PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown II

[Captain Crash]

http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/10252449-74/hotel-casino-clark

Rivers Casino hopes to break ground on hotel this summer
Rivers Casino hopes to break ground this summer on a hotel to be built next to its North Shore property.

“The design is finished,” Rivers General Manager Craig Clark said Monday. “We hope to move forward soon.”

The casino plans to request a May hearing before the Pittsburgh Planning Commission, Clark said.

After clearing the permitting approval process, construction would take about 16 months. The 214-room hotel would create 1,400 union construction jobs and 105 permanent jobs, Clark said.

The hotel would be located next to the Carnegie Science Center and be connected to the casino. It would be situated to obstruct as little of the Ohio River view as possible, Clark said. Last year, casino officials said they planned to use glass walls on the first and second floors of the lobby to help with views and to allow river access through the hotel.

[Minivan Werner]

How tall would a 214 room hotel be? Hopefully it draws the eye away from the garage a little bit.

[TBone7281]

Originally Posted by Minivan Werner

How tall would a 214 room hotel be? Hopefully it draws the eye away from the garage a little bit.

Depends where they are actually building it. Only way to even guess is to know how big the hotel's footprint will be.

[TBone7281]

From what I can tell from the various articles (that all pretty much say the same thing), the Casino Hotel is probably going in the grassy area right between the casino and Science Center. (Right along the river trail.) All the reports I've seen say they want to avoid totally blocking the view of the river, so the first and second floor would be mostly glass. That bodes well for a little extra height since the vast majority of rooms would then be above that.

[TBone7281]

Sorry for the multiple posts... wasting time before I go home from work.

According to this old article:

He says they know they want somewhere in the neighborhood of 120 rooms in seven or eight stories.

So ~200 rooms with the first floor or two not being usable for guests should mean more than 10 stories. Just a guess.

[daviderik]

http://www.post-gazette.com/business/tec...s-new-high-tech-hub/stories/201604050169

GE touts $39 million Findlay research center as new high-tech hub

The industrial giant says the facility could help make Pittsburgh a leader in advanced manufacturing. So far, only 22 engineers work at GE’s advanced manufacturing research center in Findlay, but chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt has no doubts about the impact the facility is going to have on American manufacturing.

“It’s going to be an amazing place,” Mr. Immelt told a group of Pittsburgh-area business and political leaders who toured the 125,000-square-foot research center today. ”The whole world of manufacturing is going to be transformed.”

GE is investing $39 million into the Center for Additive Technology Advancement, which will employ 50 high-tech workers by next year. The industrial giant will use the research facility as a hub for developing new ways to use 3-D printing and other so-called additive manufacturing technologies to design and make a wide variety of products faster and cheaper.

Additive manufacturing covers a range of technologies, including rapid prototyping, advanced materials development, and 3-D printing, which makes finished or near-finished products from digital images. The images are fed into a printer that uses metals, plastics and other materials to manufacture products. Printing the product digitally eliminates welding, bending, stamping and other processes that are used in traditional manufacturing.

GE is already using more than 300 3-D printers and has realized significant benefits from 3-D printed fuel nozzles used in its jet engines. The nozzles used to be made from 20 parts, but 3-D printing enables GE to produce the whole part all at once, make it 15 percent lighter and improve its fuel efficiency, said Philippe Cochet, GE’s chief productivity officer.

Mr. Immelt said Pittsburgh has an opportunity to become one of four or five national hubs for additive manufacturing, which is one of the reasons why GE located the research facility here. He hopes the region continues pursuing initiatives already underway to develop a technology that some are calling the third industrial revolution.

“No one company, no one industry is going to be able to do this by themselves,” Mr. Immelt said.

Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, and other areas schools are researching additive manufacturing technologies, including advancing 3-D printing techniques and developing new materials to use with the technology.

Some of their work is funded by Youngstown-based America Makes, one of eight advanced manufacturing research centers established by the Obama administration. The centers promote joint ventures among businesses, universities, and the federal government.

The region is also home to ExOne, a North Huntingdon company that makes 3-D printers. The GE facility’s equipment includes an ExOne machine that 3-D prints sand molds that are used to cast prototype metal parts. Mr. Cochet said making the molds used to take three months and cost $60,000. He said 3-D printing them reduced the production schedule to two weeks and the cost to $10,000.

[Steel City Scotty]

Originally Posted by TBone7281

Beautiful vantage point, thanks for sharing. What floor are you on? My wife was up on the 24th until a few weeks ago when she changed jobs and moved across the street. I've been a bit jealous of her views, working downtown.

My office is on the 28th floor of Fifth Avenue Place, just a few down from the top. The views are definitely a nice perk, and I'm on a corner so I overlook Market Square and the Monongahela.

Was on the southside yesterday and was surprised at how many vacancies there were along Carson St.

The number of empty storefronts from the Birmingham Bridge west to 20th Street particularly is pretty amazing for what was once 100% occupied space and was a very sought after location (and not just for bars). With the continued residential development down the street at the SSW, one would think the opposite would be true. This is a bit concerning to me... because while I understand that the greater east end of the city (and Lawrenceville and Strip Dist) are experiencing continued growth/decreasing vacancy, cannibalism of other core city neighborhoods (if that is what is occurring here) is not a positive growth sign for the city overall.

Any insight, ideas, comments about this? Thanks

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Perch

Was on the southside yesterday and was surprised at how many vacancies there were along Carson St.

The number of empty storefronts from the Birmingham Bridge west to 20th Street particularly is pretty amazing for what was once 100% occupied space and was a very sought after location (and not just for bars). With the continued residential development down the street at the SSW, one would think the opposite would be true. This is a bit concerning to me... because while I understand that the greater east end of the city (and Lawrenceville and Strip Dist) are experiencing continued growth/decreasing vacancy, cannibalism of other core city neighborhoods (if that is what is occurring here) is not a positive growth sign for the city overall.

Any insight, ideas, comments about this? Thanks

My understanding is this is a result of new parking restrictions put in place in South Side for the sake of local residents. While well-meaning, they have resulted in far less people driving to the South Side for shopping and dining. Worse, they are not enforced after 9PM (IIRC) which means people still park on neighborhood streets post enforcement to hit the bars. The result has been business is down in virtually every non-bar establishment in the South Side.

Originally Posted by eschaton

My understanding is this is a result of new parking restrictions put in place in South Side for the sake of local residents. While well-meaning, they have resulted in far less people driving to the South Side for shopping and dining. Worse, they are not enforced after 9PM (IIRC) which means people still park on neighborhood streets post enforcement to hit the bars. The result has been business is down in virtually every non-bar establishment in the South Side.

That's interesting... is it just that metered parking was expanded?

It also seems that many of the vacancies are former bars.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Perch

That's interesting... is it just that metered parking was expanded?

No. My understanding is it's that virtually all of the back streets are now permit parking only, with strict enforcement during the day, but not at night.

Essentially local residents asked for something to be done to deal with the parking congestion on Friday and Saturday evenings. Instead the city put in place parking restrictions which make it difficult for daytime businesses to continue to function, but do nothing to stop bar traffic.

Metered parking enforcement is supposed to be extended to midnight on the South Side soon, but they aren't extending residential enforcement, AFAIK.

Originally Posted by eschaton

No. My understanding is it's that virtually all of the back streets are now permit parking only, with strict enforcement during the day, but not at night.

Essentially local residents asked for something to be done to deal with the parking congestion on Friday and Saturday evenings. Instead the city put in place parking restrictions which make it difficult for daytime businesses to continue to function, but do nothing to stop bar traffic.

Metered parking enforcement is supposed to be extended to midnight on the South Side soon, but they aren't extending residential enforcement, AFAIK.

Well that makes a lot of sense, huh? Weird.


There is a noticeable decrease in sidewalk activity and it does seem that rents must have decreased... considering the increase in vape/glass shops and tattoo parlors setting up where long established shops and offices once existed. This is indicative, but the large number of vacancies is more concerning to me. A major core commercial corridor of a city on the rebound should not project an image like this, especially when that corridor had been a much more solid and reliable economic center in the city for decades. I can't believe that parking is the only issue at play here.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Perch

There is a noticeable decrease in sidewalk activity and it does seem that rents must have decreased... considering the increase in vape/glass shops and tattoo parlors setting up where long established shops and offices once existed. This is indicative, but the large number of vacancies is more concerning to me. A major core commercial corridor of a city on the rebound should not project an image like this, especially when that corridor had been a much more solid and reliable economic center in the city for decades. I can't believe that parking is the only issue at play here.

I'm sure that the rise of other business districts (particularly Lawrenceville) has played somewhat of a role. Unfortunately transit access to the South Side to the East End isn't very good - particularly in the western portion of the neighborhood (west of 18th). Suburbanites won't come to the city at all in large numbers unless there is ample parking (not that the City should cater to them, because doing so would rip the heart of of the business district).

This basically means the primary consumer base of South Side Flats outside of Friday and Saturday nights is local residents. With a population of over 10,000 now, there is surely enough to have some demand. But East Carson is 18-25 blocks long (whether you're considering only the core, or the highly commercial area) which is quite a lot for even a relatively dense neighborhood by Pittsburgh standards to totally fill in.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Originally Posted by eschaton

My understanding is this is a result of new parking restrictions put in place in South Side for the sake of local residents. While well-meaning, they have resulted in far less people driving to the South Side for shopping and dining. Worse, they are not enforced after 9PM (IIRC) which means people still park on neighborhood streets post enforcement to hit the bars. The result has been business is down in virtually every non-bar establishment in the South Side.

Basically it proves that Bruce Kraus is either a complete idiot or he is secretly trying to destroy the neighborhood. Take you pick.

[Minivan Werner]

Maybe they should build a parking garage on one or two of the surface lots down there.

Or they could ditch the turning lane on Carson and expand the parking so it's angular, which should fit more spaces in (though I'm not sure how much more, 100%?)

[dfiler]

It would take more to convince me that parking restrictions are the cause of an increased vacancy rate.

Rather, it seems more likely that Carson street is no longer the only popular place to go out on the town. It used to have the majority of bars and restaurants that rose above the neighborhood hole in the wall level. That is no longer the case. Foodie restaurants and destination bars have popped up everywhere.

I can't remember the last time a friend was excited to go to a place on the south side. That's not meant as an insult or criticism of the neighborhood. Just observing that the buzz has moved elsewhere.

Edit: I was interested in the topic and did some more reading. I have changed my mind and do agree it is hurting businesses.
http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2...uth-Side-businesses/stories/201603170004

Although, it does seem hard to determine just how big the impact is. Other neighborhoods have taken off and are obviously taking customers who would otherwise have gone to the southside.

[GeneW]

I think that Carson Street is a bit of a victim of its own success. The bar scene is so big and notorious now that I think that a lot of people avoid that area in the evenings for fear of having to deal with hordes of drunken young adults.

[speagles84]

Originally Posted by GeneW

I think that Carson Street is a bit of a victim of its own success. The bar scene is so big and notorious now that I think that a lot of people avoid that area in the evenings for fear of having to deal with hordes of drunken young adults.

Agreed. Another possibility (or combination) would be rising rents... after the neighborhood became desirable again, rents for Carson Street most likely went sky high and the smaller bars and restaurants couldn't make it there anymore.

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by Perch

Well that makes a lot of sense, huh? Weird.


There is a noticeable decrease in sidewalk activity and it does seem that rents must have decreased... considering the increase in vape/glass shops and tattoo parlors setting up where long established shops and offices once existed. This is indicative, but the large number of vacancies is more concerning to me. A major core commercial corridor of a city on the rebound should not project an image like this, especially when that corridor had been a much more solid and reliable economic center in the city for decades. I can't believe that parking is the only issue at play here.

So at some point in the future there will be a lot of.... Vapancies on East Carson?

(•_•)
( •_•)>⌐■-■
(⌐■_■)

[hammersklavier]

Originally Posted by austinlee

(•_•)
( •_•)>⌐■-■
(⌐■_■)

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)