PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown II

[designer3d712]

Originally Posted by daviderik

Oh I know exactly where that is. In fact I was there that night. But sadly I was instructed not to tell you. Sorry Austin.

So you know Jambo Jambo?

[Urbana]

Originally Posted by Austinlee

A friend of a friend posted this on their Facebook profile and i'm wondering if anyone knows where this is in the city? I feel like there's exciting boat parties that i'm not being invited to and i'm not happy about it.

Right on the Mon at the ALMONO site.

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.4106125,-79.9519493,359a,20y,41.6t/data=!3m1!1e3

There are a lot of structures just like them around that stretch of river. I believe they are used by barges in some capacity.

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by Urbana

Right on the Mon at the ALMONO site.

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.4106125,-79.9519493,359a,20y,41.6t/data=!3m1!1e3

There are a lot of structures just like them around that stretch of river. I believe they are used by barges in some capacity.

Hmm, maybe that gathering was part of Thrival festival.

[Private Dick]

Looks incredibly yinzer-hillbilly to me.

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by Private Dick

Looks incredibly yinzer-hillbilly to me.

I like the wacky-wavy inflatable arm man on top of the house boat.

[Private Dick]

Originally Posted by Austinlee

I like the wacky-wavy inflatable arm man on top of the house boat.

Yeah, that crazy wavy green guy is pretty great. And though I mentioned that it looks yinzer-hillbilly to me, that definitely doesn't mean that I wouldn't go and have a lot of fun at an industrial drunken river boating bash like this. Drunk yinzer fat chick near-🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵/full 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 = always a good time in my book.

[qwho]

Originally Posted by Private Dick

Yeah, that crazy wavy green guy is pretty great.

I believe that is a reference to "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia". In one episode, they bought a similar boat and a green wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man, and had it on the boat with them.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Originally Posted by Perch

Looks like Philadelphia will be getting a much better version of a Cambria Suites hotel... more like the one in NYC than the one in Pittsburgh. Good for Philly, but stinks that Pittsburgh got the suburban-ish treatment.

The Pittsburgh one went into a much larger piece of property on the mostly empty lower hill, there is no true urban fabric left there so they had a blank slate to try and lower costs.

If they had chosen a downtown location it would have been on a much smaller plot and would have looked more like the Philly/Nyc ones.

[photoLith]

A change in plans: Strip District produce terminal to focus on retail, office space

A Chicago developer has overhauled its plan for the city’s historic produce terminal, replacing much of the housing that had been proposed with offices and retail and an anchor “that will focus on food.”

After months of consultations with city leaders, local foundations and others, Dan McCaffery, CEO of McCaffery Interests, said he is excited about the new proposal that is emerging for the redevelopment of the Strip District landmark. “In many ways, it stands the chance to be the crown jewel of the whole area,” he said.

Mr. McCaffery hopes to be in a position to make a “go or no-go announcement” on the redevelopment and present the formal plan to the public within the next 60 days.

Since July, the developer has been working with Pittsburgh Gateways Corp. on a new plan to redevelop the 1,533-foot-long Smallman Street warehouse, a former hub for produce wholesalers now largely vacant.

The city’s Urban Redevelopment Authority, which owns the building, brought in Pittsburgh Gateways to work with McCaffery Interests after cutting ties with Pittsburgh developer Rubino Partners. Rubino had been selected along with McCaffery in September 2014 to cobble together a plan for the terminal, one built around housing and a marketplace.

http://www.post-gazette.com/business/dev...rk-produce-terminal/stories/201512040176

Of course the comments are idiotic as usual.

[BrianTH]

The Capuchins in Lawrenceville are planning to add one building and also an ambitious rebuild of their entire complex between 36th and 37th on Butler:

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2015/12/07/capuchins-making-major-real-estate-moves.html

Their complex has a few spot with nice brickwork, but overall this sounds like a reasonable intensification of use:

The Capuchins have hired Bloomfield-based Brenenborg Brown Group to design new facilities expected to total about 55,000 square feet on three floors. The design is to completely replace the established complex that spans the block along Butler Street from 36th to 37th street. While a final budget for the project remains to be determined, Pfannensteil said the group plans to meet soon with local community organizations to learn their concerns. He added the goal is to present a project to the city early next year and for demolition to take place next summer, with construction of the new facilities to follow.

He said the overall plan calls to expand the friary to accommodate 16 more retirees while building out a hall for the Lady of the Angels Parish, through which the Capuchins share operations, along with adding some other administrative space there. Pfannenstiel sees a need for more room overall.
“With all those new people, we need a larger dining area, living room, chapel and more parking,” he said.

This was also interesting:

He added the decision to stay and invest in Lawrenceville came after eyeing a possible move to the North Park area the Capuchins turned down after seeing the revitalization of the surrounding neighborhood. “The neighborhood is revitalizing in ways we didn’t even imagine 10 years ago,” he said. “Seeing that sort of growth convinced us that we need to stay here.”

[Minivan Werner]

I think you'd want as much retail as possible along that area of Smallman, just because the width of the street almost makes that stretch seem like a Euro-style old city square or market. Ending in a Slavic-style church probably contributes to the effect also. So I'd definitely prefer retail/office over residential.

I think being able to say your business operates out of the produce terminal would be a cool draw for the businesses themselves as well as for customers.. but I'm not sure there'd be much appeal to want to *live* in the old produce terminal. Residential might be a bit of a waste in marketing potential, but I'm far from an expert on that.

[Evergrey]

Pittsburgh Public Market has to move by April as the landlord Horton Co. will not renew their lease.

http://www.post-gazette.com/life/food/20...-the-Strip-District/stories/201512070168

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Evergrey

Pittsburgh Public Market has to move by April as the landlord Horton Co. will not renew their lease.

Just a random-🞵🞵🞵 guess, but I wonder if we'll hear an announcement about the block being redeveloped soon? As a one-story "blank" warehouse with no windows, I don't really see it being prime real estate in its current format. But it fronts on Penn, is right behind the Otto Milk condos, and essentially catty-corner to the new 2500 Smallman development. It seems to be an excellent place to continue the development of new construction apartment/condo units in the Strip District.

It would be ironic if Pittsburgh Public Market was forced to move out of the Strip District, given Neighbors In The Strip founded it. Not that I wouldn't like something of that sort to continue regardless, bu I think if a similar space can no longer be found in the Strip District it might be time for Neighbors in the Strip to pack it in.

[BrianTH]

The Public Market moving back to the Produce Terminal and that block getting redeveloped would be a great outcome.

[BrianTH]

A mini-busway proposal for the Oakland/Greenfield/Hazelwood area ran into NIMBY opposition:

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/2015/1...for-new-development/stories/201512080103

I guess this is why you hold public meetings even before there is a concrete plan to talk about.

Edit: Older articles:

http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/bria...techie-transit-link/stories/201510110120

http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/9367553-74/hollow-panther-junction#axzz3qVnIVI3Z

Map of proposal:

[Private Dick]

^ Gondola!

[Minivan Werner]

That'd probably shut the NIMBYs up pretty fast. Either a bus route through your neighborhood or a gondola with a perfect view of your back yard.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Private Dick

^ Gondola!

You could even toss in a loop across the river, which would be awesome.

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

A mini-busway proposal for the Oakland/Greenfield/Hazelwood area ran into NIMBY opposition:

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/2015/1...for-new-development/stories/201512080103

I guess this is why you hold public meetings even before there is a concrete plan to talk about.

Edit: Older articles:

http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/bria...techie-transit-link/stories/201510110120

http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/9367553-74/hollow-panther-junction#axzz3qVnIVI3Z

Map of proposal:

Why would Greenfield and Hazelwood not want this road built?

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Austinlee

Why would Greenfield and Hazelwood not want this road built?

Sounds like it is mostly just a few people in Junction Hollow who are concerned about noise and such, plus some other people who have other long-standing concerns (runoff, street repair, etc.) and they are using this as an opportunity to complain about those things.