PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown II

[Evergrey]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

More on airport corridor development:

http://www.post-gazette.com/business/201...opment-takes-flight/stories/201406140059

Nice. The 'airport corridor' is one of the coolest areas of Pittsburgh.

[photoLith]

Really?

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by photoLith

Really?

Yes. I've lived in the west metro my whole life and can speak on this. First of all, it IS dynamic despite what some people think. I-376/Parkway West between downtown and the airport is the busiest highway in the western part of the state and I think the whole state outside of the Philly metro. That is the first clue that there is lots going on. Moon Twp which is the large suburb adjacent to the huge airport grounds is actually quite historic. It has old mansions, history, etc. It's also one of the major job centers of Pittsburgh outside of the city. Several HUGE companies are headquartered in the airport corridor such as Bayer, FedEx Ground, more and more energy companies, and plenty more. It's also home to, I think, the 2nd Ikea that opened in America in the 1980s in Robinson which is more than a store, it's been a regional destination for decades. That is one example of the huge shopping destination Robinson is. Also you have the GE Market District which im pretty sure is the largest and most impressive grocery store in the city. (It's like 100,000 sq ft?)

Also a huge draw is the 18+ mile Montour Trail. It's similar to the bike trails being built along the riverfronts in the city.

The airport corridor is sprawl and many parts are ugly and typical but in my mind it is less annoying than say, Monroeville or Cranberry BECAUSE of the airport which is Pittsburgh's connection to the world. So in my opinion, it should be developed as much as possible since it will always be a necessary link between the city and the airport. That is evidenced by several huge corporate headquarters under construction right now like Industrial Scientific and Chevron.

[BrianTH]

I'm not sure I would call it "cool", but I completely agree development in the airport corridor is a good thing. Not every sort of business is going to want to be in a city location, and some want close proximity to the airport, so packing them in along the airport corridor is a good idea.

By the way, Monroeville is a lot closer to the center than Cranberry, and has been part of the developed footprint a lot longer, and potentially could be put on the rapid transit map with just a relatively inexpensive East Busway extension. So I personally think new development in Monroeville is also a good thing.

[Jonboy1983]

Originally Posted by Austinlee

Yes. I've lived in the west metro my whole life and can speak on this. First of all, it IS dynamic despite what some people think. I-376/Parkway West between downtown and the airport is the busiest highway in the western part of the state and I think the whole state outside of the Philly metro. That is the first clue that there is lots going on. Moon Twp which is the large suburb adjacent to the huge airport grounds is actually quite historic. It has old mansions, history, etc. It's also one of the major job centers of Pittsburgh outside of the city. Several HUGE companies are headquartered in the airport corridor such as Bayer, FedEx Ground, more and more energy companies, and plenty more. It's also home to, I think, the 2nd Ikea that opened in America in the 1980s in Robinson which is more than a store, it's been a regional destination for decades. That is one example of the huge shopping destination Robinson is. Also you have the GE Market District which im pretty sure is the largest and most impressive grocery store in the city. (It's like 100,000 sq ft?)

Also a huge draw is the 18+ mile Montour Trail. It's similar to the bike trails being built along the riverfronts in the city.

The airport corridor is sprawl and many parts are ugly and typical but in my mind it is less annoying than say, Monroeville or Cranberry BECAUSE of the airport which is Pittsburgh's connection to the world. So in my opinion, it should be developed as much as possible since it will always be a necessary link between the city and the airport. That is evidenced by several huge corporate headquarters under construction right now like Industrial Scientific and Chevron.

All very good, valid points. I had no idea that IKEA's Robinson location is one of the original USA locations -- I actually remember being in that store as a young tyke (c 1988 or '89). Regarding the Giant Eagle Market District, try 150k square feet. It's the biggest grocery store outside Wisconsin I believe...

We need to have LRT extended out the airport corridor very soon, and then up to Cranberry. I've said before that we need to link Cranberry, but I think the picture is quite clear. the Airport Corridor is a top priority...

[themaguffin]

Improved transit east should be a priority, given the traffic... that and it seems like the eastern burbs are slipping and could use a boost.

[BrianTH]

Getting LRT to the airport or Cranberry would be prohibitively expensive right now. Maybe some day, but right now there is a long list of much higher bang-for-the-buck projects we could be doing.

Fortunately, there is a very good intermediary solution, which is just to provide better bus service. Specifically, the West Busway and I-279 HOV lanes can be leveraged to do a lot more, including restoring the direct (no Robinson loop) version of the 28X.

[BrianTH]

Nice article on how the Mt Washington CDC is sparking reinvestment in what they call the Estella neighborhood (which is right over the Liberty Tunnel, adjacent to Allentown and Beltzhoover):

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2...ategy-plan-pays-off/stories/201406160083

In general, that seems like an area that could in fact take off if it could be pushed past the tipping point by targeted interventions like these.

[BrianTH]

The state has awarded federal tax credits and PennHOMES loans to 24 projects:

http://www.pa.gov/Pages/NewsDetails.aspx?agency=Governors%20Office&item=15729#.U573HZEvCgM

As an aside, these can only go to jurisdictions that do not receive direct funding under the federal HOME program (known as "Participating Jurisdictions"), so the City of Pittsburgh (among others locally) wouldn't qualify:

http://www.phfa.org/forms/housing_management/pennhomes/hm_ph_chapter15.pdf
http://www.phfa.org/forms/multifamily_application_guidelines/application/dv_2014_03_app_pj_npj.pdf

Anyway, the Allegheny County projects receiving funding are:

Heidelberg Apartments (Heidelberg)
Falconhurst Neighborhood Restoration (Wilkinsburg)
Serenity Ridge (Plum)

Some details here:

http://www.alleghenycounty.us/2014/20140613f.aspx

Falconhurst is a PHLF project:

http://www.phlf.org/2014/06/13/landmarks...r-tax-credit-development-in-wilkinsburg/

The $10.5 million development, which will utilize these credits with federal historic rehabilitation tax credits, will be carried out by Landmarks Development Corporation, a subsidiary of Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, and consists of a combination of historic building restoration and new construction. This development will lead to the restoration of the expansive Falconhurst Apartment building in the National Register-listed historic Hamnett Place neighborhood; a condominium complex at Rebecca Avenue and Wood Street; a two-and-three-unit apartment building, and construction of two new townhouses for a total of 33 new affordable housing units.

“We are very pleased to win this competitive tax credit project for the continued historic restoration of this Wilkinsburg neighborhood,” said Michael Sriprasert, president of Landmarks Development Corporation. “This project is unique because it involves the restoration of historic buildings along with new construction on a scattered basis, which will enhance the ongoing neighborhood renewal in this part of Wilkinsburg,” said Mr. Sriprasert.

The Falconhurst apartments:



They are located next to the Crescent Apartments (already restored by the PHLF), at a crucial gateway into the neighborhood (where Kelly passes under the Busway and railroad tracks):

https://goo.gl/maps/92wBK

I'm not sure where the Rebecca and Wood condos are going (it is a complex intersection), but that is also an important gateway area, particularly since buses pass through there.

Incidentally, there are some really cool buildings in the area. I particularly like the triangular building wedged up against the Busway:

http://goo.gl/maps/QQ5qb

And 714 Rebecca:

http://goo.gl/maps/5h2Sn

I hope they aren't going anywhere as part of this project.

[photoLith]

Wow, thats great news for Wilkensburg. I was driving around there yesterday and noticed that a lot of the historic buildings have been or are being restored, but of course theres way more that need to be rehabbed then have been at this point in time.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by photoLith

Wow, thats great news for Wilkensburg. I was driving around there yesterday and noticed that a lot of the historic buildings have been or are being restored, but of course theres way more that need to be rehabbed then have been at this point in time.

Yep. There is sort of a race going on in Wilkinsburg between historic buildings potentially deteriorating past the point of no return (although given how bad off the Crescent and Wilson buildings were before the PHLF restored them, that point may be pretty far off at least for residential buildings), and people renovating them. The PHLF, Wilkinsburg CDC, ACTION Housing, and others have done some good work, but winning that race (to the extent possible) will require a lot of private for-profit investors as well.

Fortunately that private investment has been happening somewhat already, but a lot more will be needed. From what I can tell, rent dynamics have been very positive so at least modest residential projects appear to be relatively easy to fund. The commercial area has not seen as much private activity yet, which I think is a general market problem combined with the somewhat more daunting scales involved. Still, there are plans in the works for some interesting projects, and the hope is eventually Wilkinsburg's downtown area will follow the lead of East Liberty. Personally, I am constantly scoping out the pretty massive park-and-ride lot, plus the adjacent property along Susquehanna with the big old factory, and maybe a bit of the Peoples Natural Gas property, and thinking how an East Liberty Transit Center/Eastside III/Bakery Square-type project (or something even more ambitious!) could fit:

http://goo.gl/maps/F9akY

Of course the flip side to all that hope for further private investment is making sure any new infill is reasonably supportive of historic preservation. Obviously the biggest single issue is making sure historic buildings of good quality that can eventually be saved are not being torn down just to make room for new development. But it also helps when infill is contextual and generally well-designed to fit into the existing urban fabric.

Anyway, it is all very exciting, but as you note, there is so much more that will need to be done.

[Austinlee]

Falconhurst and the Crescent Apts are two great sets of buildings. Glad to hear them moving forward. Wilkinsburg seems to have amazing bones.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Austinlee

Falconhurst and the Crescent Apts are two great sets of buildings. Glad to hear them moving forward. Wilkinsburg seems to have amazing bones.

Absolutely. A lot of great buildings from its glory days pre-WWII are still around, and with the Busway and relatively flat terrain, it has great potential to be extremely walkable and transit-friendly (in fact, it may have as good bus service as any place outside of Downtown and Oakland, due to the large number of routes that funnel into Wilkinsburg before heading on into the East End and eventually Downtown).

By the way, if you want a really heart-warming experience . . .

Google Maps (at least in the Google Chrome version) allows you to click back to prior Street View eras. If you compare, say, Jeanette Street starting south from Rebecca in 2007 (the oldest era available) to the current era, the transformation is absolutely stunning. In addition to all the renovations (and, unfortunately, a few demolitions), you can just tell this is a neighborhood people are now proud to live in.

[photoLith]

Originally Posted by Austinlee

So all these great projects in East Lib and the east end; The Southside is completely rehabbed, the Northside has lots of projects; And there's like NOTHING going on in the western part of the city. Sheraden, Crafton Heights, Ingram... Why is that area so neglected?

I wouldnt say the Southside is completely rehabbed, in fact far from it. Tons of buildings need to be restored back to their pre shit 1970s cladding look. Theres not really any abandoned properties except for a few on the Southside but many need to be restored to the way they used to look.

[GeneW]

Pittsburgh building department chief nominee works to upgrade technology

Pittsburgh building inspectors lacked access to computers, email or cellphones when their new boss arrived from Philadelphia in March.
They now have email and cellphones, but Maura Kennedy said the Bureau of Building Inspection still has much work to modernize the department with such things as a computer database and online access to building permits and property violations.

This is a great thing and long overdue. The building permit and inspection system in this city is just ridiculously outdated and arcane; glad to see someone trying to update it.

[BrianTH]

Great it is being done now, but . . . what the heck? No computers?

That's like finding out the City accounts are done in paper ledger books with an abacus--come to think of it, I don't want to know.

[BrianTH]

A survey is up about Wilkinsburg's Downtown area. Anyone with perceptions of Downtown Wilkinsburg is being encouraged to participate, since it is all useful information when it comes to future planning and development efforts:

http://www.padowntown.org/current-perceptions-of-downtown-wilkinsburg

[Evergrey]

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/bl...pand-residential-at-village-of-pine.html

Giglioti to expand residential at Village of Pine

Dominic Gigliotti and his Wexford-based Gigliotti Properties is ready to expand the collection of homes at the Village of Pine.

Gigliotti told me Tuesday morning that his company closed a week ago on buying an additional 28 acres known as the Morris property to add the residential portion of the master plan for the Village of Pine, a housing community combined with a shopping center anchored by a Giant Eagle Market District grocery store.

“We’re doing single family now and it’s really taken off,” said Gigliotti.

While he wouldn’t say the price he paid for the additional 28 acres, Gigliotti did admit: “I paid a lot more money than I should’ve.”

He added the company has sold out the nearly 400 homes it has already built at the Village at Pine, working in partnership with Ryan Homes.

The additional land will allow another 61 additional single family homes at the development, he added.

He expects to begin development of the property in fall 2015.

In describing why the demand for housing at the project remains strong, Gigliotti believes the new Highmark outpatient facility built across Route 19 from the Village of Pine is helping to draw interested residents to his development along with the shopping center.

“It just works hand in hand together and its a perfect location,” he said.

Tim Schooley covers retail, real estate, construction, hospitality, arts and entertainment, and government. Contact him at [email protected] or 412-208-3826.

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

A survey is up about Wilkinsburg's Downtown area. Anyone with perceptions of Downtown Wilkinsburg is being encouraged to participate, since it is all useful information when it comes to future planning and development efforts:

http://www.padowntown.org/current-perceptions-of-downtown-wilkinsburg

Perhaps one of the biggest problems in the way of convincing people to move to and invest in Wilkinsburg is the school district. It is horrible and it's not part of the Pittsburgh school district where proactive parents can sometimes choose which city school their kids go to or try for a charter or arts school.

As a single guy in his thirties, I would have no problem living there but if I had kids right now, I would not move to Wilkinsburg at all for that reason.

[Evergrey]

Wilkinsburg should be disincorporated and folded into the City of Pittsburgh.