PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown II

[gg1]

Originally Posted by Captain Crash

The Gulf Tower was.

I haven't been downtown at night lately either. Glad the Gulf Tower came through. Nice!

[Evergrey]

The Gulf Tower always come through.

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by photoLith

Does downtown have any of the buildings lit up in the French flag? I didn't see downtown last night.

Originally Posted by Captain Crash

The Gulf Tower was.

Yes, I can look out my living room or bedroom window and see that the Gulf Tower is lit up in a red, white and blue pattern clearly for the French flag.

[gg1]

I noticed today that Peduto is changing to metered parking in the South Side and going to create an emergency lane on Carson. On top of that he wants to change police style. Below is the article. I also have a question to regular forum members. Is this type of article in line with this forum? It seems this forum is primarily about tenant/building/growth/development and a change in parking/policing/nightlife on the South Side wouldn't really be in line with this forum. I don't want to take away here, so let me know if this story is of interest. Thanks.

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/south/...outh-Side-nightlife/stories/201511160017

[Evergrey]

Originally Posted by gg1

I noticed today that Peduto is changing to metered parking in the South Side and going to create an emergency lane on Carson. On top of that he wants to change police style. Below is the article. I also have a question to regular forum members. Is this type of article in line with this forum? It seems this forum is primarily about tenant/building/growth/development and a change in parking/policing/nightlife on the South Side wouldn't really be in line with this forum. I don't want to take away here, so let me know if this story is of interest. Thanks.

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/south/...outh-Side-nightlife/stories/201511160017

This story is in line with the forum as these changes could affect the trajectory of South Side development. I have concerns about meter enforcement until midnight along with the plan to force visitors to park across the river in a lot along Second Avenue.

[BrianTH]

Local construction activity, particularly multifamily home and nonresidential, was up sharply in the first 9 months of 2015:

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/bl...ruction-up-in-the-pittsburgh-region.html

[BrianTH]

In an effort to go more global, Marriott is buying Starwood:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/1...3N20151116?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews

Marriott has a pretty big presence in Pittsburgh, Starwood relatively little (just the Westin at the convention center and the two Sheratons at the airport and Station Square). I wouldn't mind if this meant a few more Starwood brands eventually came to the area--they have a more interesting lineup in Philly, in fact:

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/corporate/directory/hotels/north-america/us/pa/list.html?sortType=

[BrianTH]

By the way, Macy's is continuing to crater due to falling same-store sales, and now may be a takeover target, with most of the value being in its real estate holdings:

http://www.cnbc.com/2015/11/11/macys-q3-2015-earnings.html
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/11/11/retail-expert-kniffen-macys-may-be-a-takeover-target.html

Just a reminder that the decline and sell-off of the Downtown Macy's building was not at all specific to Pittsburgh.

[AFW523]

Don't remember seeing this posted here before:



Saw it posted in the window of Loterno Design on my run this morning.

Not surprisingly followed by this simple minded follow up:



It's obviously just a first draft rendering, but it looks ambitious, which is all you can ask for. I hope they are ready for the ensuing fight and don't compromise.

[BrianTH]

That's pretty cool--and I hope most of those predictions are right! That is past the real heart of the Strip, and higher-density development over in that section would probably help the central Strip retain its current character. In fact that is right near the Busway ramp, which could provide a convenient way for public transit to bypass the heart of the Strip for commuter access to Downtown--I believe that is part of the reasoning behind the "transportation center" they want to incorporate into Three Crossings, and a lot more density in that immediate area would leverage all that.

Edit: Link about "The Hub at Three Crossings":

http://3crossingspgh.com/transportation/

[BrianTH]

By the way, speaking of Three Crossings, I can't remember if these renderings for the next phase of office buildings got posted (that jogging lady is apparently doing circuits):





I believe these are the buildings in the left background, along the river next to The Yards:

The project includes two buildings, East and West, each consisting of 4 levels of office space,138,000 G.S.F. each, and above grade level parking. The first level of each will have 72 covered parking spaces and bike racks. An additional 28 visitor parking spaces will be shared between each building. The site includes a patio that joins the buildings. The exterior of the finishes will complement the finishes that are being used at the other 3 Crossings projects. Interior common areas will include a central lobby, two elevators, ADA restrooms and electric water coolers. The common areas will include premium finishes.

For whatever reason the design elements they are using in the office buildings work a little better for me in these buildings.

Anyway, this is the project Burns & White is anchoring:

http://www.post-gazette.com/business/dev...trict-s-3-Crossings/stories/201508120224

[Minivan Werner]

Not sure about the apartment design but I like the height. It'd be nice to see downtown's skyline spill into the Strip a little with some 15-20 story towers.

[JVC]

Originally Posted by AFW523

Don't remember seeing this posted here before:

]

Saw it posted in the window of Loterno Design on my run this morning.

Not surprisingly followed by this simple minded follow up:



It's obviously just a first draft rendering, but it looks ambitious, which is all you can ask for. I hope they are ready for the ensuing fight and don't compromise.

if by simple-minded you mean different from your own opinion,
obviously that building is way too tall for the strip - any person with two eyes can see that

it should be built on the civic arena site, not penn avenue

[Urbana]

Originally Posted by AFW523

Don't remember seeing this posted here before:



Saw it posted in the window of Loterno Design on my run this morning.

Not surprisingly followed by this simple minded follow up:



It's obviously just a first draft rendering, but it looks ambitious, which is all you can ask for. I hope they are ready for the ensuing fight and don't compromise.

If that is the design, I am siding with the NIMBYs. That is a monstrosity.

[photoLith]

Originally Posted by JVC

if by simple-minded you mean different from your own opinion,
obviously that building is way too tall for the strip - any person with two eyes can see that

it should be built on the civic arena site, not penn avenue

What the hell, people against height and density? Really?

[JVC]

Originally Posted by photoLith

What the hell, people against height and density? Really?

what is this obsession with height and density?

obviously this is the skyscraper forum but building a skyscraper on walnut street in shadyside would be idiotic
and building a tall building like that in the strip district would also be idiotic - it's completely out of place

it's a nice looking design - put it on the civic arena site where height and density are appropriate and needed

it's called urban planning

[daviderik]

Originally Posted by photoLith

What the hell, people against height and density? Really?

No, Not on a skyscraper forum. Just the trolls... The Strip is a natural extension of downtown's density. The city's center will not expand into uptown. So build it up and build it high!

[Urbana]

Originally Posted by Urbana

If that is the design, I am siding with the NIMBYs. That is a monstrosity.

To clarify, I am all for height and density in the area - hell, I wish it were even taller. The design is just plain junk, though. I was hoping Desmone could pull it off for a high profile project like this, but apparently not.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Originally Posted by JVC

what is this obsession with height and density?

obviously this is the skyscraper forum but building a skyscraper on walnut street in shadyside would be idiotic
and building a tall building like that in the strip district would also be idiotic - it's completely out of place

it's a nice looking design - put it on the civic arena site where height and density are appropriate and needed

it's called urban planning

You can't possibly compare the Strip to Shadyside when it comes to development, these are two completely different areas.

Shadyside is mostly residential SFH with narrow, tree-lined streets. Of course an office skyscraper would be out of place there.

The Strip is mostly industrial and office, very old and urban with hardly any trees. It is also in a valley like downtown which makes more sense for taller development since you won't be obstructing any views.

This building won't be anywhere near the merchant corridor that gives the strip its identity, so you can't say it would negatively affect that either. These are common sense spacial observations that anyone without an urban planning degree should understand. Nimbys either choose not to understand these facts or they have hidden political motivations for opposing developments like these.

[BrianTH]

Jean Ross of Opening Night Catering has a pretty transparent motivation--that business is located literally right next to the plot in question:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Openin...4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x9ecf99c769ecdc63!6m1!1e1

The Allegheny County assessment website says that building is owned by Jean and Harry Ross, and was bought for $80,000 in 1994, and is currently assessed at $150,600, of which the majority is actually land value at $78,000.

So I suspect point #2 (about higher property values leading to higher taxes), perhaps as connected to the second part of point #1 (landowners/small business owners feeling compelled to sell), is the driving concern behind that flyer.

Of course that is classic anti-development NIMBYism--sure development is necessary, and in fact increasing the tax base is necessary, but don't do it in my back yard!

By the way, with all the open lots and low-value industrial properties in that part of the Strip, ultimately it can be whatever we want it (or allow it) to be. Three Crossings is already completely changing the feel of that area, and ultimately there would be plenty of room to do more 15-20 story projects in that area if the market supported them, in which case none of them would look out of place individually.