PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown II

[BrianTH]

I wasn't aware this was happening--apparently there is an active effort to authorize video-game gambling at major PA airports, which would include PIT, Erie, and Arnold Palmer:

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/ne...roduces-amendment-to-airport-gaming.html

It would only be for ticketed passengers in the security zone.

Gambling isn't my favorite way of raising revenue, but I don't have a huge problem with the idea. At some point, though, I would like to revisit the contributions of non-airport revenue to PIT, seeing as how it has so many other sources of its own revenue now.

[Steel City Scotty]

There will be a community presentation regarding the proposed BRT project at 5:30 this evening at the Bricolage Production Company on Liberty Avenue.

http://downtownpittsburgh.com/wp-content...r-Downtown-032217.pdf?platform=hootsuite

[BrianTH]

The PBT has launched "crane watch," which appears to be a map tracking development activity:

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/feature/crane-watch

[BrianTH]

The Station Square apartment plan was approved:

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2...ories/201704050094?pgpageversion=pgevoke

Not a surprise, and I agree with the comments in the article that it is a nice-looking project.

Also discussed in the article was the plan to convert most of the office floors in One Chatham into 174 apartments. I've been thinking about that project a bit and it is interesting to me how at this point, an apartment project of that scale Downtown is no big deal to us (we've come a long way).

[BrianTH]

The restaurant incubator Smallman Galley is opening another location in Nova Place (North Side):

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2017/04/04/food-hall-coming-to-nova-place.html
http://www.post-gazette.com/life/dining/...-Benson-Ben-Mantica/stories/201704040181

I think they may be talking about it going in this smaller building on the plaza, but I am not completely sure.

It also sounds like this location will not so much feature new chefs, but might have experienced chefs trying new concepts.

[bmust71]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

The Station Square apartment plan was approved:

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2...ories/201704050094?pgpageversion=pgevoke

Not a surprise, and I agree with the comments in the article that it is a nice-looking project.

I'm hoping this will create some momentum for the 'high line' project down the road. Haven't heard anything about that in quite some time

[Urbana]

,

[Gilamonster]

Bits and pieces on a few things downtown:

The Distrikt hotel now has a website for the Pittsburgh location. It's very basic for now. The only piece of new info on there is the claim that it is "arriving Spring 2017" Definitely getting close though....They are starting to rebuild the holes in the wall that were used to exit/enter the building from the construction elevator.
http://www.distrikthotelpittsburgh.com/


Some of the street level window signs for 350 Fifth have been removed and replaced with signs for developing/leasing advertising with Stark signage. Stark being the Cleveland company which bought the building.


The Fort Pitt BLVD. Holiday Inn continues it's slow progress:




The parking garage portion of 350 Oliver is moving along rather quickly which is not surprising, since they are shipping in prefab concrete blocks and putting them together on site like giant Legos:

[photoLith]

That Holiday Inn has to be the slowest development I've ever seen going up. Glad work has resumed on it.

[Gilamonster]

It is ridiculously slow. There was a small gap after they built the first level of steel and then it resumed but when it resumed it was like 2 guys there. I walk by the site at least once a week. There has always been a small crew there and even now that work has picked up on it, the crew is still very small.

[eschaton]

Maybe I'm crazy, but it looks like on that Holiday Inn they installed the windows already for the first two stories of stick and drywall, even though the rest of the building has yet to be built. That seems really...unusual.

[TBone7281]

Originally Posted by Urbana

That is great news, I really enjoyed my visit to the Strip District location a few months ago. Really awesome space and concept. I would highly recommend it if you have not yet checked it out.

Went once for lunch not long after they opened. It's a cool concept, but the chefs that were there had pricing schemes that were a bit too steep for my liking for just a casual work lunch. Seemed more in line for dinner/date. But of course, maybe that's what they're striving towards.

[TBone7281]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

The PBT has launched "crane watch," which appears to be a map tracking development activity:

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/feature/crane-watch

I was surprised to see "power plant" on the map, which is technically true, but also a little misleading. The facility on Cowell will provide chilled water and steam heat to the Lower Hill.

[eschaton]

Riverfront 47's development seems to have stalled a bit again due to Aspinwall NIMBYs. The results of a community survey were supposed to be released this week, but the council decided to postpone the survey until next week, or perhaps later.

[Private Dick]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Maybe I'm crazy, but it looks like on that Holiday Inn they installed the windows already for the first two stories of stick and drywall, even though the rest of the building has yet to be built. That seems really...unusual.

Yeah, that does seem weird. Could they be some sort of prefab wall panels that already have windows built in?

[Private Dick]

Originally Posted by TBone7281

I was surprised to see "power plant" on the map, which is technically true, but also a little misleading. The facility on Cowell will provide chilled water and steam heat to the Lower Hill.

What am I missing? I'm not getting why it's misleading. It's a gas-fired power plant.

[bmust71]

Originally Posted by Gilamonster

Bits and pieces on a few things downtown:



Some of the street level window signs for 350 Fifth have been removed and replaced with signs for developing/leasing advertising with Stark signage. Stark being the Cleveland company which bought the building.

Interesting about 350 Fifth. Stark is the team behind the very ambitious NuCLEus project in downtown Cleveland. 50+ stories I believe. Hope they can come up with something bold here

[Don't Be That Guy]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Riverfront 47's development seems to have stalled a bit again due to Aspinwall NIMBYs. The results of a community survey were supposed to be released this week, but the council decided to postpone the survey until next week, or perhaps later.

An expensive town full of affluent people that create traffic by driving their children all over Fox Chapel and the East End are opposed to new houses coming to their town because it'll create traffic that will endanger the children.

Sounds about par for the course.

[TBone7281]

Originally Posted by Private Dick

What am I missing? I'm not getting why it's misleading. It's a gas-fired power plant.

Misleading isn't the right way to say it... Obviously gas power plants are going to be common within cities as they burn much cleaner than coal, but when I hear "power plant" I automatically think coal or even nuclear first. Not the map's fault.

[Private Dick]

Originally Posted by TBone7281

Misleading isn't the right way to say it... Obviously gas power plants are going to be common within cities as they burn much cleaner than coal, but when I hear "power plant" I automatically think coal or even nuclear first. Not the map's fault.

Ok, got it. Just wondering if I was missing something about what was being built there. Yeah, "power plant" has association with a massive dirty complex... which wouldn't be a great asset to Uptown.