PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown II

[Brentsters]

Add another apartment development to the list...5500 Baum

On the ZBA agenda:

New 7-story multi-family structure with 100 dwelling units and integral parking space; 15 outdoor parking stalls and 1st floor commercial space.

[Minivan Werner]

Originally Posted by AFW523

http://iqc.ou.edu/2015/01/21/60yrsnortheast

Scroll down for Pittsburgh. Really highlights the vast wipe out of neighborhoods east. As much as the Civic Arena is cited for disconnecting the hill from town, crosstown boulevard was a far greater impediment to connectivity.

Albany and Providence? Good night...

The density of the Hill was absolutely incredible... I can't even imagine it. Basically from the point to the Bloomfield Bridge was one continuous urban neighborhood.

Originally Posted by Brentsters

Add another apartment development to the list...5500 Baum

On the ZBA agenda:

Nice, any renderings?

[BrianTH]

I believe that is the former Molnar's location at the corner with Graham. That should help start to bridge the gap between all the stuff going in around Liberty and the existing denser corridor starting around Negley. And with the nearby Shadyside Busway Station, I believe that counts as TOD.

[BrianTH]

This was nice to read about Village Green's apartment complex starting construction in the South Side:

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/ne...und-on-southside-works-ity.html?page=all

"Young people want different apartments — they work, play and interact differently, but it's still a bathroom, kitchen and bedroom," he said. "The mayor talks about affordable housing, and it's such an interesting word. You have a young person with a four-year degree and they're paid $35,000. Then you add on college debt. The wages today are not good."

So part of Village Green's strategy is to offer some small 400-square-foot apartments for the new graduates, which is augmented by the amenities of the common spaces. "You're not living in a small apartment; you're living in the building, and around the corner is the restaurant, bike trails, retail stores," he said.

Building a decent amount of those smaller apartments is going to be crucial to keeping Pittsburgh relatively affordable, so I am glad to see developers like Village Green embracing the concept.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Brentsters

Add another apartment development to the list...5500 Baum

Awesome. Although it makes me feel a bit sad when you consider the Wendy's was redone and the Levin Mattress just went in. It seems like the Baum-Centre Corridor is fighting with itself in terms of what it wants to be.

Originally Posted by Minivan Werner

The density of the Hill was absolutely incredible... I can't even imagine it. Basically from the point to the Bloomfield Bridge was one continuous urban neighborhood.

What happened to the Hill District was a tragedy, but IMHO what happened to the North Side was much, much worse. Many of the old neighborhoods (Old Allegheny, The Ward, Schweitzer Lock, the East Street Valley) basically vanished. Other ones, like Deutschtown and Manchester, had over half of their land taken out between highways and new industrial zones.

Look here, go to 1957, and see what I mean. It almost brings me to tears.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Awesome. Although it makes me feel a bit sad when you consider the Wendy's was redone and the Levin Mattress just went in. It seems like the Baum-Centre Corridor is fighting with itself in terms of what it wants to be.

Yep. That new Wendy's in particular really irks me.

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Awesome. Although it makes me feel a bit sad when you consider the Wendy's was redone and the Levin Mattress just went in. It seems like the Baum-Centre Corridor is fighting with itself in terms of what it wants to be.



What happened to the Hill District was a tragedy, but IMHO what happened to the North Side was much, much worse. Many of the old neighborhoods (Old Allegheny, The Ward, Schweitzer Lock, the East Street Valley) basically vanished. Other ones, like Deutschtown and Manchester, had over half of their land taken out between highways and new industrial zones.

Look here, go to 1957, and see what I mean. It almost brings me to tears.

Uggggghhhhhck. Barbarians. The North Side must've been an absolutely amazing urban fabric in its prime.

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

This was nice to read about Village Green's apartment complex starting construction in the South Side:

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/ne...und-on-southside-works-ity.html?page=all



Building a decent amount of those smaller apartments is going to be crucial to keeping Pittsburgh relatively affordable, so I am glad to see developers like Village Green embracing the concept.

I want to rent that 14,000 sq ft apt. That should be enough space for me and my cat Hodge.

[TBone7281]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

I believe the new Buncher road is going to be called Waterfront Place, but it appears it will in fact be continuous with Railroad (the name change will probably happen at 21st).

At least Waterfront Place should have a nice view of the Convention Center.




Couple pics from the Strip this week.


Three Crossings (office)

1/22



1/27



1/29




Three Crossings (The Yards)

1/22



1/29




2500 Smallman (1/29)




Homewood Suites popping up behind Wholey's (1/29)

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Austinlee

I want to rent that 14,000 sq ft apt. That should be enough space for me and my cat Hodge.

Steelers' mistresses gotta live somewhere.

[BrianTH]

All that stuff going into the Strip is super exciting. Now we just need Buncher to announce that the first phase of their apartments is going to be at least 7 stories tall.

[Brentsters]

Originally Posted by Minivan Werner

Nice, any renderings?

Nope, just text.

http://apps.pittsburghpa.gov/dcp/schedule64/agenda-64-657.pdf

[Austinlee]

When is the Wholey cold storage building being converted to apts? Is that still happening?

[TBone7281]

Originally Posted by Austinlee

When is the Wholey cold storage building being converted to apts? Is that still happening?

I haven't heard anything to the contrary, but it's been a long time since I've heard anything, period.

It still shows up on Desmone's website as one of their projects: http://desmone.com/project/wholey-building/

But the newest article I found during a quick Google search was from a year ago and implied that construction would be done by the end of 2014. (I sort of think that had to have been a misprint.)

http://www.pghdowntowncdc.org/pipeline/

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by TBone7281

I haven't heard anything to the contrary, but it's been a long time since I've heard anything, period.

It still shows up on Desmone's website as one of their projects: http://desmone.com/project/wholey-building/

But the newest article I found during a quick Google search was from a year ago and implied that construction would be done by the end of 2014. (I sort of think that had to have been a misprint.)

http://www.pghdowntowncdc.org/pipeline/

I hope it's not dead. That was one of the more creative projects planned in the city.

[BrianTH]

Planning has begun for the much-needed S. Negley Bridge replacement:

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/east/2...ent-design-to-begin/stories/201502020013

Hopefully they can tie the design into the other new Busway/tracks bridges, which turned out quite well.

[Private Dick]

Originally Posted by AFW523

http://iqc.ou.edu/2015/01/21/60yrsnortheast

Scroll down for Pittsburgh. Really highlights the vast wipe out of neighborhoods east. As much as the Civic Arena is cited for disconnecting the hill from town, crosstown boulevard was a far greater impediment to connectivity.

Interesting... and sad. That's when Pittsburgh actually had a neighborhood adjacent/contiguous to the central business district -- that destruction is something that hurts Pittsburgh to this day... and will always haunt it.

That's one of the attractive urban offerings about Pittsburgh's big PA brother to the east. Center City Philadelphia's residential neighborhood connection and complete integration with its commercial and institutional core is one of it's prime hallmarks as a vibrant major city.

With the golden triangle's sharp boundaries on 2 sides, the Hill was/is the only option for such connection/integration... and I'm not too confident the Penguins development can pull it off.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Private Dick

That's one of the attractive urban offerings about Pittsburgh's big PA brother to the east. Center City Philadelphia's residential neighborhood connection and complete integration with its commercial and institutional core is one of it's prime hallmarks as a vibrant major city.

Realistically speaking though, not too many cities retained residential neighborhoods next to Downtown. NYC, Philly, DC, and San Francisco are probably the most seamless. Baltimore and Boston also retained them to a more limited extent, although freeways and urban renewal cut down on connectivity. Most other cities I've been to do have a "ring of blight" surrounding Downtown which is only now beginning to fill in.

[Private Dick]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Realistically speaking though, not too many cities retained residential neighborhoods next to Downtown. NYC, Philly, DC, and San Francisco are probably the most seamless. Baltimore and Boston also retained them to a more limited extent, although freeways and urban renewal cut down on connectivity. Most other cities I've been to do have a "ring of blight" surrounding Downtown which is only now beginning to fill in.

Of course. Those are the usual suspects (and I'd put Boston solidly in that camp, Baltimore not so much). And in a large part why they have persisted to remain our urban centers with that "vibrant" and "major" classification. These are our places that have that "big city feel" when in their central cores.

[Evergrey]

Originally Posted by Private Dick

Of course. Those are the usual suspects (and I'd put Boston solidly in that camp, Baltimore not so much). And in a large part why they have persisted to remain our urban centers with that "vibrant" and "major" classification. These are our places that have that "big city feel" when in their central cores.

Cincinnati is lucky to have the awesome OTR neighborhood adjacent to its Downtown... though OTR wasn't leveraged as an asset until very recently (sadly, Downtown Cincy is encircled by a spiderweb of highways in every other direction).

It's tragic how rare it is in the US for a city of a significant size to have its Downtown integrated with adjacent residential neighborhoods. Downtowns have been isolated by moats of highways, parking lots, and vacant/underutilized land.

That's why most major U.S. downtowns can't support retail or grocery stores. Beyond the small populations of Downtown residents... there's no residential neighborhoods within close proximity.