PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown III

[Austinlee]

I hope that zoning variance goes through for Bakery Square 3.0. I'm a huge fan of densification. That is the value in cities; efficiency and density of opportunity and ideas. I'm ready for some renders please.

[wpipkins2]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Well, the 2/8 ZBA hearing has landed, although the 2/15 one is still MIA. These are all small projects, but it's good to see something moving in the slow season.

1. An old storefront on S Lang in Point Breeze is being converted back into an apartment unit. I never even knew it was back there - I guess it was an extension of the tiny business district that includes Frick Park Market.

2. Rehab of one of the few remaining rowhouses in California-Kirkbride, along with its conversion into a two-unit.

3. The proposed conversion of an old church in South Side into a six-unit condo building.

4. Two new infill rowhouses in Upper Lawrenceville (on Keystone Street)

5. The addition of two apartment units to the upper story of this historic building on Penn Avenue in the Strip District.

6. A new restaurant in Homewood (here).

I am curious about the restaurant addition to the Galaxy Lounge. The food is OK and the space can house a restaurant and still perform as a nightclub. I wonder if the current chef is running this new venue?

[Wave]

The Murdoch Family, owner of the property at Coltart & Forbes in Oakland announced more details about their office/retail project at that location. Will be Eight Stories with retail and office and it seems to be mostly leased out already, which is probably why they announced construction (Pitt w/ four floors and CVS on the ground floor)

https://www.bizjournals.com/pittsbur...449&j=79639801

What I found interesting is that they are moving the CVS from their other property a block away, which means that the low rise building where CVS is now and the adjacent parking lot will likely be developed soon (as rumored) considering the extremely tight Oakland office market.

That stretch of Forbes in Oakland will have been virtually completely transformed by the time all of the projects are completed. Between the massive Skyvue project, The recently completed Marriott, The large Student Housing Apartments project U/C, the renovation of the Coronado Apartments, the renovation of the smaller office building on Halket and Forbes, the new Coltart project, the UJF building project (next to the Hilton Garden Inn) and the future CVS bldg project and I may be missing some. This does not include any of the Fifth projects and other projects further north and west in Oakland.

I also think that the Eureka Bank location is ripe for development, and needless to say the large-ish parcel Marathon gas station at McKee and Forbes. Eventually UPMC-Magee will develop their parking garage fronting that large stretch of Forbes above ground.

[WillyC]

Originally Posted by Bricktrimble

Alright, maybe I was a little harsh by calling a glass box soulless, but in many cases a building like that doesn't relate to the surrounding buildings. It could be placed in any city, anywhere. Some of the more successful glass architecture comes from buildings like PPG Place. The building is all glass, but its design evokes a gothic cathedral drawing in elements from local churches and the old courthouse. There is a balance somewhere between having beautiful views and making the building seem like its meant to be here.

I get where you are coming from. When I say I love glass, I only love it when it is done right. I am not a fan of PNC Three, but I am a fan of their new tower. Glass for glass sake never works out. Having lived abroad for significant periods of time, I can tell you all about the soullessness of asian cities that are full of mostly bland generic glass buildings. I want Pittsburgh to be a city that builds all sort of buildings. I want them to continue to add to the character the city already has.

My reasoning for wanting additional glass buildings is because I can see how people still look at Pittsburgh and even now think old and burnt out. Still have that shitty Wyndham Hotel as the welcome to the city. When people are accustomed to seeing glass as modern and new, the lack of it can say something to them about a city, its development, and where its going. I'm not advocating Pittsburgh needs to be all glass. Hell no, I love all types of buildings. I'm just saying for the sake of cementing the narrative of a phoenix rising from the ashes, the city could use one or two more well done glass towers poking up significantly into the skyline.

[highlander206]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Well, the 2/8 ZBA hearing has landed, although the 2/15 one is still MIA. These are all small projects, but it's good to see something moving in the slow season.

1. An old storefront on S Lang in Point Breeze is being converted back into an apartment unit. I never even knew it was back there - I guess it was an extension of the tiny business district that includes Frick Park Market.

2. Rehab of one of the few remaining rowhouses in California-Kirkbride, along with its conversion into a two-unit.

3. The proposed conversion of an old church in South Side into a six-unit condo building.

4. Two new infill rowhouses in Upper Lawrenceville (on Keystone Street)

5. The addition of two apartment units to the upper story of this historic building on Penn Avenue in the Strip District.

6. A new restaurant in Homewood (here).

I go by Keystone Street often and can report that they tore down the house that used to occupy that spot back in the fall. It looks like it could have been an ok option to rehab, but looks like we're getting two houses instead of one that used to be there, so at least there will be an increase in density in the neighborhood.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/54...!4d-79.9496049

[wpipkins2]

Originally Posted by WillyC

I get where you are coming from. When I say I love glass, I only love it when it is done right. I am not a fan of PNC Three, but I am a fan of their new tower. Glass for glass sake never works out. Having lived abroad for significant periods of time, I can tell you all about the soullessness of asian cities that are full of mostly bland generic glass buildings. I want Pittsburgh to be a city that builds all sort of buildings. I want them to continue to add to the character the city already has.

My reasoning for wanting additional glass buildings is because I can see how people still look at Pittsburgh and even now think old and burnt out. Still have that shitty Wyndham Hotel as the welcome to the city. When people are accustomed to seeing glass as modern and new, the lack of it can say something to them about a city, its development, and where its going. I'm not advocating Pittsburgh needs to be all glass. Hell no, I love all types of buildings. I'm just saying for the sake of cementing the narrative of a phoenix rising from the ashes, the city could use one or two more well done glass towers poking up significantly into the skyline.

I am a fan of mid century architecture and design. If you take the time and really look at the former Hilton / Wyndham hotel you can see it's simplistic beauty. I put it in the same category as the former Alcoa headquarters and 4 Gateway center. The entire Gateway Center is a showcase of mid century design. Not to mention the famous architectural design firms that built this modern hood

[AaronPGH]

Originally Posted by Wave

The Murdoch Family, owner of the property at Coltart & Forbes in Oakland announced more details about their office/retail project at that location. Will be Eight Stories with retail and office and it seems to be mostly leased out already, which is probably why they announced construction (Pitt w/ four floors and CVS on the ground floor)

https://www.bizjournals.com/pittsbur...449&j=79639801

What I found interesting is that they are moving the CVS from their other property a block away, which means that the low rise building where CVS is now and the adjacent parking lot will likely be developed soon (as rumored) considering the extremely tight Oakland office market.

That stretch of Forbes in Oakland will have been virtually completely transformed by the time all of the projects are completed. Between the massive Skyvue project, The recently completed Marriott, The large Student Housing Apartments project U/C, the renovation of the Coronado Apartments, the renovation of the smaller office building on Halket and Forbes, the new Coltart project, the UJF building project (next to the Hilton Garden Inn) and the future CVS bldg project and I may be missing some. This does not include any of the Fifth projects and other projects further north and west in Oakland.

I also think that the Eureka Bank location is ripe for development, and needless to say the large-ish parcel Marathon gas station at McKee and Forbes. Eventually UPMC-Magee will develop their parking garage fronting that large stretch of Forbes above ground.

I wish Oakland would go taller. The demand is there. It makes sense.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by pj3000

You ever think of running for public office here, BrianTH?

Not currently, but you never know!

I used to joke I had too many skeletons in my closet, but I gather that really isn't an issue anymore.

[BrianTH]

9 stories for BKSQ 3.0 is a pleasant surprise. Greater East Liberty keeps getting more impressive.

I agree Oakland could go taller, but I'm still pretty pleased with how Forbes is filling out. These are some major "gateway" areas that have really been transformed relatively rapidly.

Edit: This P-G article clarifies the 800-car garage is a separate project, over next to the current garage (which is good):

http://www.post-gazette.com/business...s/201801260036

I wonder if they are still working on adding a Busway stop there, which I think would be a good idea.

[BrianTH]

Pittsburgh's growing brewery scene is getting national attention:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/t...united-states/

Though Pittsburgh’s iconic Iron City Ale is now produced an hour away in Latrobe, the Burgh is home to more than 30 craft breweries. Many of the suds are made and poured in rehabbed historic buildings, such as a decommissioned 1902 Catholic Church (Church Brew Works) and a 19th-century school (11th Hour Brewing Co.). In the pipeline: a 50,000-square-foot brewpub/museum.

This is also a great shot:

[GeneW]

Selfishly, a nine story building will kill all the sunlight coming through my window at work. I'm literally looking up over my monitors right now at the space where the building will go. It's kind of surprising that they say that there's so much demand for space since I can also look out my window and see at least two empty floors in Bakery Square 2.0 and Autodesk recently announced that they're moving out.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Edit: This P-G article clarifies the 800-car garage is a separate project, over next to the current garage (which is good):

http://www.post-gazette.com/business...s/201801260036

I wonder if they are still working on adding a Busway stop there, which I think would be a good idea.

It doesn't seem like there's enough space behind Bakery Square for a second garage at the moment, unless they are under agreement to buy one or both of the two holdout owners on Dahlem Place out.

I've been wondering about the Busway stop as well. My understanding was the funding for the new stop had been allocated. If/when it goes through, I'm guessing Walnut Capital will start buying out buildings around the intersection of Hamilton and Putnam pretty rapidly.

[eschaton]

The first HRC agenda of the year is up. This is a short presentation, and the two biggest items are resubmissions of projects formerly brought before the commission.

1. Renovations to 606 Cedar Avenue - an old walkup apartment building (8 units). This was covered back in December as well, and it seems only modest changes were made to the design.

2. Emergency repairs to Morrow K-8's smokestack.

3. An application for the installation of a green roof on the Paramount Film Exchange in Uptown.

4. Roof deck for a house in the Mexican War Streets.

5. Further modifications to the plan for 929/931 Penn Avenue (Conover Building). They're still only filling in the "missing tooth" with a one-story building with a rooftop deck and a "fake wall" which extends to the second floor. It looks like the main change was to replace a plan for hanging plants at the edge of the deck with a corten guardrail.

6. Demolition of a two historic houses in Manchester.

[Urbana]

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[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Urbana

Speaking of getting more glass into the skyline, here is something I found digging through the DLA+ website - a 900,000 sqft office building at 9th and Penn proposed by Oxford. I don't think I have heard a thing about this and oddly enough, it is smack in the middle of the cultural district site.

This is where the new condo towers are now going. It must have been attached to one of the losing bids to the PPA.

It's amusing as hell they kept the Goodyear Building in the renderings.

[BrianTH]

More big-picture data:

https://buildingpittsburgh.com/2018/01/25/2017-wrap-up/

Single-family housing construction was up compared to 2016 but the gains were in attached products, like townhomes and quads. Permits for attached homes jumped more than 25 percent to 1,035 units. Starts for single-family detached homes actually declined by 6.3 percent, to 1,971 homes under construction. In contrast to the national trend, permits for new apartments also increased last year. New apartment construction activity was expected to slow in 2017 but permits for new units increased by 11 percent, to 2,368 units.

Another trend that continued more strongly in 2017 was the migration to the city. Permits for new construction in Pittsburgh proper reached 1,714, or roughly one-third of the total construction for the entire metropolitan statistical area.

Higher-density forms gaining share, increasing share in the City . . . .

For comparison, as of the 2010 Census, about 14% of housing units in the MSA were in the City. So if about 1/3rd of the new units are in the City (about 32% by my math), that's quite disproportionate.

[BrianTH]

A private investor bought up 18 Hazelwood residential properties at a significant premium:

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/ci...s/201801250199



The article has a lot of speculation about why, including that it might be an Amazon play. Hopefully no matter what, the investor has the means to rehab and flip the properties.

[highlander206]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

More big-picture data:

https://buildingpittsburgh.com/2018/01/25/2017-wrap-up/





Higher-density forms gaining share, increasing share in the City . . . .

For comparison, as of the 2010 Census, about 14% of housing units in the MSA were in the City. So if about 1/3rd of the new units are in the City (about 32% by my math), that's quite disproportionate.

Wow, that's pretty impressive. County wise as well, while not as out of wack as the percentage in the city, 64% of new homes were in Allegheny County despite having only 53% of the six county's population mentioned. This metro really feels like two metros in one, with Allegheny and a few outlying areas just outside of the county having a very different trajectory over those outside of it.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by highlander206

This metro really feels like two metros in one, with Allegheny and a few outlying areas just outside of the county having a very different trajectory over those outside of it.

I think that is exactly right.

By the way, unlike after the last Census, after this Census Allegheny will likely not lose much if anything in the way of state representation:

https://nullspace2.blogspot.com/2018...ing-other.html

The Pennsylvania General Assembly has 203 districts and the state senate is made up of 50 districts. Population change will impact the map of each of those districts just as they impact congressional districts. So what are we looking at with what we see so far?

We only have 2016 estimates at the county level so far, but we can use the trends thus far this decade to come up with a decent guess for what areas within the state will wind up with greater representation, and which one will wind up with less. Here is the summary I am seeing if you just project out population changes April 2010-July 2016 through to April 2020 (the census reference month).



The punchline looks like the changes resulting from the 2020 Census will be nowhere near as dramatic as what happened after the 2010 Census. No one count in the region other than Westmoreland is expected to lose much more than 1/10th of a general assembly district.

For the Pittsburgh region, that is a big difference compared with what happened after the 2010 Census. You can see how big a change there as was locally in some old posts here. Basically Allegheny County saw a big drop in its representation in Harrisburg, losing closer to two whole general assembly districts, with a proportional loss among senate districts.Much different to be looking at losing maybe 1/10th of a district. In a sense the story mostly is a non-story for the county, and much of the region, but that is important unto itself.

Briem goes on to explain how Philly is poised to gain representation:

The bigger punchline I see is that on the other side of the state the trends are leading to Philadelphia (as in Philadelphia proper, the city/county) could gain almost a whole general assembly district after 2020 Redistricting. If that holds up it would be the only gain in Philadelphia's representation in Harrisburg in seven decades. An interesting shift in Pennsylvania population dynamics for sure.

Anyway, point being eventually these patterns of development and population also have political consequences. Which is good because we need governments at all levels to have policies supporting these developments.

[highlander206]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

I think that is exactly right.

By the way, unlike after the last Census, after this Census Allegheny will likely not lose much if anything in the way of state representation:

https://nullspace2.blogspot.com/2018...ing-other.html



Briem goes on to explain how Philly is poised to gain representation:



Anyway, point being eventually these patterns of development and population also have political consequences. Which is good because we need governments at all levels to have policies supporting these developments.

Great read on what the 2020 Census could bring for our county. Though, if something makes it to the ballot and passes, the size of the Legislature could change starting with the 2022 elections.

https://ballotpedia.org/Pennsylvania...mendment_(2018)

Our does seem a little large, but we also are in the 5th most populated state in the country though we'd still have fewer people per representative than New York. I'm not sure if this would be more a a negative or urban or rural areas, or wouldn't really hurt either part of the state.