PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown II

[Evergrey]

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/bl...os-inside-the-city-vista-apartments.html

Mar 18, 2014, 4:45pm EDT Updated: Mar 18, 2014, 4:54pm EDT

Photos: Inside the City Vista Apartments

Richard Denny remembers looking out on a sloping piece of land then used as a golf driving range behind Parkway Center Mall on a cold winter day a few years ago and considering what has now become a 272-unit apartment complex.

The development is called City Vista, for the sweeping view of Pittsburgh’s skyline that peeks up from behind the tree-covered hillside.

“It gives you a sense of arrival,” said Denny, a partner for Atlanta-based Oxford Properties who is developing the property for the 272-unit apartment complex that is planned.

...

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Evergrey

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/bl...os-inside-the-city-vista-apartments.html

Is this in Pittsburgh or Green Tree?

[Evergrey]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Is this in Pittsburgh or Green Tree?

Green Tree. It was originally envisioned to be twice the size... with half in Pittsburgh... but NIMBY opposition from the Ridgemont neighborhood scuttled the city half.

[dfiler]

And now for a positive anecdote...

I know a few people that chose to change employers recently and had no trouble getting multiple offers in pittsburgh. That was in mid level finance, retail logistics, and sys admins. They did it by applying for the positions via the normal resume/cover-letter process.

Recently we had to fill a desktop support and sys admin roll at my company. I had to go through multiple batches of interviews before finding a halfway decent candidate. Granted, we are located 50 minutes out of town.

Finding a job can be tough, and some fields are tougher than others, but there are job openings. Don't be talked out of applying!

[GeneW]

I only have personal experience in job hunting in the software industry in Pittsburgh and in that area, the job market is still very good. The company that I had worked for laid a bunch of us off in October and every one of us found good jobs in software within a few months.

[alki]

Originally Posted by DBR96A

Is Pittsburgh's economy stalling?!

What the hell happened to the +10,000 to +15,000 year-over-year job growth? The Bureau of Labor Statistics revised everything majorly downward; in fact, Pittsburgh has now lost jobs year over year in some months toward the end of 2013.

Now I'm concerned that those who want to see Pittsburgh fail will win.

The chart you posted is for employment not seasonally adjusted. I think that makes a huge difference. Here is the BLS employment table that I follow:

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/metro.t03.htm

In Dec., Pittsburgh employment was up 14K YOY. Pittsburgh employment growth has slowed somewhat in the past year but its still doing okay.

BTW the Table gets updated monthly but it typically lags about two months behind real time.

[Wave]

Another hotel project potentially in the old Salvation Army building downtown. The developer already developed and owns the hip Distrikt Hotel in Manhattan which is a sleek, minimalist boutique hotel that is highly rated, so this is a great sign. Distrikt Hotel link http://www.distrikthotel.com/


From the PG article:

"Greenway envisions a boutique hotel with 125 to 130 rooms at the location. It hopes to make a firm decision on a use in the next month or two.

The only hotel the company currently owns is the Distrikt Hotel in Times Square in New York City, a property Mr. Schroeder said it rebuilt from the ground up. The spelling is a nod to the city’s Dutch origins and every three floors in the 155-room boutique hotel are dedicated to a different NYC neighborhood."



Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/business/201...hotel/stories/201403190039#ixzz2wO1hkOmR

[Austinlee]

^I had to google that building to figure out which one they are talking about. Apparently it's this one which could use a good remodeling. If you are non-symmetrical-phobic, LOOK AWAY!

[George Woods]

^

I've always thought the site of the Salvation Army building (and parking-lot) was one of the best spots Downtown for a new, tall building. When you stand at the intersection of Grant and the Blvd. of the Allies, the sky feels so wide-open, almost begging for a skyscraper. Same with the site of that park PNC put at First and Grant.

[Evergrey]

Originally Posted by Austinlee

^I had to google that building to figure out which one they are talking about. Apparently it's this one which could use a good remodeling. If you are non-symmetrical-phobic, LOOK AWAY!

This building looks like it was done in phases... a handsome pre-war main structure fronting the street... and some nasty 1950s addition in the back.

but I could be wrong

[AaronPGH]

Originally Posted by Steel City Scotty

I'll be 30 this year, and my background is in communications, public relations and economic development, fields that are supposedly "booming" right now. We'll see if that's true when I start sending application materials to Western PA...

You definitely need to try to have a friend who can vouch for you. Unfortunately, it seems like most of these industries hire tried and tested locals (lame, I know). I work in advertising and marketing.

Now onto the positives – there are quite a few of these companies doing well and hiring in PGH. So there's potential.

[AaronPGH]

That Salvation Army building has a lot of potential, even with it currently being a hodge-podge.

[Found5dollar]

I dont know anyone in pittsburgh that is having a hard time finding a job, in fact many of my friends moved from outside pittsburgh to work. Granted everything i do is arts related, but the colleges, museums, and arts orgs are still hiring big time from what i see.

[Evergrey]

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/bl...-pittsburgh-should-absorb-new-hotel.html

Mar 19, 2014, 2:04pm EDT

Report: Pittsburgh should absorb new hotel development with healthy demand

Local hotel business observers wary of the potential hit to come from the new hotel development happening in the Pittsburgh area should think again.

That’s one of the findings of Atlanta-based PKF Hospitality Research LLC's new Hotel Horizons forecast report, which projects the next year will see local increases in occupancy, average daily rate and revenue per available room, or RevPAR, in the Pittsburgh hotel market.

As part of a larger industrywide report, PKF notes that Pittsburgh is one of six markets in the United States projected to experience an increase in hotel-room inventory of more than 4 percent, including New York, Austin, Texas; Nashville, Tenn.; West Palm Beach, Fla.; and Miami.

“The relatively high construction activity in these locales might concern the hotel owners in these markets. However, despite all the new rooms entering their cities, occupancy levels in New York, Austin, Nashville, Pittsburgh, West Palm Beach, and Miami are forecast to remain above their long-run average through 2018," said R. Mark Woodworth, president of PKF, in a prepared statement. "This is an indication that current hotel development activity is being driven by market demand, not the artificial tax and financing incentives or excess liquidity that caused overbuilding during past recovery periods."

...

[Private Dick]

Originally Posted by Found5dollar

I dont know anyone in pittsburgh that is having a hard time finding a job, in fact many of my friends moved from outside pittsburgh to work. Granted everything i do is arts related, but the colleges, museums, and arts orgs are still hiring big time from what i see.

Hiring for volunteer positions, internships, and low-wage jobs is strong everywhere...

[Found5dollar]

Originally Posted by Private Dick

Hiring for volunteer positions, internships, and low-wage jobs is strong everywhere...

um, that is horribly offensive. Claiming that my, and my friends, chosen field of work has only "volunteer positions, internships, and low-wage jobs." I'm not sure if you have noticed, but Arts organizations have to have managers, consultants, IT people, graphic and web designers, etc. Most people I know have nothing to do with art, but they install exhibits, run education programs, schedule tours, manage personnel, etc. Yes you can make more money in finance, but you also are not around as many interesting and fun people.

Also,

"the economic impact of the arts in the Pittsburgh region is around $1.17 billion annually. “That translates in terms of jobs, over 20,500 jobs annually, generates $410 million in resident household income and then $74 million in tax revenues”"

http://wesa.fm/post/study-shows-pittsburgh-region-strong-arts-and-culture-spending

So no, just because I work in the arts does not mean I am a volunteer, intern, or low wage worker. It does mean I add way more to a society than I take.

[photoLith]

Sorry to say but most art related jobs even web designers, IT etc doesn't pay jack crap. Low wage jobs like I've been fucked with since moving here are super easy to get and by low wage I mean below earning 26k a year which is pretty deplorable. Finding jobs that are stable and that pay above 30k a year are extremely hard to get in this city and well everywhere quite frankly if you're a recent college grad.

[Found5dollar]

Originally Posted by photoLith

Sorry to say but most art related jobs even web designers, IT etc doesn't pay jack crap. Low wage jobs like I've been fucked with since moving here are super easy to get and by low wage I mean below earning 26k a year which is pretty deplorable. Finding jobs that are stable and that pay above 30k a year are extremely hard to get in this city and well everywhere quite frankly if you're a recent college grad.

And quotes like that are the reason we are called the "give me" generation.

[Evergrey]

in a desperate attempt to keep this thread from descending into City-Data anecdote hell... here's some renderings of a condo development on Carlton St. in Lawrenceville... 2 br listing for $430k for Summer 2014 occupancy...

[shipsterns]

Entirely anecdotal, but I'd like to echo some of the concerns here. I'm a senior undergrad who's about to graduate at the top of Duquesne's class with a marketable tech-related skillset, and the job prospects here aren't great. There are run-of-the-mill jobs that offer decent pay and nice security, sure, but nothing too exciting. A lot of my friends and I are moving to places like DC, NY, and Seattle for better jobs. I love Pittsburgh to death but I think the job prospects aren't anything to write home about.