PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown II

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by PittExpat

I believe they want to build over the T Tracks

Oh yeah, I forgot about that. That would definitely be a creative way to add more development potential to that area.

[GeneW]

At some point there was talk here about building a parking garage on Ridge Ave for CCAC right were they have a surface lot now (between Graybar and the Subway Sandwich). CCAC would then free up the lots on the 900 block of N. Lincoln and on top of Monument Hill for residential development. I heard this plan about five years ago though and nothing's become of it so far.

Monument hill is such a waste of a vista, there should be something up there other than a parking lot.

[Evergrey]

BrianTH: Do you have a map of you proposed aerial gondola network?

[Private Dick]

Originally Posted by Wiz Khalifa

Not when the amount of glass needed would only be around 2% more that they have already used in this building. Let's be realistic here, 2% more glass would not come anywhere close to significantly increasing construction costs in this project.

When it would be added in a way that is very different from the standard window design on the rest of the building, in a different shape/design/height/etc... the cost does increase significantly... significantly meaning costing more than putting up aluminum cladding.

Originally Posted by photoLith

In other news here's a new development on Washington rd on a former parking lot next to the mt Lebanon light rail stop.

That Mt Lebo hotel development u/c looks the same as it did a year ago. Seriously stalled out.

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by Private Dick

When it would be added in a way that is very different from the standard window design on the rest of the building, in a different shape/design/height/etc... the cost does increase significantly... significantly meaning costing more than putting up aluminum cladding.



That Mt Lebo hotel development u/c looks the same as it did a year ago. Seriously stalled out.

And fugly.

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

151 First Side may not be indicative--it is a relatively slender tower, and I believe has some larger condos. Piatt might also now be thinking about larger condos, but in that case I am not sure it would remain as many as 100 units.

Just to give some other comparisons, PMC is talking 241 units in 18 floors of the former Regional Enterprise Tower (aka former ALCOA HQ). PMC is also talking 228 units in 19 floors of the Clark Building. River Vue (aka the former State Office Building) has 218 units in 16 floors. That is all in the 12-14 units per floor range.

So 100 units could be as few as something like 8 floors, on top of about 6 for the retail/garage part. That would put it around the same height as the Park Building, give or take.

Which would still be nice. And, of course, they could also go with a skinnier tower or larger units.

Edit:

By the way, it is a pretty big parcel, particularly when you include the L-part over to Fifth:

That's a refreshingly sharp render. I keep forgetting that that building is L shaped. Now i'm very curious to see what the apartment segment would look like. I also think that this Piatt development could potentially spur the Park Building into a renovation. That would be amazing!

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by GeneW

At some point there was talk here about building a parking garage on Ridge Ave for CCAC right were they have a surface lot now (between Graybar and the Subway Sandwich). CCAC would then free up the lots on the 900 block of N. Lincoln and on top of Monument Hill for residential development.

There has to be some sort of deal available where a structure or two is built and then we replace their surface parking lots with TOD. It is not like CCAC is a retailer who wants easy in and out parking for shoppers, or a sports team who wants to accommodate tailgaters.

Monument hill is such a waste of a vista, there should be something up there other than a parking lot.

You could actually build the gondola station into a new complex . . .

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Evergrey

BrianTH: Do you have a map of you proposed aerial gondola network?

Yes, in a Google Map, although not the route I just proposed (which just occurred to me today), except to the extent it overlaps with the end of my proposed North Side line originating at Steel Plaza:

http://goo.gl/maps/fGMgJ

It follows the basic rules of such maps: straight lines between stations, no routes too long, try to dodge tall buildings, but don't worry about hills, rivers, ravines, and so forth.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Austinlee

That's a refreshingly sharp render. I keep forgetting that that building is L shaped. Now i'm very curious to see what the apartment segment would look like.

It really could be anything. It might be cool if it was actually pretty skinny and tallish, and crammed into the northwest corner of the L shape. That approach would maximize the open space around the tower, since it would be set back from the Oliver and Park Buildings, and Piatt Place is only about as tall as the new parking garage will be. And it would also preserve open space around the Park Building. Speaking of which . . .

I also think that this Piatt development could potentially spur the Park Building into a renovation. That would be amazing!

Agreed! That is such a great building, but definitely could use a quality restoration.

[Jonboy1983]

Originally Posted by Austinlee

Thanks for posting! That was very interesting...


He said the second phase is around ONE HUNDRED apartments or condos. Now 151 Firstside is what, 19 stories and it's only 83 apartments!

So I would guess that if the tower is built on top of said parking garage I would guess it might be around 18-25 stories.

A 20-story building there would look awesome!

Originally Posted by BrianTH

ALCOA has been doing some interesting things lately to try to expand the market for aluminum. They've been developing more aluminum car bodies . . .

http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/5429575-74/aluminum-steel-ford#axzz2sVwCq09D

. . . and now they are trying to develop air-aluminum car batteries:

http://triblive.com/business/headlines/5543024-74/alcoa-aluminum-battery#axzz2sVwCq09D

Here is a little background reading on that sort of battery technology:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium%E2%80%93air_battery

Like many future battery options, the core idea seems very promising, but implementation at scale would require solving various problems. But maybe ALCOA joining the effort is a positive sign.

Originally Posted by BrianTH

As usual, Peduto is saying some very encouraging things. I personally think that 20,000 goal is reasonable in the sense that I believe there will be more than enough potential demand to meet it. The potential problems are really on the supply side, including because of holders of development rights that are overly timid (or have conflicts of interest), land-value speculators, and NIMBYs of all sorts. So it would be extremely helpful to have a City administration that is serving as a counterweight to all that, pushing projects to be more, not less, ambitious when it comes to residential units.

Edit: Oh, and I completely agree we need to be thinking ahead when it comes to transit planning and investments if we want to keep all this positive momentum in the core area going. The BRT plan for Squirrel Hill-Oakland-Uptown-Downtown is not a bad start, and I still think looking into aerial gondolas could provide huge benefits for the cost. But that said, the Busways, including the East Busway, are currently underutilized, and you could accommodate a lot of new transit riders just by encouraging more TOD in and around the Busways. That's part of why it is great to see neighborhoods like Homewood and Larimer being talked about as major redevelopment sites in coming years.

And then there is the North Shore--the North Shore Connector is also currently underutilized, and of course you can also easily walk or bike to Downtown from there. So all the talk in that article about pushing Continental to start doing residential projects is fantastic news, and I hope Peduto pushes them to specifically do it at major scale (no more 3-story buildings!).

On the other hand, I am a little surprised there was no specific mention of the Penguins' development of the Lower Hill. That is another HUGE opportunity for a lot of new residential that would not strain any existing infrastructure. But there are some tense negotiations going on about the nature of that project, so maybe Peduto not highlighting that particular opportunity at this time is wise.

I understand the need for section 8 housing in the Lower Hill, but I think it would be a horrible idea to have such a use that close to Downtown. On a city neighborhoods map, that is technically part of the central business district. Why can't they revamp other parts of the Hill with such housing? I just think it's a bad idea...

In regards to the BRT plan for Downtown-Oakland-East End, I hope it's only the beginning and that at some point we might see either light rail or heavy rail at some point. Granted I know it's expensive right now, but could we see it in the future?

I just see these parts of the city becoming very dense over the years which would likely necessitate an additional mode of transit besides BRT...

20,000 residents? Build more skyscrapers and not this squat crap that Continental wants to construct? Pittsburgh is neither a stagnant economy nor a lousy housing market. Both are rather strong now and are trending to get even stronger over the years. It's time to plan for it...

All I can say is thank goodness Peduto is in power! He seems to get it.

[chloride1]

Originally Posted by eschaton

To be honest, I've been wondering for awhile if Mount Washington is going to "make it." The far eastern portions of it (east of Ruth) have been in steady decline similar to the rest of the Southern Hilltop (albeit not as severe). Many people say the only difference between them and Allentown is the name. And I've been hearing more negative things about the "Chicken Hill" extension to the south as well (more drug addicts, petty break ins, etc).

I don't think it's too late for Mount Washington to become something sweet. But it seems like a lacunae in the redevelopment of Pittsburgh these days in general. Another few years of slow decline and the sketchy areas will be nearly bumping up against Grandview, at which point even considering medium-sized apartment projects might be a bridge too far for investors.



Shiloh Street is better, but only like a block and a half. It's too bad there's a Parking Authority garage that fronts on it. I've never been able to figure out why. Is it a park and ride for the incline? Regardless, it really should be a spur off a walkable business district, not the core walkable district itself as it is currently.

Bailey Ave east of Ruth is hardly in decline.

[chloride1]

Originally Posted by East Edge

Mt. Washington's biggest roadblock to development is greed. The business districts have come a long way but land speculators wiring for their ship to come in one day have unrealistic prices on properties that send most people packing. To my knowledge there is plenty on the drawing board for streets cape improvements as well as commercial development along Virginia and Boggs avenues but the property owners with high price tags are making that challenging for the community to see their vision realized. It would be one thing if the property owners kept up their properties but they figure their properties would most likely be razed for future development anyhow so what is the use.

I am pretty familiar with the neighborhood and there are a lot of people in favor of the apartment being built and the picture in the article that was posted is not the latest one. There is just a small group of opposition that unfortunately have the loudest voices but overall the community is ready for a development to place whether its an apartment or hotel. Quite frankly the business district would be better served by apartments anyway so that they can actually cultivate a customer base with residents vs someone in town for a few nights.

A sweet apartment project is about to open in the former prospect elementary school which sits atop of one of the highest point in pittsbugh with an amazing panorama of the city skyline. Its an art deco gem and will start leasing this spring.

Its a neighborhood to keep an on especially with Bistro 19 taking over the tired georgtowne inn. There are a few restaurant fronts like isabella and the cliffside that getting a make over this year as well. The important thing is that it still has affordable houses and a great location so the neighborhood dynamic is really changing and young and young at hearts with above average incomes are flocking in. The MWCDC has been hard at work creating demand with the enhancement of amenities such as the Emerald View park system which opens up sweet hiking trail segments every year.

So you may want to do your homework eschaton before making blanket negative statements without facts to back it up.

Not to mention the brisk sales in the Sweetbriar Village development

[AaronPGH]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

It really could be anything. It might be cool if it was actually pretty skinny and tallish, and crammed into the northwest corner of the L shape. That approach would maximize the open space around the tower, since it would be set back from the Oliver and Park Buildings, and Piatt Place is only about as tall as the new parking garage will be. And it would also preserve open space around the Park Building.

I can visualize that and it's awesome. Throw a deck and garden on the top of the gap space between the buildings while youre at it.

[Wave]

Originally Posted by Private Dick

When it would be added in a way that is very different from the standard window design on the rest of the building, in a different shape/design/height/etc... the cost does increase significantly... significantly meaning costing more than putting up aluminum cladding.



That Mt Lebo hotel development u/c looks the same as it did a year ago. Seriously stalled out.

Actually it's even worse than that. It broke ground in 2011, almost three years ago. I can not understand how this development is moving at such a snail's pace, and its not even stalled out which would at least partially explain the pace. There have been crews working there consistently the entire time. I understand that it's being built on a tight urbanized lot, but at this pace, PNC Tower will open up before this hotel.

[BrianTH]

The Gardens has a live webcam (and a pretty slick one at that):

http://oxblue.com/open/TheGardens

So far just a start on a hole--but it is a start!

Also, bonus shots of PNC Tower on one side.

[Steel City Scotty]

Kevin Sousa is really starting to turn his attention to Braddock...

Kevin Sousa leaving Salt, focusing on Braddock
February 5, 2014 12:00 AM
By Gretchen McKay / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Six years ago, while doing consulting work for Yo Rita on the South Side and Downtown's Nine on Nine, Kevin Sousa grabbed a piece of paper towel and sketched out his future. It was a rudimentary floor plan for Salt of the Earth, the restaurant he hoped to one day open in Garfield.

At the time, the edgy cuisine he dreamed of cooking was as revolutionary as the rough location in which he planned on serving it.

"People actually laughed at the idea of a restaurant like Salt in Pittsburgh in 2008," recalls Mr. Sousa, who nevertheless kept the paper towel in his knife kit as motivation to one day "be an owner and not just an employee."

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/life/dining/...ddock/stories/201402050026#ixzz2se9Usw6X

[photoLith]

Pnc from this morning.

[DKNewYork]

An article from today's digital edition of Pgh Business Times re Google in East Liberty--not sure if any of this is new but figured what the hell...

Google Engine Powers Bakery Square 2.0

Louis A. Corsaro, Assistant Managing Editor- Pittsburgh Business Times

Google Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOG) has maintained office space in the East End’s Bakery Square since 2010.

The Deal
Google Inc. on Feb. 3 confirmed it signed a lease for 66,000 square feet in a new office building to be part of Bakery Square 2.0. It is expected to be built on Penn Avenue, across from the original Bakery Square development in the East End. No financial details were made public.

What It Means
Google Pittsburgh’s space in the Bakery Square development will be north of 200,000 square feet once it occupies its new space. A Google spokesperson said the deal will accommodate the company’s “natural growth” in its Pittsburgh office. “Google Pittsburgh’s engineers and product managers work on search, ads and ads-shopping products used by hundreds of millions of people, as well as core engineering infrastructure,” the spokesperson said. The new building will include a sky bridge across Penn Avenue that will allow Google’s office space to be connected and give people occupying the new office access to the parking garage at the original development.

The Backstory
Google has been a driving force of the Bakery Square development since taking 40,000 square feet in office space in 2010 to house more than 150 engineers. During a visit from Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., in January 2012, Google Pittsburgh announced its first move to expand in Bakery Square. At that time, staffing was up to “more than 200 people,” according to Google. Kamal Nigam, one of Google Pittsburgh’s engineering directors and an original employee in the office, said at the time the company added nearly one new person a week in 2011. In June 2013, word came Google was expanding again, taking its space in the original Bakery Square site to its current 140,000 square feet.

The Project
Gregg Perelman, a principal of Walnut Capital Partners, the local developer of Bakery Square, told the Pittsburgh Planning Commission in early January the firm expected construction to begin in March on the 216,000-square-foot office building to be located on the former site of the Reizenstein School. It was expected to take 18 to 24 months, he said. The new complex is believed to be the first of two 200,000-plus-square-foot structures on the site, which is also said to include a second 950-space parking garage, two 175-unit apartment buildings and a collection of townhouses.

Lou Corsaro is assistant managing editor at the Pittsburgh Business Times.

[Found5dollar]

Just drove through east lib. biggest news is precast brick panels are starting to go up on Bakery Square2, and there are machines drilling what i usually associate with test bores all over the new eastside development/transit station.

[DKNewYork]

This has absolutely nothing to do with Pittsburgh development...

Today at 1:20 PM is the fiftieth anniversary of the Beatles landing at JFK on their first visit to America. And Sunday is the fiftieth anniversary of their appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. There is much local coverage of now-middle aged women explaining how they were amongst the hordes of teenaged girls creating pandemonium at the airport and the Plaza Hotel.