PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown II - Page 845

themaguffin · #**16881** Posted **Sep 23, 2016, 11:58 AM**

Now that the quarterly disruption has come and gone, back on topic.

Council to consider $800K for bike lanes in Pittsburgh

eschaton · #**16882** Posted **Sep 23, 2016, 2:12 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by AFW523

Also, speaking of gaps...the Bargain Auto Mart on 45th Street just had a meeting this week for a proposal to turn it into some sort of BBQ joint. I don't know if that means just using the existing building for kitchen/interior purposes (a la doublewide in southside) or actually demo'ing the parcel and moving out towards the street. Would be nice to button that side up, although for a used car dealer/garage, that guy has always been a pretty good neighbor. LU hasn't sent out the meeting notes yet, but if anything of interest was discussed, I'll chime in.

Pittsburgh Business Times has up a members only article about the project. The only new information I can glean without having full access is it's actually a new location of a Brooklyn-based restaurant (Morgan's Barbecue).

Austinlee · #**16883** Posted **Sep 23, 2016, 6:32 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by themaguffin

Now that the quarterly disruption has come and gone, back on topic.

Council to consider $800K for bike lanes in Pittsburgh

This is wonderful news. Living on the Northside, this will benefit me to have bike access on East Ohio Street & East Street & also I can bike from my house to the Southside easier with that downtown leg planned from Point State Park to The Smithfield St bridge & the jail trail.

One thing that really irks me is how insanely strong the negative comments/sentiments are for this news. The comments are red hot with anger. I am scared for this country if installing a bike lane can infuriate so many people! I realize the loudest and angriest voices can be heard the loudest but still, it's shameful.

Austinlee · #**16884** Posted **Sep 23, 2016, 6:34 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by eschaton

I saw yesterday that at that "mystery" location on the 3500 block of Butler Street there is finally a crude rendering. It's going to be a small office building which has a planned completion date of Spring 2017. It will be a three-story building with a pretty historically-minded facade. Excavation work seems to be done, and they are building the forms to cast the foundation. I would have preferred apartments, but at least some of the last major gaps in Lower Lawrenceville are filling in. It's a shame they couldn't get further site control. The Nesi family owns the next three parcels down the street, which include two vacant lots and one wood-frame walkup.

In other office news in Lawrenceville, this building on the 3900 block, which is mostly vacant, will be turned into commercial space. Botero Development formerly tried to develop this property as a 32-unit apartment building, but something must not have panned out, so they're falling back on offices. Still planning to add a 4th story to the structure however.

You wouldn't have happened to snap a photo of said crude rendering?

eschaton · #**16885** Posted **Sep 23, 2016, 7:31 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Austinlee

You wouldn't have happened to snap a photo of said crude rendering?

I did, but it was across the street and through a chain link fence, so the picture is total 🞵🞵🞵.

highlander206 · #**16886** Posted **Sep 23, 2016, 8:31 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Austinlee

This is wonderful news. Living on the Northside, this will benefit me to have bike access on East Ohio Street & East Street & also I can bike from my house to the Southside easier with that downtown leg planned from Point State Park to The Smithfield St bridge & the jail trail.

One thing that really irks me is how insanely strong the negative comments/sentiments are for this news. The comments are red hot with anger. I am scared for this country if installing a bike lane can infuriate so many people! I realize the loudest and angriest voices can be heard the loudest but still, it's shameful.

While I don't cycle to get around, I really don't understand why some people get so angry over installing bike lanes. These are also the same people who get mad when a cyclist is in from on them on the road while the drive. Don't they realize having a good dedicated bike lane system will put some cyclist away from motorists as most would use a bike lane instead of cycling on a regular road and dealing with speeders and road rage.

Austinlee · #**16887** Posted **Sep 23, 2016, 9:35 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by eschaton

I did, but it was across the street and through a chain link fence, so the picture is total 🞵🞵🞵.

That IS a bad picture

eschaton · #**16888** Posted **Sep 23, 2016, 10:22 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Austinlee

That IS a bad picture

I seem to have forgotten to make it public on Google Drive. I got a better one tonight I'll post when the kids are in bed.

BrianTH · #**16889** Posted **Sep 23, 2016, 11:55 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Austinlee

One thing that really irks me is how insanely strong the negative comments/sentiments are for this news. The comments are red hot with anger. I am scared for this country if installing a bike lane can infuriate so many people! I realize the loudest and angriest voices can be heard the loudest but still, it's shameful.

Somehow transportation policy got dragged into the Culture Wars. I guess it is because of the overlapping urban/rural split, but I really don't get why "to each their own" doesn't work for people--if you don't want streetcars and bike lanes out in your exurbs and rural areas, no one is going to make you.

BrianTH · #**16890** Posted **Sep 23, 2016, 11:57 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by highlander206

Don't they realize having a good dedicated bike lane system will put some cyclist away from motorists as most would use a bike lane instead of cycling on a regular road and dealing with speeders and road rage.

They seem to just want bicyclists to go away, or at least start driving cars like Real Americans.

eschaton · #**16891** Posted **Sep 24, 2016, 12:10 AM**

Let's see if this works...

Edit: Seems to work both on my cell and home computer. Two quick thoughts:

1. While I like the traditional design, I don't see any pressing need for the weird cut out of the facade on the right side, making some sort of first-floor commercial patio. It's too small to be for outdoor seating (probably around 10 feet, since the entire property is only 40 feet wide), so I'm not sure I get the point.

2. The space between it and the building on the left is artificially shrunk due to the odd perspective, which seems misleading to me. It's actually close to a 20 foot gap.

GeneW · #**16892** Posted **Sep 24, 2016, 12:27 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Somehow transportation policy got dragged into the Culture Wars. I guess it is because of the overlapping urban/rural split, but I really don't get why "to each their own" doesn't work for people--if you don't want streetcars and bike lanes out in your exurbs and rural areas, no one is going to make you.

Don't you know? Bike Lanes are just the first part of the Agenda 21 plot by the United Nations to take over the country. /s

themaguffin · #**16893** Posted **Sep 24, 2016, 12:23 PM**

Along the lines of bike lanes, and sorry if this has been discussed, but has the city considered anything like NY's High Line and Atlanta's Beltline?

wpipkins2 · #**16894** Posted **Sep 24, 2016, 12:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by themaguffin

Along the lines of bike lanes, and sorry if this has been discussed, but has the city considered anything like NY's High Line and Atlanta's Beltline?

We have Three Rivers Park. The linking of our trail network has been on going for decades. We also have the Jail Trail linking downtown to the Southside works and eventually the Almono site.

GeneW · #**16895** Posted **Sep 24, 2016, 2:07 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by themaguffin

Along the lines of bike lanes, and sorry if this has been discussed, but has the city considered anything like NY's High Line and Atlanta's Beltline?

There's the project at the Terminal Building on the Southside.

Wally G · #**16896** Posted **Sep 24, 2016, 3:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Austinlee

This is wonderful news. Living on the Northside, this will benefit me to have bike access on East Ohio Street & East Street & also I can bike from my house to the Southside easier with that downtown leg planned from Point State Park to The Smithfield St bridge & the jail trail.

One thing that really irks me is how insanely strong the negative comments/sentiments are for this news. The comments are red hot with anger. I am scared for this country if installing a bike lane can infuriate so many people! I realize the loudest and angriest voices can be heard the loudest but still, it's shameful.

I just think if the best thing our mayor can come up with is bike lanes then it shows why younger people leave the city. Although i understand you at the same time they are good to have for the long run.

Wally G · #**16897** Posted **Sep 24, 2016, 4:19 PM**

I agree with you i liked the first rendering better for the science center.

BrianTH · #**16898** Posted **Sep 24, 2016, 7:52 PM**

Bikes lanes are just one of many things going on in the City of Pittsburgh these days. Meanwhile, as of the last Census, the young adult population in the City was booming:

http://www.citylabpgh.org/5807/

And since then, a whole bunch more apartment buildings have gone up.

Wally G · #**16899** Posted **Sep 25, 2016, 4:00 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Bikes lanes are just one of many things going on in the City of Pittsburgh these days. Meanwhile, as of the last Census, the young adult population in the City was booming:

http://www.citylabpgh.org/5807/

And since then, a whole bunch more apartment buildings have gone up.

Yeah a lot is going on but not because of Bill Peduto, most of the big projects is from Luke's term. About the last census yeah things is getting better but look at the population drop since 2010. I am still young and most of everyone i know left and most of the communities in the city population dropped drastically since i was a teen. I love development because i am tired of hearing how boring the city is compared to others. I just want cooler ideas from the mayor like Cincinnati's lakefront development that give the youth more to do.

BrianTH · #**16900** Posted **Sep 25, 2016, 1:55 PM**

In recent years, East Liberty is being transformed, the Strip is being transformed, Lawrenceville is continuing to boom, more development is happening in Oakland and the Baum-Center corridor, South Side Works has shifted into a better mix of uses and is further developing, Downtown is continuing to thrive with an increase in night time population thanks to new residences and hotels, the river fronts are continuing to make progress, and on and on.

I'm as frustrated as anyone about the slow progress on the North Shore and in the Lower Hill, but that is fundamentally because development rights were stupidly given to pro sports teams as part of the public bribe for them to stay here.

Of course that isn't all Peduto, but he is proving, for the most part, to be a good partner and participant when it comes to development.

As for population--look again at those 2000 to 2010 numbers. The total population dropped about 29,000, but the 20s population increased 12,500.

The latest population estimate for the City suggest it may have lost a little over 1000 in population between 2010 and 2015:

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2...n-city-s-population/stories/201605190056

That's already tracking way better overall than 2000 to 2010, and that is consistent with--in fact, basically requires--the young population to be growing a lot.