[Evergrey]

ok... now time for the Port Authority service reduction mega-post!

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07083/772175-147.stm

Phase 1 cuts Port Authority transit 15% in June

Port Authority: 'We've gone as deep as we can go without cutting into the meat and bones of the system'

Saturday, March 24, 2007

By Joe Grata
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Port Authority riders will see a record 15 percent cut in service effective June 17, representing the elimination of 29 weekday bus routes but sparing 95 other routes originally targeted to be abolished.

The latter may soon be gone, too, if the state and Allegheny County fail to solve the agency's funding problems in time for the 2007-08 budget, Chief Executive Officer Steve Bland warned.

"We've gone as deep as we can go without cutting into the meat and bones of the system," he said yesterday while recommending the 15 percent "Phase 1" changes designed to save $35 million.

A potential second phase, involving an additional 10 percent cut in service, would go into effect Sept. 2 if more government money isn't forthcoming. This would cover the remaining $45 million in the agency's projected $80 million deficit.

"If we do not get reliable, dedicated and predictable funding, we will not be able to sustain what you see today," Mr. Bland said of the June 17 and potential Sept. 2 service cuts. "Our problem continues to grow."

The nine-member board of directors is expected to ratify yesterday's staff recommendations at Friday's monthly meeting.

The authority said the original plan was modified to preserve as much service as possible, as long as possible, based largely on input from more than 13,000 people at meetings and through phone, e-mail and written comments.

While fares still are scheduled to increase Jan. 1, the authority is delaying a decision on the type and amount until it studies the impact of the first round of changes.

Nevertheless, the nation's 15th- largest transit system is certain to drop in ranking and the region will feel the blow.

The June 17 changes, eliminating a total of 7,574 trips, will result in an estimated 4 percent loss of ridership, or more than 2.5 million rides annually.

These neighborhoods will lose all public transit service: Cranberry, Wexford, Eastmont in Wilkins, Chestnut Ridge in Oakdale, Robinson-Forest Grove in Robinson, Virginia Manor in Mt. Lebanon and Sharps Hill in Aspinwall.

About 300 authority employees are to be terminated or laid off. They include 150 to 175 operators, 85 maintenance workers and 56 management and nonrepresented personnel.

While all ACCESS paratransit service will be kept, the minimum ADA fare will be increased 21 percent, to $2.25. The "65-Plus" fares will remain unchanged instead of raised.

Weekend cuts, while also less extensive than originally proposed, are still significant. Seventeen Saturday and seven Sunday bus routes will be eliminated.

After repairs that have closed the light-rail bridge crossing Route 51 are finished in September, the number of trips will be reduced on the 47S South Hills Village via Overbrook; the 42M Mt. Lebanon Short route will be eliminated; and two bus routes will be restructured to become "feeder" routes to light-rail stations, where riders can transfer to travel Downtown.

If the Legislature doesn't act and increase transit subsidies, board member Richard Taylor said, the Port Authority could run out of money by June 2008.

"Lots of people don't believe how critical our situation is," he said.

The 15 percent service reduction, albeit less than proposed in January, represents the largest service adjustment in the authority's 43-year history. However, Mr. Bland said that the Port Authority still will be providing 97 percent of the service hours of 10 years ago.

Specific schedule and route information is still being developed, but maps and information about all routes are available on the Web at www.portauthority.org.

In a news statement, Mr. Bland said: "[This] revised plan represents our best effort to manage operating costs over which we have control and to begin to address our financial challenge in a way that affects the fewest customers."

He also said the changes, along with pension and retirement reforms affecting about 300 nonunion and management personnel, address restructuring recommended last year by Gov. Ed Rendell's Transportation Funding and Reform Commission.

County Chief Executive Dan Onorato also has lent his support, citing the need to limit county funding and to "right-size" the agency to bring expenses in line with revenues.

The routes proposed for elimination in January and going into effect June 17 include some of the least-patronized routes in the system, including the 25C Hankey Farms, 30 riders on 15 trips on an average weekday, or two per bus, plus a half-dozen "express" buses serving suburban commuters.

Some low-ridership routes are being retained, including the 60B Jenny Lind in the Mon Valley, 228 riders on 38 trips, or six per bus, although the number of trips will be reduced and times adjusted.

On the other hand, the authority has decided to keep the 28X Airport Flyer, reducing the number of trips but using full-size buses instead of minibuses. Had it been eliminated as first proposed, there would have been no low-cost public transit to and from Pittsburgh International Airport.

The 28X service triggered an overwhelming public response for retention -- 1,240 comments, mostly from people who work at the airport or the Mall at Robinson, an intermediate stop.

Other routes that had been proposed for elimination but will be saved, at least through summer, are the 46B Baldwin Manor, 1F Millvale, 46D Curry (1,120 daily riders) and ML Millvale-Lawrence Flyer.

Mr. Bland said a "service scorecard" developed last year -- a methodology to rate service -- played a helpful role in determining which routes to cut. He also said the changes reflect suggestions from Local 85, Amalgamated Transit Union, representing 2,600 bus-trolley operators, mechanics and other rank-and-file workers.

"What we heard loud and clear is the need to preserve the core system and not to isolate neighborhoods," he said. Other considerations included combining routes to gain efficiency and experimenting with more "truck and feeder" service, including interfacing buses with T service.

Mr. Bland said he will make a recommendation about whether to implement Phase 2 cuts in June, not only because the 2007-08 fiscal year begins July 1 but because of the lead time necessary to prepare for them, by printing schedules and enabling Local 85 workers to pick work assignments.

Earlier this month, he outlined a series of initiatives to reduce internal costs, including eliminating 20 management positions, increasing health care contributions, freezing pay for senior managers this year and all non-represented employees next year and tightening up pension rules about "buy backs" of past service and early retirements.

Board committees approved those recommendations yesterday and are poised to finalize them on Friday as well.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Joe Grata can be reached at jgrata@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1985. )




.........



nice to see that some of our own local legislators don't give a shit

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07083/772177-147.stm

Officials fear more cuts could be on the way
Saturday, March 24, 2007

By Ann Belser, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



Public officials who were briefed yesterday on looming cuts in public transit said they were pleased that the reductions weren't as deep as originally proposed, but they warned that more cuts could be on the way.

"It seems like they're just buying themselves more time," said County Councilman Michael Finnerty, D-Scott, one of about 25 who attended the briefing. "In September they're just going to make more cuts."

State Sen. Wayne Fontana, D-Brookline, was not optimistic that there will be dedicated funding approved by the state Legislature to be used for transit systems.

"Dedicated funding is for roads and bridges and I think that will be found," he said. As for the Port Authority, "We already give 63 percent," a reference to the fact that the state provides the authority with 63 percent of its government subsidies.

"It's going to be difficult to find dedicated funds just for transit," he said. "There are 50 senators and 203 House members and not everybody's from Allegheny County."

County Council President Rich Fitzgerald, D-Squirrel Hill, agreed.

"I don't think we can ask them for much more than the state is already giving," he said.

State Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Squirrel Hill, was not convinced that dedicated funding was a nonstarter. He said it was clear that the authority management "worked hard to mitigate the cuts and be responsive to what the public input was."

He also said that management and the union workers need to develop ways to save more money. But after that, it's up to the Legislature. He said the dedicated funding that could be passed for roads and bridges has to have a piece for mass transit.

"The needs are clamoring for a solution and we can't ignore them" he said.

County Councilman John P. DeFazio, D-Shaler, said it was important to find more money for the transit system and supported Gov. Ed Rendell's proposal to tax petroleum companies. He said the state came up with a way to fund the construction of the stadiums, so it needs to put the same sort of attention into saving mass transit.

Some officials said they were pleased that the service cuts were not as draconian as originally proposed.

County Councilwoman Brenda Frazier, D-Stanton Heights, said she was glad that some neighborhoods slated to be completely cut off retained their bus routes.

"I'm very pleased to see, in my district, that the service was restored to Troy Hill. That would have been one of the communities that was very isolated," she said.

Members of the city planning department who attended the meeting said the key to evaluating the restored routes is how often those buses will run.

In a prepared statement after the meeting, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, who did not attend, said he was glad the authority changed its planned cuts so that service will continue for city neighborhoods that had initially faced a future with no buses.

"Pittsburghers who rely on transit have to be able to get to work, to school and the places where they need to do business. We will work with the Port Authority to help minimize negative impacts on our residents and economic development while we continue to evaluate the service changes," he said.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Ann Belser can be reached at abelser@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1699. )



......




oh gee... neighboring Westmoreland Co. Transit is facing a fiscal crisis of their own... due to "stagnant levels of state funding"...

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_499366.html

Westmoreland Co. transit fare hikes, service cuts loom

By Rich Cholodofsky
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, March 24, 2007


The Westmoreland County Transit Authority could face fare hikes and service cuts later this year to avert an approaching fiscal crisis, officials said Friday.
It would be the first increase in fares since 1992.

Executive Director Larry Morris said stagnant levels of state funding and an increased demand for service have left the transit agency on the verge of emptying its reserve accounts. A deficit is projected for late 2008.

"We're heading in the same direction as our neighbors at some point in the future. We can't continue to spend more than we're getting," Morris said.





On Friday, the Port Authority of Allegheny County announced a series of service cuts and fare hikes to keep the financially struggling transit agency afloat.

Westmoreland County's transit agency is not yet in such dire straits. But, Morris said, without additional revenue sources a crisis similar to what Allegheny County is facing could hit the Westmoreland authority.

At issue is state funding, which has not increased in the past 10 years. And Westmoreland isn't expected to receive an increase to its transit funding for the 2007-08 fiscal year under a proposal presented this month by Gov. Ed Rendell.

The authority receives $1.4 million a year in state grants, or about 39 percent of its $3.6 million annual operating budget.

Authority officials are expected to approve a new budget this summer for the 2007-08 fiscal year. At that time, fare hikes will be considered as a source of additional revenue, Morris said.

The system's base fare is $1.20, with a maximum $4 fare for a one-way ride to Pittsburgh, the most popular service offered by the Westmoreland authority.

Service cuts also will be considered, but officials seem more interested in expanding service to support its growing base of riders.

The authority is operating at near-capacity on most of its money-making commuter routes into Pittsburgh. Ridership on those routes continues to increase each month.

"At some point it is going to level off because we don't have any more seats," Morris said.

Expansion comes with a price, though.

Morris said plans are in the works for the authority to buy two additional commuter buses, a purchase that could occur later this year.

The authority is in the midst of building a maintenance center in Salem Township for its bus fleet. And it is working on a feasibility study to operate commuter rail services to Pittsburgh, one route from New Kensington, the other from Greensburg.

"If we're going to grow, we're going to need additional resources," Morris said.

There won't be any immediate service additions into Allegheny County to pick up the slack for the cuts planned by Port Authority.

"We're not in a position financially to do any expansion at this time. We have all we can handle right here," Morris said.



Rich Cholodofsky can be reached at rcholodofsky@tribweb.com or 724-837-0240.

[mercurypa]

Why not raise fares a little bit now to offset cuts in September. I don't think that going to 2.00 would affect many. I see a lot of people on the bus paying 2.00 without getting any change back anyhow. Where does that extra money go? I think they really just need to make the system more efficient. Only run on major north-south-east-west streets. People can walk a few blocks to the bus stop.

[hyperion1110]

:previous: I agree with the fair increase to two dollars. However, the main street bus service (north-south and east-west) thing won't work in a lot of parts of the city. For example, without bus service going to Spring Garden, most people would have to either climb some of the steepest hills in the city to get the Troy Hill or Spring Hill buses, or they could walk upwards of 2 miles to catch the bus along East Ohio St. Sadly, PAT has decided to cancel service to this neighborhood completely on Saturday and Sunday.

It's just not feasible in a lot of cases given Pgh's topography.

[mercurypa]

Agreed with the topography, but there are a few routes that could be streamlined. For example in my are of Highland Park there are a couple of routes that make a residential loop of only two blocks that do not contain super steep hills. I know it is minute, but it could save a bit of time and labor to just drop people off along the wider street of Highland.

[hyperion1110]

That seems like a reasonable solution to me...I wonder why the powers that be haven't figured it out.

[BMikeSci]

Why can't the routes be changed so that outlying areas are grouped in a way that passengers are collected then put on a bus heading inward. The main problem I see is that passengers only get one transfer. Hub and spoke systems are the most efficient. They are used elsewhere. Why not here?

[cdc]

I disagree... I think Peduto would indeed attempt to take these long-overdue necessary actions. He's progressive... but he's also a fiscal realist.... which is why he has NO SUPPORT from the local Democratic machine, labor interests, police, fire, etc. The arbitration process for police and fire is eating this city alive.... but there's no political will for change because firefighters are seen as "heroes" and deserve $100,000 a year.

Good point. I wasn't really considering Peduto as a possible mayor
because of the types of reasons you cite. He can't make the attempt
unless he is elected, and it is hard to get elected unless you
compromise your principles and cut some sort of deal with the local
political machine.

At least we have the ICA and Act47 oversight boards to push the city
government around a bit. The boards aren't great, but they are better
than nothing.

Also, the Governmental Accounting Standards Board ( http://www.gasb.org/ )
has been changing the accounting rules that governments have to use to
report their pension/benefits obligations. Rather than just using a
year-by-year "pay as you go" approach, governments will have to
compute the long term actuarial value of the benefits they've offered
and how well that is funded (or under-funded --- the more likely
case). There was a really good NYT article on this a while back and
it will be interesting to see where Pittsburgh stands once the rule is
fully in effect.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/11/business/yourmoney/11retire.html
(requires free registration to read)

[cdc]

What do you mean? Isn't it obvious? The officer roughed up the president of the city council. Don't you think he needed to be protected? Don't you think that if Ravenstahl wanted to be a dick he would have crushed the cop? Had the story gotten out, don't you think the cop would have been fired? What do you think Ravenstahl took a swing at the cop? Have you ever told a cop he was overstepping his authority? They tend not to take that too well. If any cop didn't recognize Ravenstahl, my guess is any cop would have tried to put him in his place.

Rank and file police officers belong to the police union. If
Ravenstahl went after the officer in question, he would find himself
in a fight with the union and its members. That is not a good fight
for a mayor to pick. This is especially true if you believe the media
reports that claim that Ravenstahl initiated the altercation with the
officer.

At any rate, the story did get out, the cop was not fired, and the
mayor's reputation got (more) soiled. What kind of fool elected
official picks a fight with the police at a football game? Maybe he
was drunk or something (not that that is any excuse).

[BMikeSci]

Friday, March 23, 2007

By Rich Lord, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


A bitter multiyear fight over 12 acres of prime city land ended yesterday with a compromise among the University of Pittsburgh, Hill District residents and Mayor Luke Ravenstahl.

The deal paves the way for the $90 million development of 450 new homes in the Oak Hill community atop the Hill, and a major expansion of the university's athletic fields on some of the land residents had coveted.

It was pounded out in an hours-long meeting in the mayor's office Wednesday and phone conversations that went on until midnight, a happy ending to five years of accusations, protests and lawsuits over the land.

It also relieves anxiety among many of the 639 families of Oak Hill, who had lived in the dilapidated Allequippa Terrace public housing project that previously occupied the site. They had feared their new community would fall into similar isolation and disrepair.

"We compromised, so that in the end, we got what was promised us, and the university will get what they need," said Eloise McDonald, president of the Oak Hill Resident Council, breaking down in tears while addressing the Pittsburgh Housing Authority board.

Boston-based developer Beacon/Corcoran Jennison, or BCJ, which had sued Pitt and lost, and was headed for a legal battle with the authority, will remain in charge of building and managing Oak Hill. Construction could start in the summer of 2008.

The housing will sit on a site stretching from Oak Hill toward the Hill District's Reed and Kirkpatrick streets and Centre Avenue. It will include 195 rentals, 205 for-sale homes and 50 units the nature of which will be decided later. The development will feature a town square, small park and community center.

Because many homes will be market rate, Oak Hill will be transformed from a low-income community to a neighborhood in which most residents are middle-income or above, said Marty Jones, president of the development company.

"A low-income community is like a public housing site," said Ms. McDonald. "We don't want to live like that."

Besides adding amenities for students and taxable homes to the city, the deal provides an opportunity to connect Oak Hill with other parts of the Hill District that are being rebuilt, said Councilwoman Tonya Payne, who represents the Hill District.

Under terms of the deal, Pitt will pay $4 million for the 12-acre Robinson Court site. It will become the site of one soccer field and one baseball field, both built to NCAA regulations, and possibly a softball field.

"Our baseball team has been playing on a completely nonregulation field," said Paul Supowitz, Pitt's vice chancellor for governmental relations. The existing field, east of Robinson Court, may become a running track.

In addition to the $4 million sale price, which will help fund the housing, Pitt is committing $1 million to programs for Oak Hill residents, and around $2 million in lease payments for 20,000 square feet in commercial buildings in the new development. Pitt will use most of the commercial space for unspecified purposes and 3,000 square feet will be set aside for community use.

The total university contribution -- $7 million -- is double what Pitt had offered for the land since 2005, when it matched a $3.5 million bid several developers made in 2002.

In addition to Pitt's payments, the housing authority will invest $9 million that had long been committed to Oak Hill. The city will pay $1 million toward the homes and join with the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority to build $12 million in roads and sewers.

The rest of the $90 million package consists of state tax credits, money from the developer and the sale of homes.

The trade-off has Oak Hill residents receiving that rarest of commodities -- vacant land near Oakland -- and Pitt kicking in money that neither the city nor the developer could raise.

"Everybody -- BCJ, the residents of Oak Hill, Pitt, myself -- came to the realization that without a significant contribution from each, this project could not have moved forward," said Mr. Ravenstahl.

Ms. Payne credited the mayor with ending a contentious process that had residents "hitting brick walls after brick walls."

The Oak Hill Residents Council approved the arrangement Wednesday night, and the housing authority board approved it yesterday.

In 1996, the residents and authority chose Beacon/Corcoran Jennison to tear down the 1,749-unit Allequippa Terrace and build a new, mixed-income community.

Relations worsened, though, when the authority accused the developer of cost overruns, and then launched a series of efforts to sell off pieces of land that had been slated for more homes. The elected resident council first supported Pitt's position, but then swung to the developer after new members were elected.

The developer sued Pitt for allegedly interfering with its plans to develop Robinson Court, but saw the case dismissed. Last year the authority told the developer that it was terminating any agreement to build more homes and would seek another private partner.

Housing authority Executive Director A. Fulton Meachem Jr. said the deal starts "a healing process, too, between the University of Pittsburgh and the residents and the housing authority."


(Rich Lord can be reached at rlord@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1542. )

[hyperion1110]

This is always a good thing...

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07084/772362-85.stm

Casino, arena and other big projects will strain labor pool, but that's a good thing

Sunday, March 25, 2007
By Bill Toland, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A multiyear building boom, the likes of which hasn't been seen around here since the two North Shore stadiums and the David. L. Lawrence Convention Center were under construction, is on the horizon for Pittsburgh's contractors and architects.

By the end of this year, it's probable that a new Penguins arena will be under construction, as will a shiny new casino along the Ohio River. The Children's Hospital project will still be consuming workers, along with a new Westinghouse campus in Cranberry, the Allegheny River tunnel project, new skyscrapers and Downtown condos, and smaller projects, like outfitting power plants with air scrubbers.

The simultaneous projects mean the supply of local workers may at times struggle to keep up with demand. But that's a good problem to have, trade groups agree, and it shouldn't greatly affect construction schedules.

"It's going to put a strain on it. It's going to stay like this for four or five years," hopes Richard Stanizzo, business manager of the Pittsburgh Building and Construction Trades Council. The council is the umbrella organization representing about 20,000 tradesmen and women in the seven-county Pittsburgh region.

Mr. Stanizzo said the trades council will have to add to its ranks just to keep up with the local demand for iron workers, carpenters, electricians, steam fitters, boilermakers and the rest. That means reaching into high schools and vocational-technical schools, and it also means advertising on billboards and print publications. And it may also mean reaching into neighboring markets, shifting union workers from Erie or Altoona, if need be.

Already, said Jason Fincke, executive director of the Builders Guild of Western Pennsylvania, carpenters and iron workers are at full employment throughout the region. The Western Pennsylvania region includes about 40,000 men and women, pretty much all of the tradesmen west of Harrisburg, and Mr. Fincke expects that his umbrella guild might also reach full employment over the next year, as projects move off of the drawing board.

He, like Mr. Stanizzo, is convinced the workers will be available as needed, but there won't be much flexibility when it comes to scheduling, Mr. Fincke said. Workers can't afford to sit idle for days at a time at one construction site when another site is in need. And in order to meet the various construction deadlines, laborers shouldn't expect an abundance of vacation days, either. "It's going to be a real juggling act," Mr. Fincke concluded.

Plan B bubble bigger

This particular juggling act arises as Pittsburgh encounters a construction bubble, its biggest since the late 1990s and early 2000s. PNC Park and Heinz Field were under construction, the convention center was expanding -- collectively, the work was spurred by Plan B, the public funding mechanism that allowed the threesome to be built. At the same time, Pitt's Petersen Events Center was being built, as were PNC's new riverside office building, a Mellon Bank operations center, the Waterfront shops, SouthSide Works, a Station Square expansion and the Summerset at Frick Park homes.

It was the biggest boom in decades, more fruitful than the late 1980s and early '90s, when the Pittsburgh International Airport terminal was being assembled.

"People said it couldn't be done," recalled Mr. Fincke.

But it was.

And it was busier then than it will be in the years to come.

When skilled craftsmen are in demand, that also typically translates into a higher demand for laborers -- the guys who clean up at the site, or build the scaffolding, or operate forklifts. Paul Quarantillo, president of the Laborers District Council of Western Pennsylvania, said his 6,500 workers are employed at 75 percent capacity right now (some are out of work because of the winter lull). He hopes that the jobs on the horizon could push employment toward full capacity.

"We feel confident that we'll be able to man the projects," if not within Allegheny County, then within the seven-county region.

Still: "The biggest challenge is to have the people who are trained and productive," he said.

Labor is the main concern, but secondary to that is equipment and materials. And if a few projects -- say, the Majestic Star casino and the new arena -- are taking up most of the available drilling equipment, there isn't much equipment for the rest of the jobs.

On the design side, architects and engineers are also gearing up for the busy stretch.

"There's a lot of work on the board right now," said John Schrott, president of IKM Inc., a Downtown architectural firm.

Especially in boom times, architects must prepare for any price or scheduling adjustments that would be necessitated by temporary labor shortages or unexpected surges in subcontracting and materials costs.

Like his labor-side counterparts, Mr. Schrott shares the opinion that Pittsburgh's regional stable of architects will be able to meet the challenge.

And today's burden is further eased by the reality that two landmark projects -- PNC tower and Majestic Star -- have hired architects from out of town.

"We are very capable of producing the amount of work that is needed," he said.

[BMikeSci]

For retirees, Pittsburgh is home sweet home

Saturday, February 24, 2007

By Patricia Sabatini, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


Pittsburghers craving a more stimulating way to spend their retirement years than fishing, playing shuffleboard or lying around in the sun may have found the perfect haven -- where they live now.

Fiscally fit
Pittsburgh is the second-best spot for retirees seeking big-city life on a shoestring, according to a ranking by author and professor Warren Bland.
CITY

COST-OF-LIVING INDEX*

1. San Antonio 92
2. Pittsburgh 95
3. Austin, Texas 98
4. Atlanta 98
5. Tucson 99
6. Denver 102
7. Tampa-St. Petersburg 103
8. Las Vegas 109
9. Chicago 112
10. Portland, Oregon 120
* Index provided by the American Chamber of Commerce Researchers Association, third quarter of 2006. An index of 100 is average.
The region offers retirees the active lifestyle of a major city at a relatively low cost, earning it the No. 2 spot on a list of the top 10 "values" for big-city retirement, compiled by Warren Bland, author of "Retire in Style: 60 Outstanding Places across the USA and Canada."

Pittsburgh and the nine other cities on the list give retirees the opportunity to lower their cost of living while enjoying the amenities and excitement of big-city life, according to Dr. Bland, a geography professor at California State University Northridge.

The rankings were based on cost of living. To make the cut, each region needed a population exceeding 1 million and had to have scored high overall on 12 retirement-friendly criteria used in Dr. Bland's "Retire in Style" book, published in 2005.

The No. 1 value was San Antonio, with a cost-of-living index of 92 vs. 95 for Pittsburgh. Another Texas town, Austin, ranked third with a score of 98. Only one Florida locale made the list -- Tampa-St. Petersburg, which placed seventh.

The top 10 value cities are offered as alternatives to pricier big cities such as New York, Boston, Los Angeles and San Francisco, Dr. Bland said.

Low cost of housing was the biggest factor helping Pittsburgh to shine, he said. The region also had lower-than-average costs for groceries, transportation, health care and miscellaneous goods and services. Only utility costs were higher than average.

In Dr. Bland's book, Pittsburgh landed in a four-way tie for seventh place among the best U.S. cities for retirees. The region scored high overall despite receiving low marks for dreary weather.

Some of the area's biggest pluses were health care, cultural and recreational activities, community services and landscape.

"I think Pittsburgh is a wonderful place to retire," Dr. Bland said at the time. "It's a lively place. I don't know whether people in Pittsburgh appreciate it."

(Patricia Sabatini can be reached at psabatini@post-gazette.com or 412-263-3066. )

[PittPenn 03]

http://www.postgazette.com/pg/07085/772682-100.stm


Downtown condo developer to convert 2nd building
Monday, March 26, 2007

By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The developer turning the old Union National Bank building at Fourth Avenue and Wood Street, Downtown, into the Carlyle, a 60-unit condominium project, is so pleased with the early response that it is planning a second phase.

The E.V. Bishoff Co. intends to convert the company-owned Commonwealth Building on Fourth next to the Carlyle into residential housing as well, President David Bishoff said this morning.

Mr. Bishoff said the firm decided to move on to a second phase because of the success of the Carlyle, where 20 of the 60 units have been sold so far.

"Any time you can sell a third of the units before you come out of the ground or start demolition, that, to me, is an indication on the part of the community as a whole that you are developing something that they place value on," he said.

The developer is anticipating 50 to 60 units in the Commonwealth Building. It is unsure at this point whether they will be condos or apartments. The price range would be about $235,000 to $450,000, about the same as the Carlyle. Mr. Bishoff said the developer plans to get started with the Commonwealth conversion once 75 percent of the units in the Carlyle have been sold.

There's also a chance E.V. Bishoff may develop a parking lot it owns on Fourth into housing as well at some point.

Mr. Bishoff announced his intentions during a ribbon cutting this morning to commemorate the start of demolition inside the Carlyle. The first units should be ready for occupancy in 14 months.

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said the Carlyle project is part of the "continued transformation of the Downtown corridor." He used the occasion to pitch his proposed 10-year tax abatement program for residential housing, which he hopes will spur even more investment Downtown.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

[Evergrey]

great news...
the Commonwealth Building is in the middle in this photo... the under-conversion Union Bank is on the right...

also... great to hear they are considering developing that lot on 4th
http://www.pbase.com/deadwing/image/54261621.jpg

[Evergrey]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07086/772790-53.stm

More Downtown housing is under way

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



David W. Bishoff is so pleased with condominium sales at the Carlyle, the soon-to-be-converted Union National Bank building at Fourth Avenue and Wood Street, Downtown, that he's ready to try it again -- right next door.

Even as the ribbon was being cut yesterday to celebrate the start of construction at the Carlyle, Mr. Bishoff said he had a "second phase" of housing planned at its 20-story sister, the Commonwealth Building, next door on Fourth.

Mr. Bishoff, president of E.V. Bishoff Co. of Columbus, Ohio, said that conversion project moved from thought into planning because of the early success of the 21-story Carlyle, where 20 of 60 luxury units ranging in price from $190,000 to $1.2 million have been sold.

"Any time you can sell a third of the units before you come out of the ground or start demolition, that, to me, is an indication on the part of the community as a whole that you are developing something that they place value on," he said.

The Bishoff Co. owns the Union National Bank and Commonwealth buildings, both of which were built in 1906.

Mr. Bishoff said there could be 50 to 60 units in the Commonwealth Building, although he is unsure whether they would be condos or apartments. Prices would range from $235,000 to $450,000. He said the firm planned to start the second conversion once 75 percent of the units in the Carlyle had been sold.

The company eventually may develop housing on a parking lot it owns on Fourth as well, he said.

The Commonwealth Building conversion would add to the burgeoning residential market Downtown.

In addition to the 60 units at the Carlyle, another 65 condos are planned at Piatt Place, the former Lazarus-Macy's building at Fifth Avenue and Wood, and 42 apartments are in the works at the old G.C. Murphy store on Fifth.

Another 28 luxury condos are part of the 23-story Three PNC Plaza skyscraper being built on Fifth across from Murphy's. Millcraft Industries, the developer converting the former Lazarus and Murphy's stores, also has plans for as many as 250 condos and apartments in a new 18-story high-rise on Forbes Avenue.

On First Avenue, 151 First Side, an 80-unit condominium high-rise, is being readied for its first move-ins this summer. More than half of those units have been sold.

Add to all those some 700 housing units planned over the next decade between Seventh and Ninth streets, adjacent to the Cultural District, and some smaller projects completed or under development Downtown.

While it might seem like too much to some, Mr. Bishoff has no doubt the market can support it. He said Columbus, a city smaller than Pittsburgh, has sold a couple thousand downtown housing units in recent years with the help of a 10-year tax abatement program.

"The question isn't whether this city can absorb 200 or 400 or 600 or even a thousand. This Downtown should easily absorb and keep filled several thousand units," he said.

Like the other developers doing housing Downtown, Mr. Bishoff is gambling that a lot of people will trade in suburban homes, yard work and frustrating commutes for Downtown living and a walk to work.

He said Pittsburgh has many of the amenities in place -- jogging and biking trails, parks and green space, boating, and sporting and cultural venues -- to support a robust residential market.

"If you think about it, there is no great city in the world that is without a downtown residential component. When you think about the number of people and the amount of business that's done in Pittsburgh, I can't think of any compelling reason why the people of Pittsburgh will do anything but embrace Downtown housing," he said.

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said the Carlyle is part of the "continued transformation of the Downtown corridor."

He used the ribbon cutting to pitch his proposed tax abatement program for residential housing that is now before City Council. It would waive, for 10 years, the first $2,700 in city property taxes on new housing units built Downtown and in 21 other neighborhoods.

"It will help expedite people moving Downtown. It will stir interest and allow people to move Downtown, walk to work, and be more efficient," he said.

One Carlyle buyer, Brian Ritz, is trading in his Friendship home for a two-bedroom, two-bath unit on the 15th floor. He likened his investment to "owning a piece of the Golden Triangle."

He also was attracted by the emerging Downtown residential market.

"I like the energy and the potential. The idea of having a neighborhood Downtown that I'm going to be part of is very exciting," he said.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Mark Belko can be reached at mbelko@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1262. )

[Evergrey]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07086/772843-53.stm

Traffic headaches likely in Oakland

Next week's boulevard, bridge projects to make it tough to get there

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

By Joe Grata, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



People who live, work or drive in Oakland should keep a bottle of aspirin handy. When the road work starts next week, they'll come to understand the meaning of traffic headache.

Starting Monday, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will begin the two-year, $29 million reconstruction of the Boulevard of the Allies "gateway" that includes eliminating the awkward traffic patterns to and from Forbes and Fifth avenues in South Oakland.

Also on Monday, PennDOT will begin a $3 million rehabilitation of the nearby Birmingham Bridge, shifting traffic to the southbound side and closing the off-ramp to Forbes Avenue until mid-July.

The two projects come at a time when 4.4 miles of the Parkway East are being rehabilitated during off-peak hours and weekends between the Oakland and Edgewood-Swissvale interchanges. The work will totally close the Parkway East over some weekends this summer and route traffic through Oakland as part of the detour.

The Parkway East/I-376 project started last weekend in the outbound direction. It brought Saturday traffic to a crawl reminiscent of weekday afternoon rush hours.

PennDOT and the contractor will hold an informational meeting at 11 a.m. Thursday, at a site to be announced, to explain the Boulevard of the Allies work for this and next year's construction seasons.

The first stage is to focus on building a direct ramp from Fifth Avenue to the boulevard to eliminate unusual zig-zag movement. When completed, drivers will no longer have to turn left onto Craft Avenue and then right onto a contra-flow lane on Forbes.

PennDOT purposely set up this year's work program to minimize traffic problems resulting from the Parkway East project.

"We've tried to coordinate all three [projects]," PennDOT District 11 head construction engineer Jim Foringer said. "There are going to be impacts, and they will be major at times, but we're doing our best to mitigate them."

PennDOT pointed out that the Parkway East work around Oakland will be finished next year when its contractor closes the Boulevard of the Allies to replace an 80-year-old bridge over Forbes that's so badly deteriorated it carries a 9-ton weight limit.

Although so much highway and bridge work is taking place in the same vicinity, "we're going to be delivering some very nice projects to the public," Mr. Foringer said.

The Birmingham Bridge project falls under a special preservation program designed to address problems early rather than waiting until they become severe and significantly more costly to correct.

During the first phase, one lane of traffic will be maintained in each direction on the southbound side. While the Forbes Avenue off-ramp is closed, motorists will be detoured on a loop involving left turns onto Fifth, Moultrie and Forbes.

PennDOT has been experiencing trouble for some time with an expansion dam on the six-lane bridge over the Monongahela River that connects the South Side and South Oakland. That expansion dam will be replaced.

Other work will include deck and steel repairs and spot painting of rust. The project is to be completed in November.

For the second straight week, Parkway East work is to take place in the outbound direction, restricting traffic from 8 p.m. Friday through 6 a.m. Monday -- at the latest -- from the Bates Street/Oakland interchange toward the Squirrel Hill Tunnel. Last weekend, the contractor finished early and reopened all lanes Sunday afternoon.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Joe Grata can be reached at jgrata@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1985. )

http://www.post-gazette.com/images4/20070327blvd_allies.gif

[Evergrey]

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_499702.html

[B]Carlyle condos under way Downtown[/B

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/photos/2007-03-26/0327bcarlyle-a.jpg
David Bishoff (center) announces the start of construction of 61 condominium units planned at the Carlyle, the former Bank Building, at the corner of Wood Street and Fourth Avenue, Downtown, Monday. Mayor Luke Ravenstahl (right) and Bill Dietrich, of Coldwell Banker, joined in the announcement.
Keith Hodan/Tribune-Review

By Sam Spatter
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, March 27, 2007


The developer of the $20 million Carlyle condominium project, Downtown, believes the Golden Triangle can absorb 2,000 new housing units without a problem.
At an event Monday marking the start of construction of units within the 21-story former Union National Bank building at Fourth Avenue and Wood Street, developer David Bishoff, president of the E.V. Bishoff Co., Columbus, said the city has the amenities to attract buyers Downtown.

"Cities such as Columbus, Philadelphia and Cincinnati, to mention a few, all have large Downtown residential populations, and Pittsburgh's downtown can offer more amenities than those cities," Bishoff said.

They include ice skating rink in the winter, parks and green areas, jogging trails, and boating and bicycling trails, as well as shows and sports events, he said.

Bishoff said he was pleased that 20 of the 60 units in the Carlyle have been sold, even though construction started only 10 days ago. Prices of the units range from $234,000 to a penthouse priced just below $1.9 million, with the average price about $290,000, he said.

The prices have been adjusted upward four times since the project was conceived, and the first move-in is about 14 months away, he said.

Other Downtown condo projects, such as 151 Firstside, has 53 units sold, and Piatt Place with 65 units, have 18 sold. Developer Ralph A Falbo Inc. and partners are building 151 Firstside and Piatt Place. The former Lazarus-Macy's department store building is being developed by Millcraft Industries Inc., of Washington County.

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said a proposed 10-year tax-abatement program being considered by City Council will help encourage more buyers to move Downtown. Under that plan, 100 percent of property taxes would be forgiven, and each new residential unit Downtown and in 22 other city neighborhoods would receive up to $2,700 in tax relief per year.

As previously reported, once 75 percent of the units at the Carlyle have been sold, Bishoff plans to begin Phase II, converting the adjacent Commonwealth Building on Fourth Avenue into about 20 condominium units.

Bishoff said about 30 percent of Carlyle buyers are out-of-towners who transferred to Pittsburgh. The remainder are primarily suburban residents.

One is Brian Ritz, an attorney with the Downtown firm of Pietragallo Bostick & Gordon who said, "I now own a little piece of the Golden Triangle."

A resident of the city's Friendship area, Ritz said he decided to locate Downtown to be closer to his job and to eliminate the commuting time. He chose a two-bedroom unit on the 15th floor.

In addition to the Carlyle and Commonwealth buildings, Bishoff owns the Park Building, at the corner of Smithfield Street and Fifth Avenue, the Diamond Building, Frick Building, Investment Building, Pittsburgh Information Technology Center and two vacant buildings at 319 and 317 Third Avenue.

Bishoff believes that once the new condo residents are living Downtown, retailers including specialty-type grocery stores, will follow.



Sam Spatter can be reached at sspatter@tribweb.com or 412-320-7843.



http://www.pbase.com/deadwing/image/66650603.jpg

[Evergrey]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07086/772792-53.stm

Ravenstahl to sue, seize houses that are frequent crime scenes

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

By Rich Lord, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl led a motorcade of police and reporters to a house in Larimer yesterday with a clear-cut plan: to start suing landlords and seizing houses that are frequent crime scenes.

http://www.post-gazette.com/images4/20070327rad_ravenstahllPJ_450.jpg
Bob Donaldson, Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh police stand watch yesterday as Mayor Luke Ravenstahl holds a news conference in front of a house at 6432 Shetland Ave. in Pittsburgh???s Larimer neighborhood to announce the city will file suit against the owner for failing to remedy the property???s long-standing record of criminal activity.


The issue of neighborhood decline turned out to be more complex than imagined, though, as neighbors went to bat for the house, and its owner, Peabody High School Assistant Principal Mary Pat Ware, pleaded poverty and ignorance.

The scene was on Shetland Avenue, a run-down, graffiti-strewn stretch of road a few blocks from a planned revitalization effort on Meadow Street. According to the city, occupants of the house have been shot, implicated in possession of marijuana and 314 stamp bags of heroin and arrested for firearms violations.

The Wares are not the occupants, according to Allegheny County records.

Mr. Ravenstahl said a rarely utilized 1992 state law allows the city to sue the owners of properties that are the frequent scenes of police and ambulance calls, the discharge of firearms, drug seizures, arrests, housing or health code violations, or trash heaps.

A judge can then seize any rent payments, fine the owner $500 to $10,000, allow the city to seal the property at the owner's expense, and order the owner to clean it up or install video cameras for use in law enforcement.

A big fine could lead to placing a lien on the property, which the city could use to take control of the property and sell it.

The law was successfully used in Montgomery County last year, according to newspaper reports.

The lawsuit will be the first in a citywide campaign to "crack down on properties like the one behind us that has a history, a very long history, of drug-related activity," Mr. Ravenstahl said, standing in front of the partly boarded-up house with a sign on a door advertising a barbershop.

"It's a commitment that we've made since the beginning of my administration ... to crack down on nuisance properties and drug-related properties."

If the city can seize the property in court, it may tear it down, he said. If successful in this case, it will do the same to homes on what the city is calling the Top 10 Most Wanted Properties list, and then continue from there.

The city did not release the addresses of other targeted properties.

"I can name 100 [properties] in council District 9 that should be on the most-wanted list and are in areas that are slated for development," said Councilwoman Twanda Carlisle, who represents the neighborhood.

City Council President Doug Shields said he has been pushing for use of the law for a decade, since he was an aide to then-Councilman Bob O'Connor, who died as mayor Sept. 1.

Suing is "something that we felt was appropriate to try to set an example, to show people throughout the city that we mean business," Mr. Ravenstahl said. "We can't redevelop and invest in communities when there are properties like the one behind me that are continual problems."

Ms. Ware, who inherited the house from her parents, said nobody has lived legally in it in a decade, though it has been broken into repeatedly.

"We go, we board it up," she said. "Next thing we know, we hear from someone, we board it up again."

She said she has been getting voice mail messages at her home from the city asking what she's going to do about the Shetland Avenue house and has left "seven to 10 voice mails" in an effort to answer. She has never succeeded in connecting with the city, she said.

The mayor's office said the city sent her several letters, including one by certified mail and another by hand delivery.

Ms. Ware said she has been trying to get the house demolished.

"I don't have $10,000 to give someone to have it torn down," she said.

She is also late in paying her Allegheny County, city and school district taxes on the property. She earns $91,900 a year from the Pittsburgh Public Schools.

Several neighbors had no complaints about the house. They said no one lives there, but someone operates a candy and soda shop inside.

"People, they just be chillin' there," said Omari Thompson, an 18-year-old security guard who lives nearby. "A cop drives by, sees them outside, and then they go inside, and [the police] think something's wrong."

Larimer community activist and council candidate Ora Lee Carroll, though, said there's "more than candy going out of there. ... I view that property as blatantly blighted and it needs to be [demolished]."


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Rich Lord can be reached at rlord@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1542. )

[BMikeSci]

Ravenstahl to sue, seize houses that are frequent crime scenes

Good job Luke. This is just the sort of thing we need.

[themaguffin]

Everyone's favorite calls out the PG for its hit on Peduto. I agree with the PG editorials often, but this one was out of I don't know where... it was awful.

http://creativeclass.typepad.com/thecreativityexchange/2007/03/hitjob_journali.html

[BANKofMANHATTAN]

Traffic Headaches likely in Oakland? It's already a headache.

I really like the fact that they are actually going to do something about updating the traffic situation/roads etc. However, IT IS PENNDOT, so they'll probably be sitting on their asses half the time. The usual scene where there's 12 guys on a job site all day, but there's one guy sweeping or driving around on a steam roller, and the other 11 are sitting around gawking at women or asleep in the truck like bunch of hibernating bears. They seem to like to extend the time period a lotted for what they're working on, that's why there's always so much to fix.

[cdc]

Ravenstahl to sue, seize houses that are frequent crime scenes

Good job Luke. This is just the sort of thing we need.

Sure but it was only one single house. The PG article was pretty much
a PR fluff piece for the mayor. (Though I was amused with Doug
Shields' little quote towards the end where he tries to claim credit
for the idea...).


Of more significance is this:

City agrees to settle with McNeilly

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07086/772794-53.stm

A good move by the mayor for a couple of reasons. First, settling
makes this issue go away (no more negative press headlines for the
mayor or city on it). Second, it means that the city isn't going to
spend more of our money on a lawsuit vs. McNeilly+ACLU that it was
pretty likely to lose. The main downside (for the mayor) is that he
was forced to eat crow and "personally affirm that the First Amendment
applies to city worker" as part of the settlement.



But really, the "sort of thing we need" is a workable long term plan
for the city to overcome its financial crisis and some sort of real
fix to the area's property assessment system. Otherwise we are just
pushing potential development projects out of the area (e.g. to
Cranberry and beyond). You pay a significant painful premium in taxes
to live and work in Pittsburgh. The assessment appeals system
especially penalizes new residents of Allegheny County living in
"good" areas.

[Evergrey]

Traffic Headaches likely in Oakland? It's already a headache.

I really like the fact that they are actually going to do something about updating the traffic situation/roads etc. However, IT IS PENNDOT, so they'll probably be sitting on their asses half the time. The usual scene where there's 12 guys on a job site all day, but there's one guy sweeping or driving around on a steam roller, and the other 11 are sitting around gawking at women or asleep in the truck like bunch of hibernating bears. They seem to like to extend the time period a lotted for what they're working on, that's why there's always so much to fix.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07086/772889-100.stm

Public info session set for Oakland road repairs
Tuesday, March 27, 2007

By Joe Grata, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A public informational meeting about the two-year, $29 million reconstruction of the Boulevard of the Allies at its intersection with Forbes and Fifth avenues, Oakland, will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation also announced the site, which had not yet been determined yesterday, as the University of Pittsburgh's Alumni Hall, 4227 Fifth Ave. The session will be in the Connelly Ballroom on the first floor.

Work on the project will begin Monday, as will repairs to the nearby Birmingham Bridge, at a time when PennDOT is rehabilitating the Parkway East overnight and weekends between Bates Street/Oakland and the Swissvale exit.

[Evergrey]

Sure but it was only one single house. The PG article was pretty much
a PR fluff piece for the mayor. (Though I was amused with Doug
Shields' little quote towards the end where he tries to claim credit
for the idea...).


Of more significance is this:

City agrees to settle with McNeilly

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07086/772794-53.stm

A good move by the mayor for a couple of reasons. First, settling
makes this issue go away (no more negative press headlines for the
mayor or city on it). Second, it means that the city isn't going to
spend more of our money on a lawsuit vs. McNeilly+ACLU that it was
pretty likely to lose. The main downside (for the mayor) is that he
was forced to eat crow and "personally affirm that the First Amendment
applies to city worker" as part of the settlement.



But really, the "sort of thing we need" is a workable long term plan
for the city to overcome its financial crisis and some sort of real
fix to the area's property assessment system. Otherwise we are just
pushing potential development projects out of the area (e.g. to
Cranberry and beyond). You pay a significant painful premium in taxes
to live and work in Pittsburgh. The assessment appeals system
especially penalizes new residents of Allegheny County living in
"good" areas.



I agree with you... but the local governments can only do so much... there needs to be action on the state level to fix Pennsylvania's broken and arcane system of municipal governance... and there should also be a push for regional authoritative bodies and tax base sharing... like what's been implemented in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. Act 47 is a band-aid that doesn't address the root problems for Pennsylvania cities and boroughs... and doesn't even permit them to return to prosperity. The political will for reform is lacking at a state level because a lot of powerful people have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.

[BMikeSci]

Sure but it was only one single house. The PG article was pretty much
a PR fluff piece for the mayor. (Though I was amused with Doug
Shields' little quote towards the end where he tries to claim credit
for the idea...).


Of more significance is this:

City agrees to settle with McNeilly

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07086/772794-53.stm

A good move by the mayor for a couple of reasons. First, settling
makes this issue go away (no more negative press headlines for the
mayor or city on it). Second, it means that the city isn't going to
spend more of our money on a lawsuit vs. McNeilly+ACLU that it was
pretty likely to lose. The main downside (for the mayor) is that he
was forced to eat crow and "personally affirm that the First Amendment
applies to city worker" as part of the settlement.



But really, the "sort of thing we need" is a workable long term plan
for the city to overcome its financial crisis and some sort of real
fix to the area's property assessment system. Otherwise we are just
pushing potential development projects out of the area (e.g. to
Cranberry and beyond). You pay a significant painful premium in taxes
to live and work in Pittsburgh. The assessment appeals system
especially penalizes new residents of Allegheny County living in
"good" areas.

I thought that the new law to give tax relief for ten years for new development or significant renovation would go a long way towards building the tax base. This has several positive effects. First, it stimulates development. Second, it focuses development into areas that should be developed - i.e. what's good for the city. Third, by bringing residents into the downtown, it immediately increases revenue from city income taxes.

I think that Ravenstahl is a lot smarter than you think. He may be young and inexperienced, but that's part of what makes hime move so quickly. Don't be too surprised if he accomplishes much more than you expect.

Use the force Luke!

[Evergrey]

http://www.popcitymedia.com/developmentnews/default.aspx



March 28, 2007

$11M Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative to bring 41 for-sale units to East Liberty

An $11 million, multi-phase housing program called The Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative (NRI) is set to bring forty-one for-sale homes to East Liberty. Developed by East Liberty Development, Inc. (ELDI), the project involves a combination of new construction and property rehabilitations on Mellon St., N. Euclid Ave., Hays St. and N. St. Clair St. The single-family homes will range in size from 1,300 to 2,200 square feet, and will feature two-, three- and four bedrooms and a combination of on- and off-street parking.

Twelve homes were recently completed during the project’s first two phases. Seven of the new units sold for between $170,000 and $275,000, and are now occupied. “We hope to close on the next five units in two months,” says Collette O’Leary, development manager with the URA, who is providing financing and project management assistance. “We’ll do three additional phases over the next two years.”

O’Leary says that some homes will start at $300,000. “We’re bringing in higher income buyers--having a mix of affordable and moderate income households helps stabilize the neighborhood,” says O’Leary. “This neighborhood had seen neglect over the years; future development will take care of the blight. We’ve done quite a few beautiful homes on Mellon.”

Swissvale-based Lami Grubb Architects are designing the homes;
contractors are North Huntingdon-based Repal Construction and S&A Homes out of State College. The project received $1.4 million from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Authority (PHFA). To further support the project, ELDI submitted an application for $600,000 to the PHFA’s new Excellence in Design Initiative; grant decisions will be announced in June.

Writer: Jennifer Baron
Source: Collette O'Leary

Image courtesy of the URA

http://www.popcitymedia.com/galleries/Default/Dev%20News/Issue%2054/URA_300.jpg

[UrbaniDesDev]

Finally bringing the entrance into Oakland into the 20th century, even tho it's the 21st. I wouldnt let PennDOT layout my driveway. With their leanings toward suburban style solutions, Im surprised they didnt slip in 3 miles of meandering on-ramps and off-ramps with a cloverleaf so they could triple the price tag.

[hi123]

How is 3 PNC progressing?

[EventHorizon]

^
here's the latest pic i've seen of the 3 pnc site
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k148/MRM80/Untitled2.jpg

I may as well throw in a pic of the progress at 151 firstside as well
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/147/434619325_24f4c41500_o.jpg


...they appear to be coming along splendidly.

both courtesy of some lovely folks at flickr

[chucka]

A few pictures of the buildings coming down for the new arena.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/160/437503840_3c6b66b24e.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/167/437503812_4dc63c58ff.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/173/437503808_2343e0d698.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/152/437503804_9ab02a1873.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/170/437503174_f0fd666400.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/154/437503170_e7216a6445.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/174/437503168_cbb9df7dff.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/150/437503164_82b9996c9e.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/170/437503160_7450f5572b.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/153/437503156_8fd31ad423.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/170/437500101_8f5b455143.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/174/437500073_f81e704fea.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/152/437500083_9d629d03c6.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/186/437500099_77a24548ea.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/162/437500057_1706cfe783.jpg

[Evergrey]

Fascinating photos, EventHorizon and chucka.

I keep peering into that hole where 3 PNC shall rise whenever I'm downtown... it's also nice to see the exterior cladding work begin on 151 FirstSide... the Cultural District is way ahead... but 151, Piatt Place and the Carlyle should inject nice shot of life into that side of Downtown...

btw EventHorizon... my friend and I took a random drive around McKeesport on Saturday...

as for the buildings being demolished for the arena...... not too much pain for the preservationist in me... pretty unspectacular building stock that's been underperforming for a long time... though I do like the taller "Zsa Zsa has left the" building...

it's a shame about the Epiphany School... that is a gorgeous structure... I wish they could find a way to adapt it into the master plan... at least the adjacent church is being spared

[EventHorizon]

btw EventHorizon... my friend and I took a random drive around McKeesport on Saturday...

I'm glad to see you made it out alive ;) JK ... it's not that bad.
The city is a decent size with many different neighborhoods. I hope you got to see some of the good along with the unfortunate.:)

[samoen313]

I just have to comment that I am enormously impressed with Pittsburgh's various newspapers and their extensive coverage of urban issues in the city and region. It must be nice to be able to follow most of what is going on with (re)development in your city. In St. Louis, all we hear is crime and Cardinals. Baltimore's newspaper reported a development here called Ballpark Village before our dowdy Post-Dispatch did (the company developing is based in Baltimore). Hundreds of historic houses come down every year without acknowledgment from the press and student and faculty alike at my architecture school take the time to write balanced letters-to-the-editor, though they never (ever) get published. Only the occasional rant about eminent domain.

Feel lucky kids, you know what's going on in your city. St. Louis would be a lot better off if its people could read about planning issues and inadequacies in their newspaper every day like Pittsburgh.

[cdc]

Feel lucky kids, you know what's going on in your city. St. Louis would be a lot better off if its people could read about planning issues and inadequacies in their newspaper every day like Pittsburgh.


But Pittsburgh needs more planning and less daily inadequacies! There
was lots of cool stuff happening in STL back in the 90s when I lived
there (growth of the Delmar Loop area, Metrolink rail service between
the airport and downtown, new Kiel Center for the Blues, TWA dome for
the Rams, improvements in Forest Park (e.g. science center expansion),
revival of the central west end, Joe Edwards saving and restoring the
Tivoli Theater, etc.). Pittsburgh is doing or trying to do similar
kinds of things... though St. Louis has a much better transportation
infrastructure than Pittsburgh does.

There is a wealth of STL information over on the Build St. Louis web
site ( http://www.builtstlouis.net/ -- check out the site map at
http://www.builtstlouis.net/sitemap.html ). There are some cool
photos over there. Is there anything like this on the web for
Pittsburgh?

[Evergrey]

There is a wealth of STL information over on the Build St. Louis web
site ( http://www.builtstlouis.net/ -- check out the site map at
http://www.builtstlouis.net/sitemap.html ). There are some cool
photos over there. Is there anything like this on the web for
Pittsburgh?


There are lots of resources for historic architecture in Pittsburgh... but I can't think of anything that's really equivalent to that site. It's my dream to have a Pittsburgh "Urban Development/Discussion" online community... maybe I'll build it when I am done with school... not that I have the skill to do such a thing... but if I could find like-minded people...

http://www.urbanohio.com is a great example of what I'd like to see for the greater Pittsburgh region... photo galleries of neighborhoods... a comprehensive discussion forum on development projects, economic news and other urban issues... and perhaps incorporate a bit of the Built St. Louis style into it... looking into urban history. Basically a one-stop shop for everything Urban Pittsburgh... it would be a good way to promote discussion on the city's issues, educate and perhaps even promote activism.

[Evergrey]

this article is barely appropriate for this thread... but the 2nd half of it gets to some issues that I could consider relevant to "development" and "regional economy"... plus I always like to express my disdain for Clevelander Michael Belkin... head of the regional LiveNation market... who has been openly hostile to Pittsburgh in his position...

Pittsburgh gets fewer significant concerts every year... and you can blame bad demographics or whatever... but we're still a pretty decent sized market... and Cleveland has similar problems yet gets EVERY show...

one problem is that we lack a good mid-sized club venue... such as a House of Blues... while the HoB in Cleveland is pretty lame... it is quite suitable for attracting mid-tier national touring acts... I was exciting about the proposed 1200 seat glass-roofed amphitheatre on the North Side... but unfortunately it will be 95% free programming... so you can expect to see Herb Yablonsky's Polka Band there... I do think there's a market for a House of Blues type venue... perhaps we'll see one downtown with all the activity now... I think the Piatts actually mentioned this possibility (they're developing Piatt Place, G.C. Murphy, etc.)

the new "amphitheatre" at Sandcastle couldn't possibly be any worse than the tent-over-parking-lot that was the Chevrolet amphitheatre at Station Square

on a personal note... I'm boycotting Cleveland shows out of principal (due to Michael Belkin)... I'll go Baltimore to see my favorite bands if I have to... grrrr

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07088/773303-388.stm


Summer concert season might not rock

With a shortage of acts, Live Nation is struggling to book its sheds

Thursday, March 29, 2007

By Scott Mervis, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Yee-haw.

Live Nation is slowly unveiling the shows of its summer concert season and if your closet is full of cowboy boots and Stetson hats, you're going to be in hog heaven.

Six of the 11 shows announced thus far at the Post-Gazette Pavilion are country or pseudo-country shows, including Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley and Alan Jackson. You can make that seven if you throw Jimmy Buffett on that side of the fence. Now add in Tim McGraw and Faith Hill at the Mellon Arena and Kenny Chesney at Heinz Field, and we might as all be Nashville.

So far, there is one show for Gen Y fans -- Fallout Boy -- and then Ozzfest for the metalheads. Classic rock fans can choose from Rush and a bill of Chicago and America, not that that would really be a choice for anyone. There will be some additions, for sure, as the season goes on. Dave Matthews Band, touring in August, seems like a given, because it always hits Pittsburgh, and the Vans Warped Tour (with Bad Religion and New Found Glory) and the Family Values Tour (with Korn and Evanescence) are both listing Pittsburgh dates.

Aerosmith (touring Europe in June and July), Styx, Poison, Motley Crue and Steve Miller must be somewhere out there on the horizon. And maybe there's an "Idol" out there with them, like Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood. But so far there's no sign of a Neil Young, Tom Petty, Allman Brothers or even a Green Day to at least up the prestige of the season. Also quiet are the Springsteen, U2 and Rolling Stones camps, about the only rockers that can account for a stadium show.

Michael Belkin, the Cleveland promoter who books for Live Nation in Pittsburgh, has made it known that he considers Pittsburgh a country market (and this isn't your grandfather's cool country). He's also rightly hailed it as a strong market for acts like Miller and Lynyrd Skynyrd, who don't pack them in quite so robustly in Browns country.

Down one level, the Amphitheatre at Sandcastle, a scenic riverfront venue when it was Riverplex a few years back, replaces the Chevrolet Amphitheatre at Station Square this summer. It should be a lush and lovely spot for mid-size concerts and festivals, and it even comes with trains.

"We're very excited about this new venture and the opportunity to be working with the great people of Sandcastle," says Ed Traversari of Live Nation Pittsburgh. "We expect to offer a large variety of entertainment at our new boutique concert facility. It will be similar in size to our former Chevrolet Amphitheatre, but will offer many new amenities including a new tent structure, new rest rooms and concessions, VIP club deck, premier parking and more."

It launches June 17 with The Fray, but so far the schedule there is pretty sketchy and doesn't appear to be leaning toward much that's 2007. It has the odd pairing of Bryan Adams/George Thorogood, Weird Al Yankovic and probably the annual appearances by The Clarks and Rusted Root, and more of that ilk to come.

The big reunion event of the summer, The Police, is bypassing Pittsburgh. The British trio, who are selling out everywhere with a ticket range between $50 and $225, are playing Hershey Stadium, but not Pittsburgh. Go figure. Sting -- why didn't you write some country tunes!

A decade ago, the Star Lake Amphitheatre was housing 40 shows a summer with all varieties; this year, it appears the Burgettstown venue, now the Post-Gazette Pavilion, will be lucky to hit 20. The promoter has already postponed its news conference announcing the season twice, presumably for lack of news.

It's not all their fault. There doesn't seem to be much else out there for amphitheaters -- at least at the moment. The Van Halen tour fell through for a variety of reasons relating to that band's long history of general insanity. Boston's big summer plans came to an unfortunate end with the suicide of singer Brad Delp.

Among the other shows playing sheds around the country are Gwen Stefani, John Mayer/Ben Folds, Stevie Nicks/Chris Isaak and the True Colors Tour with Cyndi Lauper, Erasure, Rufus Wainwright, Dresden Dolls and Debbie Harry.

Increasingly, arenas are where it's at for concerts, so Pittsburgh will be in good shape with a new arena on the way. We've already seen a number of major shows -- including Bob Seger, Rod Stewart, Justin Timberlake and George Strait -- come through Mellon Arena in recent months, and Christina Aguilera is due April 14. Nickelback just did the Petersen Center, so you can probably take them out of the summer mix. Roger Waters, one of the best shows of last summer, is playing arenas, but isn't booked here, and the same goes for Genesis in the fall.

The movement of bands back into cities and arenas has prompted Live Nation to begin divesting some of its outdoor amphitheaters, including sheds in Nashville, Indianapolis, Columbus and Sacramento, Calif.

Local concert promoter Mike Elko says the fact that Live Nation is starting to sell off its amphitheaters is a good indication that the summer concert season is under re-evaluation.

"There's nothing out there. It's the same redundant stuff. How many times can people see that stuff again? Live Nation is selling off their sheds. People want to go back to closed settings. They're sick of going 45 minutes outside of town, paying extortion on parking, being hassled by rental police and paying extortion on beer and food. And then having to worry about driving home an hour."

Live Nation noted in its fourth quarter financial report, "In 2006, we faced, and will continue to face in 2007, a number of industry-related and company-specific challenges including: competitive challenges to our North American amphitheaters due to a declining supply of artists that can fill these venues and increasing competition from indoor arenas and casinos."

If Live Nation and Clear Channel truly had their acts together, breakout indie bands like Modest Mouse, The Shins, the Arcade Fire and Death Cab for Cutie would have been shoved down people's throats on the radio and would already have been groomed for bigger stages.

Not only is there a shortage of acts -- there's a shortage of money. Independent promoters across the country have been complaining for years that Live Nation was trying to monopolize the music market by outbidding its competition with huge guarantees for the acts. The latest Live Nation report also lists the escalating cost of talent as a factor in the weak concert market.

That, of course, is being passed on to the consumer, who might spring for a Police ticket for $225 (if they're nuts) and call it a summer.


THE NOT-SO-GREAT INDOORS


On a smaller scale there are a number of bands out this spring and summer that represent pop and rock of this decade. Plenty of Pittsburghers will be taking their money elsewhere to see the likes of The Arcade Fire, Morrissey, Modest Mouse, the Killers, John Legend, Lilly Allen, Bright Eyes and Iggy Pop and the Stooges.

Four different promoters here -- Rinaldo, Elko, Brian Drusky and CD Live Series -- are desperately trying to get these acts, but the problem is there are too many markets that want them and not enough dates offered.

"My thoughts are that we aren't considered a major market," says Drusky, an independent promoter formerly of Live Nation. "Some of these agencies have just skipped the market because of it and only do majors ... Philly, D.C., NYC, Boston, Chicago, L.A., Atlanta, Houston, San Fran., etc. Sometimes they only have a limited amount of dates and they go to the larger markets to get more money and maximize their profits."

Jon Rinaldo, who books Club Cafe and Diesel, has had some recent successes here with shows like Daughtry and the Avett Brothers, but he's been frustrated trying to book some of the bigger buzz bands here.

"None of this makes sense to me," Rinaldo says. "I'm looking at stuff on a club level and these larger shows, and nothing's coming here at all. On the club level, give Pittsburgh an off-night if it's a money issue. Give us a Monday or Tuesday night. If it's a popular act, it will do fine."

True.

Daughtry just sold out Diesel. The Hold Steady sold out the Rex last week on a Monday night with a crowd of 600. Shaw/Blades and Type O Negative are both sold out. People are going to shows.

But we don't have a House of Blues here or a club the right size to accommodate bands like the Decemberists or the Arcade Fire.

"The most successful places in Pittsburgh," says Gary Hinston, who promotes the CD Live series, "if you look back over the last 15, 20 years were the Decade, which was 200; Graffiti, which was 600 capacity; and Metropol, which was around 1,100. Presently, the Byham, which is 1,300, is probably the busiest space in Pittsburgh. Between the Broadway Series and CLO, it's just never available. For the size of the market, that's the right size place."

But at the Byham, promoters don't benefit from a bar or an open floor for general admission and dancing.

"It's not a House of Blues," Hinston says. "I was in the one on the Sunset Strip recently. I said, 'This place in Pittsburgh is an absolute gold mine.' "

But don't hold your breath, as a House of Blues is a multimillion dollar investment and has to be fed several nights a week.


GIMME A FREE SHOW


In the past, the Three Rivers Arts Festival and Hartwood Acres have done a good job filling in with some great free shows. The Arts Festival has brought us the likes of Wilco, Sonic Youth, Patti Smith, Tom Verlaine and moe.

This year will be a little different because of the construction in Point State Park. The concerts will be held on the triangle between Gateway Center 2 and 4, with Stanwix in front of Fifth Avenue Place closed on the weekends to bring the capacity to about 4,500.

Among the acts playing TRAF this summer will be Robert Randolph, but most of the schedule is still unconfirmed.

The county -- which has brought such bands as Los Lobos, Fountains of Wayne, Cat Power and Brian Setzer -- is still working on its schedule, so far a low-key lineup with such acts as Maia Sharp, Ruthie Foster, Grupo Fantasma and Jean-Luc Ponty. Larry Kuzmanko, who books the county shows, is hoping to hit up the booking agents for a few big names before all is said and done.


COUNTRY TOWN?


For the most part, it looks as if those country shows might have to carry the summer for Live Nation. It might be the only thing, besides maybe metal, keeping the gates open this summer at the Post-Gazette Pavilion.

Is Pittsburgh really that much of a country market?

"I guess so," says Jon Rinaldo. "It doesn't make that much sense to me. We've got West Virginia close to us, and a lot of people come from that state to go to these shows. And country radio is predominant here."

Seems pretty strong. Or is it?

WDSY is the No. 3 station in Pittsburgh. The No. 1 is a rock station: WDVE.

Guess what the No. 1 station is in Cleveland?

If you guessed country, you're right.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Weekend editor Scott Mervis can be reached at smervis@post-gazette.com or 412-263-2576. )



Upcoming Concerts

Post-Gazette Pavilion

Fall Out Boy (May 22)
Jimmy Buffett (June 23)

Rush (June 26)

Volunteer Jam with The Outlaws, The Marshall Tucker Band (July 6)

Y108 Hot Country Jam with Travis Tritt (July 28)

Chicago/America

Vans Warped Tour (Aug. 8, not confirmed)

Toby Keith (Aug. 18)

Ozzfest (Aug. 24)

Rascal Flatts, Jason Aldean (Aug. 30)

Brad Paisley (Sept. 15)

Alan Jackson (Sept. 30)



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Amphitheatre at Sandcastle

The Fray (June 17)
Weird Al Yankovic (July 7)

Bryan Adams/George Thorogood (Aug. 5)

Irish Festival (TBA)




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Heinz Field

Kenny Chesney (June 9)



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mellon Arena

Christina Aguilera (April 14)
Tim McGraw and Faith Hill (July 17)




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Petersen Events Center

My Chemical Romance (May 2)
Martina McBride (May 11)




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Heinz Hall

Aretha Franklin (Aug. 2)



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Road trip shows

Lilly Allen (April 8 in Washington, D.C.)
Norah Jones (April 23 in Washington, May 9 in Cleveland)

John Legend (April 28 in Columbia, Md.)

Modest Mouse (May 3 in Philadelphia)

Arcade Fire (May 4 in Washington, D.C.)

The Killers (May 7 in Toronto)

Morrissey (May 17 in Cleveland)

Bright Eyes (May 20 in Columbus)

Kings of Leon (May 22 in Cleveland)

Gwen Stefani (May 27 in Atlantic City)

Deftones (May 30-31 in Cleveland)

Roger Waters (June 1-2 in Philadelphia)

Joss Stone (June 8 in Central Park, N.Y.)

True Colors Tour (June 17 in Columbia, Md.)

John Mayer (July 1 in Cleveland, July 21 in Hershey)

The Police (July 16 in Cleveland, July 20 in Hershey)

BB King Blues Festival (Aug. 11, Baltimore)


More details can be found at www.pollstar.com.

[Evergrey]

congrats to Homestead... hopefully they can stay out of Act 47...

I don't think this is a ringing endorsement of Act 47... it took an extraordinarily development like The Waterfront to rescue Homestead out of financial distress... Act 47 is a half-assed solution that fails to address the root cause of Pennsylvania's failing municipalities... the system of municipal governance itself...


on a side note... took a drive through Homestead a few days ago... my god, their downtown has incredible potential... despite the success of the Waterfront... it's disconnect from the "fabric" of the town has resulted in little spillover success to downtown... it remains underperforming... which is quite sad... the building stock there is amazing

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07088/773377-55.stm

Homestead sheds 'distressed' status

Thursday, March 29, 2007

By Ed Blazina, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



Mayor Betty Esper had a simple explanation for Homestead's ability to get out of the state program for financially distressed communities.

"Thank God for The Waterfront," she told a news conference yesterday, referring to the shopping and entertainment mecca that has played a large part in restoring the financial health of the former steel-dependent community.

Dennis Yablonsky, state secretary of the Department of Community and Economic Development, announced yesterday that Homestead was being removed from the program for near-bankrupt communities after 13 years.

Under the program known as Act 47, the state helps return a community to financial stability by improving government efficiency through the appointment of a recovery coordinator and making special grants and low-interest loans available.

But Mr. Yablonsky said those steps only prepare a community for financial recovery. The next step is economic growth, which in Homestead came in spades through The Waterfront.

In 1986, the 430 acres were covered by the remnants of the closed Homestead Works of U.S. Steel Corp. The hulking plant, which during World War II employed about 15,000, stretched from Homestead into neighboring Munhall and West Homestead on the banks of the Monongahela River.

Cleveland-based Park Corp. bought the plant and the former Carrie Furnace property across the river in Rankin and Swissvale. The company spent several years clearing the site and selling off scrap metal and other material.

But during that time, a dearth of tax revenue from the site and the lack of employees working there threw the borough into financial distress. In 1993, officials reluctantly applied and were approved for Act 47 help.

"This didn't ring right, but we didn't have any choice," said Ms. Esper, who also was mayor at that time. "It took a lot of hard, hard work and a lot of heartache."

The borough had to eliminate its own emergency dispatching service and cut its police department to part-time status.

Meanwhile, Homestead worked with neighboring boroughs to develop common zoning for the former mill site. That -- and tax increment financing that uses real estate taxes from the site to pay off money borrowed for public improvements there -- allowed the redevelopment to flourish.

The site still is about 14 years away from paying full real estate taxes to the boroughs. But the businesses pay other taxes, employees pay a $52 municipal services tax and the borough established a special tax that charges $20 for each commercial parking space.

"This is a case study on how this can be done, how it should be done," Mr. Yablonsky said of the borough's financial recovery. "I know [The Waterfront] was not the only thing that happened, but it was certainly one of the most important."

Ms. Esper likened The Waterfront to finding another rich husband after the steel mill closed.

"We lost Big Daddy," she said. "We got a divorce. Daddy left the house. But now Mom remarried The Waterfront, and we've got a family again."

Gradually, the borough has rebuilt its municipal services, including returning to a full-time police force three years ago. To get out of the state program, it had to show balanced budgets for three years in a row and project continued financial stability.

The state enacted Act 47 to help municipalities devastated by the loss of industry or some other factors out of their control. Since then, 23 municipalities have been part of the program and only five others have come out, including four in this area: Ambridge, East Pittsburgh, North Braddock and Wilkinsburg.

Pittsburgh went into the program two years ago and Braddock and Rankin have been in it for more than 15 years.

The state and Allegheny County have targeted the Carrie Furnace site, which the county purchased from Park Corp. two years ago, for offices, housing and light industrial development. Consultants are putting together a plan for that site that they hope will help Rankin and Braddock out of financial distress.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Ed Blazina can be reached at eblazina@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1470. )

[Evergrey]

not that I really care... but here's an update on our metro's "other casino"...

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07088/773385-336.stm

The Meadows readies its slots parlor

Thursday, March 29, 2007

By Gary Rotstein, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



The Meadows Racetrack & Casino property was filled with more construction workers than gamblers yesterday, but its officials expect that won't ever again be the case after May.

During a tour of the cavernous shell of their temporary casino, a single-room, synthetic structure that is about the right size for an indoor football game, officials said they will open a 24-hour operation with 1,738 slot machines sometime in the last week of May.

Nothing about the tan building now surrounded by mud hints of glitz, despite its $22 million cost, but the new Meadows executives predict they will quickly have one of the most profitable operations in the state.

Pennsylvania's four existing racetrack/casinos, including Presque Isle Downs & Casino in Erie County, have all exceeded revenue projections during their early operations. The operators and Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board representatives have been pleased but also cautioned that the numbers can't be counted on long term until all of the licensed casinos open in the state.

In the case of The Meadows, executive Bill Paulos welcomed the delays that will prevent Pittsburgh license winner Don Barden from opening on the North Side before mid-2008. The Meadows will have Pittsburgh slots players to itself for more than a year, other than those preferring a trip to Erie or two operations in West Virginia's Northern Panhandle.

"It is an advantage, without question" to be first in the new market, Mr. Paulos said. "We're sure there's pent-up demand. ... There's plenty of room in southwest Pennsylvania for two facilities, but obviously if there's only one you get a head start."

Projections from The Meadows and the state gaming board have been far apart on just how popular the facility in North Strabane will be. Casino officials hope for annual revenue of $215 million and board analysts estimate it could be $100 million less than that.

The possible addition of table games to West Virginia's racetrack/casinos later this year -- after voter referendums on the issue in June -- could cut into revenues. Mike Graninger, vice president and general manager of The Meadows, predicted nonetheless that the Washington County racetrack's slots could bring in average daily revenue of $500 per machine, which would be about twice the industry average.

Compared to the Pittsburgh casino or other locations, he said, "it's easier to get here, it's easier to park, and it's a safe place to be."

Orange barrels currently line Racetrack Road between Interstate 79 and The Meadows, as part of improvements to widen interstate ramps, add turn lanes and install three traffic signals. Mr. Paulos said that work is scheduled to be completed before the casino opens.

After the temporary facility is operating, the racetrack's longtime grandstand building will be demolished to make room for a $160 million permanent structure combining slots and racing operations, with multiple restaurants and bars.

Among other updates provided by officials:

While Pennsylvania casinos are permitted to serve free alcohol to customers, as is customary in casinos in Nevada and elsewhere, The Meadows will do so only as one of its reward options for frequent players, not for everyone.

Unlike the state's existing racetrack/casinos, which close for several hours each morning when patronage would be low, The Meadows will start out open all the time. The hours will be reduced within a few months if officials find it makes more sense.

The casino opposes any bans on smoking, as a large percentage of casino customers typically light up. The temporary casino's air conditioning system will recycle air every 10 minutes to minimize any effect from the smoking, Mr. Paulos said.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Gary Rotstein can be reached at grotstein@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1255. )

[BMikeSci]

How is 3 PNC progressing?

This has got to be the slowest moving project in Pittsburgh. I went past there tonight to take a look, and the photo is close to the truth. They've not progressed at all on this. 151 Firstside is going up really fast, but 3 PNC is slow going. Are they out of money? What's the story here?

[EventHorizon]

This has got to be the slowest moving project in Pittsburgh. I went past there tonight to take a look, and the photo is close to the truth. They've not progressed at all on this. 151 Firstside is going up really fast, but 3 PNC is slow going. Are they out of money? What's the story here?

Slow? You think so?

I think it's moving at a normal pace. It's a fairly large project. I imagine they have to do a lot of basement/foundation (underground garage?) work before you see any concrete and steel rise. If I recall, 151 was just a big hole for several months before anything happened there. Plus there was a lot of demolition work that had to be done for 3 pnc -- 151 was just a parking lot. Anyway I think it's moving along normally. It'll probably be a little while longer before you see the "progress" you're looking for. :tup:

[PittPenn 03]

this article is barely appropriate for this thread... but the 2nd half of it gets to some issues that I could consider relevant to "development" and "regional economy"... plus I always like to express my disdain for Clevelander Michael Belkin... head of the regional LiveNation market... who has been openly hostile to Pittsburgh in his position...

Pittsburgh gets fewer significant concerts every year... and you can blame bad demographics or whatever... but we're still a pretty decent sized market... and Cleveland has similar problems yet gets EVERY show...

one problem is that we lack a good mid-sized club venue... such as a House of Blues... while the HoB in Cleveland is pretty lame... it is quite suitable for attracting mid-tier national touring acts... I was exciting about the proposed 1200 seat glass-roofed amphitheatre on the North Side... but unfortunately it will be 95% free programming... so you can expect to see Herb Yablonsky's Polka Band there... I do think there's a market for a House of Blues type venue... perhaps we'll see one downtown with all the activity now... I think the Piatts actually mentioned this possibility (they're developing Piatt Place, G.C. Murphy, etc.)

the new "amphitheatre" at Sandcastle couldn't possibly be any worse than the tent-over-parking-lot that was the Chevrolet amphitheatre at Station Square

on a personal note... I'm boycotting Cleveland shows out of principal (due to Michael Belkin)... I'll go Baltimore to see my favorite bands if I have to... grrrr

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07088/773303-388.stm



Yes - I absolutely agree on this. I have pretty much seen every act I would ever want to see, many a few times. For me to go to a concert is never really a must in my mind nowadays (except maybe one or two acts), it is usually something I decide to do at the last moment. I have had it with this promotion company and will boycott its shows outside of Pittsburgh, and will only see maybe one or two shows here that would equate to the second coming for me. However, the way this Belkin guy is running our concert scene into the ground will likely make it easy for me to boycott them all.

I do not buy for one second that Pittsburgh cannot support a lot of the major acts that have passed us by over the last few years. It is completely clear that Belkin gives us the shaft intentionally. I see shows that go to cities that are a third or less of our size pass us by constantly. Hershey, Atlantic City?!? Come on, I know these cities rely on the big cities around them to fill the seats, but the big cities around them are often getting the same shows. I see no reason Pittsburgh being the 21st or 22nd largest metro area, surrounded by other underserved areas could not take most if not all the major shows that pass on us. This is a constant source of frustration to me - to hell with Michael Belkin and his Live Nation!

[ColDayMan]

Is Pittsburgh really that much of a country market?

"I guess so," says Jon Rinaldo. "It doesn't make that much sense to me. We've got West Virginia close to us, and a lot of people come from that state to go to these shows. And country radio is predominant here."

Uh...blame West...By God...Virginia?

No.

It's the fact that Pittsburgh is in the heart of Appalachian America that it gets the perception of "country radio market." Any twangy twit can see that country music developed out of the hills and hollows of Appalachia (or Appa-la-chee), from Tennessee and Kentucky. It's like asking "gee, why does Los Angeles get a lot of Hispanic-geared music versus Minneapolis?" And lest we forget that Cleveland is also damn near close to Appalachia America as well. I wouldn't be surprised to see most cities in/around/close to Appalachia having heavy spins of country and classic rock.

[cdc]

I thought that the new law to give tax relief for ten years for new development or significant renovation would go a long way towards building the tax base. This has several positive effects. First, it stimulates development. Second, it focuses development into areas that should be developed - i.e. what's good for the city. Third, by bringing residents into the downtown, it immediately increases revenue from city income taxes.


The new proposals don't really address the overall assessment problems
facing the area. Read this:

Your odds would be better at casino
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07088/773344-155.stm

And that's not the worse of it. Generating jobs and attracting new
residents to the city or surrounding area is a good idea! But often
what happens is that as soon as a new resident buys a house, the city
or school district appeals that house's assessment and gets it raised
to the purchase price (using the broken and unfair assessment appeal
system described in O'Neill's column).

The result is that you end up pissing off the people you've just
attracted to the area by increasing their property taxes up to a level
that is far greater than their neighbors with the same sized house.
Anyone who is considering moving to Allegheny County should be
strongly warned about this!


There is also the opposite problem: people in declining areas end up
with assessments that are far greater than the current value of their
home. There was a recent commonwealth court ruling on this:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07087/773107-85.stm

The county says they are going to appeal that ruling to the state
supreme court ( http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07088/773524-100.stm ).
The reason they are doing this is because if the ruling stands it most
likely means that cities and school districts can appeal the so-called
2002 "base year" assessments using current (2007) sales data (because
of the taxing uniformity clause in the PA state constitution).

[themaguffin]

Pittsburgh doesn’t have a reputation as a country market. That man is an idiot. I did some quick math and sent it to the executives at Live Nation this afternoon.


Doing some quick math, I can see that the Pittsburgh market has 686,969 listeners (12+) among its top ten stations. Only one station in the top ten is country. As you should know, many markets have a country station and that music is not duplicated on other formats. In Pittsburgh and in many other markets, there is one country station that tends to do well as the market only supports one station. Pittsburgh’s country station ranks #3 (compared to Cleveland’s which tops every other station).
Pittsburgh’s country station has 85,122 listeners. That obviously means that 601,847 are listening to the other stations. 443,593 are rock and pop fans, with the difference being news/talk listeners.





FYI this is based on averages, which would vary depending on which Arbitron books one would want to look at, but regardless, the ratios would be the same. I'll spare everyone the radio details beyond this but the point is that country only makes up a small portion of Pittsburgh radio listeners.

[BANKofMANHATTAN]

Just some ideas i was messing around with today, seeing what 3PNC would have looked like taller, with a slightly different design etc.

thanks to nice renderings my job was made easier...

enjoy!

http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/4831/3pncreduxkb8.jpg

http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/1162/3pncredo1ua4.jpg

http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/8366/3pncredo2ke9.jpg

[Grego43]

I like your renderings much better, BOM. My opinion is that the rendering of 3 PNC conveys a look that is uninspiring, bland, perhaps even banal. I hope it much different when built.

[themaguffin]

Given its size, 3 PNC won't stick out greatly in the skyline so on a closer level (or ground level) I think that it will look sharp.

[Evergrey]

I like your renderings much better, BOM. My opinion is that the rendering of 3 PNC conveys a look that is uninspiring, bland, perhaps even banal. I hope it much different when built.

yeah... all it is is the world's largest LEED-certified green mixed-use tower... :yuck:

[hyperion1110]

I don't understand where people are coming from saying 3 PNC is an unattractive building. I think it looks quite interesting in the renderings, and I'm sure it will look nice when it's actually built.

On a separate note...check this out...

http://www.post-gazette.com/journal/photos_display.asp?ID=21160

Eat your heart out, San Francisco :yes:

[xyagentguy]

Hello everyone. I am new to this forum, which is great by the way, and I have a few questions. Forgive the possible redundancy, I've tried skimming through the pages but you are at over 60 now. haha.

1. I love the site!! Are you missing any projects? Are the Carlyle and Duquesne development not included? One little suggestion, it might be helpful to categorize them under "FINISHED" "BEING CONSTRUCTED" or "PROPOSED/AWAITING APPROVAL" - just something I've seen elsewhere.

2. Are all of those projects mentioned on the first page still active and not dead in the water? I had no idea so much was going on!!

3. What ever happened to the Fith and Forbes project?

4. How is all the new in-town living selling? For example, Heinz Loft, Encore,
Cork Factory and 151 First Side? Are they booming? Sluggish? Any investors taking note??

5. What ever happened to the 460 million dollar Cultural District Project essentially building a neighborhood downtown??

This is so exciting, i'm sorry for all the questions! I'll probably have more. :(

[Evergrey]

Welcome aboard, xyagentguy.

Admittedly, this project compilation thread is a bit unorganized.. it's been growing organically and we seem to just discuss things as they happen. Maybe UrbaniDesDev can update the first post???

I'll give you a brief rundown of the projects listed on the front page... which is hardly comprehensive of what's been going on here... there's been a lot more projects since this thread was created a year ago.

1. 100 Seventh Street... now known as the Encore on 7th... completed last year... now 98 percent leased... will see a "deli" in its retail space soon. 151 apartments.

2. 151 Firstside... 82 condo project... under construction... topped out... to be completed later this year... over 50 condos are sold already.

3. PNC tower... known as Three PNC Plaza... site/foundation work under way... 23 story mixed-use "green" tower... luxury hotel, 28 condos, retail, office space... to be completed next year

4. Fourth and Wood condo conversion... historic 21-story Union Bank skyscraper... now known as Carlyle... interior demolition work to begin soon... 20 of 60 condos already sold... adjacent Commonwealth skyscraper to undergo residential conversion soon

5. Station Square development / casino proposal... Station Square lost out on the casino... developer Forest City had proposed several condo towers and other development on the vacant area there... and had previously mentioned they would go ahead with it even if they lost the casino race... but they have been silent on their plans since the lost the decision

6. Arena / Lower Hill development... this development was proposed by Isle of Capri... another losing casino bidder... however... the arena is now a go... it will be located in the Lower Hill / Uptown area... casino winner Don Barden has pledged about $300 million to Lower Hill development... though few specifics on the development have emerged thus far... the Penguins also have the rights to development on 28 acres surrounding the new arena

7. South Side Works hotel... I haven't heard much about this lately... but I assume it's going on... it's supposed to be around 15 stories, I think... the SouthSide Works mixed-use development opened a few years ago... but is still undergoing the completion of a few elements... such as additional condo buildings, the hotel, a Hofbrauhaus, and maybe another office building... American Eagle is locating their HQ in the SouthSide Works soon

7. Sixth and Wood condo conversion... the Granite Building is current under conversion to 9 condos

8. Asian International Center and South Side Works... this project is dead... however a project of similar scale is rumoured to take its place

9. Armstrong Cork was converted to 295 residential units and opened late last year

10. Heinz Lofts... converted to about 260 residential units a couple years ago... I don't have the numbers but I've heard it's been successful

11. Subway Extensions... the plans have been adjusted due to economic realities... the Convention Center / Strip District spur has been dropped... the North Shore Connector has started construction and will be completed in 4 years... it will tunnel underneath the Allegheny and travel for a mile along the North Shore... there will be a couple new stations

12. African American Cultural Center... downtown site has been cleared and construction should start soon

13. North Shore developments... ongoing process... 2 stadia, 2 large office buildings, 2 hotels, park improvements have been built this decade... casino will be built there... along with housing, more hotels, office, entertainment complex similar to Baltimore's Inner Harbor... continued restaurant development

14. Delmonte Center... example of North Shore development... completed... office building with restaurants

15. Cultural District redevelopment... to break ground later this year... biggest project in Pittsburgh... 700 downtown residential units in multiple towers of up to 30 stories... retail, art venues, parkspaces, etc.... "green" neighborhood... called Riverparc

16. Convention Center Hotel... stalled project... though the convention people continue to clamor for it... despite this... hotel construction has been booming in the city

17. Penn Ave. Downtown residential district... the hotspot of downtown... residential conversions have been ongoing in this area since 1999 and continue to pick up steam...

18. O'Reilley Theatre... this was completed several years ago by the Cultural Trust

19. Courtyard Marriott... opened a couple years ago on Penn Ave

20. Duquesne University expansion... currently under construction

So of the first page projects... the ones that are either dead, stalled or of uncertain status are Asian International Center, Convention Center Hotel and the losing casino proposals... as well as the Strip District subway spur


there's lots more going on discussed on later pages in this thread... we really should organize everything into one easy to read post with vital stats for each project...


As for Fifth and Forbes... local developer Millcraft was chosen to develop much of the area. They are currently developing the old Lazarus store into Piatt Place... a mixed-use project featuring 65 condos, office space, Capitol Grille, "european" style grocer, etc. They are also converting the old G.C. Murphy building to residential and will then construct an 18-story residential tower on Forbes Ave.

Downtown residential has been selling extremely well... and above expectations of the developers. The developers of 151 FirstSide and Carlysle have raised their prices repeatedly due to demand. The condo projects have been selling quickly even before work has begun. As stated previously, Encore is now 98 percent leased... the massive Heinz Loft has been a bit slower but I heard is doing well... I dont have any info on how Cork Factory is doing... but it only recently opened...

Downtown has seen increasing interest from outside investors. A number of downtown properties were flipped last year for great profit. Investors have also seized buildings such as the Clark... with an eye on attracting high-tech tenents.

The 460 million dollar Cultural District project was mentioned previously.. it is called Riverparc and will begin construction later this year.

Please continue to contribute!

Our community should try to organize these projects into an easy-to-read collection.

[UrbaniDesDev]

BankofManhattan I loved your renderings. Truthfully, being sooo close to the other PNC buildings would really render the surrounding plaza very dark. I personally like the look of the new tower, very slick. I don't think it is going slowly tho. It always seems slow while they are digging. Once the structure begins to rise it generally goes up quickly. I'm frankly surprised it is going so quickly considering all the politics involved in this project. Ive always felt, and hoped, that the block along Wood Street between Fifth and Forbes would support a mixed use tower with some real height. maybe this will happen!

XYagentguy welcome. The Carlysle is just getting started. All units in the developments seem to be going quickly. I believe one of the articles Evergrey posted has the details.

The Cultural District project is planned to develop over the next 10 years. I hope it moves along quickly. I'm anxious to see it begin. I wish they would put giant billboards up at each corner to show there is something planned for this lot. It looks terrible now.

Thanks to Evergrey for making this the one stop shop for all the development info going on in town. Its a real time saver.

I would hate make any changes that might break the flow that we have going. I would hate to subdivide this thread. They would become competing threads and perhaps fall by the way side, as I've seen others go. I like how all the development changes along the way have all been covered and discussed. In fact there are projects here that, when first discussed, were proposals and are now completed. I agree it has become a bit cumbersome but it is a very comprehensive list of projects and thoughts. I would hate to diminish it by splitting up the posters. It is almost like a chronicle of thoughts and opinions regarding the transformation of Pittsburgh. There is a minimum of baseless rants here.

I want to thank all the participants here for making this an enjoyable and informative read, particularly Evergrey for your diligence.

[Evergrey]

speaking of that stalled convention center hotel

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07089/773677-28.stm

Future of city's convention business could be bright

Despite problems at convention center, city's future as a destination may be bright

Friday, March 30, 2007

By Elwin Green, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



When staffers from VisitPittsburgh attended a trade convention for the tourism industry at the beginning of the month, they expected visitors to their booth to launch an onslaught of questions about the Feb. 5 collapse of a section of flooring in the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

Instead, "We did not have a single customer ask us about that situation," Joseph McGrath told reporters yesterday during a briefing prior to the agency's annual meeting.

In fact, VisitPittburgh's president and chief executive officer believes the ultimate outcome of the incident and of the frenetic work that followed may have been an enhanced reputation.

"We were able to save every single piece of business that we had booked at the center," he said, and now potential customers "know that we deliver not only in facilities in southwestern Pennsylvania, but in service."

Pittsburgh hosted 36 major conventions last year and has 38 slated so far for 2007, with "a couple more in the wings," he said. Through the year 2015, he said, the center has a total of 77 events already booked, which VisitPittsburgh expects to generate $229 million in so-called direct spending -- or spending that it's estimated visitors and vendors directly spend on tickets, hotel rooms, food, supplies and entertainment. It's devoid of the so-called multiplier effect, which tends to inflate such spending by accounting for the additional spending spawned by the direct spending.

But far and away, the home run of the year was the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, which brought 200,000 visitors who spent an estimated $52.3 million on tickets, rooms, food and the like.

But while speaking confidently about the city's future as a convention destination, Mr. McGrath also sounded a note of frustration about the continuing lack of a large convention hotel.

"We could do considerably better if we had a headquarters hotel that was in excess of a thousand rooms," he said. "Last year, we lost 90,000 room-nights," a hotel room occupied for one night, "because we did not have a headquarters hotel that matched our facility."

The Westin Convention Center hotel currently attached to the convention center has 618 rooms.

The Sports & Exhibition Authority budgeted $104 million in 2002 for the construction of a new hotel that would attach another 500 rooms to the convention center. Cleveland-based developer Forest City pledged $70 million toward that project, and the state's slots machine law earmarked $34 million from new casinos to be built in the state.

"As soon as those slots revenues begin to roll, I think we'll see some forward movement" in developing the new hotel, Mr. McGrath said.

But when that will be has become an open question, as gaming licenses awarded in both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia have been challenged in court. When the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board awarded the Pittsburgh gaming license to PITG Gaming LLC, developer Don Barden projected that his Majestic Star casino would open by March 2008, a projection based on starting construction in January.

But legal challenges by losing bidders Forest City Enterprises and Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. mean that construction cannot begin until the state Supreme Court renders a decision, and the court will not even hear arguments in the case until mid-May.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Elwin Green can be reached at egreen@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1969. )



http://www.post-gazette.com/images4/20070330pa_tourism.gif



...


4th amongst US states for tourism... over New York???

[Evergrey]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07089/773691-192.stm

Home stand: The city wins with the Oak Hill compromise

Friday, March 30, 2007

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

At times it seemed as if the battle for Oak Hill would never end. More than a decade after Allequippa Terrace, one of the city's worst public-housing tracts, was leveled to make way for a new mixed-income neighborhood, the development was mired in lawsuits, community protests and a bitter turf war with the University of Pittsburgh.

In recent months, the Oak Hill proposal in the Hill District began to loom as a potential political liability for Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's administration. Residents lobbied the new mayor to honor the original agreement, but it looked as if he was prepared to follow his predecessor's lead.

During Mayor Bob O'Connor's brief tenure, then-housing authority board chairman Dennis Regan sided with Pitt in its dispute with Oak Hill residents over a 12-acre site set aside for the final phase of the development. The land at the center of the dispute has one of the most desirable vistas in the city; the residents and the university both coveted it.

Pitt lobbied the authority to renegotiate the original agreement with the residents, citing its long-standing interest in building athletic fields closer to the university. Many of the development's residents were outraged by the authority's willingness to renege on the original agreement and risk losing a promising mixed-income neighborhood that would sustain itself.

Hundreds of residents who had moved out of Allequippa Terrace believed the city's promise that they would be allowed to return in a few years. They looked forward to new homes on land where Pitt wanted to build soccer and baseball fields.

Beacon/Corcoran Jennison, the Oak Hill development's Boston-based builder and manager, sued the university and was close to taking the housing authority to court when hard-nosed negotiations by all parties -- including the mayor's office -- produced an agreement last week.

Pitt will get the Robinson Court site it has wanted in exchange for $4 million for the land, $1 million for programs for residents and $2 million in lease payments for commercial buildings in the development. Meanwhile, 450 new residences will be built for the next phase of Oak Hill on a site stretching toward the Hill District's Reed and Kirkpatrick streets. The final phase of the $90 million development will continue to be built by BCJ, with groundbreaking scheduled for 2008.

Congratulations are due to the Oak Hill Residents Council for fighting tenaciously to regain the project's lost momentum. Its example of citizen action is a model for other communities.

Housing authority Executive Director A. Fulton Meachem Jr., the University of Pittsburgh and Mayor Ravenstahl's office also are to be commended for their efforts to improve this corner of the city with a neighborhood built on diversity.

[Evergrey]

this is an example of what I'd like to have... an easy-to-read overview of projects detailing vital stats... we could break them down by residential, commercial, civic, mixed-use, whatever...

just an example... I'll probably expand on this with the rest of the projects when I have time

Encore on 7th
Status: Completed
Description: 151-unit 18-story apartment building. Deli to locate in retail space.
Location: Downtown
http://www.pbase.com/deadwing/image/61065978.jpg

151 FirstSide
Status: Under Construction
Description: 82-unit 18-story condo building
Location: Downtown
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/147/434619325_24f4c41500_o.jpg

Three PNC Plaza
Status: Under Construction
Description: 23-story 780,000 sq. foot LEED-certified "green" mixed-use tower. 28 condos, Fairmount "luxury" hotel, offices for PNC and Reed Smith, retail, ballroom, underground parking.
Location: Downtown
http://www.pnc.com/webapp/unsec/Requester?resource=/wcm/resources/file/ebfb48004193cae/3PNC_21407_FifthAve.jpg

The Carlyle
Status: Under Conversion
Description: 21-story Union National Bank, built in 1906, converted into 60 condos.
Location: Downtown
http://www.pbase.com/deadwing/image/66650603.jpg

Commonwealth Building
Status: Proposed Conversion
Description: 21 story Commonwealth Building, built in 1906, proposed conversion to 50-60 residential units
Location: Downtown
http://www.pbase.com/deadwing/image/54261621.jpg

Piatt Place
Status: Under Conversion
Description: Adaptive reuse of vacant 7-year old Lazarus retail location. Mixed-use facility featuring 65 condos, 50,000 sq. ft. of retail, 150,000 sq. ft. of office, Capitol Grille, McCormick & Schmick's, possible "European style" grocer. Three levels of condos to be constructed on top of existing structure.
Location: Downtown
http://www.popcitymedia.com/galleries/Default/Neighborhoods/Downtown/live/piatt_place_450.jpg

Granite Building
Status: Under Conversion
Description: Built in 1890, former German National Bank converted into 6 condos.
Location: Downtown
http://www.pbase.com/deadwing/image/66650158.jpg

Riverparc
Status: Approved, Construction of Phase 1 to Begin Late 2007
Description: LEED-certified "Green Neighborhood". 700 residential units in multiple towers of up to 30 stories, as well as townhouses. 900,000 sq. ft. of residential space, 159,000 sq. ft. of retail, 45,000 sq. ft. art venue, structured parking, public spaces. 10 year build out.
Location: Downtown
http://www.pgharts.net/images/cdrd/annc/from9thStreetBridge_600x.jpg

[xyagentguy]

Evergrey I can't thank you enough for all that information that must have taken you some time to write! It was extremely helpful!!!

This Cultural Project is absolutely astounding. It will literally transform this city. There will be very few "run down" spots left in downtown.

I think the way you gave descriptions and status in your last post examples is PERFECT.

I think the projects completed in the last year or two should even be included like SouthSide Works and MarketDistrict and Giant Eagle lofts. These are big deals!

I was wondering if anything was still planned for the golden triangle?

One last thing, I actually live downtown in Chatham Towers and I had heard a rumor once that Giant Eagle and Target (who have many contracts with one another and are often side by side in Pittsburgh) have looked into buying one of the buildings downtown and converting it into a few story Giant Eagle/Target combo. This idea is brilliant and might be a great thing to petition these two companies for. I think downtown would just TAKE OFF! More than it is now!

[Evergrey]

Biz Times updates:

1. Local developer Crystal Springs is planning to build 299 homes on 229 acres in Springhill Township in southern Fayette County along Route 43 just a few miles north of the WV line.. yay for Morgantown WV sprawl! The site is about halfway between Morgantown and Uniontown. Crystal Springs is also eyeing a nearby site of over 600 acres for development. This housing development is in a Keystone Opportunity Zone... so residents won't have to pay property taxes and state and local income taxes for several years... nice perk lol. It's the first large "neighborhood development" in Fayette Co. since the 700-unit Bear Rocks... started in the 60s. 10% of Morgantown's workforce commutes from Pennsylvania... if Morgantown steals Fayette from our metro... I'll really be pissed lol.

In the same article... and somewhat more urban... one of the developers is also involved with a housing development in Pittsburgh's Hays neighborhood... the forgotten mysteryland of the city. They're working on a 60-unit second phase of the 160-acre residential development.. 26 homes have been completed already. I was just in Hays and didn't notice this... anyone know exactly where it's at?

Here's a list of large-scale recent housing developments in our region... of course the North Hills / ButlerCo dominates:

Adams Ridge, Adams Township, 1000 units, under construction
Park Place, Cranberry Township, 800 units, under construction
Summerset at Frick Park, Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill, 710 units, under construction
Treesdale, Adams Township, 1000 units, complete
Village at Pine, Pine Township, 500 units, under construction


...


2. Concerning xyagent's question about urban residential sales... there is an article called "Condo sales not soaring yet, but developers say interest will pick up"... which goes against the picture that has been painted by most other media sources... one example they use is the Carlyle... which has sold 20 of its 61 units despite not beginning interior demolition yet. In most other media sources... and from the project's developer himself... this was touted as very successful... although the article claims the Carlyle began marketing itself in 2005. In fact, it has been mentioned in previous articles that the Carlyle has actually raised its prices due to great demand.

Piatt Place: Sales began 8 months ago and 18 of 65 units have been sold... which Millcraft said is not behind schedule. Remaining 47 units range from $300k-$1.4 million. Millcraft will "wait to sell a few more" condos before beginning construction of the residential portion of Piatt Place... which they hope to complete by the third quarter of 2008.

151 FirstSide: 56 of 81 condos have been sold. Units range from $300k-$1.9 million. Marketing began in July 2004 (I don't even think I heard about this project until 2005). It has been mentioned in previous articles... including very recently... that selling 2/3 at this point in its construction was considered excellent. Developer is "pleased" by sales.

5859 Beacon St.: 19 of 28 condos in this recently-completed Squirrel Hill property have been sold. Purchase price is $415k. Developer has included incentives to drive sales... such as granite countertops and a FREE parking space... is this really a problem or is this normal activity???

Lofts on Baum: 6 of 28 units have been sold in this East Liberty project. "Sales have been slow". In response, developer has added exercise room and terrace area.. is this a bad thing? Improving the product to drive sales. Since then, one of the two $600k penthouses has sold. Site has been cleared but construction has not started yet when I looked recently.

Not mentioned in the article is the Metropolitan Shadyside... which is nearing completion and has over 60% sold... which has also been touted as successful in previous articles. The Blackbird Lofts in Lawrenceville has also been reported to have had very successful sales... I think it might be sold out or close to sold out now. I haven't heard anything about sales in projects such as the Giant Eagle MarketHouse or the Grant School in Bellevue. So basically... while I appreciate the hard info presented in the article... I think that perhaps the editorializing is a bit harsh and/or misguided. I'm not an expert... just my speculation.
...


3. 601 Grant Street is for sale. It's a 17-story structure built in 1958. Assessed market value of $15.6 million. Major tenent is FHLBank Pittsburgh, which leases 72% of space. CB Richard Ellis projects Downtown's office rates will increase from stagnant levels over the next few years.
http://www.pbase.com/deadwing/image/50566807.jpg

...

[themaguffin]

Big housing plan for Fayette
299 homes could be built inside KOZ
Pittsburgh Business Times - March 30, 2007by Ben Semmes


A West Homestead-based developer is planning what could be the largest residential community in the history of Fayette County and one of the largest in the region in recent years.

Crystal Springs Investors Inc. expects to close within the next few weeks on 229 acres of property on Gans-Woodbridge Road in Springhill Township, a lightly populated area just a few miles north of the West Virginia border, where it plans to develop 299 single-family home sites.

The company also has its eye on another 625-acre parcel, across from the main property, where it is considering future commercial and industrial development, as well as additional housing.

Both properties, just off of Route 43, are owned by the Fay-Penn Economic Development Council, a Uniontown-based economic development organization. Neither party would disclose the sales price for the parcels.

Bill Rogers, owner of West Homestead-based All State Development Co., will serve as the project's president and lead developer, said Elliott Edelstein, vice president of Crystal Springs and an employee of First Funding Corp. in Monroeville.

Rogers and Edelstein are partners in Crystal Springs. Their project would be the first large neighborhood development in Fayette County in decades, said Springhill Township supervisor Damon Hellen.

It also would be one of only a handful of residential projects statewide being pursued in one of Pennsylvania's Keystone Opportunity Zones -- tax-free areas designated by the state to help attract mostly commercial development.

The properties Crystal Springs plans to develop fall within one of four KOZs in Fayette County. Because of Springhill's rural setting and a lack of basic infrastructure near the site, the township has been unsuccessful in attracting much interest from companies to locate there. So far, only Greensburg-based Allegheny Energy Supply Co. has taken advantage of the tax-free zone, building its Gans Power Station just south of the proposed residential development, Hellen said.

If Crystal Springs' project comes to fruition, homeowners would be exempt from property taxes, as well as state and local income tax, after living in the zone for 184 consecutive days, according to Greg Morgan, a spokesman with the state Department of Community and Economic Development. These benefits would extend until the expiration of the KOZ on Dec. 31, 2013. Morgan said there are about a half-dozen locations statewide where residential development is being pursued inside a KOZ site.

The Fayette County commissioners late last year denied Crystal Springs' request to expand its project to include as many as 500 units. Hellen said Fay-Penn initially was opposed to using the KOZ site for residential development when it was created in 1998.

However, Fay-Penn President and CEO Michael W. Krajovic said the organization has since reconsidered.

"Initially we looked at the property for more industrial (use)," he said. "But the need for housing has become so acute, we feel this would be serving a higher purpose."

Both Krajovic and Hellen agreed that ultimately the township's tax base would be improved if the development is completed. While potential residents would be exempt from property taxes for some time, the money they save might be used to boost the local economy, Krajovic said.

"That could be used to furnish the home, (make) local retail purchases, pave the driveway, put a deck on the back," he said. "This is creating an opportunity."

Crystal Springs plans to sell its plots for an average of $70,000 to $75,000 each, Edelstein said. He said he's talked with several homebuilders about partnering on the project, but declined to name them.

Edelstein said Rogers, who did not return a phone call seeking comment, is also working on a 60-unit, second phase of a 160-acre residential development in Pittsburgh's Hays neighborhood, where 26 homes have already been built.

Edelstein said Crystal Springs believes its Fayette County project can be a "catalyst for that area (between Uniontown and Morgantown, W.Va.) to really boom."

[themaguffin]

Condo sales not soaring yet, but developers say interest will pick up
Pittsburgh Business Times - March 30, 2007by Ben Semmes


While sales at some of Pittsburgh's high-profile condominium projects have been sluggish, local developers and real estate brokers were optimistic this week that spring's arrival will jump-start interest.

A survey of a handful of condominium projects Downtown and in the city's East End found that none are close to selling out yet -- even after almost three years of marketing, in one instance.

Several condo projects are under way Downtown, including Piatt Place, a 65-unit redevelopment of the former Lazarus-Macy's department store.

Lucas Piatt, vice president of real estate at Cecil Township-based Millcraft Industries, which is spearheading the project, said 18 units have been sold. Forty-seven units, ranging in price from $300,000 to $1.4 million, still remain.

Piatt said sales, which started eight months ago, are not behind schedule. Still, Millcraft will wait to sell a few more units before it begins construction on the residential portion of the project, which it hopes to complete by the third quarter of 2008.

Bill Dietrich, vice president of the new homes division at the Pittsburgh office of Coldwell Banker Real Estate Inc., said 56 of 81 units have been sold so far at 151 First Side. Marketing for the Downtown condo project, which is being developed by Ralph A. Falbo Inc. with Strip District-based EQA Landmark Properties and O'Hara-based Zambrano Corp., began in July 2004.

Dietrich said he's pleased so far with sales of the units, which range in price from $300,000 to $1.9 million.

Twenty of the 61 units have sold at The Carlyle, where prices range from $200,000 to $1.9 million. Marketing began in July 2005, but Dietrich expects sales to pick up.

One developer has offered incentives to lure buyers for its high-end units. 5859 Beacon St., a recently completed four-story project in Squirrel Hill, has sold 19 condos and has nine remaining, said Cliff Schultz, condominium division manager at O'Hara-based Howard Hanna Real Estate Services Inc. But to try to sell the remaining units, the developer installed granite countertops and stainless steel fixtures and included a parking space in the $415,000 purchase price.

The same approach was used when sales dragged at McMurray-based Crossgates Inc.'s 28-unit Lofts on Baum project, planned for East Liberty. The units have been on the market for close to year, and so far about six of them have sold, Schultz said.

"Sales had been slow," Schultz said. "We reconfigured the building (a few months ago). Now, there is an exercise room on the top floor, a terrace area for all the residents to use. Since then, we have sold one of the two penthouses (for just over $600,000)."

Eve Picker, head of no wall productions and a developer of several loft projects Downtown, said that while sales of some properties may be sluggish, especially in unproved residential markets like Downtown, she expects them to pick up soon.

"Pittsburghers are not known for being quick on the uptake," Picker said. "There will be a small number of people who are pioneers ... and the others will be less brave. You have to reach the tipping point."

[themaguffin]

Downtown office building for sale as bank searches for new space
Pittsburgh Business Times - March 30, 2007by Ben Semmes


A 163,000-square-foot Downtown office building is being marketed for sale as its largest tenant considers relocating.

The Sheet Metal Workers' National Pension Fund, which owns the 17-story building at 601 Grant St., is soliciting offers on the property, said Tom MacDonald, senior vice president with Downtown-based CB Richard Ellis/Pittsburgh and the building's leasing agent.

FHLBank Pittsburgh, formerly known as the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh, which occupies roughly 118,000 square feet, confirmed that the institution is scouting the greater Pittsburgh region for new space. The bank's lease Downtown expires in May 2010.

Neil Cotiaux, a bank spokesman, said the potential move is not related to any decision to decrease or expand the bank's local work force.

"We are looking at all opportunities that would make sense for us across greater Pittsburgh," he said. "We are absolutely serious about seeking out the most cost-effective space we can find that makes sense for this bank."

Cotiaux declined to say how much space the bank is searching for.

David Linn, a consultant with the Cleveland-based Townsend Group, the real estate investment manager for the Sheet Metal Workers, said his company has advised the Sheet Metal Workers and other pension funds to sell off single properties in favor of commingled funds that invest in a variety of office buildings and retail centers.

The pension fund's real estate arm, SMWNPF Holdings Inc., purchased the property in 1991 for $3.35 million, according to Allegheny County property records. The county says the building's total market value is $15.6 million.

FHLBank Pittsburgh, which serves Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Delaware, moved to the building from One Riverfront Center, now known as National City Center, in 1994. At that time the move was necessitated by expansion, Cotiaux said.

FHLBank Pittsburgh leases about 72 percent of the building's space.

Cotiaux said FHLBank Pittsburgh employs 250 people on 11 stories in the building. The firm subleases part of the eighth floor and all of the ninth floor to Fiserv Inc.

If FHLBank Pittsburgh decides to move in the near future, it could make a sale of the building more difficult.

Paul Horan, a principal at NAI Pittsburgh Commercial on the North Side, previously worked on leasing the building as a broker with Downtown-based Grant Street Associates.

"There are minimal other tenants other than the bank," he said. "Should the bank leave, that's a very large hole to fill."

The potential of a major tenant leaving the building is always a concern, said MacDonald, of CB Richard Ellis.

Still, MacDonald said that with several large tenants looking for space, the building is well positioned in a growing Downtown market.

"I think the profile of the Downtown market is going to be strengthened in the near future," he said. "In the last several years you've seen office rates stagnant. We are not projecting that for the next two or three years moving forward."

[Evergrey]

Thanks to Evergrey for making this the one stop shop for all the development info going on in town. Its a real time saver.

I would hate make any changes that might break the flow that we have going. I would hate to subdivide this thread. They would become competing threads and perhaps fall by the way side, as I've seen others go. I like how all the development changes along the way have all been covered and discussed. In fact there are projects here that, when first discussed, were proposals and are now completed. I agree it has become a bit cumbersome but it is a very comprehensive list of projects and thoughts. I would hate to diminish it by splitting up the posters. It is almost like a chronicle of thoughts and opinions regarding the transformation of Pittsburgh. There is a minimum of baseless rants here.

I want to thank all the participants here for making this an enjoyable and informative read, particularly Evergrey for your diligence.

Thank you, UrbaniDesDev... and thank you particularly for getting this thread started. xyagentguy and myself are not proposing any radical changes to the thread or the flow. What I think might be a good idea is to have a single "front page" post that quickly details all the major projects... their status, description, photo, etc... to serve as a quick comprehensive resource... especially for the casual visitor or outsider to this thread... additional discussion, updates and other discussion about transit, government, etc. can continue just like it has been.

The front page post wouldn't be much different from your inaugural post... just with update maintenance and streamlined consistent information. It would have no negative impact on the "flow" of discussion we've been having... and would serve as a quick resource instead of having to labor through the 63 pages here.

This thread will be closed when we reach around 2000 posts and a 2nd Pittsburgh thread will need to be created... which should attempt to follow the template I used for that example post I put together just a few posts ago. In the mean time... I'm going to continue expanding that example post with the rest of the projects. The revised organization will enhance discussion and be able to provide quick, current information.

[xyagentguy]

Just a quick update. As of last November, Heinz Lofts had reached nearly 80% occupancy which I imagine they had hit and exceeded by now.

http://www.popcitymedia.com/developmentnews/39hnzlfts.aspx

I think one problem is that developers need to transform some of these buildings into less HUGELY expensive condos and more smaller ones affordable for young professionals just getting out of the great Universities in the city.

How do they expect young people to live downtown when some of the asking prices are nearly at or over a million dollars? I support high-end living COMPLETELY but they need to bring in some more stuff for "middle class" and single professionals.

[xyagentguy]

Thank you, UrbaniDesDev... and thank you particularly for getting this thread started. xyagentguy and myself are not proposing any radical changes to the thread or the flow. What I think might be a good idea is to have a single "front page" post that quickly details all the major projects... their status, description, photo, etc... to serve as a quick comprehensive resource... especially for the casual visitor or outsider to this thread... additional discussion, updates and other discussion about transit, government, etc. can continue just like it has been.

Absolutely! And thank you too UrbaniDesDev! I would also recommend every time you make a change to the front page you send us a little shout about it! So no one misses anything! That is what the Seattle folk due in their threads and it's really helpful!

Sometimes a member will write a new status on the forum, the dev will change it on front page, and then reply "done!"

Simple as that!

[themaguffin]

How do they expect young people to live downtown when some of the asking prices are nearly at or over a million dollars? I support high-end living COMPLETELY but they need to bring in some more stuff for "middle class" and single professionals.

This question keeps coming, but the answer is plainly is as you said - it costs a lot more money to build or purchase and revonate downtown buildings. Additionally there is always a demand to live in a downtown. In most cases it going to be pricier. It is just a reality. Frankly it is not going to be a middle class area (other than student housing) and really that's fine. Let it grow organically and downtown will progress fine.

[xyagentguy]

Well I don't necessarily mean middle class like 140k condos. But I wouldn't see anything wrong with a place having condo's starting at 200k and maxing out at 500k.

I could be completely naive in this assumption, but lets say some of the large pent house condo's are a million dollars. That is one way to do it.

Or maybe three to four smaller condos could fit in the same surface area for about 200 - 300k. Isn't it going to even out a little bit in the end? Wouldn't a building with a lot more "less expensive" (200 - 500k) be about the same as a condo with a lot less but larger, more complex, more luxurious "more expensive" condos?

Oh! Well I guess there are a plethora of these kind of places being built based on the post below :>

[Evergrey]

This question keeps coming, but the answer is plainly is as you said - it costs a lot more money to build or purchase and revonate downtown buildings. Additionally there is always a demand to live in a downtown. In most cases it going to be pricier. It is just a reality. Frankly it is not going to be a middle class area (other than student housing) and really that's fine. Let it grow organically and downtown will progress fine.


Correct. I do think one strategy could be to reduce costly amenities and thereby reduce the asking price... but developers are gonna do whatever is most profitable for them. And right now their prices are responding to demand. The Keystone Picture Frame building on Liberty is one example of a more "affordable" condo concept... the developer is planning 12 condos in the $200k range... which is still expensive but significantly lower than just about all of the other condo development downtown.

The rental projects seem to be a bit more diverse however... Century Building conversion is designed for "workforce housing"... for example.


And I just thought of one other condo project in response to the Biz Times article... the Solera Ventures project on Penn Ave. downtown has sold 8 of 18 units despite not beginning construction yet. Prices range from $300k-700k.

[themaguffin]

That's another point too. These condos are in fact much cheaper than our neighbors to the east. Granted Philly, DC and NYC are bigger. That said a $200,000 condo in a downtown the size of Pgh's is not bad at all. It does appear with more happening and so many older buildings being converted some will market lower. I now that Piatt has promised some lower than $200, but I would be surprised if his were.

[themaguffin]

And oh EG, as I mentioned yesterday I wrote to Live Nation. I copied 3 of the executives and one replied with a standard "we try" blah blah blah...

Thanks for your note. We appreciate all of the comments and suggestions we get.

We book a wide variety of acts at the Post Gazette and try and
find the right balance between classic rock, country, etc.

We will continue to work hard to bring the right mix of shows to
Pittsburgh.

Again, we appreciate your comments and will make sure that everybody who
books shows in Pittsburgh continues to work hard to make this a first
class facility.

[xyagentguy]

I know these URLs are little off the beatin' path, but I thought with all this Pittsburgh excitement these are a really nice read.

click!

http://www.popcitymedia.com/features/best%20performing%20cities.aspx

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05086/477864.stm

If anyone has any similar links, please send them to me, I save them :)

[BMikeSci]

Touching base on the North Shore


By Eric Heyl
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, March 30, 2007

Quite a new look the North Shore is sporting these days.
Most likely, you haven't noticed. The North Shore typically assumes a post-apocalyptic atmosphere from the final Steelers game until baseball season begins in April.

But the North Shore's annual hibernation is all but over.

And the folks preparing to pack PNC Park will see many new sights in the ever-evolving neighborhood as the Pirates aggressively pursue their 15th consecutive losing season.






Sights such as:
New subway construction

Port Authority is extending the T from Downtown to the North Shore, but the $435 million project is expected to have minimal impact.

Anticipate only some detoured roads, longer traffic jams, fewer parking spaces, shorter tempers and the heavy equipment digging a subway tunnel rendering spirited versions of "Take Me Out to The Ball Game," virtually inaudible this season.

New eateries

People soon will be able to choose between outdoor dining at the new Irish pub, the new cantina, the new steakhouse and the new retired jock restaurant. Expect each of the new restaurants to offer complimentary construction dust with all entrees.

New sidewalks

Pay no heed to people complaining that a portion of the sidewalks around PNC Park needed replaced less than six years after the stadium opened. Those folks probably are the same killjoys griping about the ballpark also being on its third video scoreboard.

Sure, it's ridiculous to spend $160,000 to repair the relatively new sidewalk. But that's better than doing nothing, and then having to spend twice that amount to settle a lawsuit from someone who tripped over the cracked pavement and chipped several teeth on the bronze thigh of the Willie Stargell statue.

New parking garage

Technically, the West General Robinson Street garage isn't new. But so few people have used the $28 million facility since it opened last June that it still remains eligible for the local parking structure rookie-of-the-year award.

For those still uncertain about the garage location, here are handy directions:

Drive into the middle of the North Shore construction zone, and pass numerous orange barrels and confusing detour signs until being stopped by a flagman. Endure a lengthy delay, swerve around two bulldozers, narrowly miss being clipped by a dump truck and then pull directly into the entrance.

I understand plenty of monthly leases for the garage remain available.


Eric Heyl is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review staff writer. He can be reached at eheyl@tribweb.com or (412) 320-7857.

[BMikeSci]

RiverParc development will force relocation of opera

By Mark Kanny
TRIBUNE-REVIEW CLASSICAL MUSIC CRITIC
Friday, March 23, 2007

Pittsburgh Opera is facing the biggest move of its 67-year history.
The opera will be forced to vacate its Downtown headquarters, which houses its administrative offices and rehearsal space, when its lease expires in March 2008.

General director Mark Weinstein says the opera may need to raise $5 million or more for the move, including adapting the new location to the company's needs.

But, he says "something like this is better viewed as an opportunity than as a costly distraction from our core business of producing opera. ... I am confident we will be able to maintain the quality of the operas on stage under any circumstances."

He says ticket prices will not be affected by the costs of finding and moving to a new home.
The opera's current location at 801 Penn Ave., leased from Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, will be part of the $460 million RiverParc mixed-use development project, which will include 700 residential units.

When the opera moved into 801 Penn Ave, 10 years ago, it meant "twice the space for half the cost in a sweetheart deal with the Trust," Weinstein says.

Opera and Trust sources declined to reveal financial details of the lease.

"We're going to work with the opera to have an easy transition," says Kevin McMahon, Trust president and chief executive officer. "It's also certainly within the realm of possibility there will be some lease extension."

And while opera and Trust leaders hope the opera will remain based in the Cultural District, Weinstein says finding a suitable space could be difficult. Potential locations could be in the Strip District, South Side or North Side.

Regardless, Weinstein would like to improve rehearsals with the move.

"If we can increase the quality of our rehearsals, we can increase the quality onstage," he says.

The opera now begins rehearsals in a large room at its headquarters. Then the artists work for a week in rehearsal rooms on the second floor of the Benedum Center. But performers finish with just one week of rehearsals with the set on the Benedum stage.

Weinstein hopes to have rehearsal space similar in size to the Benedum stage, so performers will have more time with a full set.

He also wants to use the new space as a black-box theater to present chamber operas and continue its free "Brown-Bag Lunch" performances.

The opera's finances have been stable since Weinstein arrived in 1997, including elimination of $2.5 million in debt. Its annual budget has been balanced at about $8 million, give or take a half million, for the past decade. Its endowment has risen in the same time period from $4 million to $16 million.



Mark Kanny can be reached at mkanny@tribweb.com or (412) 320-7877.

[BMikeSci]

Renewal of old Pittsburgh is a good case to study


By RON LITTLEPAGE, The Times-Union

Thomas Murphy, a former mayor, described the city he governed as a magical place.


It's a city that has a sense of place, a city that is connected by miles and miles of trails and parks, a city that has clean waterways, a city that has a vision.

That city is Pittsburgh.

Yes, Pittsburgh, a city that many associate with pollution, shuttered steel mills, tens of thousands of lost jobs and thousands of acres of abandoned industrial sites.

It's not the Pittsburgh of today, Murphy said.

Through public and private partnerships, abandoned industrial sites have been redeveloped into housing, offices and retail spaces.

What once was a 248-acre slag heap, where the byproduct of steel production had been dumped for 100 years, now has 700 new energy-efficient homes and a 150-acre park.

A former steel mill is now a technology center.

And what once was the heart of Pittsburgh's slaughterhouse industry, a 42-acre island in the Allegheny River that Murphy described as "some of the most polluted property in America," is now Washington Landing, a multiuse development that includes market rate housing, offices, light industrial uses, a marina and a public park.

"The best property in the city ought to be in the public realm," Murphy said.

That's why there are now 30 miles of riverfront parks and trails in Pittsburgh, he said.

It's also why, Murphy said, that the riverfront practice fields for the Pittsburgh Steelers are only 80 yards long. The city insisted that the riverfront be kept in the public domain.

And Pittsburgh's once polluted rivers are now clean enough that a major bass fishing tournament was held in downtown Pittsburgh in 2005.

Murphy made his remarks during JaxPride's annual awards luncheon held Wednesday at the Prime Osborn Convention Center.

Jacksonville can do the same.

"You have good bones in Jacksonville," he said, specifically pointing out the St. Johns River, downtown, the sports complex and McCoy's Creek, what's now basically a sewer but what he said could be "a huge opportunity."

There was a similar stream in Pittsburgh, Murphy said. It was restored by building a series of wetlands that cleaned the water. After a seven-year effort, the stream will be stocked with trout this year, he said.

Murphy said Jacksonville needs to create a vision that "reaches for excellence" and then move on that.

There will be people who say that you can't do it, he said, that there's not enough money, that there needs to be more study.

"At the end of the day, it's about community will," Murphy said.

That community will comes from leadership.

"The decisions that drive a city forward aren't always the most popular," Murphy said.

And, he said, it's the mayor who has to make those hard decisions.

Pittsburgh has been transformed. Jacksonville can be, as well.

Mayor John Peyton was in the audience Wednesday. I hope he was listening.

ron.littlepage@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4284

[BMikeSci]

Duh!

Pittsburgh slots losers don't have to pay, court says


By Andrew Conte
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, March 30, 2007

The losing bidders for Pittsburgh's slots license don't have to put up more than $300 million to cover potential lost gambling revenue during an appeals process, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
State gambling regulators had wanted the losing applicants -- Cleveland-based Forest City Enterprises and St. Louis-based Isle of Capri Casinos -- to each post $84.4 million in bonds to make up what the state estimates it will lose in slots revenue from a six-month appeal.

The winning bidder, PITG Gaming, which plans to open a Majestic Star Casino on the North Shore, asked for another $68 million in bonds from each bidder to cover its estimated losses.

The court rejected those requests.

"We respect the ruling by the Supreme Court, yet firmly believed that we had a fiduciary responsibility to the citizens of the commonwealth to seek this action," said gambling board spokesman Doug Harbach.

Majestic Star spokesman Bob Oltmanns agreed, saying, "We applaud the Gaming Control Board's leadership in this matter, but we obviously respect the court's decision."

Separately, local leaders said yesterday they expect the court to give Majestic Star the license. Pittsburgh and Allegheny County officials created a task force to discuss issues related to the development of a North Shore casino.

There's no sense in waiting for the appeals process to play out, because the court likely will uphold the regulators' decision, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said.

"I believe the Supreme Court will ultimately decide this is going to be the site chosen," Ravenstahl said. "I would be surprised if anything different happens."

County Chief Executive Dan Onorato cited a high threshold for the court to overturn the gambling board's decision.

The Gaming Implementation Task Force will serve as an advisory group, giving local perspectives on issues related to the casino project. The casino location is a 17-acre site along the Ohio River, west of the Carnegie Science Center.

The group draws its 40 members from community organizations, government officials and North Shore property owners, as well as the Steelers and Pirates.

"We really made this a comprehensive task force," Onorato said.

The group replaces the Pittsburgh Gaming Task Force, formed by former Mayor Tom Murphy in 2005 to provide community input on the slots selection process, Ravenstahl said.

The state gambling board awarded the slots license to Majestic Star in December, and its operators planned to open the casino next March. The appeals process has delayed the opening at least until late next summer.

The Supreme Court plans to hear arguments in the appeals case in May.



Andrew Conte can be reached at aconte@tribweb.com or (412) 320-7835.

[hyperion1110]

Check it out...

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/relocating/pittsburgh-pennsylvania.html

National Geographic has ranked Pittsburgh as the number one adventure city...


Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Go From Street to Summit

The best place to witness the new Pittsburgh is from atop Mount Washington, the 1,250-foot (381-meter) hill that rises over the Ohio River. From there you can view the once soot-choked skyline—now a well-arranged collection of modern high-rises and repurposed early-1900s factory buildings. What's most surprising? It's beautiful. Thanks to a 15-year urban renewal program, the city has been revived, morphing from a stronghold of industry into a place that better reflects the surrounding Allegheny Mountains.

This sort of integration into the natural setting is precisely what makes a top-notch adventure city, and, in achieving it, Pittsburgh has become a place where residents can be serious both about their careers and their outdoors. The same shift away from heavy industry that beautified the skyline has also reordered the economy: Over the past decade, hundreds of technology companies of all sizes have set up shop in the Steel City. Still, relocators can take advantage of home prices that remain well below the national average and renovation opportunities in the increasingly trendy downtown zones, such as the artist-filled Oakland neighborhood.

Another sign of Pittsburgh's metamorphosis is that the city's outdoors community now has a central clearinghouse: Venture Outdoors (www.ventureoutdoors.org), a nonprofit that promotes recreation within city limits. The group's comprehensive Web site includes event calendars and activity guides. It can also point you toward area outfitters such as Kayak Pittsburgh, which rents kayaks for exploring the urban-riparian landscape ($24 for two hours; www.kayakpittsburgh.com), and the Ohiopyle Trading Post, which runs half-day rafting trips on the Ohiopyle and Upper Yough Rivers ($63 per person; www.ohiopyletradingpost.com). "We've had to show people—even locals—that they can be active and there are places to do it," says Tricia Chicka of Venture Outdoors. "Once they understand that, there's so much to do."

[PhillyRising]

Granite Building
Status: Under Conversion
Description: Built in 1890, former German National Bank converted into 6 condos.
Location: Downtown
http://www.pbase.com/deadwing/image/66650158.jpg



This would be a really cool building to live in with only 6 condos being offered! I love it and I would live there in two seconds. Downtown Pittsburgh with a much larger residential population will be a special place indeed!

[xyagentguy]

Did Pittsburgh actually rank number one in that National Geographic column or was it just one of several cities that they wrote about recommending for adventure?

[Evergrey]

Did Pittsburgh actually rank number one in that National Geographic column or was it just one of several cities that they wrote about recommending for adventure?

It ranked No. 1 for the Urban Adventure category.

[Evergrey]

This would be a really cool building to live in with only 6 condos being offered! I love it and I would live there in two seconds. Downtown Pittsburgh with a much larger residential population will be a special place indeed!

Holly Brubach... former style editor for New York Times... bought that building last year... her condo is the top 2 floors.
http://www.post-gazette.com/images/20000814hoBrubach.jpg

[Evergrey]

details on the new arena

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07091/773908-53.stm

Pen's plans aim to make life better for loyal fans

Sunday, April 01, 2007

By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Elvis won't want to leave this building.

Not with the larger seats, more leg room, better views, more concessions, and high-definition video.

The Penguins are designing a new $290 million arena that will be fit for a king -- or better yet, for the fans who have endured roof leaks, obstructed views, and cramped concourses at the Igloo for years.

From a glass atrium that will span some five stories and offer views of the Downtown skyline to open concourses at each end that will allow people to catch the action below while buying a hot dog, the goal is to provide a "cutting-edge" experience for fans, Penguins President Ken Sawyer said.

"I just think we're going to have such a terrific building. People are going to be dazzled by the feel inside of it," he said.

The Penguins also will be looking out for the fans at home. They intend to invite broadcast crews and the National Hockey League into the new building to scout out the best locations for TV cameras, lock those in first, and then build around them.

"With HD technology, you particularly want to make sure you maximize the TV experience," Mr. Sawyer said.

The Penguins are working with HOK, the national architectural firm that designed PNC Park and Heinz Field, to develop plans for their new home, which will be built across the street from Mellon Arena. They've been crafting the design for nearly two months, even as they wrangled with state and local leaders to get a new arena deal.

While much of the work is still in the conceptual stage, the team has plenty of ideas to capitalize on the revenue-generating potential of the building.

What once was considered a curse -- the many years it took to get an arena deal in place -- now is working to the Penguins' advantage, as they are able to pick the best features of the newer arenas and incorporate them into their design.

Among the buildings that will serve as guides will be those in Minnesota, Columbus, Florida, Phoenix and Montreal.

The new arena will have about 18,500 seats, some 1,500 more than Mellon. The seats will be larger, with more leg room in the aisles, and "great sight lines from the lowest seat to the absolute highest," Mr. Sawyer said.

There will 65 to 70 suites; there are 50 at Mellon Arena. Mr. Sawyer said they will be larger than the current suites and closer to the ice. The suites also will have Internet access, concierge service and other amenities.

As in Mellon Arena, the Penguins plan to offer more expensive club seating between the blue lines. Fans with those seats also will have their own lounge, the major difference being this one will be at concourse level so they can watch the action rather than going inside without a view of the ice.

The Penguins are promising improved views for virtually all ticket holders. Seats generally will be closer to the ice. The team also is looking at design innovations to bring the upper end zone sections closer to the action.

There will be no obstructed views, as there are in Mellon Arena, where some ticket holders can't see the scoreboard and a few others don't have a look at center ice.

And there will be wider concourses, more concessions, some with a distinct Pittsburgh flavor, and more souvenir stations. In all, the new arena will total some 700,000 square feet, compared to 420,000 at Mellon.

The new scoreboard will feature larger video screens, with high definition capability. An LED board will ring the arena at the suite level and will be used for statistics, animation and advertising.

But with the improved views, better seats, and new amenities usually comes higher ticket prices. A Penguins spokesman said it was too early to discuss ticket prices, but the Steelers and Pirates both raised ticket prices when they moved into their new homes in 2001.

For Sidney Crosby and his teammates, the new arena will feature improved locker rooms and training and exercise facilities.

The players will be able to go directly to the locker room from the bench without having to cross the ice. There also will be a small theater in the locker room where coaches and players can watch tapes of opponents and other film.

Any palace fit for a king should have an entrance, and the new arena will be no exception. It will feature a glass atrium, rising from Fifth Avenue and spanning five stories.

There will be escalators to take fans to the ticketing level and the main concourse.

At the suite level, the team is planning a large restaurant facing Downtown, where diners will be able to look out at the skyline and watch the crowd coming into the arena. Above that, a brew pub is in the works, also with views of the skyline.

Mr. Sawyer said the atrium with its open feel and the views of Downtown and the Epiphany Church, which will sit in front of the arena, probably will be what visitors remember most about the building.

Just as Heinz Field has the Coca-Cola Great Hall, the Penguins also intend to pay homage to their on-the-ice legends.

Their proposed hall of fame, albeit smaller, will pay tribute to team history, the Penguins' Stanley Cup runs in the early 1990s, and, of course, Mario Lemieux. And, Mr. Sawyer said playfully, the team might set aside some space "for another player coming along" right now.

Construction of the arena is expected to begin in the fall. Mr. Sawyer said keeping the project within the $290 million budget will be a "challenge" but he added he believes it can be done.

"We certainly have that expectation as we sit here now," he said.

The construction will be funded with $15 million a year in slots gambling-related revenues and $4.2 million a year from the team.

Like Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, the Penguins hope to take advantage of the arena's newness to recruit more events and concerts. Mr. Sawyer said promoters like new buildings because they generally create a "buzz" and generate larger audiences.

The Penguins already have talked to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman about bringing another All-Star Game to Pittsburgh. The last was here in 1990. They also have an interest in hosting the "Frozen Four," the NCAA hockey equivalent of the Final Four in basketball.

Mr. Sawyer said the Penguins also want to work with Pitt and Duquesne to bring the NCAA men's basketball tournament back. The city hosted the early rounds in 1997 and 2002.

"Clearly with college basketball being so significant here in Pittsburgh, I think we would be a great host city," he said. "We'll now have the capacity to do it."

But don't expect the National Basketball League to be part of the action. Mr. Sawyer said he doesn't believe a market the size of Pittsburgh can support professional basketball and hockey.

"It's just not possible," he said. "The NBA just wouldn't come here. The market's not big enough."

However, the Penguins might take a stab at bringing the U.S. Figure Skating Championships to Pittsburgh and maybe even national political conventions.

They also have a keen interest in hosting the NHL's annual entry draft, held each year in June. "Although we don't expect to be picking high," Mr. Sawyer added with a chuckle, because the teams with the worst records pick first.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Mark Belko can be reached at mbelko@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1262. )

[hyperion1110]

This is a really neat summary of things going on around Pgh from the Post-Gazette


http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07091/773880-85.stm

[Evergrey]

well this Post-Gazette article pretty much does all the work for me concerning my proposed template that I talked about earlier lol

though these $2 billion in projects don't cover everything that's going on...

I would suggest clicking the link to the article... as each "project box" comes with its own set of links

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07091/773880-85.stm

New construction projects are changing the face of Pittsburgh

Sunday, April 01, 2007

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Take a good look around, Pittsburgh. By late 2009, you might not recognize the place.

In less than three years, the Penguins should be in a glittering new arena. Dowdy Fifth Avenue Downtown should be bustling with people, new retailers, new offices, even a luxury hotel. A new casino should be paying off on the North Shore.

It all adds up to nearly $2 billion in investment -- not a bad way to start the second decade of a new century.



Arena
• Location: Uptown, Fifth Avenue
• Function: Penguins hockey, other uses
• Opening: End 2009
• Cost: $290 million
http://www.post-gazette.com/images4/01Hockey_arena_300.jpg


American Eagle Outfitters
• Location: SouthSide Works
• Function: Office building
• Opening: Fall 2008
• Cost: Not disclosed
http://www.post-gazette.com/images4/02american_eagle_300.jpg

Majestic Star casino
• Location: North Shore, Chateau
• Function: Slot machines
• Opening: Summer 2008
• Cost: $435 million
http://www.post-gazette.com/images4/03majestic_casino_300A.jpg


August Wilson Center for African American Culture• Location: Downtown, Liberty Avenue
• Function: Performances, exhibitions, education
• Opening: Early 2008
• Cost: $36 million
http://www.post-gazette.com/images4/04August_Wilson_Center_300.jpg


Children’s Hospital
• Location: Lawrenceville, Penn Avenue,
• Opening: Early 2009
• Cost: $575 million
http://www.post-gazette.com/images4/05children_hospital_300.jpg

Point Park University
• Location: Downtown, Boulevard of the Allies
• Function: Dance studios and performance space
• Opening: Fall 2007
• Cost: $15.4 million
http://www.post-gazette.com/images4/06point_park_dance_230A.jpg


Three PNC Plaza
• Location: Downtown, Fifth Avenue
• Function: Retail, office, condos, hotel
• Opening: 2008
• Cost: $178 million
http://www.post-gazette.com/images4/07Three_pnc_230.jpg

Market Square Place
• Location: Downtown, Fifth Avenue
• Function: Retail and apartments
• Opening: Early 2009
• Cost: $32 million
http://www.post-gazette.com/images4/08Market_Square_Place_300.jpg

151 First Side
• Location: Downtown, Fort Pitt Boulevard
• Function: Condos
• Opening: summer 2007
• Cost: $26 million
http://www.post-gazette.com/images4/09FIRSTSIDE_230.jpg


North Shore Live
• Location: North Shore, North Shore Drive and Art Rooney Boulevard
• Function: Amphitheater, entertainment venues
• Opening: Late 2008
• Cost: $48 million
http://www.post-gazette.com/images4/10north_shore_live_300.jpg

Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
• Location: Downtown, Seventh and Ninth streets
• Function: Housing
• Opening: early 2009
• Cost: $90 million, first phase
http://www.post-gazette.com/images4/11cultural_trust_housing_300.jpg


Other future projects

Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation
Downtown, Market Street and Fifth
Retail and apartments
Opening: Winter 2008
Cost: $2.5 million

Hampton Inn and Suites
Strip District, Smallman Street
Hotel
Opening: Summer 2007
Cost: undetermined

Hyatt Place Hotel
North Shore, North Shore Drive
Opening: End 2008
Cost: Undetermined

Office Building
North Shore, next to Equitable Resources headquarters
Opening: 2009
Cost: Undetermined

Residence Inn
North Shore, Hotel
Opening: Summer 2008
Cost: $20 million

Bridgeside Point II
Lab and office space
South Oakland, Pittsburgh Technology Center
Opening: Spring 2008
Cost: $46 million

Hotel/condos
South Side, SouthSide Works
Opening: 2009
Cost: $30 million

Bakery Square
Larimer, Penn Avenue
Hotel, retail, offices, housing
Opening: 2009
Cost: $105-$125 million

Highland/Stadterman building
East Liberty
Housing, hotel
Opening: Mid 2009
Cost: $37 million

Research, Mark Belko; Graphic, Ed Yozwick/Post-Gazette

[hyperion1110]

:previous: Haha...yeah, that's the link that I posted...I didn't have the will or the technical ability to post all of that...thanks, Evergrey :)

[xyagentguy]

Wow this stuff is really exciting. I hope this can be considered more than a "growth spurt" in a city that is supposedly "stangnant." What I'd really love to see is some MAJOR players come to town and build something that will really dent the skyline.

PNC is a start!!

One more thing, has anyone heard about the big investment going on in Pittsburgh right now on artificial intelligence? I thought I recently heard a few things about a lot of big players in the world banking on Pittsburgh to lead the way for A.I.

[BMikeSci]

New Projects

Don't forget the new rail stations.

435 million (80 percent federally funded)

[BMikeSci]

There will be three new stations constructed. The Gateway Subway Station will be reconstructed. Two stations on the North Shore will be constructed: a subway station underneath Tony Dorsett Drive and an aerial station along Allegheny Avenue near the Carnegie Science Center.

[hyperion1110]

For some time now, Pittsburgh and Boston/Cambridge have been vying for dominance in AI research. For the most part, though, Pgh has to get the nod as the real hub of research and innovation. The first program that attempted to pass the Turing Test (the test by which one determines whether a computer program is intelligent) was written at Pitt a while back, though the name of it eludes me at the moment. Indeed, Pitt is pretty much the locus of interdisciplanry research in AI, drawing on strenths in philosophy (Pitt is 2nd behind only Princeton), neuroscience, computer science and engineering. Throw into the mix CMU's expertise in computer science and robotics, and there is no real competition.

So, while I'm not certain of the exact source you were alluding to, I can vouch for the truth of Pittsburgh being the center of the AI world. Philosophy of mind and artificial intelligence are two of my areas of concentration.

[xyagentguy]

My father seems to be under the impression that part of the Clark building has been bought to be renovated for A.I. pioneers (but isn't it being made into living space?.) Some major A.I. financial support has been entering Pittsburgh.

[xyagentguy]

Holy crap my dad was right!

Friday, July 14, 2006
Quote of the Week
Pittsburgh will be to artificial intelligence what Silicon Valley is to chips.
- Ira Gorman, New York Real Estate Investor and new owner of The Clark Building


Check out today's Pittsburgh Business Times to read about the sale of Downtown's Historic Clark Building to New York real estate investor Ira Gorman.

The 23 story office building has sold for $22.5 million.

I will post a link to the article next week when the internet edition is published, but I wanted to draw your attention to the above quote by Mr. Gorman who is apparently very positive about Pittsburgh, and it's high tech future.

Although many people believe that a downtown office building is not well suited for Robotics and AI company offices, Mr. Gorman is optimistic.

He believes that Pittsburgh is going to be the center for artificial intelligence and robotics, and is putting his money where his mouth is, paying a record $77.00 per square foot. He plans to convert the building, which was once a regional headquarters for Warner Brothers, into a high tech office building.

We hope that Mr. Gorman is successful in his new venture.

http://proudpittsburgh.com/blog/2006/07/quote-of-week.html

[BMikeSci]

Oh, and what about Dusquesne University - $70 million. I guess there are so many projects underway that no one has yet listed them all.

[xyagentguy]

That's where I go to school. :) Surely it's not 70 million for the one building they are constructing? Is it for the long-term plans of the Fifth Ave project?

Oh, my Father was rambling to me today about how some German company just chose Pittsburgh for some type of large scale endeavor. This company was considering several major US cities. What the heck is he talking about now?

[BMikeSci]

My guess is that there are about 5 billion dollars worth of projects started and in the immediate pipeline for downtown PGH, the part of the north shore adjacent to the river, Oakland and its adjacant neighborhoods. I've seen other figures, but my gut feeling is that they were all too low.

[UrbaniDesDev]

The building going up now is the first of The Duquesne University plan
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/DuquesneUniversitymasterPlan2.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/DuquesneUniversityMasterPlan.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/DuquesneUniversityRecreationFacilit.jpg

[UrbaniDesDev]

OK, I did some work on the first post. Thanks for the suggestions and formatting

[Evergrey]

Research, Mark Belko

Mark Belko should have researched this thread for project information... as the Duquesne University expansion is a glaring omission. Metropolitan Shadyside, Lofts on Baum, the Bill Gates building on CMU's campus, the continuing expansion of EastSide, the big housing developments in East Liberty, etc. are not included. And since the P/G is including adaptive reuse and conversions in the list (Bakery Square, Highland, Fifth and Market)... then projects like Piatt Place, Carlyle, Century Building and 945 Penn Ave. should be included.


It is good, however to get a firm date on the Highland Building... which has been a project shrouded in secrecy for the most part. It will be 4 years for the project to be completed after its purchase by the developer.



BTW, I think it's just amazing that a slots casino can cost almost as much as all 3 phases of Riverparc. Where does all the money go? lol



UrbaniDesDev: Great job! Thanks for helping make this a great resource! I love that you opened the thread with that gorgeous picture of our skyline.


Has anybody heard anything about the two proposed 17-story residential towers in Oakland? I haven't heard a peep since they were proposed last summer.

[zeno333]

For some time now, Pittsburgh and Boston/Cambridge have been vying for dominance in AI research. For the most part, though, Pgh has to get the nod as the real hub of research and innovation. The first program that attempted to pass the Turing Test (the test by which one determines whether a computer program is intelligent) was written at Pitt a while back, though the name of it eludes me at the moment. Indeed, Pitt is pretty much the locus of interdisciplanry research in AI, drawing on strenths in philosophy (Pitt is 2nd behind only Princeton), neuroscience, computer science and engineering. Throw into the mix CMU's expertise in computer science and robotics, and there is no real competition.

So, while I'm not certain of the exact source you were alluding to, I can vouch for the truth of Pittsburgh being the center of the AI world. Philosophy of mind and artificial intelligence are two of my areas of concentration.

One can mainly thank Adolf Grumbaum for the University of Pittsburgh's highly ranked Philsophy department.

[xyagentguy]

wow! The front page is fantastic! Thank you so much for all the work that must have been put into that! You might want to even add the general "SouthSide Works" and all the apartments and commerce there - it wasn't terribly long ago and I consider it part of this new growth. Pittsburgh Mills is also something to consider. Where is Google building their Pittsburgh engineering office? And although not in Pittsburgh, not far in Belleview (I think) there was that public school that was converted into living space which was an interesting and successful project that got Pittsburgh's name out there.

Someone mentioned how expesive the casino is - almost as much as the Cultural District Project.

How about looking at the price tag on the new children's hospital. I hope Pittsburgh has the most cutting edge children's hospital in the world for that kind of money. LOL.

[Evergrey]

btw... just a refresher for those Oakland projects we haven't heard about since last summer...

This Biz Times article from June announced a number of major Oakland projects:
http://pittsburgh.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2006/06/19/story1.html?t=printable
including:

THE CHELSEA, a 17-story $60 million "mixed-use" project on the corner of Craig and Center where there now exists a 35-space public parking lot (I just parked there a couple weeks ago.) This is near that small collection of restaurants including Tamarind Indian Restaurant on Craig and the international vegetarian restaurant, that ribs and chicken place, a small Turkish restaurant, etc. The Chelsea is being developed by Guy Totino of Polaris Real Estate Equities LLC. The tower is to include 156 apartments, parking garage and 9000 sq. ft. of neighborhood-serving retail. 5 nearby houses will be demolished.

The article also mentions a 17-story 56-unit condo tower "within the same block"... closer to Schenley High School... 6 houses will be demolished. R.E. Crawford Construction is developing this. These high-density projects fit into the recently-completed plan for the Baum-Center Corridor.

A third project mentioned is mixed-use project on Fifth Ave. that could include 250k-800k sq. ft. of office space (that's a large range). To be developed by Fransol LLC. Haven't heard a thing about this.

A fourth project mentioned is a nine-story office building that would front on Bigelow Blvd on a lot next to the First Baptist Church... developed by Elmhurst Group. This is actually going to be 8 stories now... it's an acute medical facility.

This Biz Times editorial from the same issue also addresses these projects:
http://pittsburgh.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2006/06/19/editorial1.html

The Chelsea will sit across the recently-shuttered Giant Eagle on Center... I wonder if there are any plans for THAT property.

In June, the Trib reported on The Chelsea... the first floor will be retail/parking... the next two floors parking... and the floors above apartments... it says construction could begin in late summer 2007

In June, Pop City covered The Chelsea:
http://www.popcitymedia.com/developmentnews/totino.aspx
http://www.popcitymedia.com/galleries/Default/Dev%20News/Issue%2017/view11.jpg

The article stated that Guy Totino was negotiating to purchase additional properties... which would double the number of apartment units (up to 300 or so)... and increase the retail to 22,000 sq. ft.



This Tribune-Review article from September talked about a 6-story 200-unit upscale hotel to be developed in Oakland by R.E. Construction... who is also the developer for the proposed 17-story condo tower on Center.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_470360.html
This hotel is to be constructed at the site of a gas station at 4621 Forbes Ave. As of today, the shuttered gas station seems to be used as an informal parking lot.


Biz Times in Sept. also mentioned this hotel project:
http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2006/09/18/story3.html?t=printable

The developer mentioned they would have a more developed plan public within 60 days.. I have never seen this!

This Pop City article from September gave an update on the 8-story acture care medical facility planned for Bigelow and Bayard.... I don't recall ever seeing this rendering and I read Pop City religiously
http://www.popcitymedia.com/developmentnews/40elm.aspx

http://www.popcitymedia.com/galleries/Default/Dev%20News/Issue%2050/elmhurst_group_300.jpg
8 stories and 120k sq. ft.

[edncc1701d]

UrbaniDesDev... great work on compiling all that information and cleaning up the front page. It looks great! :tup:

[xyagentguy]

Can someone do me a favor and explain to me the nature of this market square development? I thought all that fell thru. Is market square going to be renovated and such? It really is such a neat little area of town, would be a shame if it didn't get some love in all this.

[BMikeSci]

Oakland is really becoming what it should be. Compare Oakland to Cambridge, Massachusettes. Oakland has just about everything Cambridge has - plus all the medical hospitals. Now, Cambridge has been a destination and a very expensive, high serviced, well maintained area for years. Oakland should be the same. There will always be a high demand there for apartments in Oakland, but landlords have not kept up their buildings and their rents. It seems that this is changing now and even west Oakland is starting to move up.

[BMikeSci]

Is anything in the pipeline to fix-up Panther Hollow and the rest of the park?