PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown II

[eschaton]

Various updates here regarding URA business:

1. Sale of 20-acre parcel in Fairywood (former Broadhead Manor site) to Burns & Scalo/Franklin Interiors joint venture.
2. Amending of TIF funding for ALMONO to take into account site delays.
3. Formal sale of city properties discussed upthread to URA
4. Sale of URA properties to a housing partnership to build 36 affordable units in Homewood (also discussed upthread).
5. Sale of one of the remaining PTC parcels to a Cleveland-based developer.

In other news, as we have discussed before, there is little-to-no new construction of office space going on in Pittsburgh any longer.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

The Hotel Indigo for the PTC is apparently moving forward as they have picked a builder:

https://buildingpittsburgh.com/2016/07/11/june-jobs-not-such-a-surprise/

It's now being reported it's not going in at PTC, but on Almono property.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by eschaton

It's now being reported it's not going in at PTC, but on Almono property.

I did not know that! In the nearby stretch or further down?

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

I did not know that! In the nearby stretch or further down?

Never mind, misunderstood the paragraph about Hotel Indigo in your link, since it followed up directly on a line about Almono. Looks like they're two separate projects.

[dfiler]

Originally Posted by Private Dick

That proposal was one of the most poorly-designed pieces of garbage I've ever seen.

I mean, come on... what the fuck is this?



Just from a building science perspective, this design is inconceivable... to say nothing of function or aesthetics.

Walnut Capital and Strada have already given us more than enough Google shit in the immediate area; we don't need any more.

I too thought this was an incredibly poor design.

The armory's structure is the is rather unique, with windows and natural light being quite limited. One solution, as seen here is to open the roof, bringing natural light in through an atrium. In my opinion this works well for office, retail, restaurants and manufacturing. However it is not at all desirable for residential use. It's like living in a shopping mall.

People prefer that their apartment windows open and look onto outdoor space, private outdoor space whenever possible. Apartment's with only a view onto an atrium, will likely not command the price that would be appropriate for a historic renovation such as this.

On the other hand, offices, stores and restaurants surrounding an atrium are quite appealing. Parking and transit would be the hurdle to overcome. I look forward to new proposals now that this one has fallen through.

[chiaroscuro]

http://www.post-gazette.com/business/dev...LTV-Coke-Works-site/stories/201607180107

I thought Perkins+Will was involved in this.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by chiaroscuro

http://www.post-gazette.com/business/dev...LTV-Coke-Works-site/stories/201607180107

I thought Perkins+Will was involved in this.

Perkins+Will was not acting as a developer, but as a urban planner for the site. RIDC had been acting as the developer, but has essentially admitted failure and abandoned most aspects of Almono other than rehabbing the last remaining mill structure it seems.

Edit: The Pittsburgh Business Times article makes it clear the Perkins+Will master plan is still on its way.

The project has landed its first commercial use from Uber Technologies Inc., which is building out a test track and research facility there. A new master plan for the site lead by Perkins+Will is nearing completion as the foundations continue to pursue a variety of measures to help strengthen the neighboring Hazelwood community and address issues of storm water management and green infrastructure.

I think the general issue with Almono is mostly that Pittsburgh's commercial and industrial demand is close to nil right now. If they just used Almono to build a new residential neighborhood, I think it would do quite well.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by eschaton

If they just used Almono to build a new residential neighborhood, I think it would do quite well.

It seems to me they could at least start that way with the wider portion at the southern end of the site. Do a nice residential neighborhood with perhaps some neighborhood retail that is integrated well into the existing neighborhood in Hazelwood. Then down the road you can look at options for the narrower northern portion--perhaps higher-density residential, but maybe also other uses if the demand is there at that point.

[eschaton]

Eyeball report here. A new mini-project seems to be starting on the 3500 block of Butler Street in Lower Lawrenceville.

I say seems to because I note two confusing facts. There was earth moving equipment on this lot for the better portion of a year, and they are clearly beginning some heavy-duty excavation now. On the other hand, I've seen absolutely nothing in the zoning agenda about a new building being constructed here, and I saw no permits posted.

The plots were bought from the URA back in 2013, after the property had been out for bid for three years. Maybe the developers just didn't have their shit together and are moving at a glacial pace? Or maybe they're actually building without asking for a single zoning variance? A mystery so far, but we'll see what emerges in the coming months.

[AFW523]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Eyeball report here. A new mini-project seems to be starting on the 3500 block of Butler Street in Lower Lawrenceville.

I say seems to because I note two confusing facts. There was earth moving equipment on this lot for the better portion of a year, and they are clearly beginning some heavy-duty excavation now. On the other hand, I've seen absolutely nothing in the zoning agenda about a new building being constructed here, and I saw no permits posted.

The plots were bought from the URA back in 2013, after the property had been out for bid for three years. Maybe the developers just didn't have their shit together and are moving at a glacial pace? Or maybe they're actually building without asking for a single zoning variance? A mystery so far, but we'll see what emerges in the coming months.

There was also an article in the Trib (I think) last week about the antique shop next door to that plot having his lease terminated. I wonder if they are connected. The tenor of that article was entirely too wistful for me, so I couldn't stomach finishing it.

Also, for the preservationists on here, it looks like some pretty extensive renovations have begun on the insulbrick shacks on Plummer Street and Locarna. I'm interested to see exactly what they have planned, or if they are just doing enough work to keep it from falling down on itself. I'll look at the work permits next time I walk past.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by AFW523

There was also an article in the Trib (I think) last week about the antique shop next door to that plot having his lease terminated. I wonder if they are connected. The tenor of that article was entirely too wistful for me, so I couldn't stomach finishing it.

Yeah, I noticed the antique store was having an "everything must go" sale. I don't think they're related though. The antique store, along with some vacant lots and near-abandoned buildings left in Lower Lawrenceville, is owned by the Nese family (who were the original founders of Frankies). Technically Alberta Nese, who died last year at age 82, was the property owner. I was hoping once she passed away her next of kin would start selling off the vacant property, but it doesn't seem to be happening. In contrast, the vacant lot which is being excavated now is owned by "Lola Partners" which seems to be a holding company for some dude in the North Hills.

[DKNewYork]

I occasionally hear that FNB is looking for space downtown. Eighteen months ago or even a year ago, it didn't make sense given what they have on the North Shore and what a small regional bank would need. Now, a few mergers later, a move seems more likely. Today's announcement of the purchase of the NC-based Yadkin Financial will bring the bank to nearly $30B in assets. As the bank holding company will continue to grow, it will surely outgrow its current space. Note: FNB is now the second largest bank based in Pennsylvania. Talk about under-the-radar...

I heard over the weekend that the slowdown in the Pittsburgh hotel market will apparently not affect the Forbes Hotel project. The developer said (second hand, not to me) that the financing is in place and that the product will be sufficiently "differentiated" from the other hotels downtown that there are few worries about the plummeting occupancy rate.

[eschaton]

New Planning Commission Presentation. Not as earth-shattering as last week, but there's three small projects and one big one.

1. CMU is converting a house near its campus, at 5710 Margaret Morrison, into a 13-bed dorm. Renderings are crude, but it doesn't look like they're going to remuddle the house's exterior.

2. RIDC is releasing their preliminary plan for the "Mill 19" building on the Almono site. It looks absolutely beautiful. Essentially they seem to be removing the walls, leaving the old metal framing exposed, and converting much of it into some sort of public plaza. Oddly, while this (and the discussion of public access) would make one thing they're constructing a park, they are still saying that manufacturing and office work will take place there - presumably in the three-story glass box they plan to build inside.

3. Dollar Bank is opening a branch in Downtown East Liberty, on the 6100 block of Penn Avenue. The planned changes to the first floor are very basic, but a step up from what's there now. I just wish they would do something to the second floor as well - like put windows back in.

4. A property on Broughton Street (which is in that weird bit of Bloomfield across the Busway chasm) is going before the Planning Commission for a slight upgrade. The owner (who also happens to own a good deal of East Liberty) wants to demolish an existing two-door garage and add a new carriage house with two rental units and four garage bays. I don't think this would go before the Planning Commission, if it wasn't for being zoned UNC and being just barely within the Baum-Center corridor overlay zone.

There's also new renderings of the Detective's Building rehab further down in the presentation, and the City has added a Complete Streets powerpoint presentation, rather than just having the Complete Streets policy to review.

In other news, I noticed in the latest zoning report that Oxford is putting in for permit for a five-story office at 48 26th St. Is this the one they already have the steel up for, or yet another?

[eschaton]

Details on the new affordable housing project in West Oakland. It includes both a new building (on Wadsworth Street) along with rehabbing six existing small apartment buildings built in 1927 which front on Wadsworth, Robinson, and Aliquippa.

I believe they plan to build the new apartment building here, knocking down the historic house, which is owned by the Oakland Planning & Development Corporation. The 1950s looking house in the background is homeowner occupied, and judging by the rendering they were unable to get total site control and are effectively building around it.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Details on the new affordable housing project in West Oakland. It includes both a new building (on Wadsworth Street) along with rehabbing six existing small apartment buildings built in 1927 which front on Wadsworth, Robinson, and Aliquippa.

Cool! Those are neat old apartment buildings, and in general that is a good spot to be adding some affordable housing, with all the nearby employers and amenities.

[AFW523]

Not a game-changer by any means by Schooley tweeted out that SAP is looking to acquire 100,000 sq ft of space somewhere in the region. The Faros project, maybe? Somewhere in the strip? I don't believe the Alphabet City project in East Liberty has enough space to make that work. 100k is nothing to sneeze at and would certainly solidify a fledgling project.

Any other ideas? Would be a nice anchor somewhere.

[chucka]

This is good news!

Sports Authority awarded coveted federal grant for former Civic Arena site
The $19 million grant will help fund construction of a deck over Crosstown Boulevard as part of larger project at former arena site.

Local officials have secured a coveted federal grant for the redevelopment of the former Civic Arena site.

U.S. Department of Transportation officials are expected to announce Friday that it is awarding a Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, or TIGER, grant to help fund construction of a deck over Crosstown Boulevard as part of the arena project.

Tiger grant application

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by chucka

This is good news!



Tiger grant application

Yess!! This a transformative piece of a transformative project for the city.

[BrianTH]

That is fantastic news! It is such a great spot for that sort of project and should ultimately make it possible to do more with that portion of the Lower Hill site.

Now if they could just get the development rights back from the Penguins . . . .

[AFW523]

Thank. God.

Why the PG buried that article, I don't know. It's about damn time.