PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown II

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by speagles84

Pay wall. What's the reason it's too tall?

What a joke, too tall? WOW.

I know, that's crazy. The Strip is the perfect place for mid rise buildings since it's a riverfront with a cliff on the other side and very few actual houses and it's a natural extension of downtown.

[AFW523]

Originally Posted by Austinlee

I know, that's crazy. The Strip is the perfect place for mid rise buildings since it's a riverfront with a cliff on the other side and very few actual houses and it's a natural extension of downtown.

It's not just crazy. It's regressive and borderline negligent. You have a private developer with the foresight to push the limits of what the neighborhood can become, propose a development that takes a risk and falls in line with the mayors empty, pie-in-the-sky goal of increasing the city population by 20k by 2025. It's a neighborhood that people obviously want to live in. It's obviously in transition. And you have the ZBA completely working to undermine all of that, because the ambition is "too tall." I'd love to know what options Francois is considering, but I'm not paying to get behind the PBT's sometimes on, sometimes off, paywall.

In a semi-related note (and this probably ruins my credibility in such matters), but I was running on Railroad street last week and I'm not ashamed to admit I sort of liked the look of 3 Crossings' residential stuff. If "like" isn't the right word, maybe I was surprised it didn't look as bland and garbage as the renderings did. The green cladding sticks out a little more than it did in the drawings, which balanced it out a bit, and the checkerboard BS wasn't awful. Also they were in the process of installing some 45 degree decks on one of the corners, which gave the structures some nice non-linear angles.

Still looks like — from the Rte 28 side, however.

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by AFW523

In a semi-related note (and this probably ruins my credibility in such matters), but I was running on Railroad street last week and I'm not ashamed to admit I sort of liked the look of 3 Crossings' residential stuff. If "like" isn't the right word, maybe I was surprised it didn't look as bland and garbage as the renderings did. The green cladding sticks out a little more than it did in the drawings, which balanced it out a bit, and the checkerboard BS wasn't awful. Also they were in the process of installing some 45 degree decks on one of the corners, which gave the structures some nice non-linear angles.

Hmm. I will have to walk around it sometime and see if I can hate it any less.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by AFW523

It's not just crazy. It's regressive and borderline negligent. You have a private developer with the foresight to push the limits of what the neighborhood can become, propose a development that takes a risk and falls in line with the mayors empty, pie-in-the-sky goal of increasing the city population by 20k by 2025. It's a neighborhood that people obviously want to live in. It's obviously in transition. And you have the ZBA completely working to undermine all of that, because the ambition is "too tall." I'd love to know what options Francois is considering, but I'm not paying to get behind the PBT's sometimes on, sometimes off, paywall.

The strange thing too is there aren't really any NIMBYs I can think of who would oppose it. I mean, virtually everyone who lives in the Strip are transient renters who presumably wouldn't be very politically engaged with the zoning process. There are of course some local businesses who might object, but I would think this would be balanced by those who would love the new customers and rising property values.

[Minivan Werner]

It certainly wouldn't block any views. The townhomes along 27th don't even have rear windows, and the buildings across the street don't have windows facing that direction either above the 1st floor. And nobody to the south has a view of the river anyway, so they're not losing out on anything either.

The only reason to not approve of the height would be simply because there's nothing of comparable height in the vicinity currently, and that's no reason to nix anything.

[themaguffin]

This is amazing. There are several neighborhoods in the city that could and should that size of a building, and it's the same result every time.

Tip to developers, propose a 500 ft building in the Strip etc.

And let the city have a "victory" of getting it down to 200ish ft...

[PGHFan]

On the surface it seems like a truly bad decision. Does anyone know the basis on which it was made (other than personal preferences)?

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by PGHFan

On the surface it seems like a truly bad decision. Does anyone know the basis on which it was made (other than personal preferences)?

Unfortunately zoning board minutes are not released online, so unless someone from the press was there besides Tim Schooley, we probably won't find out.

[photoLith]

Went for a walk around East Allegheny the other day and took some photos of progress in the hood.

DSC_9049 by photolitherland, on Flickr
Suismon St.

How the street looked a couple of years ago.

Screen Shot 2016-03-20 at 3.57.34 PM by photolitherland, on Flickr


DSC_9001 by photolitherland, on Flickr
This circa 1845 house on Cedar and Foreland is being slowly but surely restored by a guy named Chris, didnt get his last name, but hes restoring a bunch of historic houses in the neighborhood and elsewhere in Western PA

DSC_9009 by photolitherland, on Flickr
This house on Middle St was recently restored and looks to date from the 1830's making it among the cities older houses.

Screen Shot 2016-03-20 at 3.55.30 PM by photolitherland, on Flickr
How it looked a couple of years ago

DSC_8994 by photolitherland, on Flickr
This is a block on Cedar, the house on the corner was recently restored and is now a bed and breakfast, and the grey and blue ones were just completed.

Screen Shot 2016-03-20 at 3.59.21 PM by photolitherland, on Flickr
Before

DSC_9044 by photolitherland, on Flickr
Still being restored houses on Foreland

Screen Shot 2016-03-20 at 3.56.44 PM by photolitherland, on Flickr
They were completely falling apart before being restored

DSC_9042 by photolitherland, on Flickr
And this is just across the street from the above photo

DSC_9134 by photolitherland, on Flickr
Then a photo from a couple nights ago from Mt. Washington

[Jonboy1983]

I think it's time for the City to change its zoning. That proposal is exactly what the city needs! It also needs to dig its head out of its — and realize it's not 1950 anymore! The Strip and its very dynamic are drastically changing, and that change is affecting Lawrenceville. Lawrenceville is more or less an extension of the Strip and the Strip is looking more and more like an extension of Downtown. Is that to say Lawrenceville is going to be yet another extension of Downtown? Certainly not. Developments have to be reflective of what's going on currently and, more importantly, how the current trends are painting a picture of the area in the next 20 or so years.

The Strip should look more and more like a CBD-type neighborhood, and you will not achieve that with lower density development. Having 6-to-8 story buildings do add to the urban vibrancy, but with demand the way it's going, such development will be rendered insufficient in the not-to-distant future.

[Austinlee]

Nice pics Photolith. I just went for a walk on Thursday myself around those same streets and took over 100 photos that I was going to thin down, edit and post a photo thread. Ya beat me to it. :/

[eschaton]

Yeah, the Deutschtown infill/rehabs ar3 overall among the best in the city.

I do wonder why they left that one gap on Suismon. I suppose someone wanted to pay extra for a side yard, but I wished they decided to do a "turned town" and finished the street wall.

[anotherpghdave]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Yeah, the Deutschtown infill/rehabs ar3 overall among the best in the city.

I do wonder why they left that one gap on Suismon. I suppose someone wanted to pay extra for a side yard, but I wished they decided to do a "turned town" and finished the street wall.

Based on the location and size, I'd bet that there's a water/sewer easement (possibly even an active line) which ran between the former buildings. PWSA requires about 10 feet on either side of a line in case they need to make a repair in the future.

At least one building on James Street I'm familiar with had a shared line which serviced multiple units. I'm sure that's not uncommon in the rest of the neighborhood. While one could probably get away with continued used of a shared line if you're just rehabilitating a property, new construction would mandate a set back.

That's my guess anyway.

[TBone7281]

Originally Posted by AFW523

In a semi-related note (and this probably ruins my credibility in such matters), but I was running on Railroad street last week and I'm not ashamed to admit I sort of liked the look of 3 Crossings' residential stuff. If "like" isn't the right word, maybe I was surprised it didn't look as bland and garbage as the renderings did. The green cladding sticks out a little more than it did in the drawings, which balanced it out a bit, and the checkerboard BS wasn't awful. Also they were in the process of installing some 45 degree decks on one of the corners, which gave the structures some nice non-linear angles.

Still looks like — from the Rte 28 side, however.

As someone who looks at it 3 or 4 days a week, I still think its pretty awful. Though, now it's more "urban snow camo" awful as opposed to just "—" awful.

I do agree that it may have turned out better, or at least different, than the original renderings.

[TBone7281]

Originally Posted by photoLith

Sorry if this is off topic but I just had an interview today with Walnut Capitol and I am going to be their main photographer of their website and developments. They own Bakery Square and hundreds of other properties. Been trying to get something like this since I moved here.

Originally Posted by Steel City Scotty

I just wanted to follow up on Perch and PhotoLith's good news by announcing that I have been hired to start an exciting new job in Pittsburgh. I'll be moving to the city before the end of the month.

Congrats to you both!

Originally Posted by PITairport

Surprised this wasn't mentioned yet:
http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/ne...e-condo-tower-up-in-air-after-board.html

And this makes me sad, though I'm not sure why I'm surprised.

[Private D]

Originally Posted by TBone7281

Though, now it's more "urban snow camo" awful as opposed to just "—" awful.

urban snow camo

lol

[TBone7281]

Couple pics from the last month or so.

Smallman Place

2/25/16



3/7/16



Pennsylvania Building (future location of Pittsburgh Public Market) - 3/21/16




2555 Smallman (2nd office building @ Three Crossings) - 3/17/16

[TBone7281]

The Yards @ Three Crossings

2/22/16 - view from 31st Street Bridge. I'm a little concerned that it's going to look unfinished even when they're done.




3/8/16




3/17/16 - the big empty space in front is going to become The Hub




The more these places are being developed, the more crowded I notice the available parking is getting. Makes sense, but based on the sheer number of people working on these projects at any given time, the surface lot owners in close proximity are certainly not complaining.

[TBone7281]

Random stuff.

3/7/16 - someone vandalized a bunch of the no trespassing signs on the fencing that is around Buncher's land behind the Terminal building. Some of them are kind of interesting.



"Destroying a community to build condos is not 'eco friendly'."



3/21/16 - panorama of a good chunk of the Three Crossings development.
From left to right: Riverfront East/West (demo), The Yards, The Hub (site prep), 2555 Smallman, 2501 Smallman.

[TBone7281]

Finally, it isn't really development, but I thought it worth sharing:

3/21/16




I came upon this scene literally right after it happened... there was still coolant leaking out of the vehicle, radiator was steaming, the girl was still in the car, no first responders on scene yet, etc. What I gather happened - the guy on the far left was riding his bike in the slow lane of Penn. The girl in the SUV either wasn't paying attention or just didn't see him. In any case, she saw him at the last second and swerved to avoid him, directly into the telephone pole. She looked a little banged up and took a trip to the hospital, but that dude would have been way worse off at the end of the day had she not missed him. Be careful out there, kids.