PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown II

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Evergrey

For East Enders, perhaps. I live in Deutschtown. The great thing about living here is that it is a flat, easy bike ride to reach all of the Lower North Side, Downtown, Strip, Lawrenceville, and South Side... basically everywhere I want to go EXCEPT for the East End.

Anyone who lives in the flat, central, riverfront-ish areas of the city enjoys gentle bike routes to Downtown and throughout the network of the most exciting urban neighborhoods in the city.

Yeah. Thanks for rubbing it in. I wanted our new home to be in the North Side, but I just couldn't swing it with my wife - she just wasn't happy with what we could find in the area for around $250K

[BrianTH]

PIT is trying to sign up Qatar for a direct flight to Doha:

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/ne...ays-considers-service-to-pittsburgh.html

There are a lot of other destinations that could potentially open up as one-stop routes . . .

http://www.qatarairways.com/global/en/route-map.page

[AaronPGH]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

PIT is trying to sign up Qatar for a direct flight to Doha:

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/ne...ays-considers-service-to-pittsburgh.html

There are a lot of other destinations that could potentially open up as one-stop routes . . .

http://www.qatarairways.com/global/en/route-map.page

wild. my money was on AA to Heathrow next.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Originally Posted by eschaton

I don't think biking to Downtown will ever be as popular as biking within the East End though.

It's already way more popular now thanks to the river trails. The East End will never have the draw of river trails except on it's extreme edges, so the opposite of that statement may actually be correct.

Biking back from Downtown up to Morningside now isn't really fun with the hill I need to get over.

An extension of the Allegheny river trail up past Highland Park would eliminate all hills when biking to Morningside.

South Side, the North Side, and Lawrenceville are the only flat, easy commutes to Downtown on a bicycle.

Actually every neighborhood has an easy commute to Downtown since it is at the central lowest elevation point in the city. It's going the other direction back to the hilltop neighborhoods that's the issue.

Luckily, the inclines make biking south of downtown pretty easy since you can then go south all the way past Carrick without having to deal with a another hill. This is where a few strategic bike/ped viaducts placed throughout the city could eliminate the need to climb multiple hills to get between neighborhoods. A couple crossing the Saw Mill Run valley for instance could connect hard to reach places like Banksville and Beechview to the greater bike network in the city.

[photoLith]

I live in Millvale and whenever I bike to the East End its a bitch going up that steep ass hill in Lawrencville to get there, but it sure is fun going back down and its a great workout. San Francisco is like the most bike friendly city and its even more hilly than Pittsburgh, so if it can be done there it can be done here.

[AaronPGH]

Originally Posted by photoLith

San Francisco is like the most bike friendly city and its even more hilly than Pittsburgh, so if it can be done there it can be done here.

I will say though, that after spending the winter out in SF and getting around by bike, it's a bit easier there because there is always an alternate way to get around the hills. In Pittsburgh, no dice. It's up and over or else.

[Evergrey]

My stance is that Pittsburgh's terrain is more rugged and relentless while SF has greater elevation change.

[AaronPGH]

Originally Posted by Evergrey

My stance is that Pittsburgh's terrain is more rugged and relentless while SF has greater elevation change.

accurate

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

PIT is trying to sign up Qatar for a direct flight to Doha:

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/ne...ays-considers-service-to-pittsburgh.html

There are a lot of other destinations that could potentially open up as one-stop routes . . .

http://www.qatarairways.com/global/en/route-map.page

Originally Posted by AaronPGH

wild. my money was on AA to Heathrow next.

I'm guessing CMU opening its middle east campus in Qatar was a large determining factor. That's good news though.

[Urbana]

The new planning presentation is up. There are a handful of interesting things in it, but what caught my eye is this - and updated master plan for the Buncher Site. Updated is a word I use reluctantly seeing as Buncher has not in any way evolved in their thinking about the project. The produce terminal is, of course, no longer part of their development but the plans are every bit as horrendous as they were years ago. I really hoped that the recent boom in the strip would make them rethink some of this, but it is now crystal clear that this is exactly what they want. Hopefully someone has the balls to fight them on this horrible waste of prime land.





planning document / source:
http://apps.pittsburghpa.gov/dcp/schedule65/presentation-65-699.pdf

[Austinlee]

Well, the building next to Poli's just burned up tonight. This building and the Poli's are being demolished tonight or tomorrow according to the fire department. Same fate as the lot behind it on Forward Ave. What an "unlucky" block.
http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2...es-in-Squirrel-Hill/stories/201505140313


I wonder if Forward Square is making a comeback? Such a nice looking building...
http://www.r3a.com/forward-square

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by Urbana

The new planning presentation is up. There are a handful of interesting things in it, but what caught my eye is this - and updated master plan for the Buncher Site. Updated is a word I use reluctantly seeing as Buncher has not in any way evolved in their thinking about the project. The produce terminal is, of course, no longer part of their development but the plans are every bit as horrendous as they were years ago. I really hoped that the recent boom in the strip would make them rethink some of this, but it is now crystal clear that this is exactly what they want. Hopefully someone has the balls to fight them on this horrible waste of prime land.





planning document / source:
http://apps.pittsburghpa.gov/dcp/schedule65/presentation-65-699.pdf

The part that bothers me is the amount of parking closest to the convention center. What the hell? You're telling me a high rise hotel or something like that is not a better land use right next to such a huge amenity? Those offices surrounded by parking lots are what are suited for Moon Twp, Southpointe and Wexford. I thought urban planning in a downtown of a major city was supposed to use a different approach.
On the plus side, I'm excited for more riverfront trails to come online.

[Evergrey]

I think in the previous renderings those river-facing lawns inside the U-shaped buildings were surface parking.

[Minivan Werner]

The eastern part of the Buncher plan appears to be reasonable in density but the western part is not good enough. Anything west of Crosstown is downtown by definition, and nobody else would get away with that much surface parking in a new development in the heart of the city, so why does Buncher? If that much parking is required, you could eliminate all the surface lots with just 1 parking structure as long as it's 5-6 levels.

At least that side will probably be developed last so there's time to fight it.

[eschaton]

I agree that the residential is acceptable. The apartment building massing looks no worse than similar projects elsewhere in the city. The townhouses are arguably to low-density for the site, but given they've already put the "signature boulevard" in place I don't think they'd have room for a second rung of apartments there anyway. I just hope the garages are facing the rear of the townhouses, not on the facade.

The office/hotel side of the development is nauseating however. It's especially odd, because the residential side totally avoids surface parking, while the commercial side is full of it. Why not use partially buried podium parking there as well?

[Steel City Scotty]

Originally Posted by Austinlee

Well, the building next to Poli's just burned up tonight. This building and the Poli's are being demolished tonight or tomorrow according to the fire department. Same fate as the lot behind it on Forward Ave. What an "unlucky" block.
http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2...es-in-Squirrel-Hill/stories/201505140313


I wonder if Forward Square is making a comeback? Such a nice looking building...
http://www.r3a.com/forward-square

Wow...I drive by that corner nearly every time I am in the city. I had heard about the plans for a building housing a restaurant, retail, condos and a hotel a few years ago and was bummed it never happened, but I had never seen any renderings of the proposed project.

I'd love to see that idea get resurrected, but it's probably unlikely since the Poli building was already sold and plans are in place for what will be built there.

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by Minivan Werner

The eastern part of the Buncher plan appears to be reasonable in density but the western part is not good enough. Anything west of Crosstown is downtown by definition, and nobody else would get away with that much surface parking in a new development in the heart of the city, so why does Buncher? If that much parking is required, you could eliminate all the surface lots with just 1 parking structure as long as it's 5-6 levels.

At least that side will probably be developed last so there's time to fight it.

Yes, in my mind 1 large size parking garage would do the trick for anything built on that side of the Veteran's Bridge and eliminate the need for parking lots that are 50% of the size of the site. Of course, parking structures cost more money and we know Buncher is cheap.

Originally Posted by eschaton

I agree that the residential is acceptable. The apartment building massing looks no worse than similar projects elsewhere in the city. The townhouses are arguably to low-density for the site, but given they've already put the "signature boulevard" in place I don't think they'd have room for a second rung of apartments there anyway. I just hope the garages are facing the rear of the townhouses, not on the facade.

The office/hotel side of the development is nauseating however. It's especially odd, because the residential side totally avoids surface parking, while the commercial side is full of it. Why not use partially buried podium parking there as well?

You just introduced me to a new term. 'Podium Parking'
I have always known what this is in my head but never knew it had a name. Thanks.

[KINGPIN]

Interesting article in the City Paper,check it out....

Why can't Pittsburgh's building boom produce better buildings?
We are too busy having "You really like me" moments with inconsequential hipster blogs instead of getting serious about good design
By Charles Rosenblum

Pittsburgh Architecture in Friendship
Artist's rendering courtesy of Workshop/APD
One done right: The Vitmore, on Baum Boulevard, in Friendship
Pittsburgh is about to get a very nice mixed-use building for multi-unit housing and retail on Baum Boulevard, in Friendship. The Vitmore (whose developer is Vitmore LLC) is a seven-story, 103-unit project, designed by Workshop/APD architects of New York. Its combination of community support, sustainable amenities and high-quality architectural design is making it an exception among Pittsburgh real-estate developments, many of which have lacked some or all of these attributes.

Please, everybody, try to act normal.

[Private Dick]

Buncher is a light-industrial/warehouse and low-rise suburban office space developer.

This is what they know, this is what makes them money, this is what they do, this is what we're going to get. Unfortunately. Unless the city fights them on this... which I doubt will happen... Buncher is going to develop its office/commercial designated land as we see it here. Having gone through the whole produce terminal drama, I doubt the city will challenge Buncher again too much... or risk Buncher sitting on that land for years to come. And they'd do it, I'm sure, and just collect parking revenue until someone finally offers them a ton of $ for it.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by AaronPGH

wild. my money was on AA to Heathrow next.

Sounds like discussions are still very preliminary, so who knows when and where the next international destination will actually open.

On a personal note, we have now booked both Delta to Paris and Delta to Cancun, so we are feeling pretty positive about that particular airline. However, competition to Europe (any major hub should give us more one-stop options) would be nice.