PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown II

[eschaton]

Looking at the latest zoning review, it looks like a new 36-unit building is going up in the Lower Hill here. Judging by information on setbacks and the proposed height that historic four-story apartment building which is on part of the site is going to get junked. Hopefully it has at least decent density, but I've stopped expecting anything better than "soft urban" out of the infill in the Hill District.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Judging by information on setbacks and the proposed height that historic four-story apartment building which is on part of the site is going to get junked. Hopefully it has at least decent density, but I've stopped expecting anything better than "soft urban" out of the infill in the Hill District.

Bummer about the apartment building, but the description sounds decent (five stories with integral parking).

Edit: In this view it looks like the apartment building had a roof collapse:

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.4393811,-79.9828224,174a,20y,41.64t/data=!3m1!1e3

Edit #2: Coincidentally, I was just yesterday wondering about the St. Mary's parish hall project, and in fact there is an item in the zoning document on it (a traffic study).

[BrianTH]

City Planning has moved ahead the 17-story Park7 apartments in North Oakland:

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/bl...-apartment-project-approved-for-key.html

The AC Hotel was also approved. So no news was in fact good news!

[BrianTH]

Looks like the URA board itself is torn over the best reuse of the Hunt Armory:

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2...to-ice-skating-rink/stories/201512080154

Although I have warmed up to the rink idea a bit, I do think it is worth asking if they really have a solid financial plan.

[BrianTH]

Interesting note for background purposes:

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/bl...-know-today-and-pittsburgh-a-top-10.html

Pittsburgh is ranked No. 8 among TripAdvisor’s top 10 traveler’s choice U.S. destinations. The travel-review website measures the year-over-year increase in positive TripAdvisor traveler feedback and interest in accommodations, restaurants and attractions, across destinations. Of the 294 things to do in Pittsburgh, don’t misses included Phipps Conservatory, The Strip District and the Duquesne Incline. Here’s how the list shapes up: Gatlinburg, Tenn. was No. 1; Orange Beach, Ala., No. 2; Destin, Fla., No. 3; South Lake Tahoe, Calif., No. 3; Jackson, Wyo., No. 5; Estes Park, Colo., No. 6; Anchorage, Alaska, No. 7; Pittsburgh, No. 8; Portland, Maine, No. 9; and Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, No. 10.

That appears to be not so much a "top choice" list as a "top increase in interest" list, but conveniently the latter is probably more relevant for development purposes: it helps explain why Leisure and Hospitality is doing so well recently as a source of employment growth, and why there is a relatively rapid pace of new hotel development.

[BrianTH]

Speaking of which, Millcraft is adding in-house construction capabilities, which they will use for some Beaver County hotel projects they have in the pipeline:

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2015/12/08/millcraft-to-create-construction-firm.html

I'm not sure this has any immediate implications for core area projects--they are involved in the former Saks site, but Carl Walker Construction is already working on that (although I don't actually know if they are signed up for the second residential phase). However, with all the possible development sites opening up, it would be interesting if McKnight got more nimble and aggressive in bidding.

[JVC]

interesting article on the BIG master plan

http://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsburgh/a...building-or-for-show/Content?oid=1872770

[greg42]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Speaking of which, Millcraft is adding in-house construction capabilities, which they will use for some Beaver County hotel projects they have in the pipeline:

Huh. It says "Monaca" which it typically isn't actually Monaca but usually Center Township like the cracker site. I would guess they are spec building based mainly on the cracker development. It's not really an area for a lot of random highway passing through traffic, nor are those really the hotel formats for that anyway.

The presently cheap natural gas would presumably (and has been analyzed as such as well, I saw a headline but in the Biz Times I think it was and they've moved most content behind more walls now) make a better case for building the cracker, even if it seemingly makes a worse case for more drilling.

[BrianTH]

Overview of Tower 260 as it nears completion:

http://www.post-gazette.com/business/dev...-nearing-completion/stories/201512100061

At street level, the project will add to the booming restaurant scene Downtown. Millcraft has signed Pirata, a Caribbean restaurant featuring more than 200 types of rum, to take one spot. Revel, an upscale yet fast restaurant that will turn into an “ultra lounge” on weekends, will take another. Roost, a fine dining restaurant with private rooms, will occupy the second floor. The two will be connected by a staircase wrapped around a wine display. Mr. Piatt said Revel is designed to fill a void Downtown. “We do think there’s obviously a lack of a little bit of nightlife. There’s great dining but there’s not much after dining. Our goal is to focus more and more on that,” he said.

The Hilton will have an upscale boutique feel, with hardwood-like vinyl on the floors and big windows to take in those views of Market Square and the lower Downtown skyline. The 197 rooms are now in the finishing stages, with furniture and fixtures being installed. But the real eye candy awaits visitors to the office space on 17th and 18th floors with their 11-foot-high floor-to-ceiling glass. Besides those skyline views, workers on the Wood Street side will be able to drink in the intricate architecture — lion and bears heads, columns, wreaths, and mythic-like figures — that adorn the Arrott Building and others nearby.

It will be interesting to see if they can start adding more later-nightlife to the mix in that area.

[greg42]

Originally Posted by greg42

Huh. It says "Monaca" which it typically isn't actually Monaca but usually Center Township like the cracker site. I would guess they are spec building based mainly on the cracker development. It's not really an area for a lot of random highway passing through traffic, nor are those really the hotel formats for that anyway.

For a fuller picture on this, a whole article on Center Township development, such as it is. http://www.timesonline.com/news/business...3e59418-9eb8-11e5-ab8e-b3d3bb753140.html Turns out those hotels are going up now because Columbia Gas is opening a training facility there.

[greg42]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Overview of Tower 260 as it nears completion:

I read that article a few minutes before dropping in here, and the part you quoted was indeed interesting. I'm not sure there's a huge necessity for it, but sure can't hurt to put some emphasis that way.

I groaned at the PG though because while they spent lots of time talking about the exterior design, they didn't include a picture of the outside! Not that we haven't been watching it for a long time, but still, no photo of the overall building?

[JVC]

radio piece on east liberty worth listening to

http://wesa.fm/post/new-east-liberty-hotel-caters-neighborhood-identity

[dfiler]

I am conflicted about many of the new developments. Parking minimums are forcing developers to build in such a way that we are digging ourselves into a city that will be increasingly defined by traffic jambs. Personally, I'd like to see parking maximums and more emphasis on transit infrastructure instead.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by dfiler

I am conflicted about many of the new developments. Parking minimums are forcing developers to build in such a way that we are digging ourselves into a city that will be increasingly defined by traffic jambs. Personally, I'd like to see parking maximums and more emphasis on transit infrastructure instead.

I broadly agree with you about new developments having too much parking, but I come to opposite conclusions as to the result. With how quickly automated cars are being developed (and how Pittsburgh is likely to be an early adopter, local regulation permitting) we're probably less than a decade away from "peak parking." Indeed, I think we're massively overbuilding what we will actually need for parking. The parking spaces garages attached to these units will start seeming like massive boondogles by 2030 and need to be repurposed. I also think the city Parking Authority will ultimately go under, because virtually no one will pay top dollar to use a Downtown garage when they can tell their car to go find a free space somewhere to sit (or just rent an Uber).

[Gilamonster]

Seems like a pretty reasonable view of the future with the exception of the Parking Authority going under. The city will not let the revenue they bring in disappear and will find some way to make it up such as a drivers commuter tax or they will just start taxing car ownership.

[DBR96A]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Map of proposal:

Build a bridge from the end of Becks Run Road across the Monongahela River to the Almono site. Make the site easily accessible from both sides of the river.

By the way, I found out that you can now see the Three Rivers Heritage Trail on Google Street View.

[JVC]

Originally Posted by eschaton

I broadly agree with you about new developments having too much parking, but I come to opposite conclusions as to the result. With how quickly automated cars are being developed (and how Pittsburgh is likely to be an early adopter, local regulation permitting) we're probably less than a decade away from "peak parking." Indeed, I think we're massively overbuilding what we will actually need for parking. The parking spaces garages attached to these units will start seeming like massive boondogles by 2030 and need to be repurposed. I also think the city Parking Authority will ultimately go under, because virtually no one will pay top dollar to use a Downtown garage when they can tell their car to go find a free space somewhere to sit (or just rent an Uber).

that is a brilliant, forward-thinking observation

in the future, when people hear the word "park", they will think of public green spaces, not garages or meters

[speagles84]

Originally Posted by DBR96A

Build a bridge from the end of Becks Run Road across the Monongahela River to the Almono site. Make the site easily accessible from both sides of the river.


By the way, I found out that you can now see the Three Rivers Heritage Trail on Google Street View.

I've thought for a long time that there should be a bridge connecting becks run road and Hazelwood avenue. It would be great for connecting Almono and Hazelwood to the Southside (the hot metal bridge is a disaster ).

Connectivity is a major issue in this city, no matter what form of transportation you use (ex West Busway and East Bus way not extending into downtown, the T only serving one area of the city, busy roads that just end at a T instead of attempting to form a rough grid etc)

I'm not saying it's any agency in particulars fault, we have tough topography to build an efficient system. I just think we could do better planning to rectify the mistakes we see present today.

[qwho]

Originally Posted by eschaton

The parking spaces garages attached to these units will start seeming like massive boondogles by 2030 and need to be repurposed.

I got curious about this and looked around the web, reuse of underutilized parking structures is a hot topic, but apparently it is not something that has had real success anywhere. The common thread that I'm finding is that new parking structures should be built in a way to be able to be reused - such as having as much flat areas as possible, enough space between levels, etc.

If you look at a lot of garages there are almost no flat areas, they are all ramp. The ceilings are quite low as well.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Indeed, I think we're massively overbuilding what we will actually need for parking. The parking spaces garages attached to these units will start seeming like massive boondogles by 2030 and need to be repurposed. I also think the city Parking Authority will ultimately go under, because virtually no one will pay top dollar to use a Downtown garage when they can tell their car to go find a free space somewhere to sit (or just rent an Uber).

Ironically, the integral parking garages we are seeing these days are better for the urban fabric in the present, but perhaps harder to eliminate in the future.

However, we could at least start with the remaining surface lots and large parking structures that either have no other uses or just minor retail components. That alone would free up a lot of development space Downtown, for example.