PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown II

[Private Dick]

Originally Posted by AaronPGH

Also really like whatever's happening with this fancy squad up here. All that money for a glowing purple box and they don't even get furniture.



Also, this is making me think. Has anyone ever created a tumblr or blog that just collects the worst / most ridiculous proposal renderings out there? There has to be so much content.

Yeah, that's actually exactly what I was thinking... "what's so special about those box seats, if you have to stand around in an empty room behind purple-tinted glass the whole time?"

And you can see that the Ice Capades really pack 'em in these days!

There is a ton of material for that blog. We should do it on this site and all contribute to it.

[Private Dick]

Originally Posted by Captain Crash

Actually, the full plan for the ice rink solves its own parking problem. The 'arena' is on a level over top of indoor parking, so the plan includes quite a bit of parking.

I kind of like this plan, as it's been a tested successful method of reusing these types of structures. The ones in Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Chicago have done remarkably well.

As far as profitability, if done right, any small hockey venue such as this should be able to host a variety of events such as concerts, graduations, speeches, etc. So it's not limited to just hockey. However, I would also think it would be attractive for a primary tenant... low level hockey leagues like the NAHL have been trying to get into the Pittsburgh market for some time now. Teams in that league offer affordable entertainment and average anywhere between 500-2500 fans when healthy. Something like that might work as a cheap, family alternative to the Penguins. Just a thought!

Right, I was just looking at existing options in the neighborhood, but did see that the entire first level would be parking once I explored the proposals.

My main thing with a plan like this is that, as you cite, it is a tried and true method. And this is an amenity that SHOULD be built in cities once again. We lost our way decades ago and started building our unique amenities and gathering spaces out in the suburbs. It actually totally surprises me that on this forum of all places, people boo-hoo this type of proposal for urban development. This is the exact type of development that we need more of in cities and not in the suburbs. You need to start rebuilding our cities with the amenities that were once here, were abandoned and rebuilt in the suburbs, and that helped make moving to the suburbs attractive for families and everyone. Micro apartments, tiny houses, creative workplaces, mixed-use... blah blah blah. All interesting in their own way, but you need civic amenities like this proposal in dense urban neighborhoods to truly get back to a different outlook on urban living for the population at large.

Exactly.

[JVC]

Originally Posted by Private Dick

Micro apartments, tiny houses, creative workplaces, mixed-use... blah blah blah. All interesting in their own way, but you need civic amenities like this proposal in dense urban neighborhoods to truly get back to a different outlook on urban living for the population at large.

very well said

[Minivan Werner]

Originally Posted by Private Dick

Yeah, that's actually exactly what I was thinking... "what's so special about those box seats, if you have to stand around in an empty room behind purple-tinted glass the whole time?"

And you can see that the Ice Capades really pack 'em in these days!

There is a ton of material for that blog. We should do it on this site and all contribute to it.

The purple actually looks like some kind of gas that they're pumping into the vacuum-tight luxury suite.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Private Dick

It actually totally surprises me that on this forum of all places, people boo-hoo this type of proposal for urban development.

Speaking just for myself, I'm not actually totally opposed to that plan. But I'd want to know for sure it would be well-used.

[BrianTH]

Interesting discussion about the future of the former US Steel site:

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/ne...ering-other-strategies-for-site-now.html

Dick Cassetti, a market leader for Cushman Wakefield, which was recently acquired by DTZ, said he wasn’t aware of any office user in the downtown market seeking 100,000 square feet of space or more right now, although he added there were some in the market for 40,000 or 50,000 square feet. He suggested some revision of the design may be necessary to appeal to multiple tenants, given that the building designed for U.S. Steel featured floors of more than 50,000 square feet. “If the building is designed well, and can accommodate multiple tenants on a floor, they should have success,” he said. “If the floors are larger and don’t lend themselves to multitenant, it’s going to be a problem.”

So here is an idea: smaller footprint, smaller floorplates, ground-floor retail, maybe a little more height.

In other words--like they originally planned.

[BrianTH]

American is adding service to Cancun next year, which means it will be competing with Delta, which is good!

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/ne...-airlines-flights-cancun-pittsburgh.html

[BrianTH]

Random comment, but I walked around the circumference of the Lower Hill site the other day. This area is kinda interesting:



There was already a huge, quick elevation change between the far back shelf and the middle part of the site (green stuff near the back of the oval), and they have now built a ramp up for the new cross street that intersects Bedford (tan stuff toward the front of the oval). The result is there is now a really pretty impressive "hole" between the back shelf and that street ramp (you can see trucks and trailers in it, which gives some sense of the scale), which should be perfect for a good-sized "underground" parking structure.

A related observation--the lengthwise street (the Wylie extension) really dives down quickly in that back portion of the site (starting at Crawford). It could be a pretty dramatic entrance into the site, depending on how BIG designs that portion.

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by AaronPGH

Also really like whatever's happening with this fancy squad up here. All that money for a glowing purple box and they don't even get furniture.



Also, this is making me think. Has anyone ever created a tumblr or blog that just collects the worst / most ridiculous proposal renderings out there? There has to be so much content.

Great idea man!

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by Evergrey

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/ne...abandons-plan-to-build-headquarters.html

Originally Posted by Brentsters

US Steel pulls out.

Originally Posted by TBone7281

I can't really say I'm disappointed. Hopefully they can do something better with the land now.

Originally Posted by themaguffin

Reason 10,000 why sports teams shouldn't be involved in such endeavors.

I hope this was a blessing in disguise considering the wasted opportunity that their building was going to be.

Maybe they should consider office space as a small piece of the component and plan big with residential and maybe a nice size hotel...

Originally Posted by JVC

and in the meantime plant grass on the site so it doesn't look like a scrapyard on national television

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Hallelujah!

Now we just need to get the Penguins out of the picture . . .

This is probably unfortunate news. For all of you hoping this will delay time until US Steel's finances are much better and thus build a better/larger new HQ, I'm not so sure. If anything it could indicate they end up building nothing which I think would be worse than a mid rise high tech campus.

At least the 1,000+ units of apartments are still moving forward.

Overall, I don't see this as a positive sign at all although I certainly hope I am proven wrong.

[Austinlee]

Absolute best case scenario, as usual I think Europe leads the way in showing the world how to downsize/rightsize corporations gracefully and stylishly. Consider the HQ of Germany's ThyssenKrupp steel maker in Essen, Germany. Small, incredible, powerful yet not too gaudy.





https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ThyssenKrupp

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Austinlee

This is probably unfortunate news. For all of you hoping this will delay time until US Steel's finances are much better and thus build a better/larger new HQ, I'm not so sure. If anything it could indicate they end up building nothing which I think would be worse than a mid rise high tech campus.

I'm assuming US Steel is totally out of the picture now, and whatever gets built eventually will have different tenants.

I view this as good news because the building designed to US Steel's specifications SUCKKKKKKKKED. As the article I linked indicates, the eventual replacement could have a very different design, which I think is a good thing.

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

I'm assuming US Steel is totally out of the picture now, and whatever gets built eventually will have different tenants.

I view this as good news because the building designed to US Steel's specifications SUCKKKKKKKKED. As the article I linked indicates, the eventual replacement could have a very different design, which I think is a good thing.

What do you think of ThyssenKrupp's HQ?

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Austinlee

What do you think of ThyssenKrupp's HQ?

I love it. But I doubt US Steel will be in the position to build something like that for a long time, possibly never again.

Generally, I hope we are not depending on a corporation looking to be the only tenant for the Lower Hill site.

[photoLith]

DSC_1087-2
Photo I took this afternoon, looks like a little bit of work is still left on the top of the PNC Tower and the Gardens will be mostly done soon exterior wise.

Now some crappy cell phone pics from today as well.


The new apartment at Southside Works.


Restoration is finally underway at the old brewery or whatever it was on S 21st St in the Southside.


Sliberty n'at.


These awesome buildings are finally being restored on Kelly Avenue in Wilkinsburg even though one completely collapsed. One of the construction workers while was there said they plan on completely restoring all of them.


House being restored on Mulberry Street in Wilkinsburg just about a block away from the previous photo.


New apartments being built next to the previous house. They tore down a beautiful Victorian home for these so hopefully they aren't corrugated metal turds.

[BrianTH]

I always love the "orangeness" of that view of Downtown with the right lighting.

[JVC]

can someone please explain or provide an illustration of how people are going to enter the ground floor retail space of this building?
the two openings between those three columns look too narrow for regular doors

[Austinlee]

[QUOTE=photoLith;7225167]DSC_1087-2
Photo I took this afternoon, looks like a little bit of work is still left on the top of the PNC Tower and the Gardens will be mostly done soon exterior wise.



Restoration is finally underway at the old brewery or whatever it was on S 21st St in the Southside.[/URL]


That shot of downtown is perfection Photolith. A million kudos.


Also great to see that old Brew House being reused. That is a LARGE, sexy building in such a prime location.


Exciting stuff!!!

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Austinlee

Also great to see that old Brew House being reused. That is a LARGE, sexy building in such a prime location. Exciting stuff!!

Totally agree, that is a great project.

[photoLith]

Yeah that Brewery is going to be sick once its restored.