PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown II

[Minivan Werner]

I think Summerset @ Frick is a nice development with a mostly urban feel to it, but I agree with the rest of your points.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Minivan Werner

I think Summerset @ Frick is a nice development with a mostly urban feel to it, but I agree with the rest of your points.

They could have included some retail. IIRC there's a CVS going in at its base on Browns Hill Road, but I find it hard to believe there aren't enough people living there now to warrant a coffee shop or something.

[BrianTH]

I'm very excited about 1600 Smallman. An outcome that encompasses the Produce Terminal, the warehouse across Smallman, and Smallman itself could be really special.

Apparently a new parking garage could be part of the project. Hopefully it would absorb that surface lot next to the bridge.

[MattofSloppyVariety]

I was chatting with a friend recently and I was wondering if anyone here could prove what she had told me to be true or not. She had told me that Heinz will be moving everyone in their workforce to the Chicago area and basically vacating Pittsburgh altogether. Has anyone heard anything about this?

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by MattofSloppyVariety

I was chatting with a friend recently and I was wondering if anyone here could prove what she had told me to be true or not. She had told me that Heinz will be moving everyone in their workforce to the Chicago area and basically vacating Pittsburgh altogether. Has anyone heard anything about this?

Nothing has been publicly announced, but arguably there's been hints that things are moving this way for awhile. Pittsburgh's big initial boost was that it was an urban corporate HQ location, but once Heinz-Kraft decided to close the suburban Northfield IL complex and move workers into Downtown Chicago, that advantage ended. Fortune 500 companies are pretty rapidly consolidating core operations in major cities which have access to a plethora of international flights.

That said, the jobs impact on the region will likely be minor. In total, there are around 800 employees left in the Pittsburgh region, but IIRC only around 200 of them work in PPG Place downtown.

[Private D]

Originally Posted by MattofSloppyVariety

I was chatting with a friend recently and I was wondering if anyone here could prove what she had told me to be true or not. She had told me that Heinz will be moving everyone in their workforce to the Chicago area and basically vacating Pittsburgh altogether. Has anyone heard anything about this?

I have a friend who is in upper management at Heinz (Kraft-Heinz now I guess I should say)... not a C-level position or anything, but he's pretty high up... a guy who has regular contact with the CEO. He had absolutely zero idea about the merger with Kraft until just before it was announced publicly.

He said he's gotten the question about a feared corporate move out of Pittsburgh to Chicago numerous times and he said they would probably find out in the same fashion, if that was the case... "No one knows these things except for the billionaires" and "anyone who says that's happening is just making 🞵🞵🞵🞵 up -- they have no information about that".

Not saying it won't happen (and it even might be likely considering the move would be to a much larger, globally-oriented city), but I imagine that unless your friend is one of the assorted Brazilian billionaire executives/investors of 3G or Warren Buffett in drag who has decided to casually share confidential information about a global multi-billion dollar, publicly-traded corporation, she is more than likely just spreading rumors.

[eschaton]

The Art Institute is moving out of Downtown Pittsburgh, and into EDMC's office space in the Strip District.

I actually see this as a win-win. The writing was on the wall when they sold the building and then signed a short-term lease the other year. I actually believed it would follow the Culinary Institute into oblivion once it was kicked out of its Downtown location, but apparently even with the reforms to stop EDMC and other for-profit college companies from exploiting young people, there still is enough of a market for the Art Institute to have it continue in some fashion for now. And of course the property owner must think there is a better and higher use for the building.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by eschaton

And of course the property owner must think there is a better and higher use for the building.

It is a handsome building in a prominent location. Hopefully it gets a nice renovation and use.

[themaguffin]

I'm actually surprised that the Pittsburgh location didn't close out right as well.

[mikebarbaro]

Trib article on bringing in a more diverse immigrant population to the region: http://triblive.com/mobile/11135423-96/immigrants-blueprint-community

[themaguffin]

Some good news regarding the Strip. McCaffery Interests (who is set to do the terminal project) now has a 165,000 square foot building across the street (1600 Smallman) under option to buy. This will more than double the size of the redevelopment. It's long past due for something to be done with these old multi-story warehouse buildings.

I didn't catch when you wrote, but saw the headline today on their site.

I was able to actually read the whole article. If interested here is the link to Google News search results. Click on it and you'll be able to read it...


Developer wants to double size of Strip District redevelopment

While the produce terminal is a well-established landmark as the last railroad terminal buildings of its kind in the Strip District, the four-story 1600 Smallman building has long complemented it as one of Strip’s largest buildings.

The building is, in fact, larger than the 155,000-square-foot terminal building.

Along with various uses on its upper floors, the industrial building has long served as a hub for nightlife, hosting clubs such as Metropol and Rosebud in the 1980s and 1990s as well as current operations such as Club Zoo and Cruze.

Rubinstein said the combined properties could total more than 300,000 square feet of space redeveloped for a mix of office and retail space

.


It also says that the URA is plannig a TIF plan that calls for a 153-space parking garage next to 1600 Smallman as part of the larger redevelopment plan.

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=Dev...+of+Strip+District+redevelopment&tbm=nws

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by themaguffin

It also says that the URA is plannig a TIF plan that calls for a 153-space parking garage next to 1600 Smallman as part of the larger redevelopment plan.

The vacant lot next to the 16th Street Bridge is kind of narrow for a garage. I wonder if they're going to consider demoing the two-story addition to the 1600 Smallman building?

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by eschaton

I wonder if they're going to consider demoing the two-story addition to the 1600 Smallman building?

I was thinking the same thing, which would be fine with me.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

I was thinking the same thing, which would be fine with me.

I hope the building next to it is saved though. It has different floor plates than the main structure, so it will possibly be hard to integrate into their redevelopment plans.

I'm guessing they are going to set up 1600 Smallman for office, not residential? The building is 100 feet deep, which would make it pretty awkward to convert into apartments. I suppose you only need one set of windows if an apartment is laid out correctly however.

[eschaton]

New Planning Commission presentation! A bit more weighty than the last one.

1. They are finally filling in the empty bays currently on the East Liberty Place South building with commercial storefronts. Hopefully this means tenants will be coming in soon.

2. Alcoa is putting a new sign on the south facade of its building on the North Shore. Actually two signs, as Alcoa and its spin off Arconic will both have billing.

3. Carnegie Science Center is putting it for a renovation and expansion by nearly 50,000 square feet. It looks like this is an update of a 2008 plan by the museum. I don't know the full history of this - maybe some other forumites could contribute. It looks like most of the space will be dedicated to classrooms and special events center, but there will be some new exhibit space. There are also some parking lot/landscaping improvements which are being submitted separately.

4. The biggest news is a review application for another building at Three Crossing. This office building, Riverfront West, seems to be the last major component of their plan left, as Riverfront East and the parking garage (the Hub) are both under construction right now. The design is almost identical to Riverfront East, except a story taller, and placed a little closer to Smallman Street.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by eschaton

I hope the building next to it is saved though.

Me too. That one is cool.

I suppose you only need one set of windows if an apartment is laid out correctly however.

Such "shot 🞵🞵🞵" apartments are pretty common in warehouse/loft conversions. Given the size of the windows, and the fact they are on the back side too, I would think you could get away with it.

[daviderik]

Originally Posted by eschaton

New Planning Commission presentation! A bit more weighty than the last one.



3. Carnegie Science Center is putting it for a renovation and expansion by nearly 50,000 square feet. It looks like this is an update of a 2008 plan by the museum. I don't know the full history of this - maybe some other forumites could contribute. It looks like most of the space will be dedicated to classrooms and special events center, but there will be some new exhibit space. There are also some parking lot/landscaping improvements which are being submitted separately.

.

The latest design of the expansion is a disappointment. Some kind of aluminum grating or mesh instead of glass. That new space could have been a nice vantage point to view downtown. The original design was inspired and then it was downgraded and now it looks like the cladding developers put on parking garages. Shame.

[BrianTH]

Can't say I am thrilled either that those lots right next to the T Station are going to remain surface parking lots.

[AFW523]

Focus piece on Vivian Li from Boston Globe

Nothing necessarily new here...but I do generally feel comfortable that she is going to get the job done. Seems pretty resilient. Now if we could just fast track the strong arming in the Strip District, that would be great.

[Wally G]

[QUOTE=daviderik;7563752]The latest design of the expansion is a disappointment. Some kind of aluminum grating or mesh instead of glass. That new space could have been a nice vantage point to view downtown. The original design was inspired and then it was downgraded and now it looks like the cladding developers put on parking garages. Shame.[/QUOTE


I hope they didn't change their design. Where did you see the new renderings at?