[Evergrey]

starcrash already posted this in the Northeast forum... this is a big deal! The development news for E. Liberty never seems to end!

http://pittsburgh.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2006/06/19/daily15.html?t=printable

Walnut has plans for Nabisco plant
Pittsburgh Business Times - 2:29 PM EDT Tuesdayby Tim Schooley
Walnut Capital Partners is beginning to market its preliminary plans for converting the enormous Nabisco bakery plant in East Liberty into a new, mixed-use lifestyle development.

Anthony Dolan, a principal of Shadyside-based Walnut Capital partners, confirmed the company has established a purchase agreement on the former baking plant.

The Regional Industrial Development Corporation of Southwestern Pennsylvania owns the building, which closed down in 2004 after more than 80 years as a major employer in the neighborhood.

Officials for RIDC were not available for comment.

The facility was originally built in 1918 by the then-named National Biscuit Co.

While Dolan wouldn't provide a purchase price or a closing date for an acquisition, he acknowledged that Walnut Capital is marketing the project to retailers at meetings for the International Council of Shopping Centers, a retail industry trade group.

Walnut Capital first started marketing the project at the ICSC Spring Convention in Las Vegas last month. The firm plans to show its plans to the local retail brokerage community at an ICSC Idea Exchange meeting in Pittsburgh this week.

"Our vision for the project is an urban mixed-use center," said Dolan. "It's a very exciting project. It's a neighborhood-transforming project."

The facility includes more than 495,000-square feet of space spanning seven acres.

Walnut plans to reconfigure the building, which some in the preservationist community consider historically significant, for new offices, retail and residential use, also seeking to develop a new hotel into the facility.

Dolan declined to provide how much space would be dedicated to the different types of uses plan for the building, calling any proposal early stage and subject to change.

Yet as the firm has sought new development opportunities in the Baum-Centre corridor, Dolan believes there is strong demand for space in the building.

"There's a lot of pent-up demand," said Dolan. "It's probably one of the most dynamic areas of the city in terms of job creation. Retailers want a piece of that action."

East Liberty has seen new retail life in recently years, with a highly successful Whole Foods operating there, along with Home Depot. Almost next door to the baking facility, cult grocer Trader Joe's plans to open by the end of the year.

The facility was formerly under option by Cleveland-based developer John Ferchill, who planned to develop the building for residential use.

Dolan expects to make a more formal about Walnut Capital's plans for the building in the near future, further emphasizing the project's scope is subject to revision.

"It's still very, very, very early stage," he said.

tschooley@bizjournals.com | (412) 481-6397 x244

[Evergrey]

The South Side nightlife scene continues to grow... Town Tavern and Carson City Saloon are other big recent additions to the corridor. It's good to hear Diesel plans to present a lot of live music.... which should help fill the void Nick's Fat City left.


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

June 21, 2006
Diesel fuels Pittsburgh’s nightlife with new $1.5. million South Side club
The latest addition to Pittsburgh’s nightlife is club diesel lounge, located at 1601 East Carson in the South Side. Diesel’s doors swung open on June 9, occupying a 7,000 square-foot, multi-level renovated space that formerly housed Nick’s Fat City.

Diesel features local, regional and national bands as well as resident DJ H, formerly of Sanctuary. An exclusive VIP lounge features giant glass panels that overlook the main bar.

“You can reserve space in our VIP area. It is very hospitable; our goal is to make you feel at home,” says Emily Geyman, marketing director.

What impresses people, she adds, is the lighting. “We have an LED wall with lights that move with our music. We worked with lighting designers from Miami who are among the biggest in the world,” says Geyman.

And they’re bringing back bands to Carson that are popular in the area. “Pittsburgh loves live music,” says Geyman.

Diesel’s kitchen serves light fare, such as quesadillas, shrimp, and "Pittsburgh sushi”--Diesel Maki, BBQ chicken and pizza rolls.

Owners Adam and Michael DeSimone (nicknamed “diesel,”) along with father Patrick, opened diesel after recognizing “the upscale trend of Southside.” Adam is a retail real estate developer and commercial broker with The Paradise Development Group, while Michael works as a planner with American Eagle Outfitters.

“I've seen Southside town homes and row houses double in price since I graduated from Duquesne University five years ago. That's a good indication of a hot real estate market," says Adam DeSimone.

With a capacity of 700, diesel is available for private parties and events.


Writer: Jennifer Baron
Source: Emily Geyman, marketing director, diesel.

http://www.popcitymedia.com/galleries/Default/Dev%20News/Issue%2017/diesel_04.jpg

http://www.dieselpgh.com/

admittedly... I'm not to excited about their upcoming schedule of live acts... mostly tribute bands and crappy Penn State regulars... ugh

Tuesday, June 20 - Good Brother Early (Accoustic)
Thursday, June 22 - Ten...a tribute to Pearl Jam
Tuesday, June 27 - Eric & Justin of Mercury (Accoustic)
Thursday, June 29 - Emily's Toy Box
Tuesday, July 4th - Dave Matthews Tribute Band
Thursday, July 6th - Green Eggs

[Evergrey]

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

June 21, 2006
Four new homes underway, two new townhouses planned for Squirrel Hill
A project of new houses and townhomes is underway in Squirrel Hill. Four houses, located at 272-285 Anita Avenue, are being designed and developed by Alan Dunn of Dunn and Associates and College Development.

The project comprises slightly less than one acre. Two houses are now complete and occupied; one is currently under construction and one lot is for sale. The four houses, single-family dwellings, vary from 6-8,000 square feet.

“What is unusual is that I live within a block of the development and have taken a strong personal interest in the project,” says Alan Dunn. “Lots are often controlled by builders who generally discourage interaction between architects and buyers. In this instance, I incorporated a caveat that I would work with the buyers to custom fit the houses. We kept the door open for competitive bidding to find a contractor that best fits the owners’ interests.”

“This is a small enclave of homes that incorporates elements not generally found in the city and suburbs. This represents the only new single family residential housing in Squirrel Hill other than Summerset” adds Dunn.

The contemporary homes will feature green elements such as daylighting, radiant heat and HEPA filters and snowmelt systems.

Construction on the two townhomes is set to being in the fall.


Writer: Jennifer Baron
Source: Alan Dunn, College Development and Dunn and Associates, Inc.

http://www.popcitymedia.com/galleries/Default/Dev%20News/Issue%2017/anita_avenue_houses_03.jpg

[Evergrey]

details emerge concerning one of the new tall buildings in Oakland

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

156 apartments and 9000 sf retail planned in new Oakland high-rise

http://www.popcitymedia.com/galleries/Default/Dev%20News/Issue%2017/view11.jpg

If all goes as planned, a city-owned parking lot at the corner of Center and Craig in Oakland will soon give way to a new mixed-use, 17-story high-rise building. Polaris Real Estate Equities, based in Cleveland, is negotiating with the city for the sale of the lot while planning the building which includes 9000 square feet of retail and 156 two to four-bedroom apartments along with underground and above ground parking.


This is the first project in Pittsburgh for Polaris owner and ex-Pittsburgher Guy Totino, who plans to move back to the city soon. “We love the urban density of the Oakland area and the convergence of the University of Pittsburgh and CMU and UPMC,” he said. “The market is severely underserved from a rental standpoint.” Most of the rental property in that area of Oakland area is very old, he adds.


His group plans a “more upscale, urban, high-end design” with an open floor plan. Ratio Architects from Indianapolis will design the building.


Totino says he is also negotiating for the purchase of parcel lots adjacent to the property. If he is able to buy them the building will be greatly expanded with up to 22,000 square feet of retail and nearly double the apartment units.


The Duquesne University grad and diehard Steeler fan still considers himself a Pittsburgher despite an absence of eleven years. He’s anxious to return to town with his family and, he says, Pittsburgh is very fortunate to have leaders such as Mayor Bob O’Connor and Councilman Bill Peduto with whom he has been working. “The city is very lucky to have them,” he says, noting that Peduto is committed to economic development and to the community as well.


“We are committed to fit into the community and meet expectations the best we can,” he said.

Writer: Tracy Certo
Source: Guy Totino, Polaris Real Estate Equities

[Evergrey]

Here's an article on how artists have transformed the once run-down Penn Ave. corridor at the Garfield-Friendship border. Just go to the link to see all the pictures (too many to post here). It is definately a cutting-edge, funky scene.

http://www.popcitymedia.com/features/pennave.aspx

Recreating a Neighborhood through Art
By: Robert Isenberg

June 21, 2006
After decades of deterioration, what was once a slum, and the dividing line between Friendship and Garfield, has evolved over the last dozen years or so into the Penn Avenue Arts District, an epicenter for arts and culture.

The area has rapidly attracted eccentric entrepreneurs and start-up arts organizations. One by one, retired buildings have been purchased and renovated, transformed into galleries, art classrooms and stages. The newly arrived dollar store adds another dimension to the district, offering bargain items for the more daring souls venturing into the area, bringing with them a down-payment and a dream. Thanks in large part to this slice of Penn Avenue, Garfield and Friendship have all the potential to thrive- and not just on First Friday art-walks.

That was then


Back in 1998, an anonymous foundation approached the Friendship Development Associates after noticing their revitalization efforts in the neighborhood. “They wanted to challenge us to see if we could turn that mile of Penn Ave around with the influence of the arts, with an initial grant of $150, 000,” says developer and Pop City publisher Eve Picker, who was president of the organization at the time. After much thought, the group decided to use the funds in three ways:

1) Microgrants for artists - to provide mini art courses (mostly for kids) along Penn Avenue;
2) Matching grants for the URA's facade program, for artists or others who purchased buildings and located arts-related activities in them;
3) Technical assistance for any developer or artist wanting to locate in the district.



“Penn Avenue was almost like the Berlin Wall between Garfield, Bloomfield and Friendship when I moved there 20 years ago," says Picker. The group eventually hired Jeffrey Dorsey to market buildings to artists. "When we thought about a name for the district, we wanted to call it the 'Zipper District', referring to sewing the two neighborhoods together. Unfortunately," she cracks, "that was the Clinton era."
Now the area, better known as the Penn Avenue Arts District, is the seam between the three neighborhoods--Bloomfield, Garfield and Friendship--and offers much to visitors.

Gallery Row

ModernFormations Gallery and Garfield Artworks are two of the most respected art-houses in the city – and they have a lot in common. Located only a block from each other, they are both small, intimate, and malleable; within days, their curators can set up an art installation, a stage play or a rock concert. Each can comfortably hold 40 to 50 people, and they’re both cozy, hospitable, and smoke-free. They’re easy to find, but only if you’re looking for them. Operated by young, energetic directors, both galleries were designed with variety in mind – hip-hop, spoken word, touring indie bands, New Age ragas, sculpture, stand-up comedy, and almost anything else imaginable.


The acclaimed Pittsburgh Glass Center elaborates upon this do-it-yourself theme, with its workshop-focused classes and spectacular facilities: Eight fully-functional glory-holes, a 900-sq.-ft. flame-working studio, a 770-sq.-ft. cold-working studio, natural gas and propane hand-torches and a spacious, well-attended gallery for completed works. The instructors are all masters of their craft, and students of all levels are welcome for classes you won’t get anywhere else in town.


Edge Studio, an architecture firm that scoops up AIA Pittsburgh Design Awards every year, features gallery space in its quarters on Penn across from the Quiet Storm. And the area is also home to the Sprout Fund, the grant-dispensing vehicle for dozens of smaller organizations and projects, not only in Friendship and Garfield, but across the city.


Live Theater


When Michael Moats staked his claim on 4809 Penn Avenue in the late 1990's, the building was a run-down Laundromat. After back-breaking renovations, Moats created the Penn Avenue Theatre, a 50-seat black-box with a generous dressing room and welcoming lobby. When Mark Clayton Southers bought the space a few years later, re-christening it the Penn Theater, he sealed the tradition of stage productions in the neighborhood.


Now the area is home to Attack Theatre, a daring dance-company that moved in next door. Sadly, the Penn Theater moved on to become Pittsburgh Playwrights, Downtown, but Attack lives on, creating innovative multi-media performances for a broad audience (in the words of one critic in France, “delicious moments of intimacy”). The studio is no-frills but voluminous, a comfortable atmosphere for dance lovers and newbies alike, with the steel girders and broad windows that would excite any loft fanatic.


Just down the street is the headquarters of Dance Alloy, a school and showcase performance center that also caters to both the novice and afficionado. Dance Alloy has a mobile presence, performing in nearby Oakland and East Liberty, and it complements Attack Theatre with provocative vision.


Future stage performers are nurtured every school day at the Rogers Middle School for the Creative and Performing Arts, also located in Garfield.


Victuals and Beverages


Unlike Bloomfield next door, the Penn Avenue business district isn’t a dining mecca, packed with restaurants, clubs, bars and cafés. The eateries are few and widely dispersed – but among choosy diners, they’re some of the most beloved in the city. Hipsters and students will swear by Peoples, a one-room corner restaurant with a small sign over the door and ever-drawn blinds; fans insist that dinner at People’s offer the best Indian cuisine in Pittsburgh.


But nothing compares to the Quiet Storm, the coffee shop/restaurant/concert venue on the easternmost edge of the district. The café is relaxed, fashionable and upbeat; and thanks to its progressive owners and clientele, it has smoothly integrated into the neighborhood. The Quiet Storm has hosted every kind of musician, spoken word artist, CD release party and benefit, and the menu is designed to suit any diet (where else could you find a “spicy peanut wrap,” or a fusion of quesadilla and pierogie officially dubbed the “pierogidilla”)? Finally, even people who never take the trip to Garfield will travel across the city for the Quiet Storm’s unparalleled Sunday brunch (and who wouldn’t try a tofu-packed breakfast burrito, with a dollop of homemade salsa?).


Revision, Revision, Revision

Not every idea has worked in the Penn Avenue Arts District: In 2003, the Ultraviolet Loop promised to infuse the neighborhood with fresh new visitors, depositing them in the district for major events. The Loop worked for a short time, but the free bus service eventually dwindled and perished. More daunting still, the City put a $15 million, neighborhood-wide renovation project on hold – which means the rust-eaten sewer lines and weathered street curbs are staying for awhile longer.


Yet other ideas took off. The most successful unifying project has been Unblurred, a First Friday promenade similar to the one in Philadelphia’s Center City, with free gallery openings and concerts open to the public. The open-door policy has been a powerful gesture of trust and commitment in a neighborhood that has once feared by outsiders. Attendance tends to fluctuate with the weather and Garfield’s events often compete with sports events, fireworks and Cultural District festivities.

But the neighborhood is building back every year, and many anticipate a rapid transformation in the next decade – spurred by dirt-cheap real estate and growing cache. With so much enthusiasm pushing the development process along, we can imagine Friendship and Garfield returning to their former glory – and then some.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Robert Isenberg is a freelance writer whose book, The Pittsburgh Monologues, was just published. His last story for Pop City was on Shadyside.

[Grego43]

Great developments!

Question regarding the new PNC building: Has the brand name been announced for the hotel going into the PNC Plaza? Any rumored names? I'd love to see, and the city surely needs a high-end property such as Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, etc.

[Evergrey]

I have not seen any information concerning the proposed hotel section of the new PNC skyscraper... I'm not even sure how much of the tower is to be devoted to the hotel. There are several hotel projects recently completed or undergoing development on the periphery of downtown, but nothing on the scale of a Ritz.

[Wheelingman04]

I can't wait until these towers are completed in Oakland.

[UrbaniDesDev]

I wanted to re-post the night view of the proposed parking garage/Greyhound Station. It wouldn't permit me earlier
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/GreyhoundStationnight.jpg

I also wanted to bring up the controversy over the $15 million that was slated for Penn Avenue in Bloomfield being transfered to East Liberty. I think this is a wise, yet difficult decision. I see it as a smart maneuver, as East Liberty is on a tremendous roll and we must act promptly. The plan is to reconfigure the streets in East Liberty to be more like the pre-apocalyptic 60's restructure. It is the right time, unfortunately, Bloomfield will have to wait. In the long run, both areas will benefit more from this decision. I don't think we can pass on the explosion that has taken East Liberty. It's a turn araound that can spread to all surrounding communities.

[PittPenn 03]

http://www.postgazette.com/pg/pp/06172/699837.stm

Point Park University unveils plans for new dance building
Wednesday, June 21, 2006

By Patricia Lowry, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



Taking inspiration from the former Keystone Athletic Club next door, Point Park University's new $15.4 million dance building will blend seamlessly into the 300 block of the Boulevard of the Allies, Downtown.


Design Alliance
The $15.4 million dance studio along the Boulevard of the Allies will include a 200-seat performance space on the first floor and is expected to open late next summer for the 2007-2008 school year.
Click photo for larger image.



But it may prove to be a standout building for the 220 students who will use it, providing larger, taller, more professional studios that will allow more adventurous movement.

The facility's 200-seat, first-floor performance space will give students more time in front of an audience and provide opportunities for student choreographers to develop and showcase their abilities. The university hopes to stage new productions there, open to the public, about every six weeks.

"This building will allow us to have a 12-month dance presence in the city," Ron Lindblom, dean of the school's Conservatory of Performing Arts, said at a luncheon yesterday in the ballroom of Point Park's Lawrence Hall, where a computer rendering of the facade was revealed.

The Design Alliance's contextual approach to the design fits a building that will function as an addition to Lawrence Hall -- built in 1929 at the corner of Wood Street and Boulevard of the Allies as the Gothic-inspired, brick and limestone Keystone Athletic Club, designed by Benno Janssen and his partner Alexander Cocken.

The new dance building, which is yet to be named, will not have front doors on the boulevard; entrance will be through Lawrence Hall, to which it will function as an addition. In its basement, the new structure will provide new heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems for its older neighbor, which houses 10 dance studios -- none of the size and quality of those designed for the new building.

Point Park's dance program will admit 80 new students in the fall, gleaned from 800 students who were auditioned in 14 cities by faculty members.

"We're not planning to grow in size [by increasing the total number of students], but to spread out what we have to allow our current students to have a better program," said Susan Stowe, chair of the dance program. "They're kind of crowded now."

The new facade borrows Lawrence Hall's brick pilasters and limestone caps, alternating them with large windows that will bring natural light to the dance studios. On the top floor, an aluminum canopy will provide some shade for a wall of windows with a southern exposure. The building is being designed as an energy-efficient structure seeking L.E.E.D. (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The new facility will be about as tall as a five-story building, but will hold only three extended-height floors, for now. In a possible second phase, the building could grow another floor of studios.

The $15.4 million cost of the new building includes $2.5 million in site acquisition; three buildings there were demolished in the spring. The new building is expected to open late next summer for the 2007-2008 school year.

Point Park alumnus and Broadway actor Billy Hartung, who graduated 15 years ago, told the gathering of faculty, trustees, students and other supporters that "in New York there is a saying, 'Welcome to the block,' when you enter your first Broadway show. I think this building is saying to Point Park students, 'Welcome to the block.' "

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

There is a rendering on the Post Gazette website. I cannot figure out how to get it into the post.

[EventHorizon]

Here it is PittPenn:tup:
http://www.post-gazette.com/images4/20060621ho_DancePointPark_450.jpg

If you're using Firefox, just right-click on the image and select "copy image location" -- then paste that url into the "insert image" option of the tool bar (http://images.skyscraperpage.com/images_pb/editor/insertimage.gif)


;)

[Evergrey]

Here's a review on the food kiosks at the recently completed Schenley Plaza in Oakland...

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06173/700076-242.stm

Munch goes to Schenley Plaza
Thursday, June 22, 2006

In "Big Yellow Taxi," folksinger Joni Mitchell lamented, "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot." Upon visiting the newly christened Schenley Plaza in Oakland, one cannot help but think that for once, paradise fought back, in the form of a perfect little slice of urban greenspace built over a former parking lot between the Hillman and Carnegie Libraries in Oakland. The $10 million transformation from parking lot to park-like plaza was designed by Sasaki Associates and modeled on New York's Bryant Park.




This may be a sweet reward for various atrocities inflicted upon Oakland over decades: the tearing down of Forbes Field, construction of the Towers dorms, Johnny Majors' second stint at Pitt.

Even a Nittany Lion could appreciate the amenities: movable tables and chairs and a 1-acre lawn to put them on, small gardens for quiet conversations, wireless Internet access, a big tent for shelter and shade, restrooms, 24-hour security and even a carousel.

The carousel was inspired both by Schenley Park's long-vanished one at the corner of Panther Hollow and Greenfield roads and the one in Bryant Park. It holds 20 people, on 15 1950s-style animals or in a handicapped-accessible chariot and a spinning tub suitable for small children and their parents. Carousel rides are $1.25 per ride, and it will be open seven days a week from May through October.

Munch was able to catch a performance of another local asset, the Zany Umbrella Circus, a truly cool and cosmic play on the greatest show on earth. The circus will perform as part of the ongoing summer programming in the plaza, which also includes performances, live jazz, docent-led tours of Schenley Park and a National Geographic film series.

Four food kiosks in the park offer a range of stuff to nosh on, perfect for those looking to lounge in the park, or just to get a quick bite between classes or business meetings.

The Bagel Factory offers a truncated version of the menus available at their Shadyside and Squirrel Hill outlets, including breakfast sandwiches, bagels, coffee and soups. Full-sized and personal pan pizzas are available at the Schenley Pizza Co. ($6-13) as well hoagies and thick milkshakes.

The Dog House specializes in -- what else? -- hot dogs and kielbasa and Italian sausages and all the fixin's from Chicago-style to a Jalepeno Dog and a BBQ Dog ($1.75 to $4). Best Bud of Munch (BBOM) tore his teeth into a juicy BBQ Dog. Tasty, but BBOM said that the proprietors of a certain well-known hot dog shop down the street shouldn't be worried.

But Munch was intrigued mostly by the menu at the Asia Tea House. If there is another place in the known universe that offers both Maki Rolls and Funnel Cake, Munch has yet to hear of it.

Smoked Salmon and Cucumber, Char-Broiled Eel & Egg, and Shrimp and Cucumber, and California Rolls are all available, a dozen for $6. The Asia Tea House also specializes in Chinese staples such as beef, chicken or shrimp Lo Mein and Fried Rice and General Tso's Chicken, Bourbon Chicken, Pepper Steak (all $5) and appetizers of Vegetable, Chicken or Shrimp Egg Rolls (75 cents to $1.45). These entrees can be washed down with sweet bubble tea in eight flavors ranging from Honeydew to Pink Rose ($2.50).

Munch could not pass up the allure of a stand where the Far East meets West Mifflin (as in Kennywood) and had a dozen of the smoked salmon rolls and some funnel cake for dessert. The rolls were a little dry, but for fast food, Munch wasn't complaining. Munch had not had funnel cake in years and wasn't quite ready for a shockwave of sugar and fried fat that assaulted the system like a big dose of morphine -- that is to say it makes you high, then you pass out. Munch got the nods like Chris-tah-fah Moltisanti in that fairgrounds relapse scene a few weeks ago on "The Sopranos" after downing the treat, which probably had calories in the range of the national debt.

The food stands are open daily and seem to close between 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. Munch couldn't get a definitive answer on this, and thinks that it may be based on foot traffic. A full-service Atria's restaurant is expected to open in a new building on the grounds in 2007.

The park scene offered what one might expect given the close proximity to a college campus: Some nubile young ladies lay sunbathing while a trio of shirtless guys, probably named Chad, Tyler, and Brody, conveniently tossed a Frisbee in close proximity to said chiquitas. A group of twentysomethings played pickup soccer while others read, pecked on laptops or zoned out with their iPods.

Munch has seen the Cathedral of Learning countless times and has attended numerous weddings in Heinz Chapel. But just relaxing and admiring the architecture from the vantage of a perfectly manicured lawn with a deep blue sky background gave this native a fresh perspective of these stately structures. Likewise the students and office workers moving past like ants marching gave new appreciation of the city's thriving university district.

In a town where we're conditioned to believe that the grass is always greener somewhere else, perhaps the grass has literally never been so green in Oakland.


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

(Schenley Plaza is on Forbes Avenue in Oakland between the Hillman and Carnegie libraries. For more information, log onto www.schenleyplaza.org. )

[Evergrey]

more details concerning the Nabisco plant... AND additional East Liberty projects

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06173/700218-28.stm

Target, hotel, offices may be next for East Liberty
Thursday, June 22, 2006

By Teresa F. Lindeman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



East Liberty, a historic retail hub that spent years in the doldrums before luring in Home Depot and Whole Foods Market, has certainly caught the attention of retailers and developers.

Mayor Bob O'Connor told a gathering of real estate professionals yesterday that discount retailer Target is looking at locations in the area in a project being handled by Eastside developer Mosites Co. and Echo Real Estate Services, an O'Hara firm connected to Giant Eagle.

Meanwhile, another local developer has drawn up plans that would turn the former Nabisco bakery on Penn Avenue into the anchor of a six-acre mixed-used project blending about 130,000 square feet of retail space with 150,000 square feet of office space, a 1,200-car parking garage, a 120-room hotel, 38 residential units and a fitness center.

The movement comes a month after upscale discount grocer Trader Joe's confirmed plans to put its first Pittsburgh-area location into the Wheeler Paint building at 6393 Penn Ave., a former post office near the former Nabisco plant. Not far away, Giant Eagle is remodeling a grocery on Centre Avenue -- complete with places for people to live above the store.

"The momentum's been very good," said Steve Mosites, whose Eastside development along Centre helped get things rolling with the opening of the region's first Whole Foods four years ago.

Mr. Mosites was at the International Council of Shopping Centers gathering yesterday at the Westin Convention Center hotel trying to finish leasing the last 20 percent of a 90,000-square-foot shopping center being built next to the grocer. His company also is starting work on additional property just across Highland Avenue.

Though he declined yesterday to identify sites Target might consider, a plan drawn up by a New York consulting firm a couple of years ago suggested putting some kind of anchor, perhaps a general merchandise store such as Target or Wal-Mart, on or near the intersection of Penn and Centre to help connect the shops in the area.

The proposal for Bakery Square At Eastside, as the Nabisco project is being called, is preliminary and will need input from retailers who might sign on for space as well as from the community, said Anthony J. Dolan, a principal in Shadyside-based development firm Walnut Capital.

"I see us being the catalyst to make that connection from Fifth and Penn down to East Liberty," said Mr. Dolan. He said construction probably couldn't start for at least 18 to 24 months, and it has not been determined if public money will be needed.

The seven-story brick bakery was shuttered by Nabisco in 1998, restarted a year later and then closed again when a different baking group filed for bankruptcy. The structure is owned by the Regional Industrial Development Corp. Other developers have had plans for the building only to see them fall through.

Response to the Bakery Square proposal has been strong from national specialty retailers, said Herky Pollock, a CB Richard Ellis/Pittsburgh real estate broker. That might not have been true a decade ago before Home Depot and Whole Foods ventured into East Liberty, he said.

Now there's more confidence that residents of affluent Shadyside, Squirrel Hill and Point Breeze will venture there for the right stores. "It's probably the juiciest trade area in the entire region," said Mr. Dolan.

Still, development in the neighborhood is likely to face a few more bumps in the road.

The future of the Reizenstein Middle School across Penn Avenue from the bakery is unclear, as is that of the nearby Shop 'n Save, which is one of several stores in the region put up for sale by grocery distributor Supervalu.

A spokeswoman for the Minnesota company rejected rumors that the new Shop 'n Save, which opened last year, might be closed.


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

(Teresa F. Lindeman can be reached at tlindeman@post-gazette.com or at 412-263-2018. )


http://www.post-gazette.com/images4/20060622East_Liberty_dev.gif

[themaguffin]

I don't think that this was posted. This is a rather decent size project, albeit, a suburban one and one with many smaller buildings (though one "big" one is planned) and of course a hotel...

Dunn Development plans office park, 10-story hotel in Robinson Township
Pittsburgh Business Times - June 16, 2006by Robert Sandler
A project that has been in the works for more than a decade could finally be coming to fruition on a hill overlooking Interstate 79 in Robinson Township.

Richard Dunn, through his Canonsburg-based Dunn Development & Management, is planning an office park that could hold more than 1 million square feet of office space, along with a 10-story hotel, on 28 acres along Campbells Run Road. The property is just off the new Ridge Road/Campbells Run Road exit from the Parkway West, but it has 1,700 feet of frontage on northbound I-79.

The office park has been planned since 1995, but Dunn said he was simply waiting for the new exit to open, which it did this past winter.

"The reason we waited was that we knew the Campbells Run Road exit was coming in," Dunn said. "Before, people going east into the city didn't have a way to get into the property. ... Now that the exit's in, the property has skyrocketed in value."

Dunn said he is arranging a loan to build the main road through the property -- parts of which are owned by Downtown lawyer Victor Pribanic and the Full Gospel Church of Carnegie. Dunn intends to buy both and hopes to start construction in about 60 days. Drawings of the project by Kauper Architects show eight 50,000-square-foot office buildings, along with a much larger office building of unspecified size and the hotel. Since plans are still preliminary, he said he couldn't estimate the project's cost.

Dunn said he's beginning to search for tenants and is working through the state Department of Environmental Protection and Robinson Township's permitting process.

Dunn previously ran a construction company in Oman and has developed properties in southwestern Pennsylvania, including the Highlands at Carnegie.

Office vacancy rates have been high throughout the Pittsburgh region, especially in the Parkway West corridor. A recent report from Downtown-based Grubb and Ellis Co. shows 19.2 percent vacancy throughout the region through the first quarter, and 25 percent vacancy along the Parkway West.

But Dunn said the market is tight for large-scale users.

"If someone wants to get five, 10 or 20,000 square feet, they can take it, but someone who wants 500,000 square feet, it's just not available," Dunn said.

Jeremy Kronman, an office broker with Downtown-based CB Richard Ellis/Pittsburgh who is not affiliated with Dunn's project, noted the site's proximity to two other office parks, Penn Center West and Settler's Cabin Business Park. Even with the nearby competition, Kronman said it would be "a good location for an office park."

While vacancy rates are high in the aggregate, much of the unused space is in relatively small spaces, he said, so a large-scale user could be attracted to a large building.

"One would have to be cautious, looking at building into that market," Kronman said. "At the same time, there's a shortage of large-box ... good, class-A blocks of 50,000 square feet or higher."

[Wheelingman04]

^ Thanks for posting this. I didn't hear about it.:)

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http://kdka.com/local/local_story_173171049.htmlNorth Shore Plans Include More Restaurants, Bars

Jon Delano
Reporting

(KDKA) PITTSBURGH Sports is already big business on Pittsburgh's North Shore.

Now there’s word of more plans that go beyond just Heinz Field and PNC Park.

They include a themed restaurant and other entertainment venues.

KDKA Money Editor Jon Delano reports that we've already seen how the Waterfront and South Side Works have become major entertainment hot spots but how about the North Shore even when the Pirates and Steelers are not playing.

The Cordish Company, a Baltimore developer, has an idea to do just that using a popular sport that few people in Pittsburgh have ever experienced.

Two new buildings, the Equitable Resources Building and the Del Monte Building, will be base for what could be more entertainment spots between PNC Park and Heinz Field.

Construction is already under way.

Three new restaurants are opening up shortly.

Hyde Park Steakhouse is opening up in August, McFadden's Restaurant & Saloon in October, and Calico Jack's Cantina in January.

But that may not be the end of it.

Capitalizing on the popularity of NASCAR, the Cordish Company wants to open NASCAR Sports Grille.

The first NASCAR Sports Grille is expected to open up in Orlando in February, but the Baltimore developer says Pittsburgh is high on the list.

The restaurant will feature NASCAR food, NASCAR merchandise, NASCAR games, and a NASCAR tailgating area just for NASCAR lovers.

But with so many sports bars and restaurants already on the North Shore, some worry that the area can't absorb any more.

Even if people don't come for the NASCAR -- they may come to see themselves on television.

Fox Sports Pittsburgh is moving into the Del Monte building, and plans to give their programs broadcast from a first floor studio a live background with spectators who show up outside the building.

(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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So nobody here is excited about a NASCAR restaurant in the middle of Pittsburgh? Neither am I haha...

The University of Pittsburgh VS the City of Pittsburgh rages on over the development of Oak Hill. I agree with the editorial. As critically important as the University is to Pittsburgh... I wish they would do what's best for the city in this case. The university has made a number of moves in recent years that have dissappointed me... including purchasing the building that Oakland's Club Laga was located in (resulted in that important club's closure)... with plans to convert it to student housing, I believe.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06177/701156-192.stm

Editorial: Finish Oak Hill / O'Connor should keep a model community on track
Monday, June 26, 2006

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

You see it in the newspaper and on the TV news. Drive-by shootings, open-air drug deals, children caught in a crossfire and seniors becoming easy prey. It can happen anywhere, but it happens all too often in low-income public housing communities.

American society learned, perhaps too late, that packing the poor in densely populated tenements was no way to house people and, worse yet, no way for a neighborhood to take care of itself. An enlightened approach to subsidized housing is to create mixed-income communities, where a diverse collection of people maintain their properties, sustain the quality of life and rate the same degree of attention from City Hall as other citizens.

One such neighborhood is Pittsburgh's Oak Hill, a model since 2003 for how to mix subsidized housing with market-rate properties and create a place to live that is as safe as it is beautiful. Unfortunately, Mayor Bob O'Connor and the city housing authority are about to wreck paradise.






The 639 homes in Oak Hill, which sits at the top of the Hill District near a fringe of the Pitt campus, have been a successful replacement for the housing-project squalor of Allequippa Terrace. Today if a Pittsburgher dropped in from the sky on these streets, he or she might think it was one of the city's glossy new neighborhoods, like Washington's Landing or Summerset at Frick Park.

But Oak Hill's light-colored townhouses and multi-hued brick apartments, which make up Phase 1, are only the start. The attractive properties house a population that is 70 percent low-income. That's an improvement over the concentration of poor who lived in Allequippa Terrace, which has long since been demolished, but it still lacks the mix of income levels that would ensure a stable future for the neighborhood.

Two more phases of construction by Boston-based developer Beacon/Corcoran Jennison will deliver another 450 homes, including 200 on a prime plateau called Robinson Court, in the shadow of Pitt's Trees Hall. Because of Robinson's level setting and panoramic view of Downtown, it is considered Oak Hill's best shot at attracting the higher-end homes and incomes that will improve the residential mixture.

Though these plans were set forth in 1995 by then Mayor Tom Murphy, the Pittsburgh Housing Authority, Allequippa Terrace residents and the developer, they're in jeopardy now because the University of Pittsburgh wants to buy Robinson Court's 15 acres for $3.5 million and convert them to athletic fields. Last Thursday housing authority board Chairman Dennis Regan said Robinson Court is "off the table right now."

That is a tragic mistake.

Mayor O'Connor and the authority are trying to repackage and redirect Oak Hill away from the prime home sites of Robinson Court and toward Addison Terrace, which the authority would like to convert to a mixed-income community as well. The mayor says he wants to make sure Oak Hill isn't "isolated" and so he wants to extend the neighborhood toward Centre Avenue.

That's a worthy concern if it's genuine, but the city should finish Oak Hill first, as originally designed, then spread its success elsewhere. By shifting gears now, after contracts have been signed and agreements with residents have been made, the O'Connor administration is risking a legal battle or a construction stalemate -- and that could ruin everything.

Not only would selling off this prime parcel to Pitt compromise Oak Hill's chances for permanent success, but it would also be a bad financial deal for the city. Since Pitt is a tax-exempt institution, the city will get the sale price of the land from the university but no future property tax revenue. If Robinson Court sprouts 200 units of housing, however, the developer projects Pittsburgh will reap $24.8 million in property taxes and $6.4 million in wage taxes over the next 30 years.






The O'Connor administration's change of direction looks like a smokescreen to back out of the city's pledge to complete this neighborhood, with the unstated intention of selling land to the university. By inviting other developers to submit proposals, it is also tampering with Oak Hill's formula for success.

Mayor O'Connor should focus on what's best for Pittsburgh, not what's good for Pitt. Although the university is an important member of the community, a major employer and a good citizen, it has more options for obtaining athletic fields than this corner of the Hill District does for achieving an ideal residential mix.

Last summer in this space we called the choice between soccer fields and city homes a "no-brainer." Ten 10 months later, we wonder what's clouding the brains of city leaders who should be forging ahead on Oak Hill.

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Pittsburgh has been a leader in "green" construction... and Councilman Peduto has been Pittsburgh's most influential, creative and progressive voice.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06177/701188-53.stm

Peduto proposes building incentives for eco-friendliness
It's not easy being green
Monday, June 26, 2006

By Rich Lord, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



Build green, build more.

That's the gist of a proposal Pittsburgh Councilman William Peduto plans to introduce tomorrow that would give incentives to developers to incorporate features like natural light and flushless toilets into new buildings.

"All throughout the world where development is occurring, communities are making sure it's done right," he said. His proposal has "no financial tax dollars that are being used as an incentive. It's the ability to build it bigger and put more in it."

If council approves and Mayor Bob O'Connor signs on, developers that pledge to build environmentally friendly structures in industrial or commercial areas would be allowed to build 20 percent higher and include 20 percent more floor space.

A 55-foot limit common to city districts, for instance, would be 66 feet for green buildings, adding an extra floor.

To go higher and bigger in neighborhood business districts, developers would need to go through a public hearing and get City Planning Commission approval. There would be no incentive for going green in residential areas.

Developers seeking the incentive would have to use the nationally recognized Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, standards, which rate buildings according to land use, water savings, energy efficiency, natural materials and indoor environmental quality.

The city would get a lien on the property to ensure the developer went through with its promise.

Environmentally friendly construction costs a little more, especially if a building is to be certified as green through the LEED process, said Rebecca Flora, executive director of the Green Building Alliance. She said allowing green buildings to be bigger "is a great way of levelling the playing field" by boosting the amount of rentable space available.

Mr. Peduto's approach is similar to that used in the cities of Acton, Mass., and Arlington, Va., according to the U.S. Green Building Council. A more common approach has been to provide tax incentives.

"If you give someone money to do it, that might work better," said Ernie Sota, a builder and developer who has worked on three green buildings in the area. Still, Mr. Peduto's concept "will have some impact," he said.

Subsidies wouldn't fly here, Mr. Peduto said. "We're going to have a hard time paying the bills next year," he said.

Pittsburgh ranks among the top five cities nationwide for green construction, said Ms. Flora. Environmentally friendly buildings include the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and PNC Firstside Center, Downtown; KSBA Architects headquarters and Blackbird Lofts in Lawrenceville; WYEP Studios in South Side; Greater Pittsburgh Community FoodBank in Duquesne; Carnegie Mellon University New House Residence Hall in Oakland; and U.S. Steel Research and Technology Center in Munhall.

Still, Pittsburgh isn't among the scores of cities with legislated incentives for environmentally friendly construction.

"It's almost embarrassing that we haven't had more leadership from local government," said Ms. Flora. Instead foundations, especially the Heinz Endowments, have led the charge.

Legislation "is a way, I think, to provide increased awareness, leadership and acknowledgement on the part of government that this is a good thing."

Councilman Doug Shields is co-sponsoring the measure, which likely will come up for discussion and a tentative vote July 5.


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

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This mural looks incredible... this Sprout Fund series has been extremely impressive

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06177/701202-53.stm

Mural depicts Oakland's past, present
Strand Building is artist's canvas for 'snapshots'
Monday, June 26, 2006

By Diana Nelson Jones, Pittsburgh Post Gazette

http://www.post-gazette.com/images4/20060626jbOaklandMural_450.jpg
Jonathan Laidacker stands in front of the 1,500-square-foot mural he's painting on the side of the Strand Building along Forbes Avenue in Oakland.

Artist Jonathan Laidacker is a speck in a spectacle, high above the scurrying street level of Oakland's Forbes Avenue. On a scaffold that moves him up and down the side wall of the Strand Building, he is finishing the Sprout Fund mural he didn't get the chance to do last year.

Unless it rains a lot, he expects to finish in the next two to three weeks. By that time, pointillistic images of Fred "Mister" Rogers and Mary Schenley -- who gave her family's land as a park to the city in 1889 -- will have taken shape.

The mural depicts modern-day Oakland as a set of colorful "snapshots" against a black-and-white background from the mid-'30s. The background depicts the side of the Strand Building during that era.

The mural is 24 feet wide and 45 feet high and was supposed to be a 2005 Sprout Fund mural but was held up by building construction and complications over access to the roof, he said.

It is now being counted as a 2006 mural, getting a jump on the others, which are to be announced within the next two weeks, said Morton Brown, project coordinator of the Sprout Fund.

Georgia Petropolous, executive director of the Oakland Business Improvement District, said a public art committee of residents, business owners and community planners guided the design based on Oakland's history and its transformation as a multicultural neighborhood. On the black-and-white background, the colorful snapshots represent the variety of Oakland's people, she said -- students, families, visitors and bystanders, medical professionals and people of many origins.

The Strand was built in 1898 and got its identity as a movie theater and bowling alley. It now houses apartments upstairs and retail downstairs, including a Chinese restaurant, a hair salon, tanning salon and record store.

Ron Levick, who bought the Strand in January 2005, said he was eager to have the mural on his building when the Sprout Fund came to him.

"Ours was unique because it was so high," he said. "Only a handful of people were willing to work on a project that big."


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(Diana Nelson Jones can be reached at djones@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1626. )

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Here's some news on the forgotten quadrant of Pittsburgh... the West End

http://pittsburgh.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2006/06/26/story5.html

Olde Stonewall owner joins West End's new design zone
Pittsburgh Business Times - June 23, 2006by Tim Schooley
Visitors need only to look around at the thousands of pieces of art, antiques and oriental rugs Rick Hvizdak and his wife, Michele, have carefully displayed in their 40,0000-square-foot showroom for evidence to back up his bold claim.

"No one in Pittsburgh has the quality of the merchandise we have here," Hvizdak said of his new retail venture, called Artifacts. "You could add all the (antiques) dealers together, and they wouldn't have what we have here."

After years of collecting rare items from around the world, Hvizdak's Artifacts opened earlier this month with an estimated wholesale inventory valued between $40 million to $50 million. Items in the collection range in price from less than $1,000 to more than $100,000.

While the store is impressive on its own, local business owners hope it also will serve as a draw for the struggling West End. The West Pittsburgh Partnership, a community development corporation, launched a marketing campaign last week aimed at rebranding the business district as the West End Village Shops, a hub for design-oriented businesses.

Dru Immler, executive director of the West Pittsburgh Partnership, expects Artifacts to complement established businesses, such as the James Gallery and Ceramiche Tile.

"We're a destination district," said Immler. "It matches the market profile exactly."

Business experience
Artifacts is just one of a number of businesses Hvizdak operates, including the Olde Stonewall Golf Club in Ellwood City and its companion restaurant, Shakespeare's Restaurant & Pub. Locally, perhaps his largest venture is the Kennedy Township-based National Real Estate Information Services, a 1,200-employee company that provides transaction services to the real estate industry.

Hvizdak believes Artifacts will draw design professionals from throughout the country to the city's West End. He's working with a Kennedy-based Web firm, Sharp Creative, to launch a Web site showcasing its merchandise and has begun advertising on local television. He also expects to begin calling major designers nationwide to market his goods.

Already, Artifacts is working to add to its display space. Hvizdak recently acquired the vacant 13,000-square-foot St. James church nearby and expects to restore it for use as display space for items such as statuary, fountains and bronzes.

Neighborhood's mixed results
Artifacts isn't the only newcomer to the West End of late. In recent months, three new establishments have opened: a restaurant called Cafe Laurie, the Vanilla Pastry Studio and an Italian goods retailer called Buon Sapore.

Though not all the signs are positive. Within the past few years, two blues clubs opened and closed, and a plan to redevelop a major portion of the business district, called Tranter Square, consists mostly of empty store fronts.

Buon Sapore owner Carlo Dozzi said the West End is still a few years away from being fully revitalized, but he's hopeful that Artifacts could serve as an anchor for the rest of the business district.

Noting Hvizdak's other business successes, Dozzi said: "Ricky has not made a lot of money by being stupid."

tschooley@bizjournals.com | (412) 481-6397 x244





http://pittsburgh.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2006/06/26/editorial3.html

West End resurgence
Pittsburgh Business Times - June 23, 2006
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With dilapidated buildings and empty storefronts scattered throughout its business district, Pittsburgh's West End has seen better days. But the West Pittsburgh Partnership and a handful of new businesses -- including Artifacts, a 40,000-square-foot showroom for high-end antiques and goods from around the world that's owned by local entrepreneur Rick Hvizdak -- are looking to breathe new life into it. The group has re-christened the district the West End Village Shops and is marketing it as a hub for design-oriented businesses. Considering Hvizdak's success with National Real Estate Information Services and his Olde Stonewall Golf Club, the group has a good shot at turning around the West End.

Building back up
Armstrong County will never be mistaken for Allegheny County, but when it comes to regional economic development, rural Armstrong's profile has been increasing in recent years. From landing the Navy's Electro Optics Center to becoming home to a unit of Chicago-based aircraft manufacturer Boeing Co., Armstrong has been slowly recovering from the near-knockout blow it suffered when PPG Industries Inc. shuttered its glass factory in Ford City more than a decade ago. However, no longer dependent on a single large employer for its economic successes, Armstrong has been cultivating a cluster of high-tech startups and traditional businesses that are making it a county on the rise.

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http://pittsburgh.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2006/06/26/story1.html

PDP puts cash into the mix
Pittsburgh Business Times - June 23, 2006by Robert Sandler
As interest in Downtown living increases, the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership wants to encourage owners of mostly empty office buildings to do something about the vacant space: convert it for residential use.

And it's willing to pay to see that get started.

Starting in August, the Downtown Partnership will pay for preliminary architectural consulting for any owner interested in converting the unoccupied upper floors of buildings whose lower floors might be occupied by retail and other establishments into residential units.

This comes two years after a study commissioned by the Downtown Living Initiative, since absorbed by the Downtown Partnership, examined the architectural and financial feasibility of converting the upper floors of five Downtown buildings to apartments or condominiums.

Now, the Downtown Partnership says it has raised enough money from the Heinz Endowments, the Richard King Mellon Foundation and a third anonymous Pittsburgh philanthropist that it can pay for architectural studies on about 75 buildings over three years, said Patty Burk, the partnership's director of housing and economic development. She declined to say exactly how much money has been raised.

The Community Design Center of Pittsburgh will set up building owners with architects for the work.

"We will pay for an architect to go in and consult with them, talk about codes, issues, things for them to get a pretty good idea of what they can do to renovate their building," Burk said.

To qualify for the free architectural services, building owners simply have to show they are open to the idea of converting their upper floors to residential use, she said.

"They have to have an interest in some mixed use, with a residential component," Burk said.

The free services will be preliminary in nature, with the architect looking through the building and helping the owner "think through what the possibilities are, what the main obstacles will be from a design standpoint or a zoning standpoint or a code standpoint," said Jason Vrabel, program manager at the Community Design Center.

"It's basically an opportunity for a property owner to get some really valuable advice before they hire a contractor and start spending lots of money," Vrabel said.

After the initial consultations are complete, the Downtown Partnership will select 10 buildings that will get up to $5,000 to pay for detailed architectural services, including floor plans and some design work, as well as some cost estimates, he said.

'See the opportunities'
At the Primanti Brothers building on Market Square, the second and third floors had been vacant for several years until the Downtown Living Initiative's study came out in 2004, said company real estate director Michael Kratsas.

That study showed that apartments would make financial sense, so Primanti Brothers decided to invest in building the vacant space into two apartments, which are just now being completed.

The apartments rent for $1,250 per month for about 1,200 square feet. One is already occupied, and a tenant will move into the second apartment July 1.

Kratsas was excited to hear that owners of similar buildings will get the financial help in the form of architectural services. Many don't have the experience for such an undertaking, he said.

"A lot of these building owners are just merchants," Kratsas said. "It's a little more difficult for them to do it; whereas, we have a development background here. It was easy to see the opportunities in it."

'The space would do better'
Even with free architectural consulting, there's no guarantee that a building owner will invest in actually building the residential units.

The 2004 study examined the Olive or Twist building at 140 Sixth St., and suggested carving four apartments out of the

vacant space above the nightspot. However, owner Dan Prunzik said he had decided against residential units there.

Instead, Olive or Twist is creating a new banquet facility and lounge in the vacant second floor, and is planning to build two or three luxury short-term rental condominiums on the third floor, Prunzik said.

Residential conversion was an idea, he said, but maybe not the best one for that particular building.

"We considered that option, but we just think the demand for our particular space, with how well (business) has been and the success we've had, we can continue to accommodate our regular customers with more private parties and things of that sort," Prunzik said. "We just thought the space would do better with that."

rsandler@bizjournals.com | (412) 481-6397 x223

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more E. Liberty info

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

June 28, 2006
East Liberty on Target to lure new retailers
Target may be next to join the ranks of Whole Foods, Borders and Starbucks, in the march to bring more national retailers to East Liberty.

“Target has been to the site and they are currently reviewing plans. We do not have an executed deal. They have approved a site plan. Target has a new real estate representative so we are getting him up to speed,” says Steve Mosites, Jr. of Mosites Development Company, who did not disclose a specific location.

Known for its design-oriented trends, Target is opening a store in Fayette County in July. The retail giant operates more than 1,300 stores in 47 states, including 140 SuperTarget stores. Its first store opened in Minnesota in 1962.

Mosites spoke about some of the other factors of the multi-phase development of East Liberty that connect to attracting popular retailers such as Target.

“We are currently trying to work on a plan with Port Authority on transit-oriented development. We are trying to be as creative as possible. The goal is to re-work transit stops to make them more efficient and user friendly,” says Mosites.

“We are entertaining a number of big box tenants who would fit nicely. We are looking at what categories are not covered that would complement Target,” adds Mosites.

EastSide also includes a new LEED-certified Silver Borders, a LEED-certified Starbucks and PNC complex, and plans for the Stevenson Building parking lot.

“The goal is to work toward the core, one step at a time. This is a huge shot in the arm for the whole town square concept,” says Mosites.

Writer: Jennifer Baron
Source: Steve Mosites, Jr, Mosites Development Company.

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the tapas explosion continues

http://www.popcitymedia.com/developmentnews/930pennave.aspx

June 28, 2006
930 Penn Avenue welcomes two new restaurants and tenants
930 Penn Avenue, a 20 unit, $6.5 million downtown loft project located in the heart of the Cultural District, is now welcoming its first new tenants.

The project is a partnership of no wall productions and Rugby Realty, Co., Inc.

The property’s two ground-floor retail spaces have just been leased to two restaurants, one a franchise and the other a new, high-end establishment.
A Tuscany-decor Subway will occupy the building’s 1,600 square-foot space, while a tapas-style restaurant will operate in the 2,200 square-foot space.

Two of the building’s twenty residential units have been leased to tenants moving in this week.

“We are off to a great start and are very excited about the pre-leasing," says Aaron Stauber, president of Rugby Realty.

Lofts in the building range from 1550 to 1725 square feet. Units feature two bedrooms, two-baths and an office. Amenities include balconies, high-speed Internet and cable wiring, 12- to 17-foot ceilings, urban views, in-unit washer and dryer, and large designer kitchens.

"You have to look at this project in conjunction with everything else that is going on downtown. It is a beautiful project. It is adding to the critical mass of the vibrancy of the downtown area,” says Stauber.

Writer: Jennifer Baron

Source: Aaron Stauber, President, Rugby Realty, Co., Inc, and Francisco Escalante, no wall productions, inc.

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

June 28, 2006
Glassworks Lofts sells first unit, nears completion
Construction is nearing completion on Glassworks Lofts, located at 50 South 15th Street on the South Side. Glassworks includes three town homes and two lofts ranging from 2700 to 3100 square feet. One of the five units has already been sold. Units range in price from $475,000 to $499,500.

Town homes feature three bedrooms, a den/study, open floor plans, and balconies or terraces. Loft-style condos feature 2 bedrooms, den and a sky room. Glassworks architect is Felix Fukui and the contractor is Dan Doyle.

“I have known about this building for some time now. It was languishing and I always thought it had great potential,” says Dan Doyle of Doyle Management.

Architectural historian Carol Peterson wrote Glassworks’ site history, which details the 1917 building’s role in Pittsburgh’s pre-steel “city of glass” identity. The property once housed the operations of the Ihmsen family glassmakers, a prominent German family who set up shop along 15th and Muriel Streets in 1872.

“I love the location because it is in the center of the South Side. There is so much activity there. Glassworks is off Carson so it is more quiet; every morning birds are chirping,” adds Doyle.

Building amenities include wrought iron gates, heated parking lot and a courtyard. Units feature restored brick, 19th-century poured concrete ceilings, and exposed steel and wood beams. Units also feature stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, ceramic tile and outdoor showers.

“We exceeded building codes for insulation, used environmentally friendly AC units and recycled old brick,” says Doyle.

Glassworks is framed by South Side’s legendary domed churches, colorful row houses, riverside parks and lively nightlife. Residents will enjoy city views, walks to the Carson Street business district and easy access to public transportation.

Writer: Jennifer Baron
Source: Dan Doyle, Doyle Management


http://www.glassworkspgh.com/

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this Giant Eagle sounds amazing... can't wait to check it out for myself... this is the one with the lofts on top of it

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

June 28, 2006
100,000 square-foot Giant Eagle Market District opens doors on Centre Avenue
Giant Eagle’s Market District celebrates its grand opening on June 29. Located at 5550 Centre Avenue, near the burgeoning EastSide corridor, the 100,000 square-foot market will employ 300 people, many of whom are trained food specialists and chefs. A second Market District also opens this week at 7000 Oxford Drive in Bethel Park.

Open 24 hours, Market District will carry thousands of natural and organic products, fresh flowers and plants, and Artisan breads and baked goods. Market District will also house a café, bank and pharmacy.

“People ask, ‘is this an answer to Whole Foods?’ One key difference is that it is a foodie’s paradise combined with one-stop shopping. You can do your weekly shopping, get unique things no one else sells and basics like detergent or grape juice,” says Dick Roberts, spokesperson for Giant Eagle.

The only U.S. supermarket to carry Brazilian churrasco, the store will also feature specialty meats like Italian ham, French pork, dry aged steak and harder to find game including duck, quail and pheasant.

A 1,400 square-foot cheese cave and emporium will stock more than 500 varieties of domestic and international cheeses, while a dedicated Kosher section, designed with input from area rabbis, will carry prepared deli items and frozen products from Israel.

“It is really a true food aficionado’s paradise,” says Roberts.

The market will serve as a venue, presenting celebrity chef cooking classes, led by such noteworthy figures as Rick Bayless and Sara Moulton, demos and tastings, and live music.

“This will become a destination location,” adds Roberts.

Writer: Jennifer Baron
Source: Dick Roberts, Roberts Communications

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http://www.popcitymedia.com/features/greenold.aspx

The Greening of Historic Buildings
By: Jennifer McGuiggan

How do you turn a 19th century undertaker's stable into a modern office that's environmentally friendly? You combine the best practices from historic preservation and green building – two areas in which Pittsburgh is a national leader.


Now the home of KSBA Architects in Lawrenceville, the former stable was one of the first and is the smallest LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified buildings in the country. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council , the LEED rating system is a national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings.


With a rich architectural history and half a century of environmental strides, Pittsburgh is ideally situated to merge the greening of historic properties especially given the support provided by the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation and the Green Building Alliance . The two organizations have joined forces to present a National Summit on the Greening of Historic Properties on October 30th at the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center, an historic property designed by Pittsburgh-based Astorino that features a new LEED-certified addition.


In another perfect fit, the summit will be followed by the National Preservation Conference at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, the only LEED-certified convention center--and the largest LEED rated building— in the country.


Keep the old, in with the new


One of the marks of a great city is the artful – and scientific – integration of the new with the old and in this area, Pittsburgh leads the way. Carl Elefante, principal of QUINN EVANS | ARCHITECTS in Washington, DC, an historic preservation firm that integrates green principles, notes that the Pittsburgh region has an abundance of historic character to work with and has provided important leadership in the green world. Pittsburgh, he says, is “a clear leader in the development in a number of different levels of green. In fact, Pennsylvania has one of the best state programs in the country.”


Green building is the third step in the 50-year environmental transformation of our region, says Rebecca Flora, the executive director of GBA, a pioneering non-profit organization that creates market demand for green building through education and project facilitation. Our city has undergone two major Renaissances, resulting in significantly cleaner air and water, the reclamation and redevelopment of brownfields, and neighborhood revitalization.


Now it’s time to look indoors. Flora notes that we spend 80-90 percent of our time inside. And while we don’t see the toxins, she says, they’re there. “Humans were not meant to be disconnected from the outdoor environment and daylight,” she says. Green building, commonly known as sustainable development, incorporates environmentally friendly products, systems, and principles –such as daylighting to better connect to the outdoors--into architecture and construction. The result is a healthier environment that pays off in energy conservation and improved performance of the buildings and those who occupy them. Numerous studies show that students perform better in green schools, patients heal faster in green hospitals, and employees report are more productive and happier in green offices.


From the start, Pittsburgh has been at the forefront of green building, thanks in no small part to Flora and the GBA. In 2004, Pittsburgh led the nation in terms of the number of LEED certified buildings and the amount of green building square footage. Today, says Flora, the city is still in the top five of green building activity, which is “something to be very proud of for a city that isn’t experiencing a lot of growth.”


Now the focus has turned to historic buildings, an area of great potential growth for Pittsburgh.

“You want historic buildings to be competitive in the marketplace and have the same benefits to people’s health and energy use," says Mary Navarro, senior program officer at the Heinz Endowments and chair of the Pittsburgh Civic Design Coalition. But undertaking historic preservation projects using green principles “takes a commitment from the building owner, the architect, and the people that you hire,” says Navarro.

Unfortunately, there are currently no LEED standards for older buildings and historic properties in which to measure progress—a subject for discussion at the upcoming summit. “It’s strange that LEED certification and the green building disciplines seem to focus on new construction," says Cathy McCollom, chief programs officer for the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. "What is more environmentally sustainable than reusing a building that's already there?"

Flora agrees: “The best green building is one that doesn’t need to be built at all.” Reusing existing buildings, and specifically historic properties, has many environmental benefits. Older buildings are usually in urban centers, close to public transportation. And you maintain the embodied energy of the building defined as the sum of the energy involved in manufacturing the building’s materials and the construction of the building. Suffice it to say, that sum is significant.

A shift in thinking

Ralph DiNola, a principle with Green Building Services in Portland, Oregon notes that most historic buildings were designed to be passively heated, cooled, and day lit. But after the 1930s, buildings began using more mechanical systems. Electricity and air conditioning resulted in buildings with artificial environments, and delightful details such as operable windows became features of the past.

But experts recognize a shift in more recent years. Flora explains it as the combining of the best of natural and technology systems to “create a much better system. We’re taking the best of natural systems – things we did at the turn of the century – and combining it with the knowledge that relates to technology." With support from the Heinz Endowments, along with the Richard King Mellon Foundation, Pittsburgh is primed to lead the way.

Although conversations about the greening of historic properties have been taking place for several years now, the Summit will be an opportunity to bring together experts from both fields to study issues and see where they have been successfully addressed.

What better place to hold this summit than Pittsburgh with its total of 15 green historic renovations, including four that are LEED certified: CCI Center and the Coro Center for Civic Leadership both on the South Side, KSBA Architects office in Lawrenceville, and Henderson House at Carnegie Mellon University. Other projects include LEED-certified expansions to historic buildings, such as at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. Still others are historic rehabilitations that have been done in a green manner but chose not to pursue certification, an exacting and sometimes time-consuming process.

“For our region, the reality is that we are not going to be doing a lot of new construction in the future, and we need to absolutely pay attention to the buildings that we have,” says Flora. “Pittsburgh is the right place to start this conversation [on greening historic properties] because we’re an old city and we have a lot of [old buildings]. And we have two of the nation’s strongest leaders in this area: Landmarks and GBA.”


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


Jennifer McGuiggan is a freelance writer and editor, and owner of The Word Cellar. She writes for a variety of publications and clients, including businesses, entrepreneurs, and non-profits.

[Evergrey]

I had a suspicion that Polish Hill was becoming a new hotspot for the young and the hip... and this article confirms it... I'm so jealous of this girl's lifestyle.

http://www.popcitymedia.com/features/polish28.aspx

Polish Hill
By: Robert Isenberg

June 28, 2006
Sarah Miller steps nimbly across the weathered floorboards of her new house, saying hello to the renovation crew that is taking a well-earned break in front of the building’s one air conditioner. She mentions the hideous old carpet that they recently tore up, the brick fireplace that they’ve unearthed from the wall.

“You gonna go natural on the fireplace?” says one of the workers.

“I think so,” Miller says.

“That’ll look nice,” the worker says, nodding his approval.

Miller just purchased this three-story Melwood row-house for $24,000. The 22-year-old sculptor and veteran cook has procured one of the cheapest residences in the city – conveniently located directly across from her current apartment – and is delighting in her tour of the house that will soon be home.

“There’s not much wrong with it,” she says. “Just face work. It’s not like the foundation is gonna crack in half.” Sure, the kitchen looks like a bomb-shelter and crates and debris are scattered along the floors but Miller is happy to have chosen Polish Hill, her neighborhood of one year, as the place to buy real estate. For a young woman who works close by, earns a modest income, and rides her bike around town, Polish Hill is the place to be. Plus there’s the people: “It’s a really nice community,” she says. “And it has one of the lowest crime rates in the city.”

As you drive along the steep, winding yet authentically old-World charming streets of Polish Hill, you’ll see weather-beaten houses that grace cliff-sides, concrete staircases that rise over 50 feet from one slope to the next and abrupt turns and two-way streets that can only fit one direction of traffic at a time. Built by industrial workers in the 1880’s, it’s a wonder that anyone, let alone people from Poland – a country flat as Kansas – chose to settle here, where streets and row-houses are tiered, one upon another, from the Port Authority expressway to the frontier of the Hill District.

The neighborhood boasts a wealth of paradoxes: four bars and one night-club, but no grocery store and no service station. A monumental, copper-domed church, the Immaculate Heart of Mary, that stands in the center of Polish Hill while a short distance away, students and diehard anarchists have moved into houses along Melwood Avenue, drawn by cheap rent and quiet neighbors. It’s that kind of diversity that is one of the charms and attractions of the neighborhood.

“I love the people in the neighborhood,” Miller says. “They’re either, like, ancient, or they have itty-bitty kids.”

As you approach Polish Hill, signs posted at two entrances proclaim: “Witamy do” – Polish for “welcome.” And yet life-long Pittsburghers, proud of their city, may never have heard of the mile-long wedge of land, home to slightly more than 1,000 residents. Here you can walk the quiet streets, say hello to your neighbor, and feel you’re in a small, rural town. And although there’s no commercial district, the convenient location offers Oakland, the Strip, Bloomfield and Downtown all within a short drive (or bike ride).

Polish Hill has changed over the years, but not a lot – and the residents like it that way. If you could pick only one word to describe the people here, it’s stubborn. If two, proud.

The Disaster that Never Came
When Jimmy Carter vsited Polish Hill in 1976, he had a clear rhetorical purpose: To show off a neighborhood in decline. The population had dropped over the years, and many of the antiquated houses had fallen into disrepair and local shops had closed. As the neighborhood teetered, locals founded the Polish Hill Civic Association, which essentially saved the area from collapsing into ghettohood. They worked with the City Council to build a recreational facility – complete with a basketball court, walking trails, and swing-sets – as well as the John Paul Plaza, a high-rise apartment building for the elderly.

As a measure of their stubborn pride, the Civic Association refused assistance from Model Cities, Inc., a federal program designed to reshape the image of rundown districts, on the grounds that Model Cities would make executive decisions without community input. The PHCA is currently revamping its offices and facilities, with plans for a new community hall designed for 50 guests.

The Music of the Night
Mention Polish Hill to some people and they thing one thing: Gooski’s, which still uses an old-fashioned, non-digital juke box. If you came here only for the music, you’d leave a happy patron. Catty-cornered to the Immaculate Heart church, Gooski’s is an epicenter of hipsters, musicians, punk-rockers, and Polish Hill lifers. Students shoot mean games of pool in the back, or smack ping-pong balls across a table, or gossip in private booths. The bar is dark and smoky – it could be confused, at first glance, for a second-rate dive – but the patrons are frenetic and talkative. For an obscure, two-room bar tucked between row-houses on a steep, hard-to-find street, Gooski’s is a famous destination, beloved by diehard regulars.

A short distance away, the Rock Room serves a more colorful crowd of locals, blue collar workers, tattoo-artists, and adventurous students. Once known as the Warsaw Tavern (many were sad to see the name-change), the Rock Room is a slightly brighter, slightly hipper incarnation of the old dive – an old dive that some regulars have frequented for decades. It’s like a cheaper, grittier version of Gooski’s, with its own Steel Town flavor and a come-as-you-are hospitality.

Down Herron Avenue, toward the bridge and the railroad tracks, just beyond a gravelly parking lot, stands Donny’s, Polish Hill’s little-known, well-attended gay and lesbian bar. For such a historically religious neighborhood, Donny’s can seem a little surreal – what with the pixie-cut, leather-clad women shooting pool in the corner – but the club’s motto, “Welcome to all,” is truly its modus operandi. No one but the rowdiest, most closed-minded customer is turned away – and for the most part, no one who comes through the kitchen-style doors even raises an eyebrow. Donny’s is a perfect blend of Harley-Davidson atmosphere with San Francisco attitude.

The Real Estate Mecca – For the Athletically Fit
For residents without cars, the 54C is the only convenient bus route, and commuters from Downtown face a significant walk up the meandering sidewalk of Herron Avenue. But for people who don’t mind the Melwood Avenue potholes and the eccentric neighbors, Polish Hill is an incredible bargain: Some of the cheapest rent inside city limits, and a host of fixer-uppers that are always up for sale. (Recent listings included houses for $64-74,000, plus Miller’s incredible bargain of $24,000).

Miller notes the “Adopt-a-Lot” program, which encourages landowners to manage and groom an empty lot for a certain period – usually a year – and then buy it, sometimes for under $1,000. In this case, Miller hopes to claim the lot directly adjacent to her house, which emerged when the city tore down an abandoned house and replaced it with a sod-blanketed hill. Yet another benefit for this young achiever and one more reason to make Polish Hill her home.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Robert Isenberg is a freelance writer and actor. He is co-author of the Sprout-sponsored Pittsburgh Monologue Project, just published this month.

http://www.popcitymedia.com/galleries/Default/Features/Issue%2018/Polish%20Hill/sarah_miller_04.jpg

check out my Polish Hill photos here:

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=107544&highlight=polish+pittsburgh

[PittPenn 03]

[QUOTE=Evergrey]this Giant Eagle sounds amazing... can't wait to check it out for myself... this is the one with the lofts on top of it

I drove past it yesterday and the new signage kind of shocked me. It looks like something you would see in a much bigger city. I had no idea it was going to have all of this going on in it. Sounds incredible! -Furthering my belief that Giant Eagle is the best grocery chain in the country.

[Evergrey]

[QUOTE=Evergrey]this Giant Eagle sounds amazing... can't wait to check it out for myself... this is the one with the lofts on top of it

I drove past it yesterday and the new signage kind of shocked me. It looks like something you would see in a much bigger city. I had no idea it was going to have all of this going on in it. Sounds incredible! -Furthering my belief that Giant Eagle is the best grocery chain in the country.

I now understand what those "new world of food" or whatever billboards in Pittsburgh have been about... I'm pretty sure it's been open for a few weeks already... I tried going to it a few weeks ago when I was in Pittsburgh but the parking lot was jam packed and traffic was nuts on Centre.

[PittPenn 03]

I fully believe that in a few years Polish Hill will be undergoing the same transformation that Lawrenceville is going through now. It seems like most of the East End is coming together all at the same time. It is so exciting!


[QUOTE=Evergrey]I had a suspicion that Polish Hill was becoming a new hotspot for the young and the hip... and this article confirms it... I'm so jealous of this girl's lifestyle.

http://www.popcitymedia.com/features/polish28.aspx

[Evergrey]

This letter to the editor in the Post-Gazette sums up why the city of Pittsburgh struggles to attract/retain families compared to the suburbs... this is pretty much the same story for big cities across the country. Until urban school districts can compete with suburban school districts... cities will continue to lose the "family segment". Unfortunately, urban school districts are at a disadvantage... there needs to be institutional change so that a great education is available to all children... not just those in rich suburbs like Pine-Richland. Pittsburgh can attract all sorts of "empty nesters" to its condo projects downtown... but in order to become a fully-functional city... it needs a school system that is on par with its suburban competition.


http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06178/701361-28.stm

Tuesday, June 27, 2006


City schools keep people away


After years of articles stating that it's the suburbanites who are the root cause of Pittsburgh's problems when they moved out, your Rand article (June 20) finally addresses the primary cause. It's the schools, stupid!

I have lived here for almost 13 years and love Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania at this point more than my home state of Illinois. My husband and I would prefer city living over suburbs hands down so we could experience everything that it has to offer while providing our children with the diversity and culture readily available with a simple walk out the door.

We actually were in the process of purchasing a home in Shadyside in July 2003 when my oldest son would have entered kindergarten. Unfortunately, when we compared our current school district of North Allegheny to Pittsburgh, sending him to public school wasn't even an option. Aside from the test scores, which weren't even comparable, the primary emphasis wasn't even on receiving an adequate education. When there's a magnet school devoted to "Reading, Writing and Math," a severe problem is evident.

Then we checked into parochial schools and they were filled with a waiting list. Next came the numerous private schools that also were filled for the coming year as well as being an additional $8,000 to $16,000 a year that we would have to pay for each of our children over the course of 13 years.

So you do the math. We already had a great school district paid for through our property taxes at a cost of $1,500 a year less per student than Pittsburgh. Some of the other top districts were as much as $3,000 a year less per student than Pittsburgh. Now add in the city wage tax we would have to start paying, which is another issue altogether on top of this, and there you have it.

I avidly follow Superintendent Mark Roosevelt's progress with the Pittsburgh schools almost as much as I follow the Steelers. I hope his efforts succeed. There are so many people we know who would welcome the city of Pittsburgh as their home for their family as soon as you give us schools that we would be proud to send our children to.

If you want us back in the city even faster, just give a school voucher that we can apply to any school.

KIMBERLY AND JOHN GATESMAN
Franklin Park

[Evergrey]

Here's another article on the new Giant Eagle prototype

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06178/701433-28.stm

Giant Eagle woos foodies with 'Market District'
2 prototype stores aim at upscale competitors
Tuesday, June 27, 2006

By Teresa F. Lindeman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

http://www.post-gazette.com/images4/20060627pp_villagesquare2_450.jpg
Barb Kuhns, Castle Shannon, cheese specialist at the Village Square Market Giant Eagle in Bethel Park, checks the cheese display yesterday. .


During the months of remodeling at the Giant Eagles in Bethel Park and Shadyside, shoppers have seen the new Churrasco section selling foods prepared in a traditional Brazilian style, the kosher deli with its own kitchen designed with help from rabbis and the candy store carrying imported Leonidas chocolates from Belgium.

But the planning for the prototype stores goes back two years as the $6 billion O'Hara-based grocer, confronting creeping competition from trendy new stores entering the market, has been tinkering with ideas and seeking out new products to create a store that would have its own name -- Market District -- and look very different from the average Giant Eagle.

A cooking demonstration section staffed by chefs, a specialty bottled drink section, sushi counter with seating, free Wi-Fi connections and black shopping carts with accessories all are meant to create a gathering place for those who love food. "Discover the oooo in food,'' says the new slogan over the door of the Bethel Park store.

If it works, Market District eventually could be the calling card Giant Eagle now lacks, something that would create fans the way that a store from Rochester, N.Y.-based Wegmans does or the way the announcement that upscale discounter Trader Joe's is coming to Pittsburgh sends a thrill through certain circles.

"We wanted to give Giant Eagle an opportunity to be able to move into markets that we didn't have a commanding presence in," said Sandy Glatter, director of product development. Consumers in Cincinnati or Detroit, where Giant Eagle has some stores, might not see the difference between a Kroger and a regular Giant Eagle, but they may well be attracted to a Market District and give it a try.

Even its home market, where trade publications estimate the private company already controls as much as half of the Pittsburgh's region grocery dollar, aided by its recent foray into the convenience store business with GetGo and a timely gas discount program, Giant Eagle would like more -- or, at the least, to protect its turf.

Competition is intensifying both in the region and nationally as Wal-Mart, Aldi, Save-A-Lot, Target, even dollar stores grab a growing share of the grocery business. And not only are traditional supermarkets being pinched as discounters take away low-end purchases, specialty stores such as Whole Foods Markets and Trader Joe's are siphoning off customers who desire certain items and in some cases are willing to pay more for or go out of their way to get them.

In Columbus, Ohio, an area that Giant Eagle entered several years ago but does not dominate, the company has learned what it's like to be a smaller player in an intense market.

Kroger chose that city to try Kroger Marketplace stores, which include furniture and housewares. Grocery distributor Supervalu, which supplies Foodland, Shop 'n Save and Save-A-Lot, is expected to go there with its new natural and organic concept, Sunflower Market. Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, even Wild Oats Natural Marketplace are there.

Giant Eagle can't afford to stand still in Columbus -- or at home. "They really need to keep growing to have higher operating leverage to spread out their fixed costs," said Burt P. Flickinger III, managing director of the Strategic Resource Group, a New York-based consulting firm.

He said the company has made a huge capital commitment to create the two Market District locations that he described as beautiful and extremely well merchandised.

In both cases, existing stores were expanded and remodeled. The Centre Avenue store in Shadyside is very urban, with apartments on top and a garage with an elevator big enough for shopping carts below. The Village Square store on Oxford Drive is a sprawling suburban location.

As for the merchandising, executives have devoted themselves to bringing in finds such as Papyrus stationery and Tulocay's marinades, neither of which is usually sold in supermarkets. Organic produce is sold with the rest of the produce, not separated into its own space.

"They've continued to research and ... borrow and build from competitors," said Mr. Flickinger. The combination of ideas -- both old, new and borrowed -- may be enough to persuade consumers to go out of their way, he said.

The new stores will not be in every neighborhood the way Giant Eagle locations are. Pittsburgh might be able to support only three or four, said Kevin Srigley, Market District senior vice president.

If some offerings seem familiar from the fancier Giant Eagle locations in town, officials said that's because there will be overlap. Market District prices on basic goods will match Giant Eagle circulars. The division wouldn't have the resources to buy some of its products without the larger organization.

More than a few of the special offerings that will excite Food Network fans will not be cheap. Some of those Leonidas candies were listed at $29.99 a pound and a family interested in picking up dinner on the way home could pay $14 a pound for ready-to-serve Cedar Plank Salmon or $21 a pound for Tea-Smoked Tenderloin.

On the other hand, trying a bottle of Tommy Knocker Almond Creme soda will run 99 cents. The checkout stations will offer Coke and Pepsi but there also will be bottles of Orangina for an impulse buy.

The team has taken a different approach to staffing, said Mr. Srigley.

Students from the area's culinary schools are being recruited to help in the demonstration area. A visual merchandiser who used to work for the Limited clothing stores has been hired to add pop to the Market District look. Training employees to understand the unusual products they're selling hasn't been cheap, he said.

A year from now, the stores may look different because the experimentation is expected to continue. Already, some ideas have fallen flat.

Ms. Glatter, the product development director, wanted the prepared foods area to include a bar with homemade fresh sauces. That turned out to be difficult to explain to customers and has morphed into a salsa bar.

It likely will take several months of analyzing sales and data from Advantage cards before officials decide whether to add a third Market District.

"We're focused right now on making the first and second successful," said Mr. Srigley.


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

(Teresa F. Lindeman can be reached at tlindeman@post-gazette.com or at 412-263-2018. )

[Evergrey]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06178/701402-53.stm

Report: Reroute buses, redo square
New city task force to consider options
Tuesday, June 27, 2006

By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Mayor Bob O'Connor will convene a task force to look at ways to reroute bus traffic in the Fifth and Forbes corridor Downtown and launch an international design competition to shape the future of Market Square.

Both steps were recommended by architect Urban Design Associates in a preliminary strategic development plan for the Fifth and Forbes corridor presented to City Council yesterday.

In addition, the 28-page draft report detailed possible plans by Point Park University to build a performance arts complex in that corridor or in the cultural district. A Point Park spokeswoman said, however, nothing definitive had been decided.

The task force looking at public transit will consider a number of options, including reducing or eliminating buses on Fifth and Forbes avenues.



Other possibilities include the creation of "transit centers" for bus riders on Liberty Avenue and Boulevard of the Allies or the use of free shuttles to circulate in the heart of Downtown to feed larger buses at the fringe.

Urban Design President Don Carter said reducing or eliminating bus traffic on Fifth and Forbes has come up in virtually every development plan for the corridor. Millcraft Industries, the Washington County developer for the Lazarus-Macy's building and 20 city-owned structures Downtown, also has expressed an interest in moving bus traffic off Fifth and Forbes.

Mr. Carter said the task force could address the issue once and for all. But he said he did not think it would be realistic to remove all buses from Fifth and Forbes because of limited alternatives.

He noted any change in bus routing in the corridor would create a "ripple effect" throughout the transit system.

"It is a complex undertaking," he said. "No one should underestimate the complexity of it."

Mr. O'Connor hopes to convene the task force in conjunction with Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato. Among those to be invited are representatives of the Port Authority of Allegheny County, various city and county agencies, the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership and other stakeholders. Council members also pushed to include riders, Downtown business owners and residents in the process.

City Councilwoman Tonya Payne, whose district includes Downtown and the Hill District, said she has heard from lots of people and business owners who do not want buses removed from Fifth and Forbes. She said Downtown merchants like the foot traffic generated by the buses.

Councilman Bill Peduto, however, supports the use of shuttles to circulate Downtown and feed larger buses at the fringes.

"We wouldn't be denying access to anyone. What we would be providing is less congestion," he said.

Mr. Carter said the last thing anybody wants to do is discourage the use of transit Downtown. But, he added, he believes there is a way to craft a solution that should "solve the majority of the issues" without hurting ridership.

"Clearly there will have to be compromise on all sides," he said.

Port Authority spokesman Bob Grove said the agency is willing to participate on the task force.

A Market Square transformation has been a priority for Mr. O'Connor since he took office. He has described the square as having an "old, tired" look about it.

Mr. Carter said the Heinz Endowments already has pledged funding for the design competition. The first order of business, he said, would be to decide what should or shouldn't be in Market Square -- such as benches, fountains, music, performance space, farmers markets, stages, art, trees, plants and playgrounds.

Once that has been determined, a request for proposals would be sent to designers for the competition. Mr. Carter envisions a process similar to that undertaken in redesigning Schenley Plaza in Oakland and a competition similar to that done by the Riverlife Task Force and the Alcoa Foundation for a pedestrian walkway to complement the West End Bridge.

No cost estimate was available for the competition. Mr. Carter said he expects both the task force effort and the design competition to get started in a month or so. The city Planning Department is spearheading both initiatives.

Urban Design Associates was hired by Mr. O'Connor in April to develop design guidelines and an overall vision for the corridor, and the release of the draft plan is the first fruit of that effort.

The report also calls for regular meetings between the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership and merchants and business owners to discuss common concerns and redevelopment-related issues, such as demolitions and sidewalk closings.

It also provides a host of design-related guidelines for the corridor, including the use of granite curbs, ground level retail in all existing and new buildings, and encouraging preservation, restoration and reuse of existing buildings.

The plan includes a brief mention of the Point Park performance arts complex. The university recently acquired several buildings on Forbes and a parking lot on Fourth Avenue that could serve as sites, the report says. Mr. Carter said plans involve three types of theaters and a possible move of the Pittsburgh Playhouse to Downtown.

Point Park spokeswoman Angela Burrows said no decisions have been made involving either a performance arts complex or a possible move of the playhouse.

"There are many things under consideration, but nothing definitive has been decided," she said.

Mr. Carter said the draft plan will be subject to a two-week public comment period before being finalized.

The report can be found online at www.ura.org; www.downtownpittsburgh.com; or www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/cp/.


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

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

[Wheelingman04]

All of this talk about food is making me very hungry.:D

[Evergrey]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06179/701648-147.stm

'T' extension estimate up 10%, but still on track
Tunnel, stations to cost $435 million
Wednesday, June 28, 2006

By Joe Grata, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



The estimated cost to bore twin tunnels under the Allegheny River, extend the Light Rail Transit system to the North Shore and build three stations is now $435 million -- a 10 percent increase in little more than a year.

Nevertheless, Port Authority officials continue to express guarded optimism that the budget-busting North Shore Connector remains on track for a probable September groundbreaking.

The $42 million increase in costs became public yesterday when the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, planning agency for the 10-county region, released a proposed amendment to its long-range transportation improvement program. The SPC must approve the Port Authority's request to keep the agency eligible for an 80 percent share of higher federal funding.

"Everyone likes the project but everyone is concerned about the number [cost]," Port Authority Chief Executive Officer Steve Bland said. The authority's nine-member board of directors must decide within three weeks whether to accept a $156.5 million low bid covering initial construction.

A 120-day limit to award the contract expired May 31, but the joint venture of West Mifflin-based Trumbull Corp. and Japan-based Obayashi Corp., the tunnel boring expert, granted a 30-day extension to June 30 and another to July 15.

Although the $156.5 million is $21.5 million over engineering estimates, Mr. Bland said because the offer remains on the table, it mitigates the authority's risk about rising costs on the rest of the project.

"A significant amount of the total project is wrapped up in that contract," he said, including most of the civil construction work.

The contract includes boring tunnels under the rivers and lining them with concrete, 1,200 feet of "cut-and-cover" to transition the tracks to ground level west of PNC Park, excavating Stanwix Street to extend the line north of Gateway Center station and building new station shells Downtown and next to PNC Park.

Last year, bids for just boring the tunnels were rejected when the low bid came in more than 25 percent above budget.

The Port Authority has identified these sources and means of raising the extra $42 million: Federal Transit Administration, $18 million; Port Authority, $15.6 million from future capital funds; the state, $7 million; and Allegheny County, $1.4 million.

The SPC has opened a 30-day public comment period that ends July 27 on the agency's proposed amendment for extra North Shore Connector funding. The matter is to come before the SPC board for a vote July 31.

Information gleaned from the proposed amendment to the SPC program showed $48.4 million has already been spent or authorized for various stages of planning, environmental clearance and engineering since 1999.

The final cost breakdown for the $435 million total project showed $348 million from the federal government, $72.5 million from the state and $14.5 million from the county, paid in installments through 2011, when the 1.2-mile line would be completed and open.

The North Shore Connector is said to be the last federally supported transit project to receive 80 percent federal funding. Most new projects are receiving 50 percent federal aid, with the balance financed at the state and local levels.

Moving ahead will require some special maneuvering.

The July 15 deadline to award the contract not only comes before the SPC's July 31 meeting to act on the authority's amendment for extra funding but also before the Federal Transit Administration approves a "full-funding agreement" that formalizes a contractual commitment to the authority.

At present, Mr. Bland explained, the FTA agreement is being reviewed by the office of U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta and the Office of Management and Budget. Then it goes to Congress for a mandatory 60-day review, usually a formality.

Consequently, the FTA has issued a "letter of no prejudice" to the Port Authority, meaning it can award the tunnel contract and incur construction costs until the federal grant is finalized. At that time, the FTA will reimburse the authority.

"It means we can proceed at our own risk and recover our costs," Mr. Bland said. "We're tracking [government] progress daily and right now, yes, I'm optimistic. No red flags have been raised and no new questions have been asked about issues that have come up" in federal assessments of the project.

If the authority misses the July 15 deadline to award a contract, it will have to bid the project a third time, an unlikely scenario because costs continue to go up, or abandon the project, the more likely scenario because of lukewarm community support and an inability to raise more funding.

But if the Port Authority drops the project, it could be liable for paying back the federal share of money -- at least $30 million so far.

Dramatic cost increases in civil construction have been blamed on high energy costs and growing international demand for key ingredients like cement and steel, especially in China.

Authority spokesman Bob Grove said high public works construction bids are "a sign of the times."

The Grant Street Transportation Center, providing a new parking garage and Greyhound Lines bus station is costing $42 million, or $7 million more than estimates. Similar increases are impacting the 31st Street Bridge reconstruction and conversion of the Hot Metal Bridge to a walking-biking bridge.

It was September 2004 when the Port Authority, SPC and Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership held an informational meeting for what was then estimated to be a $363 million "Big Dig." Since then, the price has soared and the purchase of eight new trolleys and a 1,600-foot rail spur to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center have been dropped to cut costs.

Support for the North Shore Connector has been limited from the start; the cost, tunnels and alignment have become increasingly controversial over time.

Project supporters argue the project will link Downtown to mushrooming development on the North Shore that started with PNC Park and Heinz Field but now includes a hotel, two office buildings, two parking garages and plans for other development.

The authority's proposed amendment for more funding can be found at the SPC's Web site at www.spcregion.org. Information about the project can be found at at the Port Authority's Web site at www.ridegold.com.


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

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

[Evergrey]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06179/701592-53.stm

Residents cool to new building proposal for SouthSide Works
Wednesday, June 28, 2006

By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



Some South Side residents are raising objections to a plan by the Soffer Organization to move the locations and increase the heights of several proposed buildings at the SouthSide Works complex.

Soffer is seeking approval from the city planning commission to shift two riverfront condominiums westward, toward Downtown, while at the same time moving two proposed office buildings east, closer to the Hot Metal Bridge.

It also wants to build the condos up to 165 feet tall, higher than the 100 feet originally allowed. They would be located next to a proposed 15- to 17-floor hotel and conference center along the river.

But the changes don't sit well with some residents, particularly those who live on the South Side Slopes and fear the massing and height of the condos and hotel could block their view of the Monongahela River or the Downtown skyline.

Among those concerned is planning commission member Mary Lou Simon, who has lived on Stromberg Street on the Slopes for more than 30 years. She said she now has a "fabulous view" of the city from her street.

"I just want to see what effect it might have on us up there," she said after a briefing yesterday.

Rick Belloli, executive director of the South Side Local Development Co., said there also are concerns that having buildings no more than 75 feet high, as many are in SouthSide Works, next to ones stretching 165 feet may make for a transition that is "too abrupt."

Soffer has been working with Mr. Belloli's agency and others for months trying to develop a consensus but so far has been unsuccessful.

Mr. Belloli said he was "cautiously optimistic" that a deal can be reached before the public hearing in two weeks, "but I wouldn't guarantee it."

"Height is the most sensitive topic with this development plan. It always takes extra time," he said.

Soffer decided to shift the location and add to the height of the condo buildings in response to market conditions, said Mark S. Dellana, vice president of development. Both will contain about 70 units.

The relocation of the condos is included in a revised development plan before the commission.

Soffer also is seeking a zoning change that would allow for three buildings up to 165 feet tall and two more up to 110 feet high. Currently, it is permitted to have two buildings up to 100 feet and one up to 165 feet.

Mr. Dellana said Soffer agreed to height restrictions at the request of the South Side community. But if there are to be height limits, there may be a need to compromise in other areas, he said.

He is hoping an agreement can be worked out.

"I'm not sure we can address everybody's needs, but we certainly are working with them," he said.

He added Soffer wants to get the matter resolved quickly so it can get started on the projects.

Following the public hearing, the planning commission will vote on a recommendation. The matter then will go before City Council for a vote. If the planning commission recommends against the proposed changes, however, at least seven of the nine council members would have to agree to override that recommendation.


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

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

[UrbaniDesDev]

I've always felt it a bit silly to deny building tall buildings so as to not block the view of the city. Thats like saying, don't plant anymore trees because it will block the view of the forest. I'm glad she has a nice view of the river, it is a long river and a few tall buildings will not detract from it and it is not a private view. It will not stop the great investments happening on the slopes.

I've always felt that the buildings in the South Side Works should have been 3-6 stories and not 2-3. We need to take advantage of our assetts while we can. The density would enhance the urban experience and not diminish it. It's another mount Wasshington syndrome, where they have theirs now stop the development. Yes mount Washington is a nice neighborhood but come on, it's right across the river from downtown, it's not in some detached suburban out crop.

They should be concentrating on making easier access to Mount Washington and the South Side to allow larger numbers to live there not restricting a denser development strategies, using inadequate access as an excuse. Shaler Street on Mount Washington and Water Street in the South Side works should be upgraded to augment access to the areas.

Single family homes are great, but diversity is what makes a great urban neighborhood. This goes for the Mount Washington, South Side, North Side and the Hill. This is urban planning! Preparing for the future not stifling it.

[themaguffin]

I have been disappointed upon going to Popcity these past two weeks. They (for a while) had had some new stories, not retreads of stories broken by the PG, Trin and Business Times. Oh well.

I've always felt it a bit silly to deny building tall buildings so as to not block the view of the city. Thats like saying, don't plant anymore trees because it will block the view of the forest. I'm glad she has a nice view of the river, it is a long river and a few tall buildings will not detract from it and it is not a private view. It will not stop the great investments happening on the slopes.

I've always felt that the buildings in the South Side Works should have been 3-6 stories and not 2-3. We need to take advantage of our assetts while we can. The density would enhance the urban experience and not diminish it. It's another mount Wasshington syndrome, where they have theirs now stop the development. Yes mount Washington is a nice neighborhood but come on, it's right across the river from downtown, it's not in some detached suburban out crop.

They should be concentrating on making easier access to Mount Washington and the South Side to allow larger numbers to live there not restricting a denser development strategies, using inadequate access as an excuse. Shaler Street on Mount Washington and Water Street in the South Side works should be upgraded to augment access to the areas.

Single family homes are great, but diversity is what makes a great urban neighborhood. This goes for the Mount Washington, South Side, North Side and the Hill. This is urban planning! Preparing for the future not stifling it.

I agree. These buildings are far from the slopes (even if they weren't, I would tell those residents where to go...)

This is bullshit - it's a city - yes there should be height limits and they should vary as appropriate, but near the river should be a little taller.

The city limits are small and smart urban planning is necessary.

And that trumps Mrs Nimby's personal interests.

[PA Pride]

^I honestly believe some people are just afraid of change of any kind whether it's good or bad for the city... Cause the complainers/nimbys just have to have an opinion on everything.... If there were any legitimate reason to be concerned like when eminent domain is involved then you see that thousands of people do make their voices heard as opposed to just a hand full of complainers who make a fuss out of every single proposal.

[Evergrey]

http://pittsburgh.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2006/07/03/daily7.htmlDowntown developer to be revealed Monday
Pittsburgh Business Times - 8:56 AM EDT Wednesdayby Robert Sandler
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust will announce its choice of developer for two square blocks of Downtown riverfront on Monday.

As part of the ongoing development of the Cultural District, the trust has been searching for a developer of the area bounded by Seventh Street, Penn Avenue, Ninth Street and Fort Duquesne Boulevard.

Developers, architects and designers from across the globe have applied for the project. After the trust eliminated several proposals and at least one finalist dropped out, three development teams remain in the hunt.

Their lead developers and local connections include: O'Neill Properties Group of King of Prussia, Pa., and Oakland-based Trek Development Group and including Downtown-based Perkins Eastman architects; a second team led by The Richman Group Development Corp. of Greenwich, Conn., with Robinson Township-based JSA Architects; and a third team led by Concord Eastridge of Washington, D.C., with North Side-based WTW Architects.

The Cultural Trust will announce the winner at a news conference at 10 a.m. Monday.

Other developers have been eagerly awaiting the trust's announcement for months, as the project is expected to include hundreds of new residential units along with unspecified other development.

rsandler@bizjournals.com | (412) 481-6397 x223

[Evergrey]

This photo by Flash shows the area that will be transformed by the Cultural District. It's on the bottom left-hand corner of the photo to the left of the recently completely Encore on 7th apartment building. A Goodyear Tires shop (with parking lot) and a few other structures occupy this 2-block area currently.

http://pittsburghskyline.com/images/06.2006/june_2006_pittsburghskyline_com_44.jpg

[AaronPGH]

I'm so geeked for this announcement. I'm practically drooling. This one's had a lot of hype. Sure hope it lives up to it.

[themaguffin]

The Trust has an excellent track record and they coordinated this project in a top notch fashion. This block has so much valuable space wasted by open lots. The Cultural District can truly become a nice little neighborhood with this project.

[Paintballer1708]

^ I agree 110%.

[Evergrey]

Here's a link to the "Fifth And Market District" plan... for some reason it won't work on my computer... bah

http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/cp/assets/06_Fifth_Market_Report_.pdf

[themaguffin]

The pdf pulled up fine (it's big and tkes time though). I like the Market Square as a piazza idea (if the square must be changed - I don't happen to think that the biggest priority).

[themaguffin]

North Shore light-rail tunnels get 2 key approvals
Friday, July 07, 2006

By Joe Grata, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The $435 million North Shore Connector project to extend the light-rail system via twin tunnels under the Allegheny River has received two key approvals --- from outgoing U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta and from the Office of Budget and Management.

The Port Authority of Allegheny County received notification today from Washington, D.C. The project would extend the light-rail system from Downtown to the stadium area of the North Side.

The last three approvals also appear on the way --- from the authority's nine-member board of directors, which has scheduled a special meeting for Thursday to award the first construction contract; from the U.S. Congress after a 60-day review, which started today and is usually a formality; and from the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, which is expected to amend the region's transportation funding program July 31 to officially authorize the extra North Shore Connector spending.

The flurry of bureaucratic activity puts the project on track for a fall groundbreaking, followed by more than three years of work.

It also sets the stage for the Federal Transit Administration to sign a full-funding agreement in September, committing it to a $348 million share of costs.

Not sure how I feel about how the T will cross the river, but time has run out and the project has to move or die, so I'm glad that it's moving forward.

I also didn't think that this would have been my first choice for expansion, but hopefully extension of this (North) will follow and more importantly - EAST!

[Evergrey]

Just a reminder for any interested Pittsburghers that the SSP Pittsburgh community will be hosting the 2006 Pittsburgh Forum Meet tomorrow. We will be touring downtown and neighborhoods... looking at architecture... taking pictures... experiencing urban environments.

Go here for details: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=104461

[Evergrey]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06188/704185-100.stm

PNC gives more details of new Downtown tower
Friday, July 07, 2006

By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

PNC Financial Services Group is aiming to build the largest environmentally friendly, mixed-use building in the United States with construction of its 23-story office tower on Fifth Avenue, Downtown.

In unveiling the latest renderings of the structure today, PNC officials said the building will be designed and constructed to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Work on the building is expected to start in August with the demolition of 13 PNC-owned properties on Fifth Avenue between Wood Street and Liberty Avenue. The new skyscraper will be the city's first in two decades.

The building will feature 11 stories of office space, nearly half of which will be occupied by the law firm of Reed Smith. PNC is expected to occupy the rest of the office space. There also will be a 10-story upscale hotel with 185 rooms and 30 luxury condominiums spread over the same 10 floors. While hotel guests and condo owners will share the same floors, they will be separated from one another. Rounding out the construction will be a 300-space parking garage underneath the building. There will be retail and restaurant space on the lower floors.

Gary Saulson, PNC director of corporate real estate, said the bank is negotiating with a hotel operator, one he would not name. He described it as a "well-known hotel flag."

The total cost of the project is expected to be in excess of the original $170 million price tag, largely because of the addition of about 35 hotel rooms. The building is being financed with the help of $48 million from public sources -- $30 million from the state and $18 million in tax increment financing. Construction is expected to be finished in late 2008.



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

More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.


http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2006/07/03/daily25.html?t=printable

PNC unveils tower details
Pittsburgh Business Times - 5:02 PM EDT Fridayby Robert Sandler
The new skyscraper PNC Financial Services Group Inc. plans to build in Downtown Pittsburgh will be 23 stories tall and be the nation's largest environmentally friendly mixed-use building, the company said Friday.

Three PNC Plaza, on Fifth Avenue next to PNC's other two skyscrapers, will be 752,000 square feet of offices, condominiums, hotel rooms and retail space.

The building will include 320,000 square feet of rentable office space spread over 11 stories. Downtown law firm Reed Smith LLP has agreed to occupy almost half of the office space. PNC (NYSE:PNC) will occupy at least 25 percent of the office space.

The building's top 10 stories will include an upscale 185-room hotel, alongside 30 luxury condominiums. Each of those floors will have three condos, and the rest will be hotel rooms -- accessed using separate elevators.

The building also will contain a restaurant, an undisclosed amount of retail space and about 330 underground parking spaces.

Demolition of 13 existing properties on Fifth Avenue will begin in August. The new building is scheduled to open by the end of 2008, the city of Pittsburgh's 250th anniversary.

The details announced Friday reflect some changes and delays since the project was originally announced in December. At that time, PNC officials said the building would include 360,000 square feet of offices and 150 hotel rooms. The number of condos has stayed the same. Demolition of existing buildings also was originally slated for the first quarter of this year.

Three PNC Plaza will be seven stories shorter than the company's headquarters building next door, the 30-story One PNC Plaza.

The new building will generate 800 on-site and indirect construction jobs with a payroll of about $35 million, PNC chairman and CEO Jim Rohr said in a statement. PNC expects to add 1,000 employees in Pennylsvania over the next three to five years, "many" of whom will be based in Pittsburgh, the company said.

PNC plans to build the new skyscraper to receive certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, including use of environmentally friendly or recycled construction materials, energy-efficient heating and cooling systems and recylcing or salvaging of construction waste.

PNC hired Downtown-based Oxford Development Co. to handle the ongoing duties of a developer as construction progresses. The new building was designed by Gensler of San Francisco and Downtown-based Astorino. Paladino and Co. of Seattle is consulting for green-building services.

rsandler@bizjournals.com | (412) 481-6397 x223

[Evergrey]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06189/704355-147.stm

Light-rail extension under Allegheny River gets federal approvals
Saturday, July 08, 2006

By Joe Grata, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



The now $435 million North Shore Connector project to extend the Light Rail Transit system via twin tunnels under the Allegheny River has received two key approvals -- from outgoing U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta and the Office of Management and Budget.

The Port Authority received notification yesterday from Washington, D.C.

The last three approvals appear on the way -- from the authority's nine-member board of directors, which has scheduled a special meeting for Thursday to award the first construction contract; from Congress after a 60-day review, which started yesterday and is usually a formality; and from the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, which is expected to amend the region's transportation funding program July 31 to officially authorize the extra North Shore Connector spending.

The flurry of bureaucratic activity puts the project on track for a fall groundbreaking, followed by more than three years of work.

It also sets the stage for the Federal Transit Administration to sign a full-funding agreement in September, committing it to a $348 million share of costs.

The elevated First Avenue station that opened several years ago notwithstanding, the 1.2-mile extension will be the most transit work Downtown since the early 1980s, when Port Authority built the subway.

This time, the authority will excavate only two blocks on Stanwix Street, compared with more than 10 blocks on Liberty and Sixth avenues two decades ago, when major intersections through the heart of the city also were restricted.

Work on the T extension was supposed to have been under way by now, based on the original timetable, but low bids have twice exceeded budget.

The first round -- 25 percent over budget -- was rejected. The contract was repackaged and rebid.

In the second round, the low bidder extended a 120-day deadline to June 30 and then July 15 while the authority worked with local, county and state sources to cover a 14 percent overage.

When it meets Thursday, the board will beat the deadline by only two days. Several members are said to be skeptical, but a majority is expected to prevail and award a $156.5 million contract to the joint venture of West Mifflin-based Trumbull Corp. and Japan-based Obayashi Corp.

Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato, also said to have reservations, could not be reached for comment.

Although the Trumbull-Obayashi bid is $21.5 million over budget, the contract covers a significant amount of the total project.

Included are boring twin tunnels under the river and lining them with concrete; excavating 1,200 feet to transition the tracks to ground level west of PNC Park; excavating Stanwix Street between Fort Duquesne Boulevard and Liberty Avenue to extend the subway north of Gateway Center station; and building new station shells Downtown and next to PNC Park.

"We're very pleased that the project continues to meet all necessary approvals," Port Authority spokesman Bob Grove said. "The federal government, the primary funder of the project, continues to lend full support."

Budget-busting costs, which led the authority to eliminate a proposed spur from Steel Plaza station to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and the purchase of eight light-rail vehicles, have been attributed to high energy, steel and cement prices causing civil construction costs worldwide to soar.

Records show $48.4 million has already been spent or authorized for various stages of planning, environmental clearance and engineering since 1999.

The final cost breakdown for the $435 million project: $348 million from the federal government, $72.5 million from the state, and $14.5 million from the county, to be paid in installments through 2010, when the 1.2-mile line is to be completed.


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

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

[Evergrey]

It would've been nice if the P/G included a picture of the "latest rendering" of this tower.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06189/704361-85.stm

PNC skyscraper on Fifth Avenue to be largest green building in U.S.
Saturday, July 08, 2006

By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



Pittsburgh already has the world's largest certified green building in its convention center. Now PNC Financial Services Group wants to add to the collection.

PNC officials said yesterday that the 23-story skyscraper it is erecting on Fifth Avenue, Downtown, will be the largest environmentally friendly mixed-use building in the United States when it opens in late 2008.

It will be designed and constructed to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council. At least 50 percent of such construction materials as structural steel, carpet and paint will be made from "green" or recycled materials.

While green construction can cost a little more, PNC sees long-term savings in maintenance and energy consumption, said Gary Saulson, director of corporate real estate.

"We think it's the right thing to do for shareholders, employees and customers," he said.

Work on Three PNC Plaza, the city's first new skyscraper in two decades, is expected to start in August with the deconstruction of 13 PNC-owned properties on Fifth Avenue between Wood Street and Liberty Avenue.

The building will feature 11 stories of office space, nearly half of which will be occupied by the venerable Downtown law firm of Reed Smith. PNC is expected to take the rest of the office space.

An upscale hotel with 185 rooms, about 35 more than originally planned, will occupy the upper 10 floors along with 30 luxury condominiums. The condos and hotel will share floors, but be separate from each other, with access by different elevators.

The design enables PNC to have three condos to a floor, each with "phenomenal views" of the city below, Mr. Saulson said. The condos will sell for about $300 a square foot, he said.

PNC, which unveiled the final design of the building yesterday, decided to add more hotel rooms because of "demand in the market," Mr. Saulson said. It currently is negotiating with a potential hotel operator, one he would not name.

"It's a well-known hotel flag," he said. "It will be a step above the Renaissance, which I think is probably considered the highest-end hotel in Pittsburgh today."

Rounding out the construction will be retail and restaurant space on the first floor and a 300-space parking garage underneath the building. Mr. Saulson said interest in the project has been high, with potential retail and restaurant tenants seeking out PNC.

"I just think there's a lot of excitement with regard to what is happening in the corridor," he said.

Total cost of the project is expected to be in excess of the original $170 million price tag, largely because of the additional hotel rooms.

The building is being financed with the help of $48 million from public sources -- $30 million from the state and $18 million in tax increment financing. The project is expected to generate 800 on-site and indirect construction jobs with a payroll of $35 million.

PNC also expects to add 1,000 employees in Pennsylvania in the next three to five years, with some working from the new building. It will be next to PNC headquarters at Fifth and Wood Street.

The bank has opened 24 "green" branches since 2002. Its Firstside Center also is environmentally friendly. Overall, Pittsburgh ranks as among the top five cities nationwide for green construction.


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

[Evergrey]

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_461111.html

Plaza Plan adjusted

By Thomas Olson
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, July 8, 2006


The design for Three PNC Plaza, the hotel/office/condominium PNC Financial Services Group is to build Downtown, was altered into its final form on Friday.
Result: Slightly shorter, more hotel rooms, less office space, more expensive and more street-friendly.

The multipurpose structure will be located along Fifth Avenue between Wood and Market streets. Buildings on those 13 parcels will be torn down starting in early August, and Three PNC is slated to open in late 2008.

Changes from the initial design announced in December pushed the project cost to $179 million from $170 million. PNC will pay $131 million of that -- up from $122 million -- with the $48 million balance still coming from state and local taxes.

The building's height decreased to 23 stories from 25. The triangular roofline still bows slightly toward the Point.

"The internal programming of the building was not complete when we did the original rendering," said Gary Saulson, director of corporate real estate for PNC.

PNC's research found that the Downtown market had a greater need for more hotel rooms than for more office space, he said. PNC bumped the hotel rooms to 185 from 158 and shrank the office space to 320,000 square feet from 361,000.

The project still will be anchored by law firm Reed Smith, which intends to move from its quarters at Sixth Avenue and Grant Street and occupy nearly half the new office's space. PNC will occupy about 25 percent.

"Given that the face of the building (along Fifth) is the length of a football field, the dilemma was how to break it up so it doesn't look like a battleship," Saulson said. "We wanted to open up the building to the street so that it looks more pleasant for those in the building and those walking by it."

For example, designers added a windowed hotel ballroom on the second floor, to give reception- and meeting-goers a street view and to give passers-by a view into the bustling hotel. The entrance near Market Street was opened up more to the street to make the hotel more hospitable.


In addition, hotel rooms and condo units were moved to the same 10 floors, separated by a fire door. The effect gives the condos "a phenomenal view of the Allegheny River and the North Side," Saulson said.

Restaurant space was added to the hotel, as was space elsewhere for an independent restaurant and/or retail space.

PNC estimates the project -- billed as the largest environmentally friendly, mixed-use building in the nation -- will generate 800 construction jobs with a local payroll of about $35 million. What PNC calls an extension of its campus makes room for scores of jobs the bank corporation expects to create over the next three to five years.



Thomas Olson can be reached at tolson@tribweb.com or (412) 320-7854.

[Evergrey]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06191/704741-53.stm

Cultural Trust to name design winner
Group will create a new Downtown neighborhood
Monday, July 10, 2006

By Linda Wilson Fuoco, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



Officials of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust this morning will announce the winner of an international competition to design a riverfront neighborhood in the Downtown Cultural District.

The Trust will make the announcement at 10 a.m. at a news conference at Seventh Street and Fort Duquesne Boulevard.

Trust officials will unveil plans for the nation's first mixed-use environmentally friendly arts/residential development. It would be one of the largest development sites in Downtown.

A dozen teams competed to create the final plan for an area bounded by Penn Avenue, Seventh Street, Ninth Street and Fort Duquesne Boulevard overlooking the Allegheny River.

Competing teams included international developers, architects, artists, design professionals and master planners.

The Cultural District Riverfront Development, a project of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, is a six-acre neighborhood that will include residences, retail, art spaces, parking, restaurants, pedestrian plazas, parks, public art projects and connections to the riverfront.

The competition started with a dozen teams that were winnowed to four.

Team A's lead developers are O'Neill Properties Group, King of Prussia, Montgomery County, and TREK Development Group, Oakland. The design team is led by Julie Eizenberg of Koning Eizenberg Architecture, Santa Monica, Calif. Additional designers are Antunovich Associates of Chicago; Bower Lewis Thrower of Philadelphia; and Stephen Quick of Perkins Eastman, Pittsburgh.

Team B's developer is The Richman Group Development Corp., Greenwich, Conn. The design team is led by Winy Maas of MVRDV, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Additional architects are Leeser Architecture, New York, and Timothy Kist of JSA Architects, Pittsburgh.

Team C's developer is Concord Eastridge of Washington, D.C. The design team is led by Stefan Benhisch, whose firm has offices in Germany and California. Additional designers are architects Alliance, Toronto; Gehl Architects, Copenhagen, Denmark; and Richard DeYoung of WTW Architects, Pittsburgh.

Team D's lead developer is Trammell Crow Co.; the local co-developer is No Walls Productions Inc. The design team is led by Steven Holl of Steven Holl Architects, New York. Additional designers are Field Operations, New York, and Gary Carlough, EDGE Studio, Pittsburgh.


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(Linda Wilson Fuoco can be reached at lfuoco@post-gazette.com or 412-263-3064. )

[Evergrey]

http://pittsburgh.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2006/07/10/focus3.html?t=printable

New zoning code facing big challenges from city developers
Pittsburgh Business Times - July 7, 2006by Tim Schooley
For major retailers looking to set up shop in the city, fitting locations of the right size can be like squeezing a large square peg into a smaller square hole.

It's a challenge that keeps cropping up throughout the city, as chain retailers continue to scout urban locations for stores designed on a suburban model.

"Pittsburgh, in my opinion, seems to be very hesitant to challenge developers in asking them to do good development. They want ... the developers (to) have carte blanche," said John Mayberry, chairman of the board for the Greater Park Place Neighborhood Association, a residential community group representing the Park Place neighborhood near Regent Square.

"While development is good, it really is a city's role to guide that development for the benefit of its citizens."

Recently, Mayberry's organization has been fighting drugstore Walgreens to keep it from buying three adjoining houses near Penn Avenue that it plans to tear down so it can add a two-car drive-through to its new store. With city planning recommending the zoning change to include the property to Walgreens' site, a council vote was scheduled for this past week.

To do so, claim residents, Walgreens will violate the local neighborhood commercial zoning laws established for the neighborhood and the Penn Avenue store.

The conflict comes after the city established the local neighborhood commercial zoning designation in 1999 -- part of other zoning changes that proved to be the first major zoning changes in the city in more than 30 years. But the new code may be facing its biggest challenge now as developers begin to focus more on the city for new development projects.

According to the local neighborhood commercial zoning code, retailers must situate their stores to front the street, placing parking behind.

Among the restrictions for local neighborhood commercial zoning, not being allowed to provide ample parking out front for customers driving by may be one of the biggest sources of conflict.

"That makes it difficult for some retailers to say 'yes' to certain locations," said Craig Cozza, a Squirrel Hill-based developer who has developed both kinds of urban projects.

Bill Peduto, a city councilman who represents Shadyside and portions of East Liberty, said Walgreens chafed at the parking restriction at another city location at East Side near South Highland Ave.

"Walgreens said putting the parking behind the building was a nonstarter," or a deal killer, explained Peduto.

Instead, the developer, Mosites Co., built a two-level parking garage, allowing customers from the neighboring affluent community of Shadyside easy access to the new store.

One new project to conform with the new zoning rules is a small shopping center developed by Shayside-based Walnut Capital Partners on Millvale Avenue within the Baum-Centre corridor.

Designed with city pedestrians in mind, the facility's stores wrap around the corner, with the retail close to the street. Parking, along with bike racks, are tucked to the side. The building also is two floors, with some office space above, and the construction completed in a way that leaves the developer with the option of building more floors on top.

It's a development very different from the sprawling Pep Boys auto parts store across the street. It's also very different from the plans for a nearby corner at Millvale and Baum where National City Bank intends to develop a new branch set back from the street with a drive-through.

Peduto admitted it's a project that doesn't live up to the kind of zoning standards expected.

"We don't want to slow down that site," he said. "But future bank designs will have to meet a higher standard."'

Peduto hopes to see the Baum-Centre district developed as a dense urban neighborhood, with mixed-use buildings of a pedestrian scale that are discreet in the way they offer parking.

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Developers supplement urban projects with shorter-term suburban ones
Pittsburgh Business Times - July 7, 2006by Tim Schooley
In retail terms, Steve Mosites knows well the difference between a financial mole hill and the mountain of expense he continues to climb in East Liberty.

He estimated it typically costs $40,000 in design fees for a standard Walgreens drugstore.

Yet so far at his East Side II development where Walgreens recently opened, he said his firm has spent $1.2 million in design costs.

"It's actually a horse race between the legal bills and the architectural bills," said Mosites. "I don't know which one will win."

To be sure, what Mosites is attempting to do at East Side II is far more ambitious than a suburban Walgreens on a few undeveloped acres. Instead, Mosites has developed a two-level arrangement that allows Walgreens and a handful of other new retailers to front Centre Avenue as well as onto a second-tier parking deck, with other additions, including a pedestrian bridge over the busway to Shadyside, still coming.

But the contrast in costs still points to the higher level of complexity and cost in urban development. Such complications can lead developers to practice what you might call a real estate version of moonlighting -- pursuing suburban projects to help pay the bills while at the same time working on longer-term developments in the city.

"It's a different beast," said Craig Cozza, a Squirrel Hill-based developer, noting the different challenges of developing what are more likely to be mixed-use projects in the city versus single-use ones in the suburbs.

Cozza would know. He recalls it taking two years to get full approvals to develop his Fifth and Murray project, a 50,000-square-foot office building in the heart of Squirrel Hill anchored by a Rite Aid drugstore on the first floor. During those two years, he recalls being able to fully develop a handful of retail centers and drugstores in the suburbs, receiving approval for them in six months to a year.

"One of the big differences is we tend to do bigger projects in the city than we do in the suburbs," said Cozza.

But there are other differences. For one, doing a bigger urban project often requires assembling multiple parcels of land, often from different owners. That can be a process that can be more time-consuming and expensive than buying a virgin plot next to a suburban interstate.

As with Mosites' project, more time is often needed to convince a retailer to commit to an urban site outside its criteria, which is often based on suburban development patterns.

Rob Stephany, director of commercial real estate for East Liberty Development Inc., which is partnering with Mosites on East Side, estimated a suburban developer typically expects a seven- to 10-year payback on a project. He sees Mosites looking at 15 to 30 years to realize the profit potential of East Side.

As Mosites continues with the project's next phases, he said he has considered taking on easier suburban projects to help generate revenue to continue East Side, which he considers a major transformational project.

"We've talked about it because the city projects are so tough, challenging and can have a longer payoff period," he said.

Anthony Dolan, a principal of Walnut Capital Partners, a development firm which has split its efforts between city and suburban development, suspects developers will turn back to the city now. He said the region's suburbs are on the verge of being overdeveloped.

"I wouldn't feel very comfortable starting a project in Robinson Township right now," he said.

Walnut Capital appears comfortable, however, revitalizing the 495,000-square-foot former Nabisco plant into a major new mixed-use project dubbed Bakery Square at Eastside.

While Walnut Capital will need to make a major investment to convert the former baking facility into new offices, residences, shops and perhaps a hotel, Mosites suspects the time and money it takes to do projects in the city may be safer investments in the long run.

"One of the things that's nice about the city is its surrounded by tons of rooftops," said Mosites, noting how he is constantly reassured about his investment by the high number of customers who live nearby. "I think it's less risky investing in the city."

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Pittsburgh least-risky market to buy a house, study says

Pittsburgh Business Times - July 7, 2006by Robert Sandler
For people looking to buy a house, Pittsburgh is the least-risky market in the United States, according to a study released last week by a national mortgage insurance provider.

Housing prices in the seven-county Pittsburgh region have just a 5.7 percent chance of losing value over the next two years, according to the study by Walnut Creek, Calif.-based PMI Mortgage Insurance Co.

Comparable cities such as Indianapolis; Cincinnati; Columbus, Ohio; and Cleveland were also among the seven least-risky markets. The study found that other nearby markets such as Philadelphia and Detroit were considered far more risky, with 13 percent and 33.7 percent chances of house prices falling, respectively.

The riskiest market in the country is San Diego, with a 59.9 percent chance of losing value in the next two years, according to the report. Long Island, Boston and other areas of California also were near the top of the list.

Pittsburgh also seems to be fairly steady when it comes to long-term trends. The study showed housing prices in Pittsburgh have either risen or stayed flat since the early 1980s, while other markets, such as Boston and Los Angeles, have occasionally decreased, although they are currently on an enormous upward trend.

The study's findings come at a time when Pittsburgh is increasingly looking to set itself apart from other peer cities, when it comes to luring new companies, jobs and economic development.

The Allegheny Conference on Community Development touts the region's low housing prices and low-risk environment when it is recruiting businesses, said spokeswoman Rachel Gogos.

"Oftentimes, when site selectors are doing their research on where to guide companies in the country, the high cost-of-living places are knocked off the list," Gogos said. "We'll stay on the list oftentimes because of our low housing prices and our low cost of living."

'A linear market'
Pittsburgh has retained the top spot for the full two years that PMI has conducted its study. It shows the area's strength in home prices, affordability and the labor market. Those three components essentially form legs of a triangle that lead to a region's relative risk, said PMI spokeswoman Beth Haikan.

"If those are all in balance, risk tends to be low," Haikan said. "That's what we see when we look at Pittsburgh."

Some parts of the country are more risky because housing prices are rising so quickly, while others are risky because of an unhealthy labor market.

"Certainly, in a place like Pittsburgh, you have a linear market, where incomes and home prices pretty much go together," she said. "One may go a little up, one may go a little down, but they stay pretty close together."

Helen Hanna Casey, president of O'Hara-based Howard Hanna Real Estate Services Inc., the region's largest residential real estate brokerage, agreed with the study's findings that Pittsburgh shows no signs of an impending dip in the housing market.

In some major markets, an investor would have to find a terrific deal in order to make money, Casey said. But in Pittsburgh, there's less risk of a decrease in price, and so an investor doesn't have to be quite as selective, she said.

"In Pittsburgh, you might not find a really good deal, but you might find a nice deal, and it's going to stay that way," she said.

The area's real estate market is helped by the relative stability of the work force, in that major corporations aren't expected to lay off a dramatic number of workers any time soon, and the region's future looks good, she said.

"I just think right now the energy in Pittsburgh is so incredible in the last couple of months," Casey said. "I just think it is so exciting and so vibrant right now."

Pittsburgh housing also is gaining value faster than Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland and Indianapolis, as well as Atlanta, Denver and Fort Worth, Texas.

Housing prices here gained 5.4 percent from 2004 to 2005 and increased another 5.35 percent from 2005 to 2006, the study found. Those numbers look consistent compared to San Diego, where prices jumped 23 percent from 2004 to 2005, but just 7.7 percent from 2005 to 2006.

Short-term market
In addition to housing prices, the PMI Mortgage study also examined the borrowing habits of home buyers and found significant growth in the popularity of unorthodox mortgages.

In parts of the country where housing prices have gotten too high for many buyers to afford, some people are turning to mortgages that run as long as 50 years, using adjustable rate mortgages or making interest-only payments.

Sigi Loya, owner of First Option Financial Ltd., a North Side-based mortgage consulting firm, said the longest-term mortgage that he knew of offered in Pittsburgh ran for 45 years. For a traditional home buyer, that should only be used as a temporary solution, he said.

"This allows a person to hopefully make their payments on time for two years, get their credit score up, and then refinance into a more traditional (mortgage)," Loya said.

But investors looking to buy property, renovate it and then sell within a year or two may prefer the longer-term mortgage or even an interest-only loan. That arrangement allows a borrower to pay only interest for the first few years, at a lower monthly payment, before beginning to earn equity.

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Campus capital goals reach for new heights
Pittsburgh Business Times - July 7, 2006by Patty Tascarella
With Carnegie Mellon University aiming to join the exclusive billion-dollar capital campaign club, local nonprofit groups face unprecedented competition for cash.

The University of Pittsburgh doubled its campaign goal to $2 billion June 23, upping the local fundraising ante.

And there's more to come.

All three of the city's largest universities are either considering or are in the middle of major capital campaigns.

CMU hasn't formally announced its intentions, but has been quietly working toward the $1 billion goal for nearly two years, raising more than $211 million by the end of June 2005, according to faculty senate meeting transcripts and other university documents.

CMU plans to officially announce its campaign in May 2008, said Robbee Kosak, vice president for university advancement.

"We're going to surprise a lot of people," she said.

Duquesne University is also raising money. Sources familiar with the effort say it is eyeing a nine-figure campaign, but Duquesne president Charles Dougherty declined to give specifics or release a time frame for the campaign's completion.

The simultaneous campus fundraising is unlike anything the region has experienced in the past. University officials are courting national and even international donors -- including alumni, corporate partners and foundations -- that can be sold on specific projects and initiatives.

"It's an extraordinarily high number ... on a combined basis," said Grant Oliphant, vice president of programs and planning at the Heinz Endowments. "They're right to reach out to a broader source of funding because Pittsburgh alone can't make this happen."

Oliphant, however, said the amount is "not at all out of the question" for such local institutions.

Pitt chancellor Mark Nordenberg said ranking among the nation's top research universities, as Pitt does, is an expensive proposition, and raising the university's capital goal to $2 billion was necessary. Its current campaign, which began in 1997, originally intended to raise $500 million by 2007. However, the university did better than initially anticipated, so it doubled the amount to be raised. No deadline has been set for completion.

"We are competing with stronger and better-funded institutions," Nordenberg said. "We're signaling our intention to take full advantage of our existing momentum and to attract the resources we will need to capture Pitt's full potential."

Capital campaigns typically fund new construction and renovation projects, department expansion and outreach, endowed chairs and research efforts. Pitt earmarked more than $1 billion to facility construction, but has also increased endowed scholarships by 78 percent. Not all gifts are cash. Earlier this year, Pitt received 4,700 acres of Wyoming land containing dinosaur fossil beds, valued at around $7 million.

Details regarding CMU and Duquesne's campaigns were unavailable.

Pitt precedent
Pitt's move into the $2 billion range sets a new benchmark for local university campaigns.

Its previous campaign, which ended in 1990 and raised $235 million, seems quaint by comparison. CMU's previous effort, ended in 2000, raised $410 million. Duquesne raised $145 million in 1999.

The three current, concurrent campaigns would seemingly increase the difficulty for these universities to reach their respective goals. But some fundraising professionals believe they may have a positive effect on each other.

"If a corporation or foundation gives a large gift to one campaign, the tendency is for a smaller institution to get a larger gift than expected" said Robert Carter, president of the Downtown-based national fund-raising firm, Ketchum Inc., which is consulting Duquesne. "That happened with Washington University in St. Louis and St. Louis University."

CMU and Pitt work jointly in many initiatives and research projects, partnerships that didn't exist 10 years ago. Foundations find these attractive when considering funding allocations, Oliphant said.

But there is still the question of whether these large campaigns will hurt other area nonprofits by diverting funding. While that issue could take years to play out, the more immediate challenge for nonprofits could be competing with the universities to attract fundraising talent.

Experienced development officers with connections at corporations and foundations are hot tickets. Kosak already employs 146 and expects to hire 30 more, including a group to concentrate on international donors.

"In order to have fundraising talent, (universities) have especially raised the salary levels that community-based organizations are challenged to pay," said Kate Dewey, a principal of Dewey & Kaye Inc., a Downtown-based consultancy to nonprofits. "That makes it very difficult for them to be competitive."

Pittsburgh's once-large corporate sector fragmented with the merger and acquisition activities of the 1980s, but the city still has a substantial concentration of foundations and philanthropic organizations. The foundations increasingly have been pressed to play a bigger role fostering economic development, stretching their resources further.

Oliphant said most of the foundation community views capital campaigns "out of separate lenses."

"I don't think anyone I'm aware of is contemplating diverting resources from other nonprofits to universities," he said. "We're not."

Foundations also view campaigns differently than they did, say, a decade ago.

"We're not looking to support campaigns in an omnibus sort of way," he said. "We're looking for specific activities, project initiatives and centers.

Big business
Currently, $22 billion capital campaigns are under way by American universities.

Last year, contributions to higher education in the United States hit $25.6 billion, up 4.9 percent over 2004, according to the Council for Aid to Education, a New York-based research group. Half of that came from individuals. Corporate giving accounted for 17 percent, and foundations comprised 27 percent.

Pitt said 59 percent of its donors so far have been alumni. CMU figures between 60 to 80 percent of its donors will be individuals.

Like Pitt and CMU, Duquesne is casting a wider net when soliciting funds. Dougherty visits alumni in up to 15 cities annually to garner financial support.

"Once upon a time, most of our alums lived in the Pittsburgh area," Dougherty said. "That's not true any more. They're in Washington, D.C., New England, California, Florida, even Puerto Rico."

While the universities tout high alumni participation, Dewey believes no matter how high the percentage, the institutions are still dependent on foundations for a large percentage as well. And since they don't have infinite resources, foundations can't help but be taxed by simultaneous multibillion-dollar capital campaigns.

"At the end of the day, a dollar is a dollar and the amount of money relative to a billion-dollar campaign is a whole lot different than a $5 million or even a $100 million campaign," she said. "There's a limit to how much the foundations have to give."

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Hoping for an All-Star turnout
Game could have big economic impact
Pittsburgh Business Times - July 7, 2006by Tim Schooley
In Joe Kane's estimation, the economic impact of next week's All-Star Game and its related events can be roughly equated to that of a Pittsburgh Steelers playoff game -- times three.

Kane, general manager of the Westin Convention Center Pittsburgh, said his Downtown hotel is booked solid Sunday through Tuesday for Major League Baseball's invasion of the city.

"When we look at the Steelers playoff games, we usually figure they're worth $6 million to $8 million in economic impact for the city," said Kane.

As MLB executives, players and national media members converge on Pittsburgh, Kane expects the city's hospitality establishments will see from $12 million to $15 million in direct spending from the All-Star festivities.

All of the Downtown hotels, as well as those in surrounding neighborhoods are fully booked from Sunday through Tuesday, according to VisitPittsburgh. However, they're usually that way more than 100 days each year, Kane noted.

"I think the exposure for the city is immense," Kane said of the All-Star Game. "I think that is just as important as selling out the hotels."

VisitPittsburgh predicts the multiday event, which includes FanFest at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, an All-Star game for minor league players, a home run derby and myriad parties and special events, along with the MLB All-Star Game itself, will bring between 200,000 and 250,000 people to city. That group believes the overall financial impact for Pittsburgh will be around $50 million.

All of that sounds good to local hospitality industry officials, but they also know that the estimates are merely abstract numbers until paying customers actually walk through their doors.

Kevin Joyce, owner of The Carlton restaurant in One Mellon Centre, is cautious not to be overly optimistic, due to his experience the last time Pittsburgh hosted the All-Star Game in 1994.

"We got a bump. But it wasn't the bump that some were predicting," he said of the increase in business. "This time around, I'm hoping that it's greater."

He compared baseball's Midsummer Classic to hosting a major convention, such as the Iron and Steel Society's annual meeting, with its more than 6,000 attendees and their corporate expense accounts.

Restaurant and bar owners face the tricky challenge of having to predict walkup business.

Bill Fuller, corporate chef for the big Burrito Restaurant Group, said that 30-table Umi, the group's sushi restaurant in Shadyside, already has booked 30 reservations for Saturday, which he said was a little out of the ordinary.

"I'm guessing a lot of people are coming into town wanting the high-end sushi before the game," Fuller said.

He said Eleven, big Burrito's restaurant closest to PNC Park, hasn't booked any major parties yet, outside of a reservation by the San Francisco Giants for 20 -- a typical-size weekend booking.

Bob Warnock, a vice president for Columbus, Ohio-based Michael's Finer Meats and Seafoods, which supplies restaurants throughout the city, said the All-Star Game and its related events are tough to schedule around. Most suppliers don't deliver on weekends or Mondays, and with All-Star Game festivities starting on Sunday and the actual game scheduled for Tuesday, many restaurants are forced to make risky projections on how much to order.

"It's going to be a shot in the dark as far as what to expect," Warnock said. "I don't think anybody knows what to expect in terms of who is going to come here."

Joyce noted that one of the limiting factors for restaurants for the All-Star game is the fact that so many of the parties and dinners accompanying the event are meticulously scheduled by Major League Baseball.

Perhaps the restaurants best poised to benefit from the All-Star Game aren't the eateries closest to PNC Park, but those that also have substantial catering divisions.

That includes big Burrito, which is catering events at the Andy Warhol Museum, and The Common Plea, which is catering events at the Sen. John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center, among others.

Fuller said a major chunk of baseball hospitality business will be at Chevrolet Amphitheater at Station Square, where MLB officials will host a VIP dinner for 5,000 people, a job big Burrito bid on but didn't win.

Owner Ed Dunlap expects to be busy not only at his LeMont, perhaps Pittsburgh's signature view restaurant on Mount Washington, and Cafe Euro, Downtown, but also through LeMont's catering division. Catering by LeMont is hosting an MLB-sponsored luncheon on Saturday at West Field in Munhall to honor stars from the former Negro Leagues. Dunlap said both LeMont and Cafe Euro will serve a number of private parties at the restaurants as well.

"There's a significant number of people coming to town for this," said Dunlap. "Usually when they do, a lot of them end up coming to LeMont."

Todd Frischling, owner of the upscale Trilogy restaurant on Liberty Avenue, Downtown, confesses he's not sure how busy the restaurant will be. But in a struggling Downtown dining scene in which summer often means slow business, he will open for dinner on Sunday, a day it is usually closed, in anticipation of game-related crowds. He also expects to double his staff over the days that visitors will converge on Pittsburgh for the game.

"We're ready for it," Frischling said. "We'll take all the business we can."

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A steely glint: Visitors take shine to city


By Bobby Kerlik
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, July 10, 2006


A Pittsburgh classic surprised first-time visitor Craig Crawford and his son, Quin, when they ate at Market Square.
"Fries and coleslaw on the sandwich? I never heard of it until I tried Primanti's. And the bread was so thick," Crawford, 59, of Chicago, said Sunday while walking through the All-Star FanFest wearing a Cubs jersey. "Oh, we liked it though."

The Crawfords are among the thousands of out-of-towners who descended on Pittsburgh this weekend to participate in activities surrounding Major League Baseball's All-Star Game at PNC Park.

Scott Bishop, 40, an air traffic controller from Indianapolis, and his son Zane, 12, came just for the FanFest and All-Star Futures and Legends games this weekend.





"Everything is pretty clean here. I'm pretty impressed," said Bishop, donning a Detroit Tigers cap while standing outside PNC Park. "We walked from our hotel at the Marriott City Center. It wasn't hard to get here."

Many of the visitors grew up in Western Pennsylvania but moved away.

Irene Prokop, of Summit, N.J., originally from Moon, who wouldn't give her age, said she hasn't been back to Pittsburgh since she graduated from Pitt.

"The whole area is so beautiful now," Prokop said as she looked across the Allegheny River outside FanFest at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. She came for the game with her son, Kevin McAvey, 17, and his friend John Gianis, 16. "It used to be you didn't walk around down here. Now it's very different. I would move back here."

Even though the steel industry collapsed nearly two decades ago, some visitors were surprised by the clear blue sky.

"I expected the Steel City, more buildings. It's a lot smaller than I thought," said Gianis, who also lives in Summit. "I like it here. It's less crowded than New York, and people aren't in a rush."

Dick Skrinjar, spokesman for Mayor Bob O'Connor who led a "redd up" campaign to clean up the city, was pleased visitors noticed.

"The mayor made it his goal to 'redd up' Pittsburgh because company was coming. The reaction is gratifying," Skrinjar said. "But, we're only halfway through the 'redd up' campaign. We have to maintain everything to this point. It's up to everyone to keep it clean."

The few visitor complaints centered on traffic, getting around Downtown and parking prices.

Topper Cramer, 45, a flight nurse from Frederick, Md., said his Downtown hotel charged him $50 a day to park.

"The city is very nice, but we're not happy about the parking prices," Cramer said. "They're gouging the tourists."

Besides the cleanliness of Downtown, nearly all of the visitors complimented the kindness of Pittsburgh residents.

Anita Martinez, carrying several bags of All-Star memorabilia, couldn't say enough good things about the city. She was at FanFest with her daughters, Ciera, 18, and Kristen, 15.

"Everyone is so friendly here. We just had a guy on the bus telling us where to get off and how to get everywhere," said Anita Martinez, 42, of Montpelier, Va. "It's like he knew us for 20 years."

"I thought it would be kind of, well, trashy," Ciera Martinez said. "But it's not. It's really pretty."

Dressed in a Minnesota Twins jersey, Patrick Gallagher, 35, of Seattle, agreed Pittsburgh hospitality was above expectations -- even if he did wince every time he saw a Steelers Super Bowl Champions shirt.

"I'm very surprised -- people are very friendly here," said Gallagher, who works for Boeing. "Especially compared to Philadelphia."

The Crawfords tried to sample as much of the city as possible, visiting the Strip District yesterday morning and planning to ride an incline to Mt. Washington last night.

"People were telling me to go to the Strip District, and I said, 'Hold on here, I'm with my son,' " Craig Crawford said, laughing. "But I'm really glad we went. The ethnic foods, the fish market were all great."

Quin, 24, agreed.

"We washed the Primanti's down with an Iron City."



Bobby Kerlik can be reached at bkerlik@tribweb.com.



Here's a neat link about PNC Park:

http://hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/_sports/baseball06/allstar06_interactives/pncpark/?SITE=PAGRE&SECTION=SPORTS

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700-unit housing plan chosen for Cultural District
Monday, July 10, 2006

By Timothy McNulty, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust today announced plans for a $460 million housing development that will link the Downtown Cultural District with the Allegheny riverfront.

The development, which features 700 rental and condominium units, will be along Fort Duquesne Boulevard between Seventh and Ninth streets. Parking lots currently dominate the area.

A central design feature will be a boulevard featuring art galleries and other amenities designed to attract Pittsburgh visitors as well as Downtown residents. The boulevard will extend over Fort Duquesne Boulevard and down to the river.

After a design competition lasting several months, the Cultural Trust chose a proposal from an alliance known as Riverpark.

Parking spaces for 1,500 cars will be scattered throughout the area.

Construction is to begin in summer 2007 and last for several years.

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D.C. firm to lead development of riverfront project
Pittsburgh Business Times - 10:07 AM EDT Mondayby Robert Sandler
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust on Monday chose a team led by a Washington, D.C. firm to develop two square blocks of Downtown riverfront.

As part of the ongoing development of the Cultural District, the trust has been searching for a developer of the area bounded by Seventh Street, Penn Avenue, Ninth Street and Fort Duquesne Boulevard.

A competition that began with 12 proposals was whittled to four, and ultimately won by "Team C," whose developer is Concord Eastridge of Washington, D.C. The design team is led by Stefan Benhisch, whose firm has offices in Germany and California. Additional designers are architects Alliance, Toronto; Gehl Architects, Copenhagen, Denmark; and Richard DeYoung of WTW Architects, Pittsburgh.

Team C's plan is a $460 million project that includes 700 residential units, as well as retail, parking, restaurants, pedestrian plazas, parks, public art projects and connections to the riverfront.

Other lead developers and local connections included: O'Neill Properties Group of King of Prussia and Oakland-based Trek Development Group and including Downtown-based Perkins Eastman architects; and a team led by The Richman Group Development Corp. of Greenwich, Conn., with Robinson Township-based JSA Architects.

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Latest Developments
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Selects The RiverParc Team
as a Partner to Design and Develop
the Nation's First Green, Mixed-Use,
Arts/Residential Development
Concord Eastridge Will Manage the $460 Million Project,
Pittsburgh's Largest Downtown Residential Development to Date
PITTSBURGH (July 10, 2006) – The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust successfully completed a 12-month process to determine a winner for its Cultural District Riverfront Development and Design Competition on July 10, 2006, culminating more than 20 years of effort by the Cultural Trust. The Trust announced the selection of the RiverParc team—led by master developer Concord Eastridge Inc., and a world-class design team comprising Behnisch Architekten, architectsAlliance, Gehl Architects, Transsolar and WTW Architects—as the Trust's partner in the design and development of the six-acre site. The Urban Land Institute has called this project one of the most significant urban planning developments in the nation.

The $460 million project, bounded by Fort Duquesne Boulevard overlooking the Allegheny River, Penn Avenue, and Seventh and Ninth streets, will be the country's first master-planned “green,” mixed-use, arts/residential neighborhood, providing approximately 700 new residential units and 9,200 jobs for the region.

“The Riverfront Development has a scope and magnitude unparalleled in the Cultural Trust's history,” said the Cultural Trust's Chairman James E. Rohr, and Chairman of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development. “The economic impact of the project will exceed $1 billion, bringing Pittsburgh one step closer to the vision set forth by Jack Heinz in the 1960s to transform an abandoned downtown into one of the nation's leading urban arts and residential centers.”

Susan Eastridge, CEO of Concord Eastridge, noted, “After months of careful planning and creative development sessions, we are very pleased to join the Trust on this critical piece of downtown Pittsburgh's Cultural District. Our breadth of experience in developing innovative mixed-use facilities combined with the Trust's vision for the Cultural District Riverfront Development will produce a vibrant mixed-use urban arts community based on an excellent master plan from the inception.”

Launched in the summer of 2005, the distinctive competition process included an invited request for qualifications from more than 100 interested developers, architects, artists and design professionals from the United States and abroad. After conducting extensive evaluations and interviews in Pittsburgh, the Cultural Trust honed the list to three teams that proceeded to the final round of competition, narrowing the field to one winner with the guidance of a distinguished panel of local, national and international jurors.

At the conclusion of the deliberations, juror Robert Campbell, architect and Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic of the Boston Globe, praised the way Concord Eastridge and its design team “dealt intelligently with every significant urban-design issue.” The jury was particularly impressed by the cohesiveness and collaborative spirit of the entire design, development and financing team. Campbell added that the Cultural Trust's competition process and outcome were outstanding.

The RiverParc team, led by master developer Concord Eastridge of Washington, D.C., and Phoenix, includes:

A world-class design team, headed by Behnisch Architekten of Stuttgart, Germany, including architectsAlliance of Toronto; master planner Gehl Architects of Copenhagen, Denmark; and WTW Architects of Pittsburgh
Climate engineer Transsolar of Stuttgart, Germany
Civil engineer Gateway Engineers of Pittsburgh
General contractor Turner Construction of Pittsburgh
Project financier Merrill Lynch of New York
Retail advisors S. Hamilton Group LLC of Washington, D.C.
Legal advisors Keevican Weiss Bauerle & Hirsch LLC of Pittsburgh
Parking advisors Walker Parking Consultants of Denver
Residential sales specialist Howard Hanna Real Estate Services of Pittsburgh
Thomas L. VanKirk, project chairman of the Riverfront Development, said, “The Trust's Executive Committee and Cultural District Design Committee are very pleased with the results of our competition process. The creative concept introduced by the Concord Eastridge team is highly impressive and promotes a vibrant, sustainable community core that is anchored with diverse residential offerings.”

In attendance at today's press conference, Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato, commented, “The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's extraordinary vision, leadership and dedication to our region have played an instrumental role in the dramatic renaissance of our downtown.”

“The Cultural Trust has become an international model for revitalizing the downtown core with its unique mix of performing and visual arts, education and community programs, collaborative shared services and real estate projects,” noted Pittsburgh Mayor Bob O'Connor. “This is a grand-scale project that has critical importance to the future economic vitality of Pittsburgh.”

The vision for the Cultural District Riverfront Development provides an essential component to Pittsburgh's 14-square-block Cultural District. The plan includes seven new residential buildings, a street of townhouses, a four-star hotel and a performing arts venue. Retail will be located on the ground floors and will occur throughout the development, and new parking structures will provide an additional amenity for the area.

A key component of the Concord Eastridge plan calls for LEED-certified and environmentally sensitive buildings, numerous parks and green spaces both inside the buildings and in the public realm, vertical winter gardens and roof terraces, and the addition of Three Sisters Gallery. The new park proposes an innovative capping of the highway between the Three Sisters Bridges, which would establish a park to cover the 10th Street By-pass facing the riverfront. It will provide an important connection to the river and offer multiple athletic, recreational and vending opportunities to service river-goers. The Three Sisters Gallery could also include a multi-use floating stage for special events.

“We have a lot of work ahead of us,” concluded J. Kevin McMahon, CEO and President of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, “but with the proven determination of our trustees and generous support of our many funders—such as The Heinz Endowments, Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation and Richard King Mellon Foundation, among others—the Cultural District is poised to be a one-of-a-kind destination attracting positive, international attention for the city. In addition, the project will further enhance the cultural environment for residents, visitors and members of fellow arts organizations.”

This fall, the design process will include public forums with the Cultural District Riverfront Development architecture team to engage residents, artists and members of community organizations. The project is estimated to break ground in mid-2007.

More »


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

THE PITTSBURGH CULTURAL TRUST
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust was incorporated in 1984 as a 501(c)3 organization created to lead the cultural and economic development of downtown Pittsburgh. Using the arts as a catalyst, the Trust's board and staff have pursued the late Jack Heinz's original vision of creating a dynamic Cultural District and have since developed an internationally recognized model that is revitalizing downtown, improving the regional economy and enhancing Pittsburgh's quality of life. With a 2006 budget of $45 million, the Trust is one of the largest nonprofit arts and cultural organization in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. For more information, call (412) 471-6070 or visit www.pgharts.org.

CONCORD EASTRIDGE INC.
Concord Eastridge is an experienced national real estate development firm focused on the financing and development of mixed-use, institutional and education related facilities and investment real estate. The senior leadership team of Concord Eastridge is staffed by interdisciplinary professionals with more than 250 years of collective experience in the execution of more than $7.5 billion in real estate development projects and real property transactions. The company operates on a national platform with offices in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Orlando, Austin and Phoenix. For more information, call (866) 266-1999 or visit www.concordeastridge.com.

[Evergrey]

Check the Cultural District website for the renderings... they're too huge to post here and bog down the thread.

http://www.pgharts.org/cdrd/

[themaguffin]

Yeah I saw them on their site this morning. It's better to view them on their site.

[themaguffin]

http://www.post-gazette.com/images4/20060710_CDRD_Day_Perspective_450.jpg



http://www.post-gazette.com/images4/20060710_CDRD_View_of_the_Lanes_450.jpg

[themaguffin]

http://www.post-gazette.com/images4/20060710_CDRD_Nigh_Overview_450.jpg

[themaguffin]

This is going to be more unique than I thought. I assumed that they would resemble buildings like Encore etc. It's a little difficult to grasp the detail from the sketchy renderings, but this appears to be one sharp lookin' plan.

[UrbaniDesDev]

This will be such a new image for the city. I hope they have a huge sign up already for the All Star exposure this week!

[EventHorizon]

This project looks fantastic!

Here's a KDKA report on the new cultural district developments.

http://kdka.com/local/local_story_191072549.html

I couldn't get a direct link to the story page, but there's also a seperate video in the video launch bar about the new PNC tower. You get to see the final rendering of the building. :)

[themaguffin]

From KDKA

Obviously the announcement for this project was picked because of the All-star game going on right now,” said Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato. “We have the national spotlight but we also have a lot of individuals who might not otherwise be in this city that are here right now.

“They're going to see this,” Onorato added, They're going to hear about this and they become our ambassadors when they leave here.”


Perferct timing. Well, other than a series of cranes, at least tomorrow morning hotel guests will see a PG with "700 new housing units slated for downtown" or something to that effect. Or they might arrive tonight, and turn on the local news and "700 new units...."

:) :) :) :) :)

[RamsayHank]

I walked by the signs posted for Three PNC today at lunch - here's a picture I got of the building. (Sorry about the quality - cell phone camera...)

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e41/RamsayHank/3pnc.jpg

[AaronPGH]

This is so sick. Blew apart my expectations for sure (which were already high). I can't wait to see this get going. It'll be nice to see a sea of cranes downtown between this and the other hi-rises. Pittsburgh deserves something like this. :cool:

[UrbaniDesDev]

Its good to see developers taking a modern turn in development. The Encore is nice but not memorable outside of it's location. I'm hoping for something more like ALCOA or the convention center, strong modern architectural statements.

[Evergrey]

I think the Encore is fine architecturally and has a suprising presence in the skyline as viewed from the "North Shore". It's one of Pittsburgh's rare modern examples of the "cylinder on the corner" design that has taken many fast-growing areas by storm in recent years. The cylinder provides an architectural focal point and flexible and dynamic interior space.

[themaguffin]

Consultants like Downtown housing
Experts say it should help city attract younger crowd
Tuesday, July 11, 2006

By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



Pittsburgh finally is getting it right by building housing Downtown and big sites ready for development in the suburbs, moves that should attract young people and business to the region.

That was the message of Robert Ady, one of the nation's premier site selection consultants, who told an audience at the Imperial Business Park yesterday that more and more young people are gravitating to downtowns to live and hang out.

"They're finally waking up, aren't they?" Mr. Ady said of the various plans to build more housing Downtown. "Younger people ... they want to live in the Downtown area and they want to interface with other young people in different occupations."

Using the Major League All-Star Game as bait, the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance brought Mr. Ady, and five other consultants who help companies find locations, into town for three days to tour development-ready sites near the airport and other parts of the city.

They paused long enough yesterday to take part in a panel discussion at the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties Developers' Showcase to discuss the Pittsburgh region's strengths and weaknesses.

Mr. Ady said Downtown housing is becoming one of the keys to keeping and attracting both young people and businesses to a region. He said when he visited Pittsburgh five years ago, the lack of Downtown housing was an "area of concern."

But that has changed more recently with the plans for new housing in the Fifth and Forbes corridor and other areas, including the 700 new units proposed in the Cultural District.

Mr. Ady, president of Ady International Co., said Pittsburgh is one of many cities spending time, energy and money trying to redesign their downtowns to lure younger people.

While the hundreds of condos and apartments under development Downtown are "OK," they're still "not enough" in Mr. Ady's mind. He said Chicago has about 6,000 units of housing downtown.

"My goal in Chicago was to have Chicago 24/7 and you could never go to a restaurant without a reservation. Now that's a successful city," he said.

Mr. Ady said the region also is "100 percent better" in terms of the availability of development-ready sites, those basically in move-in condition with water, sewer, electrical and gas service and other infrastructure in place.

About 2,300 acres of industrial space currently are under development in Allegheny, Beaver and Washington counties. All are located within a 30-minute drive of Pittsburgh International Airport. The preparation of such sites has been a priority for the region's political leadership and the Allegheny Conference on Community Development.

Mr. Ady said the lack of development-ready pads still ranks as one of the top reasons for a city or region to be dropped from consideration when looking for a site.

Despite such improvements, the Pittsburgh region all too often still doesn't make the short list with many companies.

One reason, said Jim Bruce, president of Business Facility Planning Consultants LLC of Atlanta, is Pittsburgh's "lack of aggressive growth" in recent years. A lot of businesses want to settle in cities that are growing quickly with lots of young people and big labor pools.

"Pittsburgh is not considered a growth area," added Saul Grohs, partner in New Jersey-based Location Advisory Services Inc.

That said, Mr. Bruce believes the region should play to its strength -- its reputation as one of the country's leading centers for robotics, high technology and medicine.

Those types of industries will help to attract younger people and more business, even if Pittsburgh isn't ranked among the top 10 coolest cities.

"If you want to go into robotics, Carnegie Mellon is unsurpassed," he said by way of example. "At least in that particular area, this is the hot place to be."

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



The PG (and Trib) of course wrote about the Cultural Trust project on Tuesday, but it didn't add anything that wasn't already said on Monday.

[Evergrey]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06192/704969-53.stm

Analysis: RiverParc wins design team title in Cultural Trust bid
Tuesday, July 11, 2006

By Patricia Lowry, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



The international design team RiverParc won the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's Downtown design competition with a bold gesture -- connecting Fort Duquesne Boulevard with the Allegheny River by putting a green lid on the 10th Street Bypass.

The other big feature of the "Cultural District Riverfront Development" -- a more distinctive name will come later -- is the use of Eighth Street as the retail spine and focal point of the project, connecting Penn Avenue with the river. The winner was chosen from a field of four teams of developers, financiers and designers.

"They had a thorough understanding of the site," Thomas L. VanKirk, project chairman for the Cultural Trust, said yesterday of the RiverParc team. Architect, critic and jury member Robert Campbell said RiverParc "dealt intelligently with every significant urban-design issue."

VanKirk also said the jury was impressed with the international team's compatibility: "They had built up a cohesive and collaborative relationship among all the members of the team."

The predominantly glass buildings would significantly increase the scale and sophistication of riverfront housing in Pittsburgh, bringing it a little more in line with new waterfront developments in London, Amsterdam and other cities.

Another plus for RiverParc is that its plan is modular and can be built in phases, allowing development to proceed if and when buildings are acquired. While most of the six-acre site is now Trust-owned surface parking, a few buildings remain in private hands. The four-story, Trust-owned building at 801 Penn Ave., which has a modern exterior and houses the offices of Pittsburgh Opera, will be demolished after the opera moves to a new location in the Cultural District. No historic buildings will be demolished; the new buildings will be erected around them.

One of the biggest challenges for the architects will be making the highly contemporary new buildings compatible with the historic ones on Penn Avenue. RiverParc provided no drawings showing the Penn Avenue side of the development.

In about six weeks, the architects could begin seeking public input on the design of all of the project's buildings, which will have operable windows. That's one of several environmentally friendly features, including the use of natural light, that will contribute to making the development a pilot project in a new category of green-building certification for neighborhood development.

The project also will be literally green. A perspective drawing of Eighth Street shows a sort of hanging gardens effect, with plants spilling over balconies. Some of the buildings will have wintergardens several stories tall and many of the lower buildings will have rooftop gardens.

The cover over the 10th Street Bypass would run from the Clemente Bridge to the Rachel Carson Bridge; it will be known as Three Sisters Gallery (honoring the "Three Sisters" bridges at Sixth, Seventh and Ninth streets, now the Clemente, Warhol and Carson bridges). The gallery is proposed as a park-like space with trees and plazas; drawings show steps, terraced gardens and a water feature leading to Allegheny Riverfront Park.

The design team, led by Concord Eastridge of Washington, D.C., comprises four firms:

Behnisch Architekten, Stuttgart, Germany (www.behnisch.com), will serve as design architect, taking the lead on the look and green features of the buildings. Behnisch is known for environmentally sustainable projects in Europe and America, including the Genzyme Center, a medical research facility in Cambridge, Mass., which earned the highest rating in green-building certification and where 75 percent of employees are able to work with natural light alone.

GEHL Architects, Copenhagen, Denmark (www.gehlarchitects.dk), is the project's master planner and landscape architect. It has worked on master planning and urban design projects for city centers and brownfield sites in Europe, the Middle East and the United States.

architectsAlliance, Toronto, Canada (www.architectsalliance.com), is the residential architect, with projects across Canada and overseas, including the master plan and buildings for a community of 50,000 at the Dubai Marina.

WTW Architects, Pittsburgh (www.wtwarchitects.com). As architect of record, WTW is the design team's local liaison and representative. Founded in 1959, WTW has built its practice in recent years by specializing in student unions for more than 50 American colleges and universities.

Transsolar, Stuttgart, Germany, is the climate engineer and Gateway Engineers, Pittsburgh, is the civil engineer; Turner Construction is the general contractor.



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

(Architecture critic Patricia Lowry can be reached at plowry@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1590. )

[Evergrey]

Another article on those "experts" that came to town

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_461367.html

Area makes progress in preparing sites

By Sam Spatter
FOR THE TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, July 11, 2006


The failure of the Pittsburgh region to grow -- as fast as Charlotte or Atlanta, for example -- and the exodus of young adults have deterred corporations from locating new plants and offices here, experts said Monday.
Even so, the Pittsburgh area has attributes that are changing the attitudes of some corporations, according to a panel of six national site selection experts whose job it is to find sites for clients planning to relocate or expand.

"Five years ago, when I was last here, you had few if any shovel-ready sites for new (developments), but today the region has 2,000 acres -- over half a dozen sites -- that meet that criteria," said Robert Ady of Ady International Co., Chicago, one of the panel members.

"And to keep young people in the community you must provide them with housing Downtown, something that wasn't too available five years ago but is being built now," he said.

Growth has lagged here in recent years, but it is starting to improve. Average job levels increased in Western Pennsylvania in 2005 for the first time in four years. The seven-county region averaged 1.14 million jobs in 2005, up slightly from 2004, according to state figures released in April.

Ady said the "hidden gem" of Pittsburgh is the amount of research and development activity that is under way here with at least 100 projects that involve everything from food to health care. "That R&D activity should attract more firms to the region," he said.

"I am already astonished at the improvements I've seen thus far," Ady said.

One of the region's attractions is its cutting-edge involvement in the green-environment trend, said Mark Sweeney of McCallum Sweeney Consulting, Greenville, S.C. The David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown, is the nation's largest environmentally friendly building, for example.

"Pittsburgh is well-positioned as more corporations tend to go green, wanting buildings that are environmentally safe for their employees to work in," he said.

Jim Bruce of Business Facility Planning Consultants, Norcross, Ga., said the Pittsburgh region had many challenges, but has responded better than other communities with similar problems.

Cities that Pittsburgh is competing with for new companies are Rochester and Syracuse in New York, Baltimore, Norfolk (Va.), and even Philadelphia, said Ron Ruberg of Location Advisory Services Inc., West Long Branch, N.J.. Sweeney added Charleston, W.Va., and several Ohio cities for warehouse/distribution facilities.

The site selectors were in town yesterday for a tour sponsored by the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and spoke at an event held by the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties' Pittsburgh Chapter at the Imperial Business Park, North Fayette.



Sam Spatter can be reached at sspatter@tribweb.com.

[Evergrey]

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_461404.html

Group uses arts as catalyst for growth

By Bill Zlatos
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, July 11, 2006


Mayor Bob O'Connor and his predecessor support the arts, but unlike former mayor Tom Murphy, observers say O'Connor doesn't play solo when he orchestrates Downtown development.
"Bob learned as well as any one of us the mistake made with Fifth and Forbes," state Rep. Dan Frankel, a Democrat from Squirrel Hill, said of the problems Murphy had in jump-starting development along Downtown's main avenues, work that has begun under O'Connor.

"You've got to work collaboratively," Frankel said after The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announced Monday its ambitious plan for RiverParc, another Downtown development.

The $460 million project would create an environmentally friendly arts and residential neighborhood on six acres bounded by Fort Duquesne Boulevard, Penn Avenue, and Seventh and Ninth streets. Scheduled to break ground in mid-2007, the development would consist of 700 residences, including condominiums and townhouses, a four-star hotel and 159,000 square feet of retail space.





The trust intends to borrow at least half of the RiverParc's estimated cost, President J. Kevin McMahon said. For the rest of the money, he said, "We're going to need help from everywhere."

Political support has been instrumental in advancing the trust's objective of using the arts as a catalyst to revitalize Downtown. In 2001, about 932,000 visitors attended 1,284 art exhibits and performances sponsored by the trust. By 2005, those numbers had climbed to about 1.4 million visitors at 2,200 events.

In 1985, the trust's real estate was valued at about $14 million. Last year, that value was $161.1 million.

Until now, the cultural trust's biggest joint venture in public art and residential and retail space was The Encore on Seventh. Since opening earlier this year, half of its 151 units have been leased, trust spokeswoman Veronica Corpuz said. The unsold units range in price from $1,200 a month for one bedroom to $2,400 for two bedrooms.

Continued political support will be necessary to complete RiverParc, McMahon said. O'Connor's support is no less than that Murphy extended, he said.

"We have had great cooperation from every administration since the trust was founded," McMahon said. "Bob O'Connor has been extremely supportive. Tom Murphy has been extremely supportive. (Former mayor) Sophie Masloff has been extremely supportive."

O'Connor sits on the trust's board and has attended some of its Broadway productions and jazz performances.

"It's clear that the arts are going to play a part in all of the development moving forward," said B.J. Leber, O'Connor's chief of staff. "It's who we are as a city."



Bill Zlatos can be reached at bzlatos@tribweb.com or (412) 320-7828.

[Evergrey]

Yet another Cultural Trust article... there are some more interesting details not previous discussed

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_461389.html

Cultural Trust has $460M vision

By Thomas Olson
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, July 11, 2006


The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust on Monday presented a $460 million plan to transform six acres of Downtown riverfront into the city's liveliest neighborhood.
"This could be the thing to revitalize the entire Downtown area," said attorney Thomas VanKirk at a news conference. He chairs the Cultural District Riverfront Development Project committee.

The Eighth Street Block, as the site along the Allegheny River is dubbed, envisions more than 700 residences, a four-star hotel, a park with a performing-arts stage, retail and cafe space, and underground and surface parking.

The property is part of a 14-square-block quadrant designated as the Cultural District by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, founded in 1984 to develop the land. The district includes such venues as Heinz Hall, the Byham Theater, the O'Reilly Theater and the Benedum Center, the trust's first redevelopment project, finished in 1987.





Ground breaking for the residences begins in mid-2007, with the first ones opening in mid-2009. The entire project would be finished by 2017.

Concord Eastridge Inc. of Washington, D.C., will act as master developer. The company has developed residential, mixed-use and university projects from Phoenix to Washington for a quarter century.

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust selected Concord Eastridge after an international design competition started last summer that drew more than 100 architects and developers. The list was narrowed to three in December.

"The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust was a believer in the city when there weren't many believers," said Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato. "There's no reason this neighborhood couldn't be the largest neighborhood in the city in 10 years."

The Urban Land Institute called the project one of the nation's most significant urban planning developments. By comparison, the latest incarnation of Fifth and Forbes is a $270 million proposal accepted in May from Millcraft Industries mainly to redevelop the former Lazarus-Macy's building, Market Square and the Warner Centre.

The second phase of Eighth Street Block calls for construction of a 225-room, four-star hotel operated by Kimpton Hotels, which operates about 40 hotels from New York to Vancouver. The hotel location has not been determined. Plans call for sprucing up alleyways with cafes and boutiques to enhance the neighborhood atmosphere.

In later stages, the developers hope to construct a park that would arch over the 10th Street Bypass to the Allegheny River. The park might include gallery space, a marina and a floating performing arts stage.

"I am pleased with how they incorporated the river with this project, which is something that hasn't been done yet," said Aaron Stauber, president of Rugby Realty, which owns Gulf Tower, the Frick Building and the Manor Building, Downtown, and is developing buildings on Penn and Liberty avenues

"And they clearly mean for their project to draw other Downtown developments together. This is a wonderful concept that is absolutely necessary," said Stauber. "Up until now, there's been independent projects in the Cultural District and the convention center, plus you have the Fifth and Forbes situation."

The project contains parks and green space, including a vertical winter garden. Planners claim Eighth Street Block will be the nation's first master-planned green, mixed-use arts and residential neighborhood.

The state of Pennsylvania will contribute up to $30 million. The money will be spent on street, sewer and other infrastructure, said Dennis Yablonsky, secretary of the state Department of Community and Economic Development under Gov. Ed Rendell.

Subbing for an ailing Pittsburgh Mayor Bob O'Connor during the news conference was Chief of Staff B.J. Leber, who called the Cultural Trust "the standard bearer" for long-term planning for Downtown development.

Land for Eighth Street Block was assembled over the years with contributions from the Heinz Endowments, the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation and the Richard King Mellon Foundation. The Cultural Trust owns all the land slated for residential development, including the surface lots along Eighth Street and the Duff's Business Institute site at Ninth Street and Fort Duquesne Boulevard.

"Without them, this would not have been possible," said Cultural Trust President J. Kevin McMahon of the foundations' role.

Concord Eastridge, which will open a Pittsburgh office, will lead a so-called RiverParc development team that includes WTW Architects of Pittsburgh and Turner Construction of Pittsburgh as general contractor. Howard Hanna Real Estate Services of Pittsburgh was selected as sales specialist for the residences.



Thomas Olson can be reached at tolson@tribweb.com or (412) 320-7854.

[themaguffin]

Today's PG front page. The unfortunate news of the mayor bumped the Trust news below the fold:

http://www.post-gazette.com/images4/tuesday.pdf

[Evergrey]

http://www.popcitymedia.com/developmentnews/melwood.aspxJuly 12, 2006
$5 million Melwood Avenue development welcomes tenants UPMC
By the end of the year, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) will occupy the site at 450 Melwood Avenue, a 61,000 square-foot property that is the first phase of a development by Real Estate Enterprises. The renovation of the 1930s-era building was designed by Renaissance 3 Architects.

“We provided UPMC with a warm shell. They are responsible for the build out that will begin in September. They have a great need for space,” says Lars Olander, a partner with Real Estate Enterprises, who acquired the property in 1999.

Olander notes that the building’s renovation is timely when considered within the context of surrounding development. “The Baum corridor is really gaining momentum and UPMC has become a major player,” he says. The building is located three blocks from the UPMC Cancer Center.

Green elements include day lighting, an energy-efficient HVAC system, a bike room and shower. “We want it to be a productive work space,” adds Olander.

“We own the property beside and behind the building and are currently constructing surface parking beside the building. There will be a two-decked parking facility in the rear. There will be 170 spaces, very nice in Oakland where parking is at a premium,” says Olander. The company eventually plans on a total of 500 parking spaces in the Melwood-Baum corridor.

The Melrose Ave. building previously housed a snack food wholesaler. The street, once dubbed “Automobile Row” in its heyday, features rehabilitated industrial buildings occupied by Pittsburgh Filmmakers, Pittsburgh Plumbing and Ferrari.

Writer: Jennifer Baron
Source: Lars Olander, partner, Real Estate Enterprises

Photo copyright © Jonathan Greene

http://www.popcitymedia.com/galleries/Default/Dev%20News/Issue%2019/melwood_01.jpg

[Evergrey]

http://www.popcitymedia.com/developmentnews/mtwash.aspxJuly 12, 2006
High-end condos coming to scenic Mount Washington
Construction on The Vici, which in Latin means “to overcome,” starts in August. Located at 341 Grandview, the 7-story condo will include 14 units, ranging in size from 3,250 to 3,845 square feet. General contractor is D.B. Phillips and architect is Indovina Associates.

“Living up there, I had a passion for Mount Washington, really for the city. I drove by the site continuously and saw that nothing was happening. I spent the last 6 years in the development process. It is a passion to invest years before you even start building. The good thing about it taking so long is that we had a lot of time for the design. The layout is phenomenal. We have challenged the engineer and architect,” says Craig Cozza, president of Alex Development.

“Technology will be at the forefront. Residents will drive into a garage without hitting buttons, and will walk into a glass elevator opening directly into their suite,” says Cozza. Units will include spacious kitchens, downtown and Greentree views and hardwood floors.

Sitting on the eastern end of Grandview’s highest point, The Vici is slated for completion during summer 2007. Sales will begin this fall. Green elements include day lighting and common green areas.

“We had an opportunity to really make a statement,” says Cozza.

A second condo, occupying the 1400 block of Grandview, will start as early as this fall. Formerly the Belle Vista, the 10-story condo will feature up to 37 units ranging from 2,000 to 3,500 square feet. Located across from Photography Park, the condo will include fitness, conference and wine rooms.

“The interest has been fantastic because it is long overdue. The condo market has come alive here in Pittsburgh,” says Cozza.

The projects represent the only new multi-unit developments built in Mount Washington in 20 years.

Writer: Jennifer Baron
Source: Craig Cozza, president, Alex Development

Photo copyright © Jonathan Greene

http://www.popcitymedia.com/galleries/Default/Dev%20News/Issue%2019/vici_on_grandview_03.jpg

[Evergrey]

http://www.popcitymedia.com/developmentnews/5461penn.aspx

July 12, 2006
Nearly-complete retail and housing development creates “buzz on Penn”
During last Friday’s UNBLURRED event, The Friendship Development Associates (FDA) hosted a “buzz session” to celebrate the near-completion of its Penn Fairmont Project. Over 50 interested neighbors and potential retail tenants explored the site and discussed the unique retail space available for lease.

Located at 5461 Penn in the heart of the Avenue’s Arts District, the multi-million dollar project houses 60 apartments and six retail spaces. The street-level spaces feature high ceilings, glass facades and ample free parking. Designed by Rothschild Doyno Architects and built by Mistick Construction, the property houses more than 7,500 square feet of available retail space and 50,000 square feet of housing.

“We are pre-leasing now and just kicking it off. It’s the hottest corridor. We have spoken to some well-known names. It is pretty exciting. We are looking for what we think is the highest and best use. We want it to be very complementary,” says Rita Caputo, who manages commercial leasing and sales for We Do Property.

“Penn Fairmont is an amazing project for many reasons. This is the first project on the Avenue that unites the interests of multiple groups and the constituents they represent. The result is a two-phased project that includes senior housing and magnificent retail spaces,” says Jeffrey Dorsey of FDA and Penn Avenue Arts Initiative.

Phase II includes more retail, a restaurant, lofts and artist workspaces.

“This mixed-use project reflects FDA’s mission of diversity in everyway – ethnicity, income level and use. Architecturally, the project echoes the unique and diverse characteristics that surround it,” says Dorsey.

“It’s just one project, but with it, begins to connect so many others that together act as a welcome to our district,” says Dorsey.

For information on leasing rental space, contact WE DO at 412-434-7080.

Writer: Jennifer Baron
Source: Rita Caputo, We Do Property, Jeffrey Dorsey, Penn Avenue Arts Initiative, and Sarah Collins, Friendship Development Associates

Photo copyright © Jonathan Greene


http://www.popcitymedia.com/galleries/Default/Dev%20News/Issue%2019/FDA_retail_01.jpg

[Evergrey]

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

July 12, 2006
Pittsburgh International Airport welcomes popular carrier JetBlue
On June 30, JetBlue Airways began service out of Pittsburgh International Airport. The low-fare airline offers four daily flights to New York’s JFK and two daily flights to Boston’s Logan. One-way fares start at $64 to NYC and $79 to Boston.

“Pittsburgh was chosen because there is a market here to serve. Boston and NYC are very large business markets for Pittsburgh. This creates competition in those markets,” says JoAnn Jenny, communications director for the Allegheny County Airport Authority.

JetBlue’s low fares stimulate demand by attracting those who typically travel by other means or not at all. JetBlue flies from Pittsburgh to Boston at 7:30 a.m. and 2:45 p.m., and to NYC at 6:00 a.m., 10:35 a.m., 3:40 p.m. and 7:25 p.m. For both routes, JetBlue operates the Embraer 190, 100-seat aircraft.

On its Web site, David Neeleman, JetBlue founder and CEO states that "Pittsburgh International Airport is consistently ranked among the best in service and amenities by customers traveling on business as well as pleasure.”

JetBlue, known for award-winning service, low fares and in-flight amenities, celebrated its sixth anniversary in February. The airline boasts a number of firsts, such as launching with $100 million in capital, offering 36-channels of free, live satellite TV free, introducing "paperless cockpit" flight technology, operating 100% ticketless, and installing bullet-proof cockpit doors.

JetBlue serves 36 U.S. cities, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, The Bahamas and Bermuda, and operates more than 400 flights a day.

Writer: Jennifer Baron
Source: JoAnn Jenny, communications director, Allegheny County Airport Authority

[Evergrey]

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


July 12, 2006
Downtown Pittsburgh goes wireless
Starting September 1, Pittsburghers will be able to grab their laptop or PDA and head downtown to conduct business lunches, surf the web in cafes or write blog entries in parks, with nary a technical worry.

On July 6, the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership (PDP) announced the launch of Wi-Fi Pittsburgh, an initiative that will provide downtown users with two hours of free outdoor wireless access a day. The project is a collaboration between the PDP, local foundations and city officials.

The network will be powered by Louisville, Kentucky-based US Wireless Online (USWO) and will service the Central Business District/Golden Triangle, North Shore and Lower Hill District. USWO will receive $356,000 to install, maintain and operate the system. Users will be guaranteed 512 Kbps of bandwidth. Those requiring higher speed or increased security may pay a daily, monthly or annual fee.

“The original idea stemmed from a need to differentiate our real estate product downtown from the rest of the marketplace. This is a cool new amenity in a thriving downtown residential environment. We also recognize that this can empower surrounding neighborhoods,” says Mike Edwards, CEO of the PDP.

The service provides critical municipal benefits, including secured mobile command units for the city’s public safety operations, and combats the digital divide by providing complementary connections in partnership with Wireless Neighborhoods, an alliance of community and faith organizations committed to support children’s education, promote economic development and address social barriers.

More than 250 communities nationwide provide or are developing Wi-Fi service. “Implementing this speaks to issues of the local, regional and national image of Pittsburgh,” adds Edwards.

“This forces a relationship between USWO and someone else. We are creating an infrastructure for multiple providers to provide service. When we started, Earthlink, Yahoo and Microsoft all expressed interest in participating. If you build the technology it will attract investment and innovation,” says Edwards.

“The most direct applications are municipal. The savings and increased efficiency are timely,” adds Edwards.

Writer: Jennifer Baron
Source: Michael Edwards, CEO, Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership

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

July 12, 2006
Highland Park’s $950,000, 8,800 sf Southerland Building welcomes first tenants
The Southerland Building at 830 Mellon Street in Highland Park, is welcoming its first tenants. The 3-1/2-story, 8,800 square-foot building features seven units and represents a partnership between the Highland Park Community Development Corporation (CDC) and East Liberty Development, Inc. (ELDI).

The property, which includes one and three-bedroom units, is located near the Union Project, Enrico’s Tazza D’oro Coffeehouse, and the Highland Park and East Liberty business districts. General contactor was Team Construction and architects were TAI Lee.

“The cool thing about the building is that the neighborhood really wanted to step in and make a change. This was a building that had stained glass windows falling apart and disappearing. We were able to restore the building plus do amenity upgrades,” says Ernie Hogan, director of residential development with ELDI.

“It was most notable for being a real problem property," says David Hance, board president of the Highland Park CDC and a principal at Perkins Eastman Architects, PC. Now, he says, "The units are completely renovated and light-filled, with tall ceilings and large windows."

“That whole area is a focus of the community. That is where we want to put our investment. The neighborhoods are working together to address this core,” says Hogan.

Built at the turn of the century, the Southerland features pine floors, fully-equipped kitchens, laundry facilities, walk-in closets and central air.

National City invested in the project through the historic tax credit program. The Highland Park CDC and ELDI partnered with the Union Project to restore and construct stained glass windows. Additional partners include Citizen’s Bank, Fidelity Bank, Sky Bank and The URA.

The Southerland is part of $3.4 million in development projects undertaken in Highland Park in the last year alone.

Writer: Jennifer Baron
Source: Ernie Hogan, director of residential development, ELDI, and David Hance, board president, Highland Park CDC and principal, Perkins Eastman Architects, PC.

Photo copyright © Jonathan Greene

http://www.popcitymedia.com/galleries/Default/Dev%20News/Issue%2019/839_mellon_01.jpg

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http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AmSxXJVQikVka.6YwIVncTERvLYF?slug=ap-all-star-prettypnc&prov=ap&type=lgns


All-Star game in an All-Star park -- PNC finally gets its due

By ALAN ROBINSON, AP Sports Writer
July 10, 2006

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Jason Bay and Freddy Sanchez are on the NL team. The Pittsburgh Pirates' most significant All-Star, however, is a place instead of a player.

America, meet PNC Park.

ADVERTISEMENT


Stuck in a sixth consecutive losing season since opening their jewel of a ballpark in 2001, the Pirates rarely appear on national TV or play big games at home. That changes with the All-Star game, when PNC Park's unrivaled setting, numerous quirks and many statues can be seen coast-to-coast.

Lots of fans have heard about a ballpark that's been consistently ranked among the best in major league history, enhanced by the gleaming downtown buildings right across the Allegheny River. But many have seen little of PNC Park except during the nightly baseball highlights show.

Now, PNC Park gets to show itself off for one night, and Sanchez can't envision anyone disliking a ballpark that was designed to incorporate the best of the new wave of parks and the old-style ballyards like Pittsburgh's own long-since-demolished Forbes Field.

"One of the players said they hadn't been here before, I said, `You're in for a surprise -- this place, it doesn't get any better than this,"' Sanchez said Monday.

PNC Park is named for a local banking chain once known as Pittsburgh National that bought the rights for about $30 million. Unlike most of the older-style parks, PNC Park lacks the prerequisite brick exterior. To reflect an architectural style more common to Pittsburgh, a sandy beach-hued limestone was used.

It's also not a hitter-friendly bandbox like the new parks in Houston and Cincinnati often are. The right field line is an enticing 320 feet away, but the wall there is 21 feet high -- in recognition of Hall of Fame right fielder Roberto Clemente's No. 21.

Most pitchers love left-center, where the power alley is a tough-to-reach 378 feet and a notch in left-center is 410 feet from home plate. The left field wall is only 6 feet high, which allows outfielders to lean into the stands and take away homers.

"They didn't ask me to do the Home Run Derby but, if they had, I would say I don't know if I could hit a ball out of this place to left, so I'll pass," said the White Sox's Paul Konerko, who played in PNC two weeks ago.

Other touches pay homage to Pittsburgh's 120-year major league history. The infield is very hard, though not quite as treacherous as the rockpile that was Forbes Field's infield before it closed in 1970.

"The grass is tall in the infield and you get a lot of ground ball outs," the Astros' Roy Oswalt said.

The light standards are shaped to resemble those at Forbes Field, and there are bleachers with bench seating in left field similar to those that ran along the left-field line in Forbes.

First-time visitors to PNC should allow plenty of time to explore a ballpark that may have more statues than any in the country.

Pirates Hall of Famers Clemente, Willie Stargell and Honus Wagner are recognized outside the ballpark, and a bronze casting pays tribute to the powerful hands of former NL home run champion Ralph Kiner. There also are seven newly unveiled statues honoring Negro League Hall of Famers with a Pittsburgh past, including Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson.

The setting may be unmatched in the game, Dodger Stadium and its glorious vistas notwithstanding. The Roberto Clemente Bridge (painted in gold, of course) spans the Allegheny River and offers a backdrop in center field, with Pittsburgh's underrated skyline visible from nearly every seat.

"The skyline and the background, you don't get a whole lot of that in the newer stadiums," Arizona pitcher Brandon Webb said.

Passenger boats ply the river during games, tooting out salutes to the fans inside -- sometimes at the very moment a pitcher delivers a key pitch. Some acknowledge almost jumping off the mound when a blast interrupted their concentration.

"That hasn't happened to me -- I just hope I don't give up a ball that hits one of those boats," Brewers reliever Derrick Turnbow said.

That would be a blast -- the river has been reached on the fly only once during a regular season game, a 479-foot drive by the Astros' Daryle Ward on July 6, 2002. Nineteen other homers have landed behind the right-field seats and bounded into the river.

"You look out and see the city out there, the water and bridges, it's a little bit of everything," Turnbow said. "It's a great setting and a great place to have a baseball park."

And an All-Star game, too.

"They did an unbelievable job at doing this ballpark and I love it," Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca said. "I don't really like the domes, they look like shopping malls. This is more traditional and they did a great job."

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http://www.popcitymedia.com/features/airport.aspx

Fly the Friendlier Skies
By: Anne Lutz

Ten years ago, more than 10 million people passed through the Pittsburgh International Airport. About seventy percent of those passengers came from other cities to connect to other flights in U. S. Airway’s elaborate hub-and-spoke system. Pittsburgh airfares were some of the highest in the country, and the airport catered to the business traveler who could afford to pay them.


In 2004, when U.S. Airways announced its second bankruptcy and eliminated Pittsburgh’s hub status, many predicted the area’s state-of-the-art airport would become a dinosaur. On the contrary; Pittsburgh’s International Airport has emerged as a phoenix with benefits for local travelers who have long been subjected to higher fares--and sometimes drives to the Cleveland airport to avoid them.


Today, low-cost carriers have slashed Pittsburgh’s airfares. Local traffic is at an all-time high, and less than 30 percent of the airport’s traffic is connecting to other flights. Total airport traffic is finally on the rise: it was up in April for the first time since September 2004.


“U.S. Airways’ diminished presence has opened the door for low-cost carriers, says Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato. “As a result, competition among airlines has increased, fares have decreased, and passenger traffic is growing.” It's yet another good sign for an airport that was just recently included in the USA Today list of "10 Great Places to Hang Out During a Layover."


The hub of it


Pittsburgh was one of the first airports in the country to feel the dramatic impact of de-hubbing. As local innovators joined forces to combat the losses, Onorato, the airport authority and the Pittsburgh business community formed the Regional Air Service Partnership (RASP) to keep Pittsburgh’s air service competitive, regardless of U.S. Airways’ eventual fate.


Ken Zapinski, RASP staff director, says they quickly surveyed local businesses and identified the top 30 destinations accounting for 80 percent of business travel. RASP’s goal was to secure two flights per day to each of those cities and, while they were at it, reduce airfares.


“U. S. Airways had been such a strong presence here for so long, competition wasn’t present,” says Kent George, executive director and CEO of the Allegheny Airport Authority.


“We decided we needed to attract low-cost carriers,” says JoAnn Jenny, director of communications for the Authority. AirTran was Pittsburgh’s first low-cost carrier—even before 9/11, recalls George. But the company had to discontinue its service to Philadelphia, New York and Chicago due to low passenger count. At that time, U. S. Airways’ presence was so strong, everyone wanted the frequent flyer miles, says George.


Today it's a different story. Other airlines have filled the gaps left by U.S. Airways’ flight reductions. Midwest now flies nonstop to Kansas City, Northwest flies nonstop to Memphis and Southwest and AirTran provide a lot of options today, says George. Of the top 30 markets identified by RASP, only Manchester, New Hampshire does not have nonstop service.


Ahead of the pack


With so many airlines now in bankruptcy, Zapinski believes other airports will soon see the same dramatic flight losses that Pittsburgh experienced in 2004. “I think we will see other cities face the same issues we have,” says Zapinski. And while other airports grapple to find solutions, “we’ve already come out on the other side.”


Now that Pittsburgh boasts a number of low-cost airlines, the costs of fares have plummeted: Airfares today are the lowest since the airport opened in 1990. “Airfares have gone below the national average for the first time,” says George. For a city long subjected to high fares, this is major.


Overall, Pittsburgh airfares dropped 5.8 percent vs. prior year, while fares in the top 50 cities increased 6.4 percent, according to third-quarter U.S. Department of Transportation data. The average fare in Pittsburgh is now $130 vs. the national average of $132.


As of June 30, Pittsburghers have yet another option to save on airfares. Jet Blue, one of the most courted airlines in the industry, started daily—and cheap—

flights to New York and Boston.


“Pittsburgh is a great market that we can grow,” says Jet Blue spokesperson, Bryan Baldwin. “If there is demand, we’d love to add more flights.” As soon as Jet Blue announced the routes, fares at other airlines immediately dropped, says George. And competitive carriers increased the number of flights to the cities Jet Blue serves. Who reaps the benefits? Local travelers.


As a result, Pittsburghers are flying more. Local traffic set records in 2004 and 2005, with nearly 4 million people boarding planes in Pittsburgh in ’05. That’s nearly 20 percent more than 10 years ago.


That sucking noise you heard


While that reflects nationwide trends, there's another factor to note in this market. The addition of low cost carriers has strengthened the airport, says George, who notes "we were having leakage" before their arrival. He estimates that each year 1.5 to 2 million people drove to other cities’ airports to reap lower fares. With his belief that an active airport with hassle-free access for businesses strengthens the regional economy, that statistic motivated Onorato to become an active part of low-fare airline recruitment, making personal trips to visit CEOs of airlines they were courting.


The airport, says Onorato, can be the “economic engine that will help turn this region around.”


Case in point: Nova Chemicals CEO Jeff Lipton chose to relocate the company’s headquarters from Canada to Pittsburgh, based on the effectiveness of Pittsburgh’s airport.


The future looks brighter than it has in a long time. Now, even U.S. Airways is on the rebound. The company reported a profitable first quarter, joining only Southwest Airlines in that coveted spot. U. S. Airways CEO Doug Parker says its Pittsburgh operations, which still account for 55 percent of all the airport’s flights, are now profitable. He says he does not expect further reductions in flights or employees.


More good news for the airport that both J. D. Powers and Associates and Conde Nast Traveler ranked #1 in the country and #3 in the world. Since it opened, the Pittsburgh airport has been known for innovation. It pioneered the AIRMALL concept -- mall stores with mall pricing at the airport--and was the first major airport to offer wireless service in the concourse.


Evanto calls the airport “an amazing facility—world class.” It doesn’t have the delays of other airports, and planes get from the runways to the gate quickly without wasting a lot of fuel.


George says the airport authority wants to make sure it’s a pleasant experience to come to the Pittsburgh airport. More security lanes and valet parking with car detailing are just two additions designed to improve travelers’ visits.


In order to retain the airport’s world-class status, RASP’s # 1 priority these days is regaining Pittsburgh’s transatlantic service. “Pittsburgh is a global city doing international business,” says Zapinski. “We have a good story to tell, and it’s borne out on the domestic side.”


With dozens of German-owned businesses in Pittsburgh, Zapinski believes the region has a particularly strong case for air service to Germany. The airport has a draw of 5 million people, he says, and U. S. Airways’ international service in 2004 was profitable.


He admits, with oil topping $70 a barrel, it’s not a good time to convince airlines to try something new, but Zapinski believes the strength of the Pittsburgh market and economy would drive profitable international service. “It’s going to be a tough, tough job, but we’re not giving up,” says George.


In addition to gaining transatlantic air service, George says the airport authority wants to continue to offer Pittsburghers more flight choices and lower fares.


So forget that dinosaur analogy.


“We think we’ve done a better job of coping with aviation change than any other region in the country,” says Zapinski. “Our future is bright.”


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Anne Lutz, a former businesswoman, is a freelance writer from Mt. Lebanon whose last story for Pop City was on how relocation firms sell Pittsburgh.

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I love reading about Pittsburgh's fantastic and ever-improving culinary scene. This is a very important part of Pittsburgh's renaissance.

http://www.popcitymedia.com/features/kosher.aspx

Kosher Dining Goes Global
By: Abby Mendelson

July 12, 2006
The table looks like a conference at the United Nations: an African-American man, a white woman, an Asian woman, an Orthodox Jew – black beard, black skull cap, ritual fringes hanging outside his trousers. Cell phones and laptops, they’re here, in Rolladin, Murray Avenue, Squirrel Hill, for a breakfast meeting. Here, because Rolladin is one of four kosher restaurants in Pittsburgh’s most Jewish neighborhood. Here because kosher food matters to the Jewish man -- and his colleagues respect that. Here because the bagels are hot, fresh, and fabulous; the Italian LavAzza coffee is incredibly seductive; and the chocolaty, Israeli-style pastries are scrumptious.


Here, offers Rabbi Yisroel Miller, spiritual leader of Squirrel Hill’s Congregation Poale Zedeck and vice president of the Pittsburgh Vaad Hakashrus, the non-profit agency that offers kosher supervision, “because as the heart of an urban neighborhood, Murray Avenue has a glorious mix of people -- and food is the anchor. Restaurants are a bridge between different ways of living.”


In the last two years, that bridge has significantly expanded as Squirrel Hill experienced an explosion of first-rate kosher restaurants. Adding significantly to the city’s drawing power, they put Pittsburgh on the culinary map.


Why? First, kosher (Hebrew for valid) food, prepared according to strict Jewish law, attracts more than Orthodox Jews. Generally, roughly 20% of people who regularly buy kosher food are Jews: others include Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, Seventh-Day Adventists, vegans and vegetarians, the lactose intolerant, and so on, all of whom depend on kosher food’s strict purity and labeling standards. Second, many different types of food can be kosher, not merely heavy Eastern European fare. Third, for decades there were no kosher restaurants in Pittsburgh. Fourth, the restaurants, all on one Murray Avenue block, offer a wide variety of cuisine:

Pinati, (Hebrew for my corner), 2100 Murray Avenue, Mediterranean grille;
Susheli (a play on sushi sheli, sheli Hebrew for my), 2118 Murray Avenue, sushi, Pan-Asian;
Milky Way, 2120 Murray Avenue, vegetarian, pizza-salad;
Rolladin, 2121 Murray Avenue, breakfast, pastries, soup-and-sandwich.


Such choices are important, not only to those who eat kosher, but also to Squirrel Hill. In the city’s largest, and most ethnically diverse neighborhood, variety is indeed the spice of life. To the roughly 1,500 Pittsburghers who eat only kosher food, these restaurants are vital. But to many other customers who may not necessarily care about kosher food, and who for the most part aren’t Jewish, kosher doesn’t matter. What matters instead is that the food is fresh, tasty, and unique. “That’s why people come here,” offers Heli Shavit, Rolladin's Tel Aviv-born owner. “My customers’ attitude is, ‘the food here is so good, I don’t care if it’s kosher.’”


The trend began a half-dozen years ago when a man named Yariv Aharon, who, having operated Jerusalem pizza shops, opened Milky Way, bringing new standards to the Pittsburgh market – spicy Israeli recipes, Israeli cheeses, and an absolute insistence on fresh produce and made-to-order dishes – pizza to calzones, baked ziti to eggplant parmagian.


Moving back home in 2004, Aharon sold Milky Way to twentysomething Aaron Siebzener, who maintained Aharon’s standards while adding such treats as soft ice cream and a salad bar stocked with sun-dried tomatoes, sunflower seeds (an Israeli staple), and chick peas. “Vegetarian is a big asset,” Siebzener says who has since taken on partner Ari Gutman. “It appeals to the greater community. As such, we maintain a large menu to accommodate many tastes.”


Fueled by their own success, and sensing that the market was ready for something more upscale, the pair opened Susheli earlier this year. As intimate as Milky Way is raucous, Susheli seats 40 and features sushi and teriyaki salmon – plus Chinese, Japanese, and Thai dishes -- all hand-crafted by a master chef. “We’re always expanding our menus,” Siebzener says. “Every restaurant – every good restaurant – is always a work in progress.”

For Heli Shavit, progress means that after opening her original Rolladin four years ago as a bakery-with-tables, she assessed the popularity of her Israeli-style rogelach (rolled dough with chocolate filling), croissants, and killer pistachio pies, sensed the growth in the market, and set out to triple everything – space, menu, and business. Now, Rolladin boasts a spacious room full of tables, countertops, and big, comfy chairs – good for a quick bite or a long, lazy morning.


To capture the kosher breakfast market, she introduced Greek omelets (black olives and feta cheese) and Israeli shakshuka (spicey sunny-side-up eggs with tomatoes). Lunch specialties include fresh soups and grilled eggplant sandwiches (with muenster cheese and green olive paste). “Nobody has what we have,” she says proudly. “The community really likes us. I’m happy for that. For everybody.”


Up the block, and under the direction of Israeli owner Shimon Ohayon, Jerusalem-trained Pinati chef Judah Cowen serves Israeli-style lamb, beef, and chicken shish kabob, heavy on the cumin and tumeric, grilled to perfection; and shawarma, turkey slow-cooked the Mediterranean way. Add sandwiches on fresh pita or laffa, and fresh falafel -- and voila!, “it’s as if an Israeli restaurant landed on Murray Avenue,” Cowen says. “This is not an imitation. It’s straight from the Middle East.

“We don’t take short cuts,” he adds. “We don’t use mixes. We don’t use MSG. We make everything fresh. Ourselves. Here. People appreciate that.”


Glancing across the room, outfitted Moroccan-style with lanterns and ceiling stars, painted in muted Middle Eastern oranges and blues, Cowen sees a table of Orthodox Jews (men in skullcaps, women in long dresses) cheek to jowl with a table of Orientals (one man with multi-colored hair and multiple facial piercings), and a table of multi-racial (and multi-tattooed) couples. “I’m happy to see everybody here,” he says. “It makes for a nice atmosphere.”


Nearby, a lanky Irish-American marketing maven stretches his legs. His wife, a regal Hispanic attorney, mutters a few words to him in Spanish. They’ve just moved into the city and are looking to enjoy the rich multicultural life that Pittsburgh offers. Realizing they’ve left their amigos out of the conversation, they look up brightly. “This is wonderful,” they smile. “We’ll be back.”


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Award-winning writer Abby Mendelson is the author of numerous books, including The Pittsburgh Steelers Official History and Pittsburgh: A Place in Time, a collection of neighborhood profiles available from The Local History Company. His last Pop City piece was on The Bridges of Pittsburgh.



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The "T Extension" madness continues

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_461532.html

County Council may bury tunnel

By Jim Ritchie
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, July 12, 2006


Even if Port Authority of Allegheny County's board approves a $435 million T subway extension Thursday, the project isn't likely to win the backing of County Council, says Council President Rich Fitzgerald.
Without either approval, Port Authority officials fear the transit agency might have to repay the Federal Transit Administration more than $40 million spent to design the Allegheny River tunnel that would link Downtown to the North Side.

"The problem would be if we declined to go forward," authority Chairman Jack Brooks said. "The feds might come and say, 'We want the $40 million back.' "

The authority's board is scheduled to vote on whether to start construction or kill the project. Board approval long has been expected, but Brooks anticipates a close vote.

Five of the eight board members would not say Tuesday how they planned to vote. Two said they support the project. Brooks said at least one member planned to vote against it. The nine-member board has one vacant seat.

Board members planned to meet privately today at the authority's Downtown offices, for a briefing some hoped would answer lingering questions about the project's costs and benefits. Their vote is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday in the board's fifth floor meeting room at 345 Sixth Ave.

Money is a critical consideration.

The board must weigh the project's economic benefits and potential for future expansion against the authority's financial problems, which include a $31.5 million operating budget deficit. Even some critics are reluctant to abandon a project that would invest more than $400 million in federal and state money in Pittsburgh.

"The project, like it or not, is important for the region," board member Jeff Letwin said. "If we lose those dollars, they're gone."

Letwin would not say how he planned to vote.

County Council previously approved paying no more than $13 million toward the project. The price tag has grown from $393 million to $435 million, including an expected $14.5 million from the county. The federal government would pay $348 million, the state, $72.5 million.

"We have been pretty clear that we're not willing to put any more money in than has already been committed," Fitzgerald said. "I think this is going to have trouble getting through council."

Council members might have to decide whether to pay the additional $1.5 million or put the authority at risk of having to repay the federal government.

"Well, the Port Authority should have considered that before they moved forward," Fitzgerald said. "It's a tough spot and Port Authority put us there. We'll have to make a decision that's prudent for the taxpayers."

Higher-than-estimated contractors' bids have delayed construction. The latest low bid of $156.5 million for the first phase of work expires Saturday. It was submitted by North Shore Constructors, a joint venture of West Mifflin's Trumbull Corp. and Obayashi Corp. of Japan.

Port Authority expected the initial work to cost $130 million to $140 million. When bids came in much higher, the authority cut costs by eliminating a connection to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. The Federal Transit Administration and the Office of Management and Budget then approved a $42 million increase in total spending for the project. Congress has until early September to approve the government's share of the extra money, which is expected.

Board members worry construction costs could rise again in later phases of the four-year project. Responsibility for paying those costs would fall on the authority, county and state, board member Richard Taylor said.

"The benefits have to be balanced against the very serious financial condition of the authority," Taylor said. "The board has to make sure it makes a prudent decision."

Taylor said he had not yet made up his mind on how to vote.



Jim Ritchie can be reached at jritchie@tribweb.com or (412) 320-7933.

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An update on the Millcraft project

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06193/705153-53.stm

URA buys $400,000 property on Forbes
Wednesday, July 12, 2006

By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The city's Urban Redevelopment Authority is buying another key property on Forbes Avenue, Downtown, one that will give a private developer more room for a proposed residential high-rise.

It will pay the Order of Italian Sons & Daughters of America $400,000 to buy a small building on the south side of Forbes that once housed a Foto Hut store. The agreement will go before the URA board tomorrow for approval.

Also at the meeting, the board is expected to entertain what is being described as a "development arrangement" with Millcraft Industries Inc. for two projects designed to enliven the Fifth and Forbes corridor, including the planned 150- to 200-unit high-rise dubbed Forbes Village.

The proposed deal would enable Millcraft and partner Ira Morgan to continue pre-construction work on 20 URA-owned buildings in the corridor, including the old G.C. Murphy's store, and establish development-related goals the team must hit in order to retain control over the properties.

The Order of the Italian Sons & Daughters owns both the Foto Hut building and the old McDonald's restaurant at the corner of Forbes and Wood Street, a property long coveted by the URA but one that will not be part of the sale.

URA Executive Director Jerome Dettore said the Italian Sons & Daughters is not interested in selling the corner building, which houses the organization's offices and a convenience store.

While the Foto Hut building next to it doesn't give the URA everything it wanted, it does free up a bit more room for the Forbes Village project, Mr. Dettore said.

"It's a very good addition. Every square foot of footprint gives you a much better opportunity to do a quality building. You get that much more retail. The larger the frontage along the street, the stronger the retail component," he said.

Mr. Dettore said he believes the $400,000 the URA will pay for the building is "one of the least expensive ones we've purchased" in the corridor. The property does not appear to be listed separately on Allegheny County's real estate Web site. The corner building has an assessed value of $1.5 million. The Foto Hut building may be part of that assessment.

The price Millcraft will pay for that property and about 19 others owned by the URA in the corridor will be determined by an appraiser. Under another agreement to be considered tomorrow, both the developer and the URA will spend up to $20,000 each to hire an appraiser to set prices.

Over the past seven years, the URA has spent $13.8 million to acquire the properties, but Mr. Dettore said the city could end up getting less than that in any deal with Millcraft.

He has said the city may have overpaid for some key parcels in order to assemble enough land in the corridor to interest a developer. The assessed value of the URA-owned properties is $9.5 million.

Also tomorrow, the URA board is expected to vote on an agreement with the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership to share the cost of hiring a consultant as part of an international design competition planned this fall to decide the future of Market Square.

Through public discussions, the consultant would help to decipher exactly what people want in Market Square in terms of design, amenities, landscaping and related issues. Once that has been determined, the competition will follow.

The URA board will be asked to authorize up to $30,000 for the agency's share of the consultant's cost.


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

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http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06193/705174-53.stm

Union to stay put in cultural district neighborhood
Wednesday, July 12, 2006

By Timothy McNulty, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The new townhouses lining Eighth Street in the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's $460 million Downtown housing proposal may have an older neighbor -- a six-story union headquarters is in the middle of the block, and its leadership has no plans to pick up and go.

Local 1058 of the Construction, General Laborers and Material Handlers union is "very excited about what the Cultural Trust is doing and we want to be a part of enhancements to that area," business manager Philip Ameris said.

The Trust's project, which is set to begin next year and could take 10 years to complete, allows for building around properties it does not own, so the union building is not supposed to have an impact on the plans.

Mr. Ameris said Local 1058 officials have met with Trust Chief Executive Officer J. Kevin McMahon regarding their building, but have declined to sell. It is the only major property within the project area that the Trust does not control, said Thomas L. VanKirk, chairman of the Trust's riverfront committee.

The union has repainted the north face of the building and is renovating the interior with hopes of redeveloping it for office or other uses. It also plans to keep its headquarters and meeting space for some 5,000 local members at the building.

The Cultural Trust announced plans Monday for a 700-unit, environmentally-friendly housing development Downtown in a six-acre riverfront site bounded by Seventh and Ninth streets, Fort Duquesne Boulevard and Penn Avenue.

A project goal is tying the arts venues on Penn to the Allegheny River, through a "Cultural Mile" of townhouses, shops and arts venues on Eighth Street. A lid would be built atop the 10th Street Bypass to link the street with the river.

Trust officials have pledged not to demolish historic structures in the area.


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(Tim McNulty can be reached at tmcnulty@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1581. )

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An editorial in support of the North Shore Connector... though I wish they would've designed a project serving the East End instead, I think it would be a colossal folly to not follow through with this project at this point.... especially with the volatile energy reality.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06193/705094-109.stm

Midweek Perspectives: All aboard mass transit
The way to the future lies in tunneling under the Allegheny to extend the T
Wednesday, July 12, 2006

By Jack Brooks

As a nation, for both economic and national security reasons, we need to become more energy efficient and less reliant on foreign oil. Enhancing our public transportation infrastructure and encouraging transit use should be foundations of that effort.

Recently, the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, the Port Authority of Allegheny County and the Heinz Endowments released a strategic vision for southwestern Pennsylvania that underscores the importance of growing our region's network of transit systems and tying smart land-use policy to that growth. That vision suggests myriad ways we can improve mobility, more efficiently connect workers to jobs and reduce the burden and cost of sprawl -- no easy task, given the size and challenging topography of our 10-county region.

Today, we are on the cusp of moving beyond years of planning to begin constructing one critical link to our region's transit future. The Port Authority board will vote tomorrow on awarding the largest and most important contract in its North Shore Connector project, which will extend the authority's 25-mile light rail system from the Golden Triangle to the rapidly developing North Shore.

It is imperative that we move forward on the North Shore Connector, which for decades to come will benefit not only our mobility but also our local economy. Some of the more obvious benefits of transit are often cited -- cleaner air and less congestion. But one transit truth is often forgotten: The vast majority of customers who use public transportation do so either to make money (at work) or spend money (by shopping). A robust transit system helps produce a robust economy.

Across the nation, cities like Dallas, Seattle, Phoenix, Charlotte, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco, just to name a few, have worked to secure federal funds and have embarked on investments like this to move their cities and regions forward. Residents in these and other cities benefit every day from efficient transit systems that bring them to jobs and significantly reduce the draining effects of high gas prices on their household budgets.

The North Shore Connector will enhance the private investments already made on the North Shore and help attract new investments. It will help new businesses attract employees and new restaurants attract customers. The North Shore Connector is a convenient, affordable, state-of-the-art transit project that will be used by thousands of people each day.

Just as importantly, it is an investment in our future. As a region, we have been talking for decades about connecting the city of Pittsburgh to Pittsburgh International Airport, and the North Shore Connector is the critical first step in turning that talk into action. It also can serve as a springboard for future connections to the North Hills.

In 2004, the North Shore Connector was one of only five transit projects nationwide to be recommended by the federal government for "New Starts" funding. The project includes $348 million in federal funding -- 80 percent of the total cost. Given the intense competition for federal capital funds -- competition that increasingly yields winners whose local sources contribute 50 percent of a project's cost -- this will certainly be the last local transit project to enjoy this level of federal investment. The North Shore Connector represents a rare opportunity to invest state and local dollars to obtain significant federal funds for our region.

After years of community planning and consensus building, we've already poured immeasurable amounts of time and energy as a region into this project, which has been supported at every turn by the Federal Transit Administration and by our local elected officials in Washington. Likewise, the state and Allegheny County are committed to providing their funding shares and support the project. This investment must not be squandered.

Failure to move forward on this project would release millions in federal funding to another project and another city focused on forging ahead while we languish. If we don't act now, it is likely to take 15 years for another major transit project to reach this stage.

Now is not the time for Pittsburgh to retreat from a larger transit vision. With new leadership in place as Stephen Bland takes over as Port Authority CEO and with the Transportation Funding and Reform Commission soon to suggest solutions to transit funding shortfalls, the board has an opportunity to create momentum for a future where transit plays an even larger role in making our region an attractive place to live, work and play.

Jack Brooks is chairman of the board of the Port Authority and the executive secretary-treasurer of the Greater Pennsylvania Regional Council of Carpenters, which represents more than 13,000 members.

[Evergrey]

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_461531.html

City Sparkles in National Spotlight

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/photos/2006-07-12/0712pRiver-a.jpg
Boaters anchor on the Allegheny River during the start of the 2006 All-Star Game at PNC Park. This view is seen from an apartment balcony at the Encore on 7th.

By Jason Cato
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, July 12, 2006


Hell's lid has been tightly sealed, and Pittsburgh is no longer sullied as America's dirtiest city.
America and the rest of the world saw the Steel City renaissance in all of its "redded up" glory Tuesday night during Major League Baseball's 77th All-Star Game.

People who tuned in to FOX's broadcast caught glimpses of Pittsburgh from the air, rivers and roads. Many included the Roberto Clemente Bridge and Downtown's majestic skyline.

The majority of the coverage, however, was trained on PNC Park -- described as "the little jewel sitting here on the Allegheny River," by FOX's play-by-play man Joe Buck.





What viewers didn't see was an ol' smoke-choked city with steel mills aplenty.

"It took the city 150 years to earn the reputation that still lingers from 30 years ago," said Joe McGrath, CEO of VisitPittsburgh, the city's visitors and convention bureau. "It takes time to right that ship."

The All-Star Game and the five days of festivities surrounding it provided a red-carpet ride to redemption -- for those who watched on television, but more for the 50,000 or so people who were expected to come from outside the Pittsburgh region.

"This city is a lot better than I thought it would be, to be honest," said Pat Sitkins, 25, of Fort Myers, Fla.

Sitkins praised Downtown bars and restaurants, as well as the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. He saved most of his compliments for PNC Park.

"I think the stadium is awesome, especially with the cityscape," said Sitkins, who hopes to return some day.

That's a far cry from the past, when Pittsburgh was described as "hell with the lid taken off" and "the blackest, dirtiest, grimiest city in the United States."

"Many people in this country still have a poor image of Pittsburgh," said Pittsburgh native Audrey Guskey, a marketing professor at Duquesne University.

This week, though, the descriptions glowed brighter than the once-stoked mill furnaces. Pittsburgh was "all dolled up with huge banners and welcome signs all over," Detroit Tigers pitcher Todd Jones wrote in The Birmingham (Ala.) News, and PNC Park lived up to its trademark as "America's best ballpark."

• "That new ballpark on the Allegheny is spec-tac-cu-lar," opined the Arizona Republic.

• "Maybe the most beautiful ballpark in the land," exclaimed Yahoo! News.

• The "shining jewel on the river with a grand view of the city skyline," gushed The Associated Press.

Mike Golic, co-host of ESPN's "Mike and Mike in the Morning," remembered coming to Pittsburgh in 1986 as a defensive tackle for the Houston Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans). He said Pittsburgh has changed tremendously in the 20 years since.

"The blue-collar mentality is still there, but people have to get past that," Golic said yesterday after broadcasting his show from Soho on the North Shore. "There's so much diversity and culture here. It's a great city, and that's hard for me to say, being from Cleveland."

Pumping up the city's image has been a priority for VisitPittsburgh over the past decade, McGrath said. That's been done mostly by targeting travel and convention professionals, with similar marketing campaigns planned over the next couple of years.

But events like the All-Star Game, last year's Bassmaster Classic and next year's U.S. Open golf championship at the Oakmont Country Club help bring heightened visibility for Pittsburgh, McGrath said.

"All of these events help to draw attention to Pittsburgh to show people how we've changed -- and changed for the better," he said.

Duquesne's Guskey said all the attention the city gets through professional sports -- be it the All-Star Game or the Steelers' latest Super Bowl championship -- help.

"Events like this allow us to highlight the beauty of our city," Guskey said. "We were the steel capital of the world, and we haven't shaken the Rust Belt town feel.

"We're the best-kept secret in America, this little jewel on the three rivers. But you never want to be the best-kept secret."

That should change in time, said Mike Greenberg, Golic's co-host on ESPN's morning show.

"Perceptions don't change overnight. It's going to happen over generations," Greenberg said. "So exposure like an event like (the All-Star Game) is going to help change the next generation's perception of Pittsburgh."



Jason Cato can be reached at jcato@tribweb.com or 412-320-7840.

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http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06194/705541-53.stm

Extra funding found to convert bridge; URA has final say
Thursday, July 13, 2006

By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



Despite high bids, a project to convert the second of two historic Hot Metal bridges over the Monongahela River into a bike and pedestrian crossing is back on track.

The city's Urban Redevelopment Authority has secured an extra $2.2 million in federal money to help cover the cost of the project, whose low bid came in nearly $3 million over budget.

It also is expecting to pick up another $450,000 state grant.

Combined, the extra money should give the URA enough to move forward with the award of a $9.2 million contract to Brayman Construction of Saxonburg to begin the work.

"We're very anxious to get it started," said John Coyne, director of engineering and construction for the URA.

The URA board is expected to vote today on whether to accept the $2.2 million in federal funding and the $450,000 state grant. If the board approves the actions, the URA will award the contract to Brayman.

Mr. Coyne said the federal funding was available because the projects initially targeted to receive it weren't ready to move forward. The transfer has been approved by the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

The funds would have been lost to the region at the end of the year if they were not committed to another project, Mr. Coyne said.

Both the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission and PennDOT, he said, "came to the conclusion that it was justified to program additional money to complete such an important project."

Conversion of the second Hot Metal Bridge into a pedestrian and bike crossing is considered a key element of the city's efforts to create a unified trail system.

The bridge, which once carried molten iron between Jones & Laughlin steel mills in Hazelwood and the South Side, would connect the South Side portion of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail and the Eliza Furnace Trail to Downtown and Oakland.

The URA had budgeted $6.5 million for the conversion and expected bids to arrive at $6 million to $7 million. The five submitted ranged from $9.2 million to $11.9 million.

In reviewing the bids, the agency and its consultants determined the increase was justified because of rising fuel and construction costs. The URA said Allegheny County and PennDOT bids on bridge rehabilitation projects have been running 20 percent to 40 percent over estimates.

The URA hopes to begin construction in late August, with completion scheduled by the end of 2007.

The project would add a 14-foot-wide deck to the steel-truss bridge and two small platforms called belvederes for sightseers.


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

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http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06194/705533-53.stm

Agency buying Uptown parcels
As Pens' sale nears, 2 local brokers hired
Thursday, July 13, 2006

By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



With the possible sale of the Penguins moving forward, the city-county Sports & Exhibition Authority is working to secure property in the Uptown area for a new arena.

The agency has begun negotiations with owners of about 10 properties near Fifth Avenue and Washington Place, and hopes to reach sales agreements with all before the end of the summer, authority Executive Director Mary Conturo said last night.

Ms. Conturo would not rule out the use of eminent domain to acquire the properties if agreements aren't reached, but said the authority is hopeful it will not come to that. She said eminent domain would be used only as a "last resort."

"We don't expect to use eminent domain," she said. "We're hopeful that we can negotiate fair agreements."

She said the authority was able to secure the land it needed for the North Shore stadiums without taking properties and wants to do the same for land needed for an arena.

"On the North Shore, we were able to acquire everything by negotiation. We fully expect to negotiate everything here. That's our goal," she said.

The authority has hired two local real estate brokers, Apex Realty and Langholz Wilson Ellis, to assist in the negotiations. Ms. Conturo said talks with the property owners began within the last two weeks. To date, they have not produced any sales agreements.

The properties in question are near the former St. Francis Central Hospital on Centre Avenue, currently owned by the Penguins. The team has long considered that area the best site for a new arena.

That also is the site where an arena would be built if Isle of Capri wins the license for Pittsburgh's slot machine casino. Isle of Capri, in partnership with the Penguins, is pledging $290 million toward an arena as part of its formal bid.

That site also is preferred by the sports authority. It is moving forward with acquisition as part of Gov. Ed Rendell's alternative funding plan for an arena in the event Isle of Capri doesn't get the slots license.

Mr. Rendell has asked the two other casino bidders -- PITG Gaming LLC and Forest City Enterprises -- to contribute $7.5 million a year for 30 years toward the facility.

He also has pledged to advance the funding needed by the city of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County to begin site acquisition and other preliminary work for an arena. The money eventually would be paid back through slots revenues.

The authority's efforts come as Allen & Co., a New York firm brokering the sale of the Penguins, expects to pare the number of bidders for the team to three or fewer in a week or so. There are believed to be at least four and possibly five bidders for the team.

Mr. Rendell's Plan B would require the team, regardless of the owner, to pay about $4 million a year toward the arena.

At least two of the bidders for the team -- one group led by New York businessman Andrew Murstein and one by Ohio businessman Jim Renacci -- have vowed to keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh. It's not as certain with the others, although a third bidder, Sam Fingold, has said recently he believes he might be able to work with Plan B. It previously was thought he would move the team.

If Isle of Capri wins the license, the team is required to stay in Pittsburgh.

Ms. Conturo said that while the St. Francis site is the preferred location for a new arena, the authority has other options if it can't get the property it needs.

One option is building on the site where Mellon Arena is located or in the parking lot above it. Ms. Conturo said, however, the authority prefers to use that land for redevelopment that would reconnect the Hill District with Downtown.


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

[Paintballer1708]

Speaking of the AllStar game Evergrey posted about. Alot of people left Pittsburgh with a new image and a better idea of how the city is today. The AllStar game held its purpose of letting people see the "new Pittsburgh."

[UrbaniDesDev]

The city looked spectacular. Thank god we had decent weather. The red carpet was a spectacular idea. It seems it was a huge success all around

from Bloomberg.com;

"Fox's All-Star Game TV Ratings Rise 15 Percent From Record Low
July 12 (Bloomberg) -- News Corp.'s Fox network drew 15 percent better television ratings than 2005 for Major League Baseball's All-Star Game, as the American League last night won with a ninth-inning rally.

About 9.3 percent of the 110 million U.S. households with televisions tuned in to watch the AL's 3-2 victory over the National League at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Fox said in a statement, citing ratings from Nielsen Media Research Inc. Last year's game in Detroit produced a record-low 8.1 rating.

While the All-Star Game posted higher ratings for the first time since 2001, it was the third-lowest ever for the game.

Fox, which charged a record $375,000 average for 30-second commercials during last night's game, yesterday announced a seven-year contract extension with baseball. The network will broadcast regular-season games, the All-Star Game, World Series and one of two league championship series.

The new deal begins in 2007 after Fox's six-year, $2.4 billion contract expires at the end of this season. "

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http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06194/705616-100.stm

Port Authority approves twin tunnels under river
Thursday, July 13, 2006

By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Port Authority board of directors today approved construction of twin light-rail tunnels under the Allegheny River to connect Downtown service with the North Side.

The vote was 5-2, with James Dodaro and Joan Ellenbogen opposed. The dissenters were concerned about moving forward with the expensive project while the authority faces problems with its current operating budget.

But proponent noted that postponing action could jeopardize millions in federal subsidies that are paying for most of the project.

The contract approved today is for $156.5 million and will go to North Shore Constructors, a joint venture of the local Trumbull Corp. and Obayashi Corp. of San Francisco. They will build the tunnels and do work on the North Side T station.

The contract is the first of 16 that will be needed to complete the $435 million project.

Work is expected to begin in the fall.



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More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

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http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06195/705733-192.stm

Editorial: We're Wi-Fi / Downtown Pittsburgh rocks the Internet
Friday, July 14, 2006

Can it be? Pittsburgh on the cutting edge of the wireless revolution?

Apart from its pace-setting reputation in fields like robotics, organ transplants and "green" buildings, Pittsburgh usually hears the rap that it's years behind the rest of the country. With a stock of Downtown storefronts and buildings awaiting the next wave of refurbishment and demolition, Pittsburgh can sometimes even look like a decade behind the times.

But like all perceptions, the image of a stodgy, time-bound Golden Triangle cries out for a reality check. In September, Downtown Pittsburgh will jump to the forefront of wireless Internet access, leap-frogging edgier locales in a single bound.

The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership and US Wireless Online have signed an unprecedented deal to provide two hours of free wireless Web surfing daily to all of Downtown and parts of the North Side and the lower Hill District. With a generous $356,000 contributed by several local foundations, the company will construct and operate the Wi-Fi network, which will provide mainly outdoor service. The PDP will own the network, but US Wireless Online will have the opportunity to sell subscriptions ranging from $7.99 a day to $119 a year. The Louisville, Ky.-based company expects the venture to be profitable in the long run.

In a signing ceremony held before he recently took ill, Mayor Bob O'Connor installed the first of 50 wireless antennas to be mounted on light posts around town. Standing in a lift bucket and wielding a screwdriver, the mayor helped to usher in a bright new day for Pittsburgh.

With the coming dawn of two free hours of daily Internet service in the heart of the city, Pittsburgh can boast again of being a technological pioneer.