PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown II

[BrianTH]

Not a surprise, but the Planning Commission has approved the BKSQ 2.0 office building:

http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/5458975-74/square-plans-store#axzz2r2F6oLkG

I can't wait to see this help form a new eastern gateway into Greater East Liberty.

[AaronPGH]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

I can't wait to see this help form a new eastern gateway into Greater East Liberty.

Yes, step through the grand entrance into East Liberty and right into a ... strip mall.

Is Eastside II approved and moving? Or is that construction purely for the new busway station? When do you think we'll see steel going up there? It'd be cool if all of these things were happening at once, all in a line through East Lib.

[Evergrey]

Originally Posted by AaronPGH

Yes, step through the grand entrance into East Liberty and right into a ... strip mall.

Is Eastside II approved and moving? Or is that construction purely for the new busway station? When do you think we'll see steel going up there? It'd be cool if all of these things were happening at once, all in a line through East Lib.

That strip mall appears to be thriving?

[GeneW]

Originally Posted by Evergrey

That strip mall appears to be thriving?

And it's getting a fancy new bread bakery.

[AaronPGH]

I didn't say it wasn't thriving. Just that it's ugly and is still a major psychological gap between East Liberty and Bakery Square. A little bit of infill along the Penn Ave edge of the parking lot could go a long way to solve it.

[dfiler]

Even if that gap were bridged, what follows is another gap. On one side of the street is another strip mall parking lot and on the other is a multi-block long brick wall that forms the back of a newer housing development.

When that development was built, they isolated access to only the Shadyside side. This made houses more valuable because they weren't thought of being close to the poorer neighborhoods.

Now that East Liberty and Penn Ave are on the rebound, this separation/isolation is no longer of value. However with the houses and lots already there, nothing is likely to change.

At least the bakery square phase II isn't perpetuating that separation. It will actually reinstate pedestrian and bike connectivity between shadyside and the baker square area.

[Brentsters]

I might be wrong, but I don't think the Eastside expansion is happening until after the parking structure/transit station is built out.

[GeneW]

I've always thought that the design of The Village of Shadyside was particularly obnoxious. Building a gated community in the middle of the city and then putting the entrance facing Shadyside and a brick wall facing East Liberty really missed the whole point of cities.

[DKNewYork]

Originally Posted by eschaton

FWIW, I didn't say I thought it was effective. But I do think it's basically window dressing on a vacant lot, and the tiny bit of landscaping in the offer doesn't change that this is sprucing up an effectively land-banked parcel.

I actually like the "eyeball park," as I think it does exactly what an urban parklet needs to do. On the other hand, I'm not really a fan of the fake magnolia park across the street from it, because despite being somewhat nice looking, it's set up in such a way that no one can sit down there - it's nothing more than a shortcut if you're going around that block, which few people do. And it's much more transparently a "missing tooth" due to the blank walls which face it on either side. It's pretty clearly just a makeshift installation until they can buy out the last two parcels they don't own on that end of block (709 Penn and the former Tambellini), level everything, and then either build a giant parking lot or hopefully something better.

I have not seen the magnolia installation but remember, not too fondly, the large pile of terra cotta building remnants that resided there for awhile. When that corner lot was created, it was to be a temporary location for temporary art installations. I remember reading that a permanent outdoor venue for these types of art installations was to be created elsewhere in the Cultural District, perhaps part of RiverParc...

I hope that the Cultural Trust does not keep purchasing property only to warehouse it for future use. I read the Trust's 2012 community report last night, expecting to see something about their real estate plans. Nothing.

The Penn-Seventh intersection is greatly diminished by having three of the four corners open. I like what the Trust did with Katz Plaza, but it's visual impact is compromised with both the "magnolia" corner and the lot opposite the Benedum open. Those two lots need to be built out for Katz to really work. I refuse to give up on the eventual construction of the companion tower to 625 Liberty. Granted, it has been 30 years since it was proposed but I think it would be the best way to fill in the lot opposite the Benedum. I still like the look of 625 and some additional height there would be welcome, plus the construction of the twin would eliminate the bland stage door annex to Heinz Hall. The two towers looked great in the renderings and it's setbacks were designed to highlight the dome of the Keenan Building.

[Evergrey]

Originally Posted by DKNewYork

I still like the look of 625

http://triblive.com/aande/architecture/5411426-74/liberty-625-plaza#axzz2r2gQCbZv

625 Liberty building deserves more recognition for style




By John Conti

Published: Saturday, Jan. 18, 2014, 9:00 p.m.

The 32-story granite-faced office tower at 625 Liberty Ave. seems undeservedly anonymous among Downtown's well-known buildings. Partly, that's because it's had five names in its relatively short 27-year history.

Built as AI Tower, it was then known for about a dozen years as CNG Tower, later became Dominion Tower, and is known today as EQT tower. But, for obvious reasons, a lot of its tenants have always called it 625 Liberty anyway. And to some Pittsburghers, it's simply “that building where Morton's is.”

That's too bad, because this is one of our finest office buildings Downtown, and also a premiere example of the Postmodern style of architecture that has dominated the nation's commercial and institutional architecture for the past 35 years or so.

...

[shipsterns]

Drove by the new apartments at BKSQ today. After some time of not much visible development, it looks as if this thing is showing serious progess -- the entire building appears to have insulation now.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by AaronPGH

Yes, step through the grand entrance into East Liberty and right into a ... strip mall.

And another strip mall on the other side not long after. My hope is that once both BKSQ 2.0 and Eastside III are completed, the strip malls will go into redevelopment as well.

Or is that construction purely for the new busway station? When do you think we'll see steel going up there? It'd be cool if all of these things were happening at once, all in a line through East Lib.

I believe all this digging is part of doing at least the first couple phases of the overall project, which involve new shared infrastructure including a new deck level with a couple levels of parking underneath. At least I think that was implied in this article:

http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/5071469-74/east-transit-liberty#axzz2r9bFceBs

Demolition for the project began last month. Plans call for clearing land north of the busway to make way for a 550-space parking garage, a new street and later, residential buildings. . . . Construction of the transit shelters, parking garage and landscaped access points was expected to be completed by June 2015.

Basically, I think they are talking about more or less everything before about 4:00 in this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY4x_4A4img

By the way, if you look at the rendering of the new Annie's Place at around 4:27, you get a little idea of how this will work from the street side, with the entrance to the parking below the deck and adjacent stairs visible in the background.

Anyway, hopefully there is not actually much, if any, break before they add the residential buildings, which should be true if they can finalized financing and approvals for that phase by June 2015-ish.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by dfiler

Even if that gap were bridge, what follows is another gap. On one side of the street is another strip mall parking lot and on the other is a multi-block long brick wall that forms the back of a newer housing development.

The residential development is the only part of that which is probably unaddressable in the long run. Which is still unfortunate, but at least it could become the exception to the rule--sort of like an urban cemetery vibe. In fact as I recall, its frontage along Penn is very similar in length to Allegheny Cemetery's.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by DKNewYork

The Penn-Seventh intersection is greatly diminished by having three of the four corners open. I like what the Trust did with Katz Plaza, but it's visual impact is compromised with both the "magnolia" corner and the lot opposite the Benedum open. Those two lots need to be built out for Katz to really work. I refuse to give up on the eventual construction of the companion tower to 625 Liberty. Granted, it has been 30 years since it was proposed but I think it would be the best way to fill in the lot opposite the Benedum.

I agree about needing to infill the surface parking lot opposite the Benedum, but I actually like the Magnolia park. I realize that on paper it violates a half-dozen or more best practices in urban planning, but I think it is so cool as art that it actually works in the context of the Cultural District. I might change my mind if we literally run out of decent development sites nearby, but sadly there is no particular danger of that right now.

[dfiler]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

The residential development is the only part of that which is probably unaddressable in the long run. Which is still unfortunate, but at least it could become the exception to the rule--sort of like an urban cemetery vibe.

Definitely some of the commercial space could be redeveloped once east liberty is booming with density again.

Unfortunately the road system is unlikely to be reconnected. That stretch of Penn Ave encourages high-speed automobile traffic due to a number of reasons. The strip malls, parking lots, gated community wall and lack of cross streets all combine to create a high-speed urban highway.

Because of the busway and gated community it doesn't seem like this can be remedied. Bakery Square phase II could have addressed the lack of connecting streets but that option isn't part of the final design. Once a neighborhood becomes isolated with little through traffic, residents become opposed to reconnecting the street grid. My guess is that the residents of eastern shadyside don't want to be part of a connected street grid. They enjoy living on dead end streets or streets with absolutely no through traffic.

While it is personally appealing to live on a dead-end street, the more such streets exist, the worse the city structure is for everyone. It is kind of like suburbia. Suburbs are appealing when you're one of the few people living in them and have quick access to a dense city. However if everyone lives in a suburb, the advantages of density are lost. Soon, nobody lives near anything.

At least the trend is being reversed for pedestrians and bicycles. This section of Pittsburgh appears to be returning to a more walkable lifestyle. There is an absolutely amazing transformation happening in East Liberty, perhaps the most significant Pittsburgh neighborhood transformation since David L. Lawrence tore down much of the city.

[dfiler]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

I agree about needing to infill the surface parking lot opposite the Benedum, but I actually like the Magnolia park. I realize that on paper it violates a half-dozen or more best practices in urban planning, but I think it is so cool as art that it actually works in the context of the Cultural District. I might change my mind if we literally run out of decent development sites nearby, but sadly there is no particular danger of that right now.

I've never heard of this and had to google it... Is this the park you speak of?


(Tony Tasset 2006 - http://pittsburghartplaces.org/accounts/view/26)

[DKNewYork]

Originally Posted by dfiler

I've never heard of this and had to google it... Is this the park you speak of?


(Tony Tasset 2006 - http://pittsburghartplaces.org/accounts/view/26)

Yep. That's it. Looking at this view, I am more convinced it needs to go. Wonder if this corner was addressed in the RiverParc plan?

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by AaronPGH

Is Eastside II approved and moving? Or is that construction purely for the new busway station? When do you think we'll see steel going up there? It'd be cool if all of these things were happening at once, all in a line through East Lib.

I don't have information on this, but I did check the property ownership of the parcels the other day, and Eastside II only owns on the Centre side the Citizens Bank drive through and the roadway next to it. Which is good news, since it was previously reported somewhere that they were going to knock down at least a few of the historic storefronts

Originally Posted by Evergrey

That strip mall appears to be thriving?

I'm not sure how much longer the "Shakespeare" Giant Eagle and the rest of that strip mall is going to survive though.

As to the side of the street in question, I could see it redeveloping in stages. First, put a nice, street-fronting retail building where the McDonalds parcel is. Then eventually replace the buildings with a far setback with more right along Penn, and move the parking lot to the rear.

Originally Posted by dfiler

Even if that gap were bridged, what follows is another gap. On one side of the street is another strip mall parking lot and on the other is a multi-block long brick wall that forms the back of a newer housing development.

When that development was built, they isolated access to only the Shadyside side. This made houses more valuable because they weren't thought of being close to the poorer neighborhoods.

Now that East Liberty and Penn Ave are on the rebound, this separation/isolation is no longer of value. However with the houses and lots already there, nothing is likely to change.

At least the bakery square phase II isn't perpetuating that separation. It will actually reinstate pedestrian and bike connectivity between shadyside and the baker square area.

Yeah, it was a really bad decision in retrospect. They could pretty easily connect Denniston with Penn though. Hell, there's already a gate there, although it's apparently locked all the time.

[DKNewYork]

Originally Posted by Evergrey

http://triblive.com/aande/architecture/5411426-74/liberty-625-plaza#axzz2r2gQCbZv

Thanks for posting the article. 625 still looks good, up close and in the skyline. And the companion tower would enhance the skyline even more.

[Evergrey]

Originally Posted by eschaton

I'm not sure how much longer the "Shakespeare" Giant Eagle and the rest of that strip mall is going to survive though.

I was referring to the strip mall next to Trader Joe's.

I had never really noticed that there was a strip mall attached to the Shakespeare Giant Eagle. I just tend to not pay attention to strip malls and suburban landscapes.

That Giant Eagle does seem awkward though... I went in there once for about a minute... I suppose it's a lot easier to get in-and-out than the nearby Giant Eagle Market District.