pittsburgh, I would disagree that this is evidence that SE Michigan is financially stronger than SW Pennsylvania.

Certainly SE Michigan has a larger population, and has a greater overall wealth and GDP. On the flip side, that wealth may be leaving for greener pastures. If you've got money and want to invest in an area - are you really going to do that in SE Michigan?

I don't think it provides numerical, statistical evidence... but there is certainly proof in the pudding. There is simply greater wealth in the Detroit region. Wealth equals financial strength. It's hard to argue with that -- that's the way it's always been and the way it will continue to be. That's just how it works. There's a lot of money there... so yeah, if I had money, I would most certainly invest in the area. There's money there to help my (hypothetical ) money make more money. And that is precisely why the company I work for is doing just that.

EDIT: And I should mention that the company I work for is also investing in the Pittsburgh region... not as heavily as in metro Detroit area, but investing in the Pittsburgh area nonetheless. Which is a good sign, particularly since it involves manufacturing in the energy sector.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Private Dick

My initial comment was that they are very different places -- and that's why these comparos which seem to want to equate all rust belt cities get kind of annoying... and I also think they tend to gloss over, or outright ignore, some of Pittsburgh's glaring issues which are still present in the region.

Agreed all around.

[BrianTH]

Personally, I'm never inclined to bet against the long term fortunes of any metro which is basically the "capital" of a significant region. That includes both Pittsburgh and Detroit, and I think both places should have plenty of opportunities for lucrative investment in coming decades.

[goat314]

I really don't get the Detroit and Pittsburgh comparisons. Pittsburgh is an old river city with similar history, demographics, and urban layout to cities like Cincinnati and St. Louis. Detroit is more like a bigger version of Cleveland or Buffalo. All rust belt cities, but there are noticeable differences between the industrial centers of the Great Lakes and the inland river cities.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by goat314

I really don't get the Detroit and Pittsburgh comparisons. Pittsburgh is an old river city with similar history, demographics, and urban layout to cities like Cincinnati and St. Louis. Detroit is more like a bigger version of Cleveland or Buffalo. All rust belt cities, but there are noticeable differences between the industrial centers of the Great Lakes and the inland river cities.

I think the explanation is that you just showed an understanding of distinctions in the interior of the continental United States that the vast majority of people who still consider it "flyover country" have no clue about.

[Jonboy1983]

My final installment in my blog posts regarding Pittsburgh's North Shore.
http://urbandesigneggshell.blogspot.com/2013/07/rethinking-pittsburghs-north-side-part.html

[Evergrey]

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/bl...-with-village-green-on-new.html?page=all

Soffer teams with Village Green on new SouthSide Works project

The Soffer Organization has a new partner and a working design in place for a new apartment building on what is now a surface parking lot at the SouthSide Works.

And it’s looking more and more like this new partner is one that will become increasingly familiar in Pittsburgh.

Soffer is working with suburban Detroit-based Village Green Associates, the same group pursuing a 215-unit apartment building at the corner of Baum Boulevard and Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield. Village Green owns and manages more than 40,000 apartments in 12 states.

Tom Despres, CFO of the Soffer Organization, said Village Green was presented to the company as a potential partner by the Pittsburgh office of HFF Inc., a firm the company has worked with in the past.

“We did a lot of research and saw that they had a unique apartment product which I don’t think you really see here in western Pennsylvania,” Despres said. “We’re very pleased with the product that they want to put here.”

The partnership is working with the same architecture firm, BKV Group, that is designing the Morrow Park City Apartments project in Bloomfield. The current plan on the South Side calls for a design with Art Deco flavor that will include a mix of between 215 and 262 one- and two-bedroom apartments. The development team is considering a plan to include a number of micro-sized apartments, which could drive the total number of units above 260.

The project is expected to follow Village Green’s formula of a fully self-contained community, Despres added, featuring an interior courtyard with a pool, sauna and clubhouse along with other amenities.

...

[glowrock]

Hope to see both of those South Side projects get underway in the near future! The more new residents the better, especially when it comes to attracting new retail to some or all of the vacant spaces in South Side Works!

Aaron (Glowrock)

[BrianTH]

Fully self-contained? Meh. Pools and such are OK, though.

Art Deco flavor? Promising.

Micro-apartments? Fantastic.

[photoLith]

New houses on the middle right in the Mexican War Streets.


An old 1830s house, one of the oldest still left in the city getting restored and saved from demolition by a couple from NYC on Foreland St in Deutschtown.

Heres what they looked like before [not my photo] with the horrid 70s siding that plagues so many of this cities buildings, and beauty lies beneath so many 🞵🞵🞵🞵 sidings.


http://www.thenorthsidechronicle.com/1830s-foreland-street-hopes-spark-debate/

[AaronPGH]

A lot of the architecture I've seen from Village Green is of pretty high grade compared to other apartment projects around here. Glad to see them dipping into the PGH market.

[BrianTH]

Pittsburgh City Council has given preliminary approval to $12 million in City funding for the Larimer Plan:

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/loca...lion-for-larimer-housing-project-697544/

[photoLith]

A tractor was up here moving dirt around today at this development on Mt Washington.

Heres some restorations and new stuff in the northern part of the Southside Flats.


DSC_6024 by photolitherland, on Flickr


DSC_6026 by photolitherland, on Flickr


DSC_6028 by photolitherland, on Flickr


DSC_6030 by photolitherland, on Flickr


DSC_6032 by photolitherland, on Flickr

The Millvale Library which is right next door to me had their sign lighting tonight and is about to open up. Theyve restored the building, which was covered up by horrid 70s siding.


Then a bonus shot of the Union Station

DSC_6061 by photolitherland, on Flickr

[Austinlee]

Whoa dude! For a guy who has been posting mind blowing shots like it ain't no thang, this is one of your best... Captivating. I love the lighting with the transit station neon in the middle rear.

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by photoLith

A tractor was up here moving dirt around today at this development on Mt Washington.

Wow, ground breaking news - Literally. According to this recent article from July of 2006, this $30 million condominium building will be completed by summer of 2007.

http://www.popcitymedia.com/devnews/mtwash.aspx

The projects represent the only new multi-unit developments built in Mount Washington in 20 years.

^Well the last sentence of the article is starting to make sense now. It's been 7 years, so only 13 more years!

[Austinlee]

Here's a pretty sweet shot from a developers .pdf link a few pages back showing recent noteworthy downtown office space deals. I'm just enjoying the view.

[BrianTH]

The Millvale Library project is reason to hope that Millvale could in fact become a lot more charming with some quality restoration (it already has a great location and a decent start on businesses).

[glowrock]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

The Millvale Library project is reason to hope that Millvale could in fact become a lot more charming with some quality restoration (it already has a great location and a decent start on businesses).

Definitely gotta do something about the crackheads, meth addicts and a population with roughly the education level of a sixth grader, though...

Millvale has so much going for it in terms of location, urban fabric, etc... It's just that the residents are so, well, old-school Yinzer, generally drug-addicted, uneducated or poorly educated that it's going to take some new blood to really get the place kickstarted.

Yes, I know I paint with a broad brush here, but I've been on and near Grant St. enough to get a pretty good idea of the place! Heh


Aaron (Glowrock)

[photoLith]

And I live there, it's pretty much the most white trash place on Earth. Everyone just wears sweat pants and Mickey Mouse t shirts and half are on meth for sure. And everyone is just really gross looking. But I think millvale has hope. There are a couple restorations going on here right now so obviously something is happening and there's a handful of new hipsters moving in around the town. As for towns like etna and sharpsburg, they are like millvale now but too far from larwencville to have any hope of turning around anytime soon.

[BrianTH]

I hear what you guys are saying, but for good or ill the "gentrification" process will more or less take care of that issue automatically (meaning without needing to do anything specific to make it happen). It has worked that way in a gazillion cases in the United States, and in fact has apparently been working like that in places like Lawrenceville too.