[UrbaniDesDev]

Right-wing road/sprawl-home-builder propaghanda mouthpieces like the Cato Institute, Joel Kotkin, Wendell Cox use economic arguments for their anti-mass-transit, anti-urban form, pro-automobile-sprawl agendas... but they are using a flawed form of economics. They rationalize that this is just free markets playing out... supply and demand... and that governments shouldn't get in the way of what people want. But they fail to incorporate intrusive government (local, state, federal) actions over the past 60 years into their economic model... actions that have distorted the market and have put established places... from big cities to traditional small towns... at a disadvantage compared to post-war phenomenon of automobile-dependent sprawl.

exactly!!!
Quoting the CATO Institute says it all!

[UrbaniDesDev]

We should get this thread back on topic about pittsburgh Compilations. Not suburb bashing. It really isn't going to go anywhere. I also think it was me that started it on a rant about gas or something three pages ago. Sorry to anybody who is getting offset discussing Market square development.

It is hard not to debate this issue. It has been the most influential problem of all urban areas. You're right tho. It does go no where. But i just never thought of the opening of IHOPs in the area as a great addition to the urban experience.

"cow patty acres".... Thats funny

[tooluther]

One thing I definitely agree with cdc on is that Pittsburgh is not really cheap. I've been looking for a place to buy in a charming neighborhood and even if the prices are reasonable, the taxes are absurd! I was looking at a place for less than 700K (far above my limit, but the location was where I wanted) and the taxes were 14K a year! Here in Atlanta, you'd pay somewhere closer to 6 or 7K max. A nice condo in Oakland was a reasonable 290K but the HOA fees (no amenities to speak of) were over $500/month and the taxes were $500/month. So before you even pay your mortgage, you're shelling out $1000/month. As cdc says, the "bargain" places in Pittsburgh are not where you want to be. Still, I'm gonna find a place somehow--I just love the city.

I have to beg the question "where in Atlanta?" to compare apples to apples. IMHO you have to be pretty far out in the burbs of Atlanta (like Marietta) to approach the average home price in Pittsburgh. I mean, my parents bout their house in Mt. Lebanon a while back for less that 150k, and its on a freakin' acre (don't ask me how they found a lot that big in Mt. Lebanon)...I don't know what the taxes are but I know you could never find that house in the anywhere else with that location for that price.

[Evergrey]

http://www.popcitymedia.com/developmentnews/hepp0220.aspx

URA seeks development proposals for Lawrenceville site, new housing expected

http://www.popcitymedia.com/galleries/Default/Dev%20News/Issue%2098/hatfield_300.jpg

The Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh is seeking development proposals for parcels located at 4620 Hatfield St. and 54 46th St., the largest footprint currently available for new housing in Lawrenceville.

The 55,230-square-foot site sits between a dense residential neighborhood and the 14-acre former Heppenstall Steel complex, which is owned by the Regional Industrial Development Corporation (RIDC), and is being redeveloped for robotics and advanced manufacturing uses. Nearby are Carnegie Mellon’s 100,000-square-foot National Robotics Engineering Consortium, and a former chocolate factory, which houses SEEGRID Corporation, and has been converted into light industrial and commercial space. Part of Lawrenceville’s vibrant 16:62 Design Zone, the area is home to Ice House Artist Studios, two grocery stores and new restaurants.

“Hatfield Street is the dividing line between residential and what was formerly industrial. There are not a lot of places in Lawrenceville where you have a clear site for sizable residential development that can offer a product missing in the market right now, which is a new house. There’s an opportunity to do something cool in terms of deisgn,” says Kelly Hoffman, with Lawrenceville Corporation, which has created design guidelines that call for projects that relate to the existing housing stock and enhance the streetscape. “We’re thinking attached townhouse style—two- or three-story single-family homes. I think we're going to get a good response. We've expressed a preference for green elements. There’s no other new construction in Lawrenceville.”

Hoffman says the site can accommodate approximately 30 units. With a median home price that has risen by sixty-four percent since 2005, central Lawrenceville is second only to the South Side in home appreciation in the past decade. Proposals are due April 1.

Writer: Jennifer Baron
Sources: Kyra Strausman, URA; Kelly Hoffman, Lawrenceville Corporation

Image courtesy URA of Pittsburgh

[Evergrey]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08051/858698-42.stm

Places: For sail -- one digital sign

Wednesday, February 20, 2008
By Patricia Lowry, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/images/200802/20080220ho_grant_330.jpg
Pittsburgh Parking Authority and IKM, Inc.
Designed by IKM, the Grant Street Transportation Center has a digital billboard that wraps around a drum-like "sail."

The Grant Street Transportation Center now under construction takes its name not from the two streets it sits at the intersection of -- 11th and Liberty -- but from the broad avenue for which it will act as a terminus.

That fact of geography made it a prime target for Lamar Advertising, which wants to dominate Pittsburgh's power street with some wattage of its own, a mammoth digital billboard 60 feet long and 20 feet high.

Home to city, county and federal government; venerable hotel, church and office buildings; and the tallest tower between New York and Chicago, Grant Street is Pittsburgh's prime corporate address. The city acknowledged this when it paved the street in brick and installed a landscaped median filled with trees and flowers. It's a beautiful, historic street that calls for a magnanimous civic gesture at its northern end, where the traffic intersection and open space combine to form a sort of plaza.

The Grant Street Transportation Center, designed by the Downtown firm IKM Inc., will hold the Greyhound Lines bus terminal and a 1,050-car parking garage. Its most prominent features are an openwork elevator tower and a conical, translucent polyacrylic "sail," which together answer the need for an iconic bookend to the wide boulevard.

The idea for a digital sign at that location originated with IKM, which included it when images of the building were shown to the city's Contextual Design Advisory Panel in 2004. It was a different building then, and the sign was different, too -- vertical.

Soon judged to be a fiscal extravagance, the sign was removed to keep costs down and didn't appear on the redesigned building when it went before the planning commission. Then Lamar stepped up and agreed to pay for the sign, Pittsburgh Parking Authority director David Onorato told me, and back it came, this time in horizontal form.

The building, the tower, the sail -- all were designed before the billboard was added. It's hard to imagine a more inappropriate place on which to mount a billboard than a sail. Block that metaphor, indeed.

But the billboard will fit, says architect John Schrott, president of IKM. It will curve to follow the shape of the sail, part of which will peek out from below the billboard; the rest of the sail will rise above it.

"I believe the solution arrived at is a very good solution that respects the design of the garage and complements it," Schrott said. "At night the building will have a lot of light play with the area around it. Not only will the sail be illuminated and capture people's attention, but there will be movement of the elevators in the tower."

The thin, columnar brick piers on the garage's exterior will carry LED-illuminated slivers of glass. Their colors can be changed, but they're not designed to be computer-programmed. These columns of light "will create a rhythm around the building."

Because it curves, the 60-foot-long sign would appear to be smaller -- about 40 feet wide, Schrott said.

"We thought it would be a great identifier to the convention center, to advertise what was going on there or at the history center, and we have all of the businesses in the Strip," he said. "There is, I think, a grand opportunity to create a focal point of public gathering and enliven the whole plaza area. It gives us an opportunity to move that portion of the city in a different way than we're used to seeing that portion of the city."

But it is one thing to promote civic events and the local sausage shop and another to welcome the full panoply of national advertisers. Is Grant Street the right place to push Budweiser and Big Macs, to hawk Volvos, vodkas and Victoria's Secret? Who draws the line between what is acceptable and what is not? The outdoor advertising companies? I don't think so: Remember WDVE's "What a pair!" campaign of 2002, which mounted two gigantic breasts in a bikini top on mega-billboards all over town to promote a morning radio duo? That was classy; kid-friendly, too. On a digital billboard, will we get to see them bounce?

What do the owners and occupants of the sign's immediate neighbors, the Westin Convention Center hotel and The Pennsylvanian apartments, think? They weren't consulted, Onorato said.

And therein lies the rub. Nobody was consulted.

Bypassing the normal bidding and approval process for the digital billboard, as Urban Redevelopment Authority director Pat Ford has done, is not only rude, it's bad business. Its smacks of favoritism and political payoffs and demoralizes those who give up their free time and extend their work days to serve as volunteers on the planning commission and zoning board, the two groups that never got a say in this, along with the rest of us.

Maybe Pittsburgh likes the idea of a digital billboard at the north end of Grant Street. Maybe it doesn't.

But it is Pittsburgh's decision and it should be arrived at through a public process.

When Ford came to power, he promised a cutting through of red tape to make things happen. He should learn the difference between scissors and a machete.

Architecture critic Patricia Lowry can be reached at plowry@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1590.



...


http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08052/859163-53.stm

"Pittsburgh City Council held off on launching an unprecedented investigation of an administration decision to allow a 1,200-square-foot billboard at the north end of Grant Street without public hearings or votes."

[Evergrey]

a brief Riverparc mention... the development will be part of a "green projects" exhibition at the Carnegie Museum of Art's Heinz Architectural Center

"RiverParc, the residential and arts neighborhood proposed for Downtown by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and Concord Eastridge of Washington, D.C. The $460 million development calls for more than 700 residential units between 7th and 9th streets, and between Penn Avenue and Fort Duquesne Boulevard, along with retail, restaurants, leisure and hotel facilities. It was scheduled to begin last summer; the start date has been pushed back to 2009."

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08052/858920-42.stm

...

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_553488.html

Vote on closing Schenley High School delayed

"Roosevelt said the district is studying whether it would be more cost-effective to fix Schenley because of its sturdy construction compared to a more recent building that might not last as long.

The Oakland school has 1,086 students and was built in 1916. Roosevelt last year recommended closing Schenley because of the $64.3 million cost of renovating it and removing its asbestos."

...

Developer plans 470 housing units in Sewickley Hills and Ohio Township citing demand in the North Hills due to Westinghouse relocation and other growth

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_553406.html

...

local family plans to sell or redevelop miles of blighted property along Rt. 51... which is a hideous corridor through the South Hills, Brentwood and Whitehall
http://kdka.com/video/?id=38486@kdka.dayport.com

[JackStraw]

http://www.popcitymedia.com/developmentnews/hepp0220.aspx

URA seeks development proposals for Lawrenceville site, new housing expected

http://www.popcitymedia.com/galleries/Default/Dev%20News/Issue%2098/hatfield_300.jpg

The Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh is seeking development proposals for parcels located at 4620 Hatfield St. and 54 46th St., the largest footprint currently available for new housing in Lawrenceville.

The 55,230-square-foot site sits between a dense residential neighborhood and the 14-acre former Heppenstall Steel complex, which is owned by the Regional Industrial Development Corporation (RIDC), and is being redeveloped for robotics and advanced manufacturing uses. Nearby are Carnegie Mellon’s 100,000-square-foot National Robotics Engineering Consortium, and a former chocolate factory, which houses SEEGRID Corporation, and has been converted into light industrial and commercial space. Part of Lawrenceville’s vibrant 16:62 Design Zone, the area is home to Ice House Artist Studios, two grocery stores and new restaurants.

“Hatfield Street is the dividing line between residential and what was formerly industrial. There are not a lot of places in Lawrenceville where you have a clear site for sizable residential development that can offer a product missing in the market right now, which is a new house. There’s an opportunity to do something cool in terms of deisgn,” says Kelly Hoffman, with Lawrenceville Corporation, which has created design guidelines that call for projects that relate to the existing housing stock and enhance the streetscape. “We’re thinking attached townhouse style—two- or three-story single-family homes. I think we're going to get a good response. We've expressed a preference for green elements. There’s no other new construction in Lawrenceville.”

Hoffman says the site can accommodate approximately 30 units. With a median home price that has risen by sixty-four percent since 2005, central Lawrenceville is second only to the South Side in home appreciation in the past decade. Proposals are due April 1.

Writer: Jennifer Baron
Sources: Kyra Strausman, URA; Kelly Hoffman, Lawrenceville Corporation

Image courtesy URA of Pittsburgh

That is cool news. It seems like construction in Lawrenceville really would be hard to find a site except for some vacant lots on the river, but they are mostly located between industrial buildings. It is such a dense and compact neighborhood, with style too.

[Tombstoner]

I have to beg the question "where in Atlanta?" to compare apples to apples. IMHO you have to be pretty far out in the burbs of Atlanta (like Marietta) to approach the average home price in Pittsburgh. I mean, my parents bout their house in Mt. Lebanon a while back for less that 150k, and its on a freakin' acre (don't ask me how they found a lot that big in Mt. Lebanon)...I don't know what the taxes are but I know you could never find that house in the anywhere else with that location for that price.

Actually, areas of Oakland, Shadyside and Squirrel Hill (NoF) are pretty close in price to places in nice-ish in-town Atlanta (where I live) -- maybe a little cheaper. My real point was the taxes (which millage rates should permit apples to apples comparisions). A 700K house here would run about 7K/year whereas the 700K place I saw in Pgh ran 14K. You don't pay 14K for anything here unless it's well over $1m (not that I have first-hand experience of this ;)).

[cdc]

My house was built around 1900, so you cannot conceivably classify it
as a McMansion (or as sprawl, given its location). Sadly, it is also
not "green" either. It makes me cringe to think of the energy needed
to heat it. What a waste! Folks complain about suburbanites driving
SUVs, but these old houses are not so good for the environment either.
But there is only so much you can do with a 1900 vintage stone
house...

Sure, there are other cheaper PGH city neighborhoods besides Sq Hill.
But you have to factor in distance to work, family friendliness,
school district, resale value, crime rate, etc. I want to be able to
walk to work. I need a place where my kids can safely play and have
neighborhood friends. And I don't think it is practical to buy a
house and live in it with your family while you are performing
extensive renovations --- a construction zone is not a safe place for
children. Stop thinking like a single person and consider what you
would do if you and your partner had a couple of kids. You will find
that it is not so easy.

"How much space does an average human need?" --- I don't think this is
that useful a question to ask. You could put my entire family of 5 in
a one bedroom shack in Tupelo, Mississippi and we would survive
(though I don't think we'd be very happy). Better questions to ask
are "What is best for my family?" and "How difficult is it to recover
from a poor housing choice?" And the fact is, if the pro-urban
anti-sprawl crowd cannot produce adequate answers to those questions
for people with families then they will never get enough traction to
make a difference.

[cdc]

HEY!! I said he has expensive taste because he picked Squirrel Hill, One of the MOST expensive neighborhoods in the Pittsburgh metro, and said his options are sending his kids to a 10-20 thousand dollar a year private school!!! You don't think that's expensive taste?


If you recheck my post, you'll note that I said I was using the
Pittsburgh Public Schools, but most of my neighbors are using private
schools (or home schooling, in some cases). And I'm learning first
hand about all the problems the City School District has. They've got
issues, big time.


But the point I was trying to make wasn't about absolute costs. It
was about the scaling of costs. If you take my neighbors and moved
them out to an equivalent house in the suburbs and from private
schools to suburban public schools they will save alot of $$$ even
with the ugly commute.

[JackStraw]

CDC, as I said before the new Maronda and Ryan homes are not efficient also.

A duct is a duct. You can always buy a newer and more efficient furnace for your home to feed that existing duct. Some older homes may not come with gas hookups though. Infact boiler radiators (the ones a lot of old homes and old apartments use but cling and clank a lot) are the most efficient in energy. The material that Maranda and Ryan also use produces the same amount of R values that older homes use. Infact, older homes would score higher on the green scale then these Mcmansions would. The electrical systems can be updated also. New electrical panels, new higher efficient luminares, could easily be replaced. This could all be done without much cost, less of a cost then destructing an acre of forest in Westmoreland county, importing many resources from Canada by truck, and building a newer home with a 20 year life expectancy.

Through my career so far, I have worked on about 10 projects so far where old buildings were converted to LEED residence or office space.

Also, kids can play in a actual town or city, then a urban sprawl neighborhood. Do you know how hard it was to play as a kid in a neighborhood built with no sidewalks, off of a major highway with nowhere to roam, cars speeding on the streets, no parks, no playgrounds, no public pools (we would illegally pool hop at night), and absoulty nothing to do.

[cdc]

Actually, areas of Oakland, Shadyside and Squirrel Hill (NoF) are pretty close in price to places in nice-ish in-town Atlanta (where I live) -- maybe a little cheaper. My real point was the taxes (which millage rates should permit apples to apples comparisions). A 700K house here would run about 7K/year whereas the 700K place I saw in Pgh ran 14K. You don't pay 14K for anything here unless it's well over $1m (not that I have first-hand experience of this ;)).

I live in Sq Hill (NoF) and I can confirm that this is about right.
Most houses go in $400K to $700K range, depending on size. But you
should note that combined PGH millage is 29.41 mils, so if your $700K
house gets assessed at fair market value (e.g. due to a school
district property assessment appeal) you'll be paying more like
$20K/year in property taxes in PGH (not $14K/year).

[tooluther]

Not to get into a new nitpicky argument, but it tough to compare straight taxes from PA/Pittsburgh to many places in the south. I'm going to use South Carolina rather than Georgia so I know I won't be making incorrect assumptions.

1. We don't have sales tax on necessities. So down there you are paying 6% on groceries, clothes etc.

2. Many "neighborhoods" in the south are unincorporated. So there is no municipal property tax (also not as many municipal services). So that's a pretty good chunk of millage missing.

3. SC and I think Georgia both tax additional property, ie you car & boat. Which is not the case here (although we have inspections and emissions and they don't)

4. School teacher make about a quarter what they do here, so it costs less to fund the school systems (SC is also second to last in the country for school quality...see a correlation). So school taxes are lower.

I'm not saying total taxes are less in Pittsburgh (Obviously this doesn't take into account differences in wage tax etc which is lower south...and maybe everywhere else in the universe), but I do think its tough to make a direct comparison without taking value and additional revenue sources into account.

[JackStraw]

[QUOTE=tooluther;3369915]Not to get into a new nitpicky argument, but it tough to compare straight taxes from PA/Pittsburgh to many places in the south. I'm going to use South Carolina rather than Georgia so I know I won't be making incorrect assumptions.


3. SC and I think Georgia both tax additional property, ie you car & boat. Which is not the case here (although we have inspections and emissions and they don't)

[QUOTE]

This was the case with Colorado. I had to dish out 500 bucks when I moved there to get a plate. I was in shock. Here a lousy 36 bucks to register my car every year.

[Tombstoner]

Not to get into a new nitpicky argument, but it tough to compare straight taxes from PA/Pittsburgh to many places in the south. I'm going to use South Carolina rather than Georgia so I know I won't be making incorrect assumptions.

1. We don't have sales tax on necessities. So down there you are paying 6% on groceries, clothes etc.

2. Many "neighborhoods" in the south are unincorporated. So there is no municipal property tax (also not as many municipal services). So that's a pretty good chunk of millage missing.

3. SC and I think Georgia both tax additional property, ie you car & boat. Which is not the case here (although we have inspections and emissions and they don't)

4. School teacher make about a quarter what they do here, so it costs less to fund the school systems (SC is also second to last in the country for school quality...see a correlation). So school taxes are lower.

I'm not saying total taxes are less in Pittsburgh (Obviously this doesn't take into account differences in wage tax etc which is lower south...and maybe everywhere else in the universe), but I do think its tough to make a direct comparison without taking value and additional revenue sources into account.

1. True
2. False (in my case)
3. Part True (we have taxes on cars and boats) Part False (we also have inspections and emissions). In any case, this is not a lot of money.
4. Unless PGH teachers are making 100K+, this is not true. As in PGH, there is a wide range of salaries for teachers depending on district, seniority, qualitifications etc. Maybe the differential is 10-15% much not much more than that (I have friends that teach in both cities).

I take your point that comparisons aren't a simple matter (we can also consider that Atlanta's snow removal costs are fairly low :)) but I still think that PGH property tax seems outrageous.

[cdc]

A duct is a duct. You can always buy a newer and more efficient furnace for your home to feed that existing duct. Some older homes may not come with gas hookups though. Infact boiler radiators (the ones a lot of old homes and old apartments use but cling and clank a lot) are the most efficient in energy. The material that Maranda and Ryan also use produces the same amount of R values that older homes use. Infact, older homes would score higher on the green scale then these Mcmansions would. The electrical systems can be updated also. New electrical panels, new higher efficient luminares, could easily be replaced. This could all be done without much cost, less of a cost then destructing an acre of forest in Westmoreland county, importing many resources from Canada by truck, and building a newer home with a 20 year life expectancy.


What is the R value of stone? My exterior walls consists of an outer
sandstone layer, then a layer of brick, and finally plaster on the
inside. So it is about 10 to 11 inches of solid rock/brick/plaster
(no studs, no wood, no fiberglass insulation, no wallboard).

I have already replaced my old inefficient 1970s era furnace with an
efficient one and had insulation blown into the attic (on top of the 3
inches of rock wool that was already there). In the old days, I
believe the house was heated with gas Tayor Burners in the fireplace
of each room --- so the house started off without any duct work at all
(and there is no evidence of a boiler).


Why do you think electrical work can be done "without much cost"?
Updating old wiring (e.g. "tube and knob") often requires opening up
plaster walls, running new wires from the panels, and then repairing
and repainting the walls. The materials costs are not too bad, but
the labor costs for a licensed electrician are high (on the order of
$35 to $50 per hour for one electrician). So if you have a crew of 4
guys working on your house's wiring you have to figure on spending at
least $1500/day by the time you factor in materials, plaster, and
painting. Total cost will depend on how much wiring needs to be
updated. My electrican told me that updating an entire house can take
several weeks, so the big jobs are in the $20K to $30K range.

[UrbaniDesDev]

That is cool news. It seems like construction in Lawrenceville really would be hard to find a site except for some vacant lots on the river, but they are mostly located between industrial buildings. It is such a dense and compact neighborhood, with style too.


I would love to see them start filling in all the vacant blocks between Lawrenceville and the strip.

[UrbaniDesDev]

My house was built around 1900, so you cannot conceivably classify it
as a McMansion (or as sprawl, given its location). Sadly, it is also
not "green" either. It makes me cringe to think of the energy needed
to heat it. What a waste! Folks complain about suburbanites driving
SUVs, but these old houses are not so good for the environment either.
But there is only so much you can do with a 1900 vintage stone
house...

Sure, there are other cheaper PGH city neighborhoods besides Sq Hill.
But you have to factor in distance to work, family friendliness,
school district, resale value, crime rate, etc. I want to be able to
walk to work. I need a place where my kids can safely play and have
neighborhood friends. And I don't think it is practical to buy a
house and live in it with your family while you are performing
extensive renovations --- a construction zone is not a safe place for
children. Stop thinking like a single person and consider what you
would do if you and your partner had a couple of kids. You will find
that it is not so easy.

"How much space does an average human need?" --- I don't think this is
that useful a question to ask. You could put my entire family of 5 in
a one bedroom shack in Tupelo, Mississippi and we would survive
(though I don't think we'd be very happy). Better questions to ask
are "What is best for my family?" and "How difficult is it to recover
from a poor housing choice?" And the fact is, if the pro-urban
anti-sprawl crowd cannot produce adequate answers to those questions
for people with families then they will never get enough traction to
make a difference.

It is important to consider that Pittsburgh is somewhat unique. It has a very small area. This means that city neighborhoods are not as plentiful as a city like Atlanta. Atlanta itself sprawls, not including the municipalites around it. Most other cities, municipalities like Mt Lebonon and Oakmont might be a part of the city and not even considered suburbs.

[JackStraw]

What is the R value of stone? My exterior walls consists of an outer
sandstone layer, then a layer of brick, and finally plaster on the
inside. So it is about 10 to 11 inches of solid rock/brick/plaster
(no studs, no wood, no fiberglass insulation, no wallboard).

I have already replaced my old inefficient 1970s era furnace with an
efficient one and had insulation blown into the attic (on top of the 3
inches of rock wool that was already there). In the old days, I
believe the house was heated with gas Tayor Burners in the fireplace
of each room --- so the house started off without any duct work at all
(and there is no evidence of a boiler).


Why do you think electrical work can be done "without much cost"?
Updating old wiring (e.g. "tube and knob") often requires opening up
plaster walls, running new wires from the panels, and then repairing
and repainting the walls. The materials costs are not too bad, but
the labor costs for a licensed electrician are high (on the order of
$35 to $50 per hour for one electrician). So if you have a crew of 4
guys working on your house's wiring you have to figure on spending at
least $1500/day by the time you factor in materials, plaster, and
painting. Total cost will depend on how much wiring needs to be
updated. My electrican told me that updating an entire house can take
several weeks, so the big jobs are in the $20K to $30K range.

I think you and I are not understanding each other completely, where I am talking about the inefficient urban sprawl suburbs. I am getting sick of this American idea where the mentality is "f this old house, old building, and old neighborhood and lets go destory more of the last untouched land in S.W. Pa and put up a new crappy box that is not efficient, not environmentally responsible, and built for the short term." Surprising most green new buildings and houses are built in the city, and not Murrysville. A lot of buildings that I worked on in Denver and Pittsburgh were gutted and completely remodeled in the inside to meet green standards. Updating mechanical systems and electrical systems is going to cost you money to install in a house. As much as installing a 150 K house in a new lot in Murrysville?

Also, if your electricians are saying it is going to take weeks, its time to make sure you get a non-union enterprise. Pulling wiring through conduit, changing out electrical panels would take a few days with rewiring and replacing cheap receptacles and light switches.

If your house has no duct. Then you can always choose efficient electrical space heating, where every room can be controlled seperately.

Like I said, I am getting sick of the American way of "f the old, bring in new crap for the short term use" idea. Notice the most great cities all preserve their history, buildings, and in return their culture. Updating old houses is not as hard as you are describing. It can be done, and has been done. Razing old unused building for new green development is perfect for a rust-belt city. As in the area between Lawrenceville and the Stip.

I would really like to find articles about houses in the slopes that were renovated out into green housing, but I got to work this morning. Maybe later on in the evening I will take the time. When I get my PE in a few years, I am still thinking of (as my old college idea) of starting a firm that does nothing but reponsible redevelopment of old buildings into LEED design. The rust-belt is perfect for the process.

[JackStraw]

It is important to consider that Pittsburgh is somewhat unique. It has a very small area. This means that city neighborhoods are not as plentiful as a city like Atlanta. Atlanta itself sprawls, not including the municipalites around it. Most other cities, municipalities like Mt Lebonon and Oakmont might be a part of the city and not even considered suburbs.

This is what everygrey and I have been trying to discuss all along. People are making it seem as if we hate all suburbs. It is the completely irresponsible, inefficient, cheaply built, short-term use housing reaching out into areas not even decribed as towns, but as townships. There are many, actual hundreds of centrally real towns around Pittsburgh which are considered suburbs. I understand it is American's right to build where they want as long as these townships keep whoring their land out to irresposible developement.

Teh owner of Maronda homes probably makes it his ambition for us to one day get on a plane in N.Y. and fly to San Fran, and see nothing but his housing plans the whole way out of the window of the airplane!

[JackStraw]

I would love to see them start filling in all the vacant blocks between Lawrenceville and the strip.

and finally, I will end this morning on the actual city of Pittsbugrh before I start slaving away.

That area would be a cool area for developement because it would link the one unique neighborhood with the infamous strip. Right now it is just blah. A few weekends I went to the Church Brewworks and walked through that area before going into the strip, and it could have potential.

[themaguffin]

Atlanta itself sprawls, not including the municipalites around it

Atlanta city limits is bigger, but certainly not like a Columbus, Dallas, Jacksonville, Houston, and many others.

It's only bigger than cities like Pittsburgh because in the 1950's it annexed what is now the northern third of the city - Buckhead.

However, 400+ thousand who live in the city limits are far overshadowed by the 5 million surrounding them.

I feel tax wise, the areas are almost extremely different. I can't afford to live in a decent neighborhood in Atlanta which are costly and where taxes are pricey (but not as high as Pgh) so I got a townhouse, just outside of our Perimeter (beltway). I paid well under 200 for it and I pay county and city taxes (not Atlanta, but I live in a city).

My total taxes are around $1000 a year.

As at some point, I would like to be back in Pgh, I was browsing homes and taxes, and many 150-200,000 homes (all many, many decades old and would need varying degrees of investment) and the taxes at best appeared to be triple of what I pay now.

That said, I feel that GA and the South don't want to invest in infrastructure and certainly not schools.

Pittsburgh MUST consolidate communities and streamline duplicated and bloated government where as GA needs to invest more which will cost its citizens a little more too.

One should not have to pay $5,000 a year in taxes for an average priced home which is what they are in some areas like the South Hills.

I realize that this straying even more from development issues, but it when comparing areas, it's critical to note some context of those areas, as it is important to growth and development.

[UrbaniDesDev]

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/454496-R1-17-16A_018.jpg

[UrbaniDesDev]

[QUOTE=JackStraw;3371520]This is what everygrey and I have been trying to discuss all along. People are making it seem as if we hate all suburbs. It is the completely irresponsible, inefficient, cheaply built, short-term use housing reaching out into areas not even decribed as towns, but as townships. There are many, actual hundreds of centrally real towns around Pittsburgh which are considered suburbs. I understand it is American's right to build where they want as long as these townships keep whoring their land out to irresposible developement.
QUOTE]

I understand that Pennsylvania and New Jersey are the only 2 states that have laws on the books that prevent cities from benefitting from it's surrounding land. Even small cities have been locked from expanding, keeping them struggling with antiquated housing stock and infrastructure while the surrounding townships flourish. I read this years ago and can't find the article. I would really like to find out if this is true

[Xeelee]

I like that park like thing... :)

[tooluther]

It looks like they are about to have an akward first kiss lol

[dgyrownhol]

this whole bilboard thing..... it's ridiculous, and typifies Pittsburgh's nimby attitude towards building ANYTHING....we are talking about a bilboard here....a BILBOARD. In a real city it wouldn't even be an issue. It's as if somebody wants to build a statue of Hitler in Market Square. Has anybody ever been to a large city...how about New York or Chicago? There is lights, technology, commerce...everywhere in the downtown area. How about Times Square...touristy, yes....not for everybody...yes....but the center of action and money making....ALSO YES. I'm not advocating any sort of times square in Pgh, but one advertisement downtown just may reach a consumer and stimulate business, what a concept! It's not like they are putting it in shadyside. If a nice LED display doesn't belong in a downtown area, where does it belong? I'm sorry but a months long process to approve one sign in a major city is absurd.

[Evergrey]

this whole bilboard thing..... it's ridiculous, and typifies Pittsburgh's nimby attitude towards building ANYTHING....we are talking about a bilboard here....a BILBOARD. In a real city it wouldn't even be an issue. It's as if somebody wants to build a statue of Hitler in Market Square. Has anybody ever been to a large city...how about New York or Chicago? There is lights, technology, commerce...everywhere in the downtown area. How about Times Square...touristy, yes....not for everybody...yes....but the center of action and money making....ALSO YES. I'm not advocating any sort of times square in Pgh, but one advertisement downtown just may reach a consumer and stimulate business, what a concept! It's not like they are putting it in shadyside. If a nice LED display doesn't belong in a downtown area, where does it belong? I'm sorry but a months long process to approve one sign in a major city is absurd.

At present I'm indifferent to the idea of a giant LED billboard on the facade of that glorified parking garage... but what is of greater concern is URA Director Pat Ford's flagrant disregard for the public process and transparancy. No single elected or appointed official has the power to strike the kind of deals he did with Lamar Outdoor Advertising. Pat Ford (and the Ravenstahl administration) has exhibited a persistent pattern of skirting procedure with legally and ethically questionable executive decisions.

btw, nice job on the Hilton facade

http://www.pbase.com/deadwing/image/92346002.jpg

[themaguffin]

-----------

[JackStraw]

this whole bilboard thing..... it's ridiculous, and typifies Pittsburgh's nimby attitude towards building ANYTHING....we are talking about a bilboard here....a BILBOARD. In a real city it wouldn't even be an issue. It's as if somebody wants to build a statue of Hitler in Market Square. Has anybody ever been to a large city...how about New York or Chicago? There is lights, technology, commerce...everywhere in the downtown area. How about Times Square...touristy, yes....not for everybody...yes....but the center of action and money making....ALSO YES. I'm not advocating any sort of times square in Pgh, but one advertisement downtown just may reach a consumer and stimulate business, what a concept! It's not like they are putting it in shadyside. If a nice LED display doesn't belong in a downtown area, where does it belong? I'm sorry but a months long process to approve one sign in a major city is absurd.

Well said. It is just a sign on the edge of downtown slightly before the strip. I can understand building a huge ugly parking garage, but it is nothing more then a LED sign that runs along a parking garage and greyhouse station. The best area of the city to place it.

[PA Pride]

It looks like they are about to have an akward first kiss lol

That's exactly what I was thinking. That is a funny statue.:D

[Evergrey]

more on that Lawrenceville site

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_553830.html

Lawrenceville largest site in play


By Ron DaParma
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, February 23, 2008


Pittsburgh's Urban Redevelopment Authority is seeking a developer to help build "an innovative residential development" on a large site in Lawrenceville.
The city authority said Friday it is seeking proposals for a 55,230-square-foot URA owned-site (about one football field in size) that it describes as the largest available footprint in the Lawrenceville neighborhood.

The two-parcel site includes the former Heppenstall Co. headquarters building property at 4620 Hatfield St. and the former Sauer building at 54 46th St. The URA wants a developer to purchase, design, develop and operate or resell one or both parcels.

"We are excited with the real estate appreciation that were seeing in the neighborhood, and very excited about the prospect of a new residential product and how that will add fuel to the market," said Rob Stephany, authority deputy director.

A "nonintrusive" commercial development also might be acceptable for a portion or all of the site, although a residential use is preferred, Stephany said.
Central Lawrenceville's median home price has risen 64 percent over the past three years, and the neighborhood is second only to the South Side in home appreciation in the past decade, the URA said.

Butler Street's Mainstreet program has attracted and retained retailers, including two bakeries, clothing boutiques and several new restaurants, it said.

"With the right housing product available, we'll be able to meet the increasing demand of people who want to move to Lawrenceville," said Kelly Hoffman, real estate manager of Lawrenceville Corp., a local community development group.

The URA-owned property is directly across Hatfield Street from the former Heppenstall Steel manufacturing site, a 14-acre site owned by the Regional Industrial Development Corp.

RIDC is developing an urban industrial park there, hoping to attract robotics and other advanced manufacturing and biotechnology companies. Infrastructure work has begun to prepare the site for development.

"We believe that this will be a great area for companies to locate and grow, while integrating with the neighborhood," said Frank Brooks Robinson Jr., spokesman for the RIDC.

The Heppenstall operation was a significant part of the region's manufacturing base in the 1940s and 1950s, the URA said. Hatfield Street has historically been the dividing line between dense residential and heavy industry along the Allegheny River.

"The community would like to maintain this division and has a vision for an innovative residential development that strikes a balance between maintaining the dense urban fabric and scale of the surrounding residential area while explicitly referencing the industrial history across the street," the authority said.



Ron DaParma can be reached at rdaparma@tribweb.com or 412-320-7907.

[JackStraw]

Yeah!!!! Lawreceville is getting trendy now!

Lets just hope it doesn't become Gaps, Ann Taylors, Nordstroms, and Urban Outfitters now. I know that many of us (myself being included) would just love these stores to open up on Butler Street! (joking)

I know Lawrenceville is up for a turn right now, but what about the residence? With the new hospital opening, and more main street enterprises, this is still a blue collar neighborhood. A thought never mentioned in the intelligent minds of urban design.

[UrbaniDesDev]

There's an area, one of many in San Francisco, that reminds me of Pittsburgh's Strip District. It's called SoMa, or South of Market. It's a flat area just outside of the downtown, on a large long grid of avenues and streets. Its an area, with a mix of industrial and residential. The Strip could easily become. or strive to become an area like it. I found the similarites striking. I took some shots of residential buildings, that, I feel, could be the type of development that could take place in The Strip.

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/928291-R1-16-9.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/928291-R1-02-23.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/928291-R1-00-25-1.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/928291-R1-09-16.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/928291-R1-10-15.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/928291-R1-13-12.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/928291-R1-15-10.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/928291-R1-17-8.jpg

even taller projects could be located there in time
there would be great views
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/928291-R1-08-17.jpg

This is the type of development, the scale and the sensibiliy, I would like to see more of in the Strip. This is the type of development I think the Strip could sustain.
Anybody from BUNCHER out there???

[JackStraw]

at first when I read, "the strip can become, or try to become" I was very reluctant. After seeing the pictures you had, I could see those type of residentail buildings being in the strip.

[Johnland]

I can definitely see that similar architecture fitting perfectly in the Strip. It's contemporary, somewhat industrial, and scaled to the right hieght. It could happen if Pittsburgh could just a positive population growth. Declining population just drags things out for years and years.

[Evergrey]

that SoMa stuff reminds me of this residential building that went up in Garfield in 2006
http://www.pbase.com/deadwing/image/76525455.jpg

as for hi-rise in the strip... Rugby Realty has proposed a 10-18 story mixed-use tower right across from St. Stanislaus.... haven't heard many details

[UrbaniDesDev]

Yes. I love this bldg in Garfield. right on target!
The great thing about the Strip, not only it's location, but there are few contextual restrictions. The South Side is a historical area so the buildings will be more conservative. The Strip is already heading in a more dynamic direction. Does the The Strip Community Group have a plan as to where they want the Strip to go, outside of a few, very nice buildings/rehabs on the calender, I've not heard of any set direction?

[Johnland]

Yes. I love this bldt in Garfield. right on target!
The great thing about the Strip, not only it's location, but there are few contextual restrictions. The South Side is a historical area so the buildings will be more conservative. The Strip is already heading in that direction. Does the The Strip Community Group have a plan as to where they want the Strip to go, outside of a few, very nice buildings/rehabs on the calender, I've not heard of any set direction?

Good point UrbaniDesDev about the Strip being a more fertile ground for fresh new and innovative designs. Pittsburgh has loads of quaint neighborhood. I personally don't mind a mix of fresh modern right next to historical, if done right. But the Strip is so heavily industrial in nature, and with a small residential population, the future could really bring a whole new exciting neighborhood to the city.

[PA Pride]

Urbandesdev: Thanks for posting those pics! I love that style and I agree with you that that would be a great direction (architectural diversity) for the strip.

Johnland: I also agree with you strongly that Pittsburgh's population decline is a long drag that seems to go on for ever and it really has a huge impact on local morale. I sincerely hope we are finally nearing the tipping point back to a growth mentality.

[Johnland]

Urbandesdev: Thanks for posting those pics! I love that style and I agree with you that that would be a great direction (architectural diversity) for the strip.

Johnland: I also agree with you strongly that Pittsburgh's population decline is a long drag that seems to go on for ever and it really has a huge impact on local morale. I sincerely hope we are finally nearing the tipping point back to a growth mentality.

One positive thing about population decline is you could somehow make that case that it has a preserving aspect to it regarding the urban fabric. There's no rush to tear down the old to make way for the new. It is not terribly exciting, however. I know we all would like to see more interesting projects happening more often.

[DBR96A]

http://pittsburgh.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2008/02/18/daily20.html

Potential ethanol pipeline to be built from the Midwest to New York, via Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

No, corn is not the only feedstock. :rolleyes:

[Evergrey]

article on hotel development in the city... has some additional development info in the bullet points at the end

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/search/s_553359.html

Report checks in on hotels going up

By Ron DaParma
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, February 24, 2008


A report on the Pittsburgh commercial real estate industry gives some insight into the wave of hotel construction Downtown and in nearby neighborhoods.
The year-end 2007 Pittsburgh Real Estate Overall Market Review produced by GVA Oxford describes eight hotel projects planned or under construction in the city, in neighborhoods ranging from Downtown to Oakland, Shadyside and East Liberty.

GVA is the commercial real estate arm of Oxford Development Co.

Collectively, the projects it cites add up to almost 1,150 rooms.

And that even doesn't include the long-planned convention center hotel near the David L. Lawrence Convention Center whose size is in question.
Originally envisioned as having as many as 500 rooms, the number may have to be cut because of rising construction costs, despite pleas by the VisitPittsburgh tourism promotion agency that a reduction could harm efforts to lure conventions to the city.

Other hotel projects continue to move forward, such as the 185-room Fairmont Hotel that is part of PNC Financial Services Group's $192 million Three PNC Plaza project under construction Downtown.

Another project is a 156-room Hilton Garden Inn that Harmar developer Kratsa Properties plans on the former Allegheny County Jail Annex site near the City County Building.

Kratsa is planning three more hotels near Downtown: a Marriott hotel with as many as 142 rooms at the Pittsburgh Technology Center in South Oakland; a 115-room SpringHill Suites hotel at the SouthSide Works; and a 180-room Residence Inn by Marriott on the North Shore near PNC Park.

Two other hotels have been proposed by the Doc-Economou development group, a relative newcomer to the Pittsburgh development scene.

One is a 140-room hotel and 23 condos within the SouthSide Works complex. Another is a 120-room hotel in Shadyside that would be part of a mixed-use development the firm hopes to build on property including the site of the Don Allen Auto City franchise.

Finally, a 110-room Marriott Spring Hills Suites Hotel is planned as part of Walnut Capital Partners' Bakery Square development at the former Nabisco plant in East Liberty.

Why do developers keep building new hotels in the city?

According to the report, some believe there is enough demand and a shortage of hotel rooms in the area to fill it.

In addition to attending conventions, people come to town to visit the region's world class medical centers, corporations and research and development facilities, and attend sporting events, the report says.

In addition, the new Majestic Star Casino on the North Shore eventually will add another reason to visit the city, it says.

Real estate notes

• Marketing of the old Otto Milk building in the Strip District as a new condominium development may come soon, with plans to provide units priced from about $170,000 up to $1.4 million, said developer Jack Benoff, president of Philadelphia-based Solara Ventures LLC. The site, at 25th and Smallman streets, contains seven buildings. About 55 to 65 units are planned, including three penthouses and one special penthouse of 3,000 square feet with a 1,000-square-foot roof garden.

• There were 147 building permits, valued at $96.7 million, issued by the city of Pittsburgh's Bureau of Building Inspection during January, including a $70 million permit for an educational/classroom building at Carnegie Mellon University for 4902 Forbes Ave., Oakland.



• The Pittsburgh Zoning Board of Adjustment will be asked Thursday to approve use of a three-story structure at 5135 Fifth Ave., Shadyside, for 20 residential units and 18 integral parking stalls. Also, 3609 Forbes Oakland Partners LP will seek board approval to use the second floor of a five-story building at 3609 Forbes Ave. for a grocery store and use of a sign, Market on Forbes.



Transactions



• An office/warehouse building in the 900 block of West North Avenue, North Side, has been sold by Hampton Professional Building to Past Development LLC for $875,000. Hampton's general partners are William G. Braund and Andrew J. Horn, while Paul J. and Stephen B. Neugebaurer were identified as members of Past Development.

[Evergrey]

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_553972.html

Rising costs for light-rail tunnel spark concern

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/photos/2008-02-23/0224-bigdig1-a.jpg
The North Shore Connector initially was budgeted to cost $362 million to link Downtown and the North Shore. It included a spur from Gateway Center to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Even though the project shrank, the cost grew to $435 million.
Jasmine Gehris/Tribune-Review

By Jim Ritchie
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, February 24, 2008


Port Authority of Allegheny County doesn't like comparisons of its subway expansion to the infamous Big Dig.
Plans for the $435 million light-rail tunnel under the Allegheny River to the North Shore are different from Boston's disastrous construction project, which took 15 years and $14.6 billion to complete.

But the price tag on Pittsburgh's 1.2-mile project is growing. Already $70 million higher than first planned, the final tally of Pittsburgh's project is uncertain as the price of materials climbs and the transit agency scrambles to cut costs.

Costs have been a concern from the start.

"Going forward, it's definitely going to be a challenge," said the authority's rail operations officer, Winston Simmonds. "Needless to say, if a situation is going to arise, we're going to be very transparent about how we handle it.
"Back in 2006, we tried to make assumptions in energy costs, steel and concrete. Fortunately, we're about to start our largest contract and we still have a lot of our construction contingency."

The North Shore Connector initially was budgeted to cost $362 million to link Downtown and the North Shore. It included a spur from Gateway Center to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

The authority's projected price on its first, and most crucial, contract was far higher than expected, causing the agency to cut the convention center spur and seek more federal dollars. One of three North Shore stations was eliminated earlier.

Even though the project shrank, the cost grew to $435 million.

The agency anticipates bids for its next contract to build a T station at Gateway Center, Downtown, will exceed budget projections.

CEO Steve Bland blames higher prices for steel and cement, which triggered an escalator clause in the contract. The authority last week agreed to pay an extra $550,000 to cover that and other costs.

"It's a cause for concern," Bland said. "It's really led our project team to say, 'What can we do to mitigate these impacts?' We're looking at a lot of possibilities."

Port Authority has calculated potential increases based on changes in materials prices. Bland would not disclose the numbers.

The added costs, which total more than $2.8 million, are being paid from a contingency account that totals about 5 percent for the entire project -- roughly $22 million.

"That's pretty tight," Simmonds said.

The agency on Friday revealed it would close the Gateway station for two years to cut the price of building its replacement. Previous plans called for keeping T service running during construction.

The tunnel-boring machine has dug about 150 feet from its starting point near PNC Park on the North Shore, said Paul Zick, project director for Obayashi Corp. The Tokyo-based firm is one of two contractors composing North Shore Constructors, which the authority hired for $156.5 million to dig the tunnel.

The machine is idle until the middle of the week starting March 3, he said. Then, it will dig faster, traveling between 25 and 30 feet a day.

It should reach the Allegheny River in April, he said.

The contractors and authority realize the county, state and federal government have vowed not to pay more for the project.

"I don't think a tunnel project has ever been built that didn't have cost overruns," said Jake Haulk, president of the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy, a Castle Shannon research group and authority critic. "The cost overruns were already substantial before they dug the first shovelful of dirt."

An increasing price tag draws comparisons to Boston's Big Dig, the most expensive U.S. transportation project. Intended to ease congestion through central Boston, that eight-mile project grew from $2.8 billion to more than $14.6 billion. It was marred by construction failures, a death and troubling leaks.

In Pittsburgh, some riders say getting to sports events will be easier, but some don't endorse spending so much to go the short distance.

"I'd rather walk the bridge," said bus rider James Gitzen Jr. of Brighton Heights. "I don't know why you'd want to build all that. But you can't control it.

"That's why I don't vote. They're going to do what they want anyway."

The engineers responsible for expanding Port Authority's T say the Boston and Pittsburgh projects have little in common.

"The only thing that's the same or similar is that project had tunnels and we have a tunnel," Simmonds said. "Beyond that, there is no comparison."

It's not fair to compare a $14.6 billion project to one that costs $435 million, he said. Boston's project was far more complex than the authority's tunnel.

Yet, there are similarities.

Tunnel digger Obayashi, one of Port Authority's two primary contractors, worked on the Big Dig.

The Massachusetts Inspector General revealed Obayashi was among the firms that created a widespread leaking problem in the East Boston Toll Plaza Support Building.

The joint venture of Obayashi Corp. and Modern Continental Construction "failed to apply waterproofing material on portions of the foundation of the Toll Plaza Support Building," according to a March 2005 investigation.

Obayashi's Zick said the inspector general reviewed and criticized all contracts, not just Obayashi's.

"It's been under review for 10 years," he said. "One agency has looked at it, or another. Investigations have been going on for years."

Port Authority officials say Obayashi is an asset to the job.

"They probably built a minimum of 10 or 11 tunnels in this country," Simmonds said. "From that standpoint, we have a contractor that's experienced in tunnels."

There's another similarity, according to expert Peter Tarkoy, a geotechnical and construction consultant in Sherborn, Mass., and owner of GeoConSol.

Both projects experienced cost overruns when workers hit unstable soil and then paid to fix the problem. That's a sign of poor preparation, Tarkoy said.

"There is no excuse for having failed to detect the character of the soil layer," Tarkoy said. "That is why geotechnical experts are supposed to explore for this material. No excuse whatsoever.

"It appears clear that the geotechnical company made a mistake, and they should be held liable."

Port Authority spent $2.3 million fixing its soil problem by dumping cement into the ground. It chose not to seek reimbursement.

The soil problem was among factors causing the project's delay. The authority planned to start digging in fall 2006 but did not start until Jan. 23.

Authority officials say they've carefully made decisions intended to design and build a safe tunnel without letting costs skyrocket.

"It started with the selection of the firm DMJM Harris as the final designers," Simmonds said. "They are a worldwide company."

Reputation has little to do with competence, Tarkoy said. "Reputation does not prevent mistakes."

DMJM was responsible for overseeing the geotechnical work performed by Geomechanics Inc. of Elizabeth Township, he said. The companies did not return telephone calls.

Simmonds said the authority's tunnel is short and relatively simple, unlike Boston's complex project.

"We have a defined scope," he said. "It's not like we're going to extend the North Shore another 20 miles. It's pretty simple."

Trumbull and Obayashi are required to follow a myriad of safety regulations during construction -- many similar to how coal mining companies operate.

Requirements include installing a methane gas detection system, using fresh air pumps, establishing an emergency evacuation plan and even placing fire extinguishers every 300 feet.

There is a no-smoking policy in the tunnel because the possible presence of methane gas could cause an explosion.

Temporary electricity will be installed to power lights, and breathing apparatus must be brought along in case of an emergency.

Safety is the foremost concern among the workers underground, but it's not the primary concern of some local residents.

"I don't think that under-river thing is too smart," said Beverly Brown, a Mt. Lebanon T rider. "I think it's a big waste of money, because I really don't think that many people are going to use it."



Jim Ritchie can be reached at jritchie@tribweb.com or 412-320-7933.



tunnel boring maching
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/images/video/2008_pdfs/GX-Nshore3B-BN-02-24.pdf

map
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/images/video/2008_pdfs/GX-ConnectMAP-bn-02-24.pdf

panorama
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/images/video/2007_flash/2007gigapan/1.html

[PA Pride]

I don't think we can compare to the big dig. This tunnel project isn't even as big as the .6 in the big dig price tag.

Construction costs always skyrocket. I hate the construction industry. I was told recently by a guy who built housing projects his whole life that you should add 15% on top of a projects initial price tag to be realistic. Sometimes it goes much higher than even that though.

[JackStraw]

I was going past Bakery Square today with my camera. I got three photos, and decided to give them a posting. I like to archive development if I can.


http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/949/bakerysquare1jc3.jpg
http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/3396/bakerysquare2xd9.jpg
http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/4391/bakerysquare3fg2.jpg

[cdc]

There were 147 building permits, valued at $96.7 million, issued by the city of Pittsburgh's Bureau of Building Inspection during January, including a $70 million permit for an educational/classroom building at Carnegie Mellon University for 4902 Forbes Ave., Oakland.


4902 Forbes is part of the new CMU SCS complex. check this press release:


Henry L. Hillman Foundation Gives Carnegie Mellon $10 Million
For Research Building in New Computer Science Complex

Building Creates New "Front Door" for School of Computer Science

http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2008/February/feb20_hillmangift.shtml

[cdc]

Like I said, I am getting sick of the American way of "f the old, bring in new crap for the short term use" idea. Notice the most great cities all preserve their history, buildings, and in return their culture. Updating old houses is not as hard as you are describing. It can be done, and has been done.

If you are saying that you think people buy new cheaper housing out
away from the city mainly because their attitude is "f the old" then I
completely disagree with you. When you buy a house your main concern
is about you and your family --- your budget, your kid's educational
needs, your commute, and the kind of environment you want to live in
(e.g. floor plan, number of bedrooms/baths you need, etc.). When you
are writing that big downpayment check, the last thing on your mind is
going to be vague and abstract concepts like sprawl.

At least that is my experience so far, having bought and lived in a
condo, a brand new house, and an older home (my current home in PGH).
Believe it or not, I am fully aware of how hard/easy it is to update
an old home --- I've gotten alot of experience with that process here
in Sq Hill.




Also, if your electricians are saying it is going to take weeks, its time to make sure you get a non-union enterprise. Pulling wiring through conduit, changing out electrical panels would take a few days with rewiring and replacing cheap receptacles and light switches.


Most residential houses do not run wiring through conduit, so you
cannot just pull new wiring. To rewire you have to cut open the walls
or ceilings, run the new wires, and then replaster the wall. This is
a time consuming process. Or, if you are cheap, you can run all your
wires in externally mounted conduit, but that looks bad in a
residential setting (and will definitely lower resale value).

Most of the houses in my area were initially wired with Knob and Tube
wiring. Wikipedia has a good article on this here, check out the
funky wires:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knob_and_tube_wiring

[JackStraw]

This argument has gone to far, and is getting this thread way off track. Please, lets just return this to Bakery Square, Market square development, Three PNC place, the south sideworks, etc.

Arguments on laws for urban sprawl, ways to prevent it, the damage it causes, and how to redevelop cities instead are always good.

However, when personal opinions, personal beliefs, individual desires for familys it just never goes anywhere.

Just let it go.

[xyagentguy]

Does anyone know at the top of their head what the current office occupancy rate downtown is?

I had thought that occupancy rate was up and has been climbing in Pittsburgh for several years, but I friend of mine told me the opposite today. Anyone able to clarify this?

[tooluther]

Your freind is incorrect. Office vacancy for the metro finished the year at about 12.6% compared to 14.8% in the first quarter.

Downtown is also recovering nicely (thanks in part to UPMC, Heinz, & BNY Mellon) its vacancy is at 13.6%

[xyagentguy]

Your freind is incorrect. Office vacancy for the metro finished the year at about 12.6% compared to 14.8% in the first quarter.

Downtown is also recovering nicely (thanks in part to UPMC, Heinz, & BNY Mellon) its vacancy is at 13.6%
Are those numbers from the most recent Grubb & Ellis report? Does it reflect the chunk of space UPMC rented from US Steel? I know UPMC hasn't moved in yet, but I guess the lease may have already begun.

Anyone have some links to this information?

[xyagentguy]

I think this is what my friend saw.. ??

http://pittsburgh.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2008/02/18/story8.html?b=1203310800^1591445

[tooluther]

Those numbers are from Co-Star

[Evergrey]

http://www.popcitymedia.com/developmentnews/trid0227.aspx

Mt. Lebanon plans residential developments near transit, central business district

http://www.popcitymedia.com/galleries/Default/Dev%20News/Issue%2099/TRID.jpg

With funding from a state-awarded Transit Revitalization Investment District (TRID) grant, Mt. Lebanon is completing a study of two development scenarios for sites surrounding its Washington Rd. T station. The $75,000 multi-municipality project also involves the Borough of Dormont.

“We’re taking advantage of an untapped asset we have in the T, and its proximity to our central business district. There’s a trend around the country of people moving back into urban centers,” says Mt. Lebanon’s commercial districts manager, Dan Woodske. “It calls for more high-density residential. It makes sense for people who work in Pittsburgh.”

Two development scenarios are under consideration. A low-density alternative would bring a 42-unit building, 11 townhouses and four lofts to Shady Dr. E. A high-density option calls for a 90-unit residential property above the T station, as well as nine levels of residential and 94,000 square feet of offices along Washington Rd.

At a March 5 public meeting, engineering firm DMJM Harris will discuss its findings and outline next steps for funding sources and an RFP. “We’ve had interest from developers. The low-density plan gives us future options to see what the market will bear. We’ll make infrastructure improvements so we can sustain this type of development,” adds McGill, who says the TRID project will be complemented by plans to bring an $11 million, 98-room hotel to the 600 block of Washington Rd. “The hotel is a constant. I don’t when the last hotel was built in the South Hills. It’ll be very fresh looking, in between Downtown and the airport.”

To read Mt. Lebanon's TRID study, go here.

Writer: Jennifer Baron
Sources: Dan Woodske and Keith McGill, Mt. Lebanon

Image courtesy Mt. Lebanon Planning Department

[Grego43]

Welcome to the TOD frenzy sweeping the nation, Mt. Lebo,...better late than never. The Port Authority should be all over this at every location that warrants TOD. Not only can they gain revenue from leasing/selling property, but they should realize a related increase in ridership.

[tooluther]

shazow...that hi density plan for Mt. Lebanon station is awesome

[PA Pride]

Welcome to the TOD frenzy sweeping the nation, Mt. Lebo,...better late than never. The Port Authority should be all over this at every location that warrants TOD. Not only can they gain revenue from leasing/selling property, but they should realize a related increase in ridership.

Does TOD stand for Transit Oriented Development?

Meaning around lightrail stations and bus stops or what?

[hasselblad]

Long time lurker, first time poster here...

I thought I would share a video about the new addition/renovation of Benedum Hall here at the University of Pittsburgh. Im an engineering student and let me tell you, we are all looking forward to this project.

http://www.engr.pitt.edu/video/index.html

The video is kinda long but it gets to the renovation eventually.

[UrbaniDesDev]

Welcome to the TOD frenzy sweeping the nation, Mt. Lebo,...better late than never. The Port Authority should be all over this at every location that warrants TOD. Not only can they gain revenue from leasing/selling property, but they should realize a related increase in ridership.


Is this unbelievable that they are, just now, realizing the potential of this type of development?
Who do they have working for them?
cheeeez

[PA Pride]

Downtown construction update from everyones favorite Pittsburgh forumer, PA Pride!!

I was at the Hilton all day for a conference with my company, Howard Hanna and snapped a couple pics on my way out.

First off is the Gateway Condo Tower. Approx. 350 residents live in this building ranging in age from 1 to 102 yrs old! It originally had 308 units which has been condensed over the years to 268 units.

It has recently been going through renovations. Here's a quote from the Trib: "The building's facade has been cleaned and repaired at a cost of about $600,000, and a second phase of work will restore exterior panels and windows."
It looks like the white part is the facade part that has been cleaned because it is looking fresh and shiny:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/austindaniel/IMG_6252.jpg

The 713 room Hilton is also undergoing renovations from its new owner. From a Post-Gazette article: "The company is budgeting $25 million for upgrades and renovations to the Hilton -- $15 million for interior work, and $10 million exterior improvements."

Already it has been painted a cheery shade of yellow. I was told by an employee they are building a whole new lobby and entrance. From the construction work it looks like it's gonna be quite large and impressive:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/austindaniel/IMG_6258.jpg

Check out this picture. The far left is Point State Park with a multi million dollar renovation; On the right is the Hilton with extensive renovations. And in the background is the Gateway Tower also being renovated:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/austindaniel/IMG_6256.jpg

Here, in front of the Gateway office complex, I THINK is the start of the new subway station. Can someone confirm that from this pic?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/austindaniel/IMG_6260.jpg

Also, here is a progress shot of PNC 3:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/austindaniel/IMG_6264.jpg

Overall, downtown is BUZZING in every direction with construction activity. There is excitement in the air with cranes and building sites at every turn. I have never seen downtown with this amount of construction! It kinda has the feeling of an old house being fixed up with contractors and workers in every room working busily: There's so much going on at once, you just know that its gonna look impressive when the dust settles!

Goodbye for now from downtown. (No construction in this pic, I just like this angle)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/austindaniel/IMG_6259.jpg

[PA Pride]

Long time lurker, first time poster here...

I thought I would share a video about the new addition/renovation of Benedum Hall here at the University of Pittsburgh. Im an engineering student and let me tell you, we are all looking forward to this project.

http://www.engr.pitt.edu/video/index.html

The video is kinda long but it gets to the renovation eventually.

Hey, welcome! Thanks for posting that video. I watched it and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Love the additions coming to the engineering building. I hate that original period of construction though. Brutalist, concrete crap in my opinion.
Hopefully some modern glass and steel will transform the look and feel of the engineering school.

[Smoker]

PA Pride - thanks for the pictures. I share your enthusiasm about downtown. Little things are important too and there's at least three letters missing on the Pittsburgh Welcomes You sign. :)

Good to have you here hasselblad!

[Grego43]

Does TOD stand for Transit Oriented Development?

Meaning around lightrail stations and bus stops or what?

Correct. Housing, office, & retail either alone or in a mix adjacent to or even above a station or hub . Cities that have capitalized on it, such as Portland, St. Louis, Dallas, Chicago, NYC, LA come to mind, have realized fantastic ridership increases.

[JackStraw]

Correct. Housing, office, & retail either alone or in a mix adjacent to or even above a station or hub . Cities that have capitalized on it, such as Portland, St. Louis, Dallas, Chicago, NYC, LA come to mind, have realized fantastic ridership increases.

I have lived on a old school TOD developement, The mainline of Philly. It was the first suburbs in America as the train left philly and went to these areas. Although the area was not suburban at all. It was as urban and dense as anywhere in the Pittsburgh area. It was nice to get up, stroll out of bed, walk a block to a train station and be downtown in minutes. TOD development is 100 times better then putting up park and rides along the light rail.

[cdc]

There is an interesting housing/development article in this week's CP:

http://www.pittsburghcitypaper.ws/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A42607

The main point of the article itself is about the Oakland Planning and
Development Corporation (OPDC) trying to keep some low income housing
property out of Pitt's hands...

But it also goes on to reveal that the current owner of the property
(Breachmenders) got a $947K loan from the URA 15 years ago and has
only managed to pay off $17K of it! And the reason the current owner
is having trouble keeping the property is from two internal
embezzlements. Classy.

The OPDC wants to take over the property by getting the URA to forgive
most of the $947K loan and issue an additional $100K loan for
"emergency repairs."

What a rip off! How can the URA let a $947K loan go basically
unattended for 15 years on a piece of property that, if you believe
the article, Pitt would love to pay to get its hands on? Seems crazy,
maybe even criminal, to me. The OPDC is clearly looking for a handout
and should be told to "go away" ...

[CAPATeach]

http://postgazette.com/pg/08059/861167-100.stm

A short Post Gazette article about the sale of the Vo-Tech Building and a list of 20 others that will be up for sale.
No mention of Reizenstein, though (across from Bakery Square). That would be prime real estate...
Anyone have any more info on this?

[cdc]

[url]
No mention of Reizenstein, though (across from Bakery Square). That would be prime real estate...
Anyone have any more info on this?

They are using it for Schenley students, starting next fall.
There was an article about this in the PG today, in fact!

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08059/861126-298.stm

The Pittsburgh Public Schools board has agreed to move grades 10, 11 and 12 from the asbestos-plagued Pittsburgh Schenley High School to the Reizenstein building this fall, open a new university partnership school at the Milliones building and make other changes sought by Superintendent Mark Roosevelt.
...

[PA Pride]

PA Pride - thanks for the pictures. I share your enthusiasm about downtown. Little things are important too and there's at least three letters missing on the Pittsburgh Welcomes You sign. :)

Good to have you here hasselblad!

Thanks! And yes, it makes a city look run down when public signs and areas are beat up or missing letters. Someone should fix that.

[Evergrey]

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_554708.html

Strip District plan for single market place fails

By Tony LaRussa
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, February 28, 2008


The deal is off.
The city is bagging plans to turn the produce terminal along Smallman Street in the Strip District into a trendy marketplace.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority, which owns the 140,000-square-foot Pennsylvania Railroad Fruit Auction & Sales Building, signed five-year leases with the tenants last month, leaving just 6 percent of the building unoccupied.

"There's been a change in thinking away from creating a market house under a single roof to a concept in which the entire Strip is viewed as the city's market district," said Rob Stephany, URA deputy executive director. "Ultimately, we want to create a really vibrant retail environment along Smallman and the sides streets that connect with Penn Avenue.

"We see the (produce) terminal building as just one part of the market district."
Community development group Neighbors in the Strip had proposed using $8 million in state and local grants to transform the terminal into a marketplace.

The URA is open to leasing the available 8,000 square feet in the building -- or space on the outside platform and along Smallman -- to vendors, Stephany said. The URA will work with Neighbors in the Strip to devise plans to advance the market district concept, he said.

Becky Rodgers, executive director of Neighbors in the Strip, said advancing the market district concept will require her organization to focus on projects such as:

• Attracting more residential development

• Branding and marketing the neighborhood as Pittsburgh's market district

• Helping property owners develop under-utilized second and third floors

• Making Smallman Street safer for pedestrians

• Erecting signs listing the type and location of Strip businesses

• Helping property owners develop "mini-market houses" in buildings that might be too large for a single business.

"Our goal is to promote economic development while preserving the historic character of the Strip," Rodgers said. "The traditional grittiness is something that stakeholders have said they want preserved."

Brad Kokowski, who's owned Superior Produce in the terminal building for 20 years, likes the idea of attracting shoppers from the busy Penn Avenue corridor.

"Right now, there aren't a lot of reasons for people to come over here," said Kokowski, whose business is a combination of wholesale and retail. "If it's done right, this terminal and the area around it could make a great market. I just don't want to see businesses like mine, which have been here for a long time, pushed out for it to happen."

Sam Patti, who owns La Prima Espresso Co. in the terminal, also thinks the Strip could benefit from using the building's empty space for more retail, wholesale or a combination of the two -- so long as its basic character is not changed.

"The space needs to be clean and secure, but it doesn't need to be anything fancy," he said. "This is the Strip. People like the gritty atmosphere. If they want glitzy, there's plenty of other places around for them to shop."



Tony LaRussa can be reached at tlarussa@tribweb.com or 412-320-7987.

...


http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_554736.html

Riverfront Park to get boat docks

By The Tribune-Review
Thursday, February 28, 2008


Boat docks will be built along the South Side Riverfront Park with $1.35 million in federal money, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission announced today.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Boating Infrastructure Grant program provided the money for the docks, which will consist of a 525-foot tie-up facility for transient boaters and day dockage uses for up to 17 boats that are 26 feet or longer.

"This is the first time the Fish and Boat Commission was successful in securing federal funding of this magnitude through the nationally competitive part of the BIG program," Fish and Boat Commission Executive Director Douglas Austen said in a news release. "It's a very good project for Pennsylvania's boating program that will positively impact tourism and local economic activity in the Pittsburgh area for years."

[Evergrey]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08060/861410-85.stm

Steelers to seek public funding

Team wants to build $10 million entertainment complex near Heinz Field

Friday, February 29, 2008
By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Steelers likely will seek public subsidies to help offset the cost of a proposed year-round $10 million entertainment complex near Heinz Field.

Frank Kass, chairman of Continental Real Estate Cos., which is developing the land between the stadium and PNC Park, said the team hopes to complete a deal to move forward with the project by the end of March.

It's one that likely will need some public help, he said.

"I know we will have a deal done that still requires some public funding. We should be ready to apply for that by the end of March," he said.

The Steelers have been talking to sports and entertainment giant Anschutz Entertainment Group about the concept, which would feature a club-like indoor venue and the ability to hold events outside in open space near Heinz Field.

The complex would have covered seating for about 2,000 people and would host concerts, special performances, and festivals.

Mr. Kass pointed out that the team had received a $4 million state grant four years ago to help finance a 5,600-seat amphitheater project that was to be built in the same spot. This project would be substantially smaller.

The Steelers later gave up the grant so it could be used to help fund construction of a new parking garage on the North Shore. They eventually abandoned plans for the amphitheater after having trouble negotiating a deal with a promoter and finalizing the economics of the project.

When asked how much in the way of public funding the Steelers would need for the new project, Mr. Kass replied, "We had $4 million moved over to the garage. I think we need that same amount."

He added he did not know exactly how much would be sought or whether state or local sources would be involved.

Steelers President Art Rooney II declined comment yesterday.

Continental, PSSI Stadium Corp., a Steelers' subsidiary, and The Cordish Co., a Baltimore developer, also had applied for $10 million in state grants under an infrastructure and facilities improvement program as part of a proposed amphitheater and entertainment district. Those plans fell through last fall and the team dropped the request for the money.

Mr. Kass said Continental and the Steelers are committed to starting the entertainment complex this year. He said they hope to go before the Pittsburgh-Allegheny County Sports & Exhibition Authority board soon for approval and to purchase the land needed for the project.

"This is a project we need to start in 2008. That's what everyone's looking at," he said.

While the Steelers had been seeking to partner with AEG on the new complex, Mr. Kass indicated that other potential operators could be part of the mix as well.

"We're working with a couple of different operators, zeroing in on what it is and who is going to run it," he said.

It would be the first of its kind in Pittsburgh, and the team is hoping it would work in concert with other venues already on the North Shore, such as Jerome Bettis Grille 36, named after the former Steelers running back.

AEG owns and operates several major sports and entertainment venues, including the Staples Center in Los Angeles. A subsidiary, AEG Live, teamed with Nokia to develop Nokia Theatre Times Square, a 2,100-seat theater for concerts, special events and other live entertainment at Broadway and 44th Street in New York City. It has developed similar venues in Dallas/Fort Worth and Los Angeles.

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

[Evergrey]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08060/861423-55.stm

South Vo-Tech sold to become housing

Old South High site closed in 2004

Friday, February 29, 2008
By Eleanor Chute, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The now-empty South Vo-Tech High School, built in 1897, will have a new life as an upscale residence.

The Pittsburgh Public Schools board Wednesday approved selling the high school building, originally known as South High School, to lone bidder Gregory Development for $1.1 million. The district had set a minimum bid of $500,000.

The sale includes the original building and addition, which are bounded by Carson, 10th, Sarah and Ninth streets, but it does not include the annex located across 10th street, behind a gas station. The school has been closed since 2004, but the annex is in use.

Gregory Coyle, president of Gregory Development & Management Inc., said, "It's going to be a high-end residential project. It will be probably 75 units, in that range."

Whether it will be condominiums or rental units will depend on the market down the road, he said.

"I'm very excited about the prospect of developing it. I think the historical aspect is something we're going to work very hard to maintain," he said.

Kevin Hanley, manager of real estate and housing programs for the nonprofit South Side Local Development Co., which is not involved in the project, called the building "a gateway to the neighborhood."

"It's a key parcel, based on historical and architectural significance and location," he said.

Mr. Hanley said Gregory Development previously has done some "solid work" on the South Side.

Mr. Coyle said the approval process could take up to 12 months, and construction could take another 12 months.

Mr. Coyle, who lives on the South Side, said the project is not intended for student housing, which some South Side residents had opposed.

The building was purchased as is, so the developer has to pay for the necessary environmental remediation, estimated at $700,000.

Other Gregory developments on the South Side include 1205-1213 E. Carson St. and 2026 E. Carson St.

Mr. Coyle also is a partner in ASC Development, which has been involved in projects such as a Wal-Mart-anchored shopping centers in Ebensburg, Edinboro, Bradford, Delmont and Shippensburg as well as one in Kilbuck, which was canceled after the planned site was plagued by landslides.

The school board also approved a resolution authorizing the chief operations officer and the solicitor to "expeditiously move forward with the disposal" of 20 closed buildings, for which the ongoing maintenance costs exceed a total of $1 million.

If a building fails to sell "in their initial attempt," then the two are authorized to find a "responsible entity, within the immediate community of the school," which could receive the building at a nominal cost.

The 20 buildings are Beltzhoover, Boggs, Burgwin, Chatham, Columbus, Connelley, East Hills, Gladstone, Knoxville, Lemington, Letsche, Madison, Mann, Miller, Morningside, Prospect, Rogers (in 2009), Vann, Washington and West Side.

Education writer Eleanor Chute can be reached at echute@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1955.

[tooluther]

Thanks! And yes, it makes a city look run down when public signs and areas are beat up or missing letters. Someone should fix that.


I looked into it, no one is sure WHO owns that sign. What everyone is sure of is that those letters don't fall of, they are a major target for thieves. Its not a quick fix as we had all hoped...perhaps we should have a SSP fund raiser of purchase a new sign that doesn't have detachable letters on it.

[PA Pride]

^Not a bad idea.
They should not make signs that can be vandalized like that. Recessed lettering or painted on would be just as nice without the possibility of theft.

[xyagentguy]

That is really cool that they are turning that high school into residents. Can someone answer me this question? What is the beautiful school that is directly along Fifth Ave (on the left when city in-bound). I know that's not exactly prime property, but with the new Arena and Duquesne University and the housing plans behind the current Mellon Arena, I think it COULD be a good option.

Is that school just vacant? I wonder why it has never been sold.

[Evergrey]

1. more on the Downtown billboard fiasco... the Ravenstahl/Ford administration took a shortcut that ended up being the long way home

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08060/861414-53.stm

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08060/861526-100.stm

2. I'm no North Hills fan... but this is a pretty major announcement... L.L. Bean plans on opening a store at the Ross Park Mall. This follows announcements by such luxury retailers as Nordstrom and Tiffany's. Ross Park seems to be doing very well with attracting destination tenents lately.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_554824.html

3. Local internet provider to "donate" 3 years of wireless service to Downtown.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_554851.html

4. One of the city's most spectacular mansions, the McCook Mansion at 5105 Fifth Ave. in Shadyside, will be reborn as a 22-unit bed and breakfast.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_554827.html
http://www.post-gazette.com/images2/20040808tye5105fifthD_450.jpg

5. Another major brownfield development... this time in South Fayette township. The 305-acre brownfield across I-79 from Bridgeville will sprout Newbury Market, a $160 million mixed-use development featuring 875,000 sq. ft. of retail, 225 homes and 125 apartments, 135 room hotel and office space. It is projected to create 2,600 permenant jobs.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_554825.html

[UrbaniDesDev]

I looked into it, no one is sure WHO owns that sign. What everyone is sure of is that those letters don't fall of, they are a major target for thieves. Its not a quick fix as we had all hoped...perhaps we should have a SSP fund raiser of purchase a new sign that doesn't have detachable letters on it.

Those letters have been missing for quite sometime

Its our 250th, we should be looking at these details

[Evergrey]

huge news

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08061/861720-53.stm

Celebrated chef to open Chinese restaurant in E. Liberty

Saturday, March 01, 2008
By China Millman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

One of the nation's most promising chefs is coming to Pittsburgh.

Richard Chen, whose Wing Lei restaurant in Las Vegas received a Michelin star in 2008 -- the only Chinese restaurant in the United States to earn a star from the prestigious guide -- plans to open a restaurant in East Liberty in early summer.

Mr. Chen's new, self-named restaurant will be located at the corner of Penn Circle South and South Highland Avenue, underneath a new T-Mobile store in the expanding Eastside development.

The executive chef of Wing Lei at the Wynn Las Vegas Resort said he chose Pittsburgh because it is the longtime home of his wife, Cathy Chen, formerly Cathy Yee. She owns Ya Fei, a Chinese restaurant in Robinson, and was introduced to Mr. Chen in Las Vegas by a mutual friend in 2005.

Mr. Chen, who first visited Pittsburgh last spring, has become attached to the city, which he describes as having "a lot of culture and history behind it."

The couple settled on the Eastside site after being connected with its co-developer, Steven Mosites of Mosites Co., by Ann Hogue, a Pittsburgh food writer and a friend of Cathy Chen's, and Bill Kolano of the East Liberty visual marketing firm Kolano Design.

Mr. Chen expects the restaurant will be an upscale destination, attracting local families as well as business people. He plans to recruit most of his staff from local talent.

Preliminary plans by Edge Studio Architects, which is designing the restaurant, showcase the space's large windows, natural materials and a spare, sleek look. The restaurant will include spaces for private dining for small groups.

Mr. Chen describes the look of the restaurant as modern -- "the total opposite" of what people think of as a Chinese restaurant.

His offerings promise to be different, too. He's known for light, elegant dishes that contrast strikingly with the perception of Chinese food as mostly fried, heavy and unhealthy. "My personal style of fusion is refined dishes,'' he said. "That's the meaning of my cooking style."

Mr. Chen trained at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., before moving to Chicago, where he worked at the Ritz-Carlton under Chef Sarah Stegner and as Chef de Cuisine and Manager of Shanghai Terrace at The Peninsula Chicago. He has been at Wing Lei since 2005.

The Chens' restaurant will be the latest addition to Eastside, which in addition to Whole Foods now includes a Starbucks, PNC Bank branch, Borders bookstore, a premium state Wine and Spirits store, Walgreen's and a bike store. It also will add to the growing number of exciting restaurants that have opened in the area in the last few years, including The Red Room, Abay Ethiopian Cuisine, Royal Caribbean and Typhoon.

Restaurant critic China Millman can be reached at cmillman@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1198.

[Evergrey]

in other restaurant news... it didn't take long for the Hi-Tops space to be filled... this will have to be a destination in itself... as the attendence for the Pirates continues to fall

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08061/861779-53.stm

Chicago watering hole may open near PNC Park

Saturday, March 01, 2008
By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A Chicago restaurant owner with a popular watering hole near Wrigley Field is making a pitch for the defunct Hi-Tops sports bar in the shadow of PNC Park.

Tony Anton, owner of Mullen's Bar and Grill, appears to be in the process of taking over the Federal Street property, which has been vacant since Hi-Tops, beset by financial problems, closed Sept. 30 at the end of the Pirates season.

Mullen's Bar & Grill Inc. has applied for the transfer of a state liquor license to the location. Anthony Anton is listed as president, treasurer, stockholder and manager of the company.

Mr. Anton could not be reached for comment, but Scott Stanley, a general manager for Mullen's in Chicago, confirmed that his boss had an interest in the property.

In the Windy City, Mr. Anton owns and operates Mullen's Bar and Grill at three locations, including one half a block from Wrigley Field. The others are in Lisle and Rogers Park. Mr. Stanley said the restaurants "are very strong here."

"I think he wants to continue that in the future at other sites," he said.

Just what Mr. Anton has planned for the Hi-Tops space is unclear. Mr. Stanley said he hasn't decided on a concept yet. He said all three Chicago establishments have different feels.

The Wrigley Field location is the smallest and busiest and serves sandwiches, appetizers and drinks. The Lisle site features 16 plasma TVs and offers live entertainment and a full restaurant, while the Rogers Park location has more of a neighborhood atmosphere.

"Whatever direction he goes [in Pittsburgh], it's going to make a nice name for itself," Mr. Stanley said. "The man knows how to run a bar."

The three establishments are named after Jim Mullen, a family friend who retired as a police officer in 1996 after being shot in the face, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down.

Mr. Stanley said he did not know the timetable for opening the Pittsburgh bar. Nick Hays, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, said the license transfer was pending. A lawyer for the building landlord, PIA Building LLC, declined comment.

Hi-Tops operated from the Federal Street location adjacent to PNC Park for 51/2 years. It drew big crowds on game days, but struggled to attract patrons at other times. An operating consultant blamed the bar's demise in part on high rent and aggressive creditors. He also said the Pirates' chronic losing was no help.

The bar filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization last March and then converted it to a Chapter 7 liquidation in September, triggering the closing.

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

[PA Pride]

I'll have to try that new chinese restuarant. Sounds like that guy knows how to cook.

[Johnland]

1. more on the Downtown billboard fiasco... the Ravenstahl/Ford administration took a shortcut that ended up being the long way home

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08060/861414-53.stm

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08060/861526-100.stm

2. I'm no North Hills fan... but this is a pretty major announcement... L.L. Bean plans on opening a store at the Ross Park Mall. This follows announcements by such luxury retailers as Nordstrom and Tiffany's. Ross Park seems to be doing very well with attracting destination tenents lately.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_554824.html

3. Local internet provider to "donate" 3 years of wireless service to Downtown.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_554851.html

4. One of the city's most spectacular mansions, the McCook Mansion at 5105 Fifth Ave. in Shadyside, will be reborn as a 22-unit bed and breakfast.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_554827.html
http://www.post-gazette.com/images2/20040808tye5105fifthD_450.jpg

5. Another major brownfield development... this time in South Fayette township. The 305-acre brownfield across I-79 from Bridgeville will sprout Newbury Market, a $160 million mixed-use development featuring 875,000 sq. ft. of retail, 225 homes and 125 apartments, 135 room hotel and office space. It is projected to create 2,600 permenant jobs.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_554825.html

I remember going to a party in an apartment in that house. I was struck by the immense Tudor paneled grand central hall and stairway. That is some peice of architecture.

[AaronPGH]

Great news all around! More restaurants, which I love.....and that house on fifth is finally going to be redone! It's about time. It was the one blemish on that street. :cool:

[PA Pride]

Here is a progress pic of Children's Hospital from an article in the Trib today:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/photos/2008-03-01/0302topjobs-a.jpg
Source: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_555138.html

[cdc]

commercial assessments are a kind of black art it seems... the
article says it is common to appeal every year, so i guess it
generates good jobs for property tax lawyers and people who work in
the assessment/appeals government office...


http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_555135.html


Pittsburgh plots to revitalize stagnant Downtown


Owners of Downtown's biggest office buildings have cut their tax
assessments by nearly a quarter-billion dollars in the past five
years.

...

[Evergrey]

news on Moe's In Market Square...I'm happy to see City Cafe will be remaining Downtown... I was actually worried about an oversaturation of coffee-related businesses in Market Square with Crazy Mocha coming online at PPG Place... never been to Dogs Dun Wright... but the owner seems quite bitter

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08064/862250-53.stm

Market Square getting taste of Mexico

Moe's to occupy Forbes Avenue site

Tuesday, March 04, 2008
By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Mike Geiger wants to bring a taste of Mexico to Market Square.

Mr. Geiger and his partner, John Iaquinta, plan to open their third Moe's Southwest Grill -- and their first Downtown -- at 210 Forbes Ave. this summer, across from the old G.C. Murphy store.

"It's just a great spot for business, for lunch, for all the events that happen throughout Market Square," Mr. Geiger said.

Moe's will take over space now occupied by Dogs Dun Wright and City Cafe, both of which are closing and relocating.

Mr. Geiger and Mr. Iaquinta now operate Moe's restaurants in Cranberry and Collier. The Market Square location will feature up to 32 outdoor seats and 40 to 50 indoors.

Moe's plans to be one of the first to take advantage of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership's new Paris to Pittsburgh program, which provides matching grants to retailers, restaurants and other businesses to perk up their facades and sidewalks.

Mr. Geiger said the partnership's announcement of the program last month "helped push us over the edge" for the Market Square location, which it had been negotiating for since late last year.

"It definitely was helpful," he said.

Moe's hopes to take advantage of the square's ongoing revitalization. The old Murphy building will be the new home of the Downtown YMCA by early next year. There also will be 46 upper-floor apartments and street-level shops. A block away, Three PNC Plaza, a 23-story skyscraper featuring offices, a hotel and condos, is under construction, with completion set for late this year.

Mr. Geiger said he has always been a fan of Market Square, and the new development only added to his interest. He said Moe's offerings, which include fresh, made-to-order burritos, salads and other Southwest foods, should be popular with those who exercise at the YMCA and the nearby Gold's Gym.

The recent crackdown on illicit activity in Market Square also helped sell him on the location, he said.

"I think it's impressive to see an effort like that made. For the mayor's office and the [district attorney's] office to say, 'This is what we want to do' and see it happen, it's very encouraging," he said.

As Moe's prepares to move in, Dogs Dun Wright will move out after St. Patrick's Day to a new location on Freeport Road in Blawnox. City Cafe, a subtenant, likely will move to Liberty Avenue, according to Patty Wright, Dogs Dun Wright owner.

She said it has been difficult doing business in Market Square.

"It's not real business-friendly," she said. "It's been really hard down here. You've got to have quite a few years in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh crowds are tough on new businesses."

Ms. Wright wasn't too optimistic about Moe's chances of succeeding at the same location, at least not at first.

"I don't have a lot of faith in it. I don't think in the first couple of years they're going to do well. Maybe if they stick it out they'll make it," she said, noting the square currently is in transition.

"Right now, it's a tough crowd."

Mr. Geiger said the Market Square location is the "biggest roll of the dice" he and his partner have taken so far, but he is confident it will be a success. He said catering also is a big part of Moe's business, and that should work to the restaurant's advantage.

"I've got an established base of business that uses us already. That's another factor that helps out," he said.

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

[Evergrey]

some of the neighborhoods that have been in this program for awhile have made dramatic turnarounds (East Liberty, South Side, Lawrenceville)... I'd love to see this spur a turnaround in Allentown... which IMO has a lot of potential in its business district... it's well located along a couple major corridors that converge at the top of the hill... has a functioning streetcar line... some solid building stock... and a few great businesses such as Alla Famiglia



http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08064/862263-85.stm

Mainstreets funding expected to revitalize 11 neighborhoods

After focusing on safety first, grant shifts to business development

Tuesday, March 04, 2008
By Diana Nelson Jones, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Allentown and the West End are now Mainstreets neighborhoods -- the Urban Redevelopment Authority's draft picks for 2008 funding.

They join 10 others in sharing $400,000 to strengthen their business corridors -- Friendship, Mount Washington, Bloomfield, Lawrenceville, Hazelwood, South Side, Downtown, Allegheny West/East Allegheny, East Liberty and the Strip District.

Mainstreets Pittsburgh is the local contingent of a revitalization model owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and orchestrated by state and local agencies. The URA reported this week that public money invested in Mainstreets locally averages a 3-to-1 return.

Mainstreets Pittsburgh "helped steward public and private investment totaling over $26 million in 2007 alone," said Patrick Ford, executive director of the URA.

In the rookie year of a six-year cycle, a neighborhood advocacy group typically receives a $5,000 planning grant, said Josette Fitzgibbons, the URA's new Mainstreets coordinator. Allentown's Warrington Avenue and the West End's South Main will be focuses of such five-year plans.

Through the rest of the funding, the group must match part of the Mainstreets money, and as it prepares to graduate, the grant decreases. By then, in theory, it would be leveraging investment beyond Mainstreets.

Neighborhood Improvement Districts, or NIDs, are one way of doing that.

East Liberty is getting another year of Mainstreets funding as it graduates into a neighborhood district. In these agreed-upon districts, stakeholders pay a fee of roughly 1 percent of property assessment for services that complement city services. East Liberty is freezing its fees at the 2005 rate.

"The first-year focus is on clean and safe," said Lori Moran, board member of the East Liberty NID Management Association. "It will evolve into whatever it wants to be, maybe with capital improvements."

On the North Side, Eric Milliron, director of business development for the Northside Leadership Conference, said part of the focus this year will be to manage a streetscape upgrade of Western Avenue -- now out for bid -- and to help revive the Deutschtown Merchants Association on East Ohio Street.

The Lawrenceville Corp., in its last year, has an assembly of business owners who will vote on the use of its funds, said Jennifer Kent, the corporation's business district manager.

"Last year, we bought string lights, hired a street sweeping company, did advertising, started a new Web site and gave microgrants for events," she said.

The South Side is getting $30,000 for a clean-up crew, said Ms. Fitzgibbons. "Hopefully, they can build support for it so it can continue."

A project of the Friendship Development Association -- on Penn Avenue between Mathilda Street and Negley Avenue -- is a survey of vacant lots and a plan for using them, with lighting, landscaping or art.

Neighbors in the Strip is following up last year's pilot of taking four businesses and giving them a strategy for better salesmanship. This year, it will do that for the first 10 merchants willing to pay $50. The extra money, said Becky Rodgers, executive director of Neighbors in the Strip, will be to announce the 10 businesses in advertisements.

Mount Washington is following that lead, starting with four businesses, said Greg Panza, the community development nonprofit's business development coordinator. A recent survey of customer ZIP codes showed that the neighborhood draws worldwide visitors, "but a lot of our businesses don't have Web sites. A Web site might help them market their business" to a wider clientele.

In Allentown, the world isn't traipsing up the hill to see anything -- yet.

"We have three blocks [in Mainstreets], and that's our front door," said Judy Hackel, president of the Allentown Community Development Corp. "This will be a great opportunity for us. I just keep plugging away up there. I won't give up."

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

[Tombstoner]

news on Moe's In Market Square....

This is depressing. If there were ever a more thought-up-by-Midwestern-dentists-in-chinos-looking-for-a-concept, low-quality, crap franchise than Moe's I haven't seen it (and I know a lot of dentists-in-chinos). :yuck:

[Evergrey]

great news! with the continued growth of the meds and eds sector... this area of the city should be attractive for new office growth

http://www.popcitymedia.com/developmentnews/roth0305.aspx

Bloomfield redevelopment project to house 30,000 sf office space, green features

http://www.popcitymedia.com/galleries/Default/Dev%20News/Issue%20100/roth_bldg_300.jpg

A former Roth Carpet showroom located at 4035 Liberty Ave. in Bloomfield is being converted into a 30,000-square-foot office property that aims to benefit both the neighborhood and environment.

“Professional office space is the best use for its floor space, and is appropriate for the economy that’s being generated around both hospitals,” says David Light, who along with his father Harvey, is developing the project. The property, which includes three connected buildings that were formerly used for light manufacturing, warehouse and sales space, will provide tenants with floor plates ranging in size from 1,200 to 5,000 square feet.

A new addition will house a flex space for tenants, and a meeting space, pavilion and rooftop garden for the community. “It solves a function of the building and benefits the community. My dad has been a stakeholder and a property holder in Bloomfield for twenty-five years. We want to provide a gathering space for the neighborhood,” adds Light, who is discussing ideas for a green parking lot with the Green Building Alliance and Senator Ferlo. “We’re committed to pursuing sustainable design solutions. We’re looking to keep the overall historic feel and update it with green design elements.”

Additional green features planned for the development include parking for bikes, high-efficiency vehicles, carpoolers, and Flexcar. The Lights also intend to clean the property’s façade and create a more centralized lobby. “We’ll address the gateway presence it has at the border of Lawrenceville and Bloomfield, to reactivate that part of Liberty.” A design team will be assembled at the end of March.

Writer: Jennifer Baron
Source: David Light

[Johnland]

This is depressing. If there were ever a more thought-up-by-Midwestern-dentists-in-chinos-looking-for-a-concept, low-quality, crap franchise than Moe's I haven't seen it (and I know a lot of dentists-in-chinos). :yuck:


I have to agree. There are Moe's here in Tampa. I went once. It's pretty much a chain restaurant.

If this is the kind of thing that Pittsburgh is cheering as a sign of improvement, I'm not encouraged.

[Johnland]

great news! with the continued growth of the meds and eds sector... this area of the city should be attractive for new office growth

http://www.popcitymedia.com/developmentnews/roth0305.aspx

Bloomfield redevelopment project to house 30,000 sf office space, green features

http://www.popcitymedia.com/galleries/Default/Dev%20News/Issue%20100/roth_bldg_300.jpg

A former Roth Carpet showroom located at 4035 Liberty Ave. in Bloomfield is being converted into a 30,000-square-foot office property that aims to benefit both the neighborhood and environment.

“Professional office space is the best use for its floor space, and is appropriate for the economy that’s being generated around both hospitals,” says David Light, who along with his father Harvey, is developing the project. The property, which includes three connected buildings that were formerly used for light manufacturing, warehouse and sales space, will provide tenants with floor plates ranging in size from 1,200 to 5,000 square feet.

A new addition will house a flex space for tenants, and a meeting space, pavilion and rooftop garden for the community. “It solves a function of the building and benefits the community. My dad has been a stakeholder and a property holder in Bloomfield for twenty-five years. We want to provide a gathering space for the neighborhood,” adds Light, who is discussing ideas for a green parking lot with the Green Building Alliance and Senator Ferlo. “We’re committed to pursuing sustainable design solutions. We’re looking to keep the overall historic feel and update it with green design elements.”

Additional green features planned for the development include parking for bikes, high-efficiency vehicles, carpoolers, and Flexcar. The Lights also intend to clean the property’s façade and create a more centralized lobby. “We’ll address the gateway presence it has at the border of Lawrenceville and Bloomfield, to reactivate that part of Liberty.” A design team will be assembled at the end of March.

Writer: Jennifer Baron
Source: David Light

This is the kind of thing I love to see. Creative recycling of an existing building.

[AaronPGH]

Dogs dun wright's owner has no reason to be bitter. Its her fault her business sucks. Their food blows asshole. Worst hot dogs ever. Ask anyone that's been there. There are a lot of great hotdog options downtown. Double day and weiner world kick ass for traditional hot dogs and Franktuary has the gourmet new-school hot dog market on lock-down. Dogs dun wright wins best shitty hot-dog award. I say good riddance to them. Every other restaurant downtown does incredible for lunch....sucks that the paper had to interview the one place doing everything wrong.

[PA Pride]

^Great post! One of the best hot dog rundown review posts I've seen. And I got a new sig out of it.

[PittPenn 03]

Dogs dun wright's owner has no reason to be bitter. Its her fault her business sucks. Their food blows asshole. Worst hot dogs ever. Ask anyone that's been there. There are a lot of great hotdog options downtown. Double day and weiner world kick ass for traditional hot dogs and Franktuary has the gourmet new-school hot dog market on lock-down. Dogs dun wright wins best shifty hot-dog award. I say good riddance to them. Every other restaurant downtown does incredible for lunch....sucks that the paper had to interview the one place doing everything wrong.

Exactly! That is the second, third, or fourth nasty restaurant in that space in the last five years (can't remember how many now). I prefer non-chains, but if you are going to put a restaurant in with absolutely horrible food - do not blame Pittsburgh for your failure. Moe's are bad as well, but in a different way and I think the fact that a chain like that has decided to locate there is a vote of confidence for Market Square -which I can accept.

[themaguffin]

I have to agree. There are Moe's here in Tampa. I went once. It's pretty much a chain restaurant.




It is a chain. It’s one of many fast growing fast casual places (something fresher than fast food, but costs a little more). I like Moe’s. I would prefer that Market Square have more local places, but I am not opposed to downtown getting such a thing since it fills a void.




If this is the kind of thing that Pittsburgh is cheering as a sign of improvement, I'm not encouraged.


The relevant government and related cheer everything.

Remember, the idea of an ugly ass massice huge parking garage next to the casino wasn't an issue to them until it was too late.

[tooluther]

Greetings from Philly...

Moe's may be a national chain, but it is also being installed by a local franchise. The owner is planing on spending significant TI money to improve that building. I think it is only going to be a good thing for the square.

[JackStraw]

This is the kind of thing I love to see. Creative recycling of an existing building.

Excellent article Johnland. This is the exact type of work I want to get into when I finally get my PE licence. Revamping old buildings into green buildings.

Pittsburgh needs to build other ways to be green other then just LEED buildings which this is a good example of how to do it.

[UrbaniDesDev]

Excellent article Johnland. This is the exact type of work I want to get into when I finally get my PE licence. Revamping old buildings into green buildings.

Pittsburgh needs to build other ways to be green other then just LEED buildings which this is a good example of how to do it.

I thought there was a post a while back stating that this building was going to be apartments

[I am Moe]

All - I appreciate the positive commentary and welcome any critisism, as it always serves as a vehicle for improvement. I am the local Moe's Franchisee opening in Market Square. I found this forum last night while Googling to see who had picked up the story.
Please do not misinterprit my post as propaganda, simply a response. Moe's is national in concept, but local in scope. We independantly operate the business and keep all of the funds within the local economy (except for the small amount of royaties). Purely out of curiosity - those who have posted opposition to our move to Market Square or the brand in general, could you please elaborate?
Finally, we intend to restore the original brick work, either refinish or completely replace the wood work on the facade, put some beautiful awnings in place, and make the building and that corner the best looking in the Square. And yes, we are putting some significant TI into the job.
Thanks much for alowing me to post....Mike

[FlyingDog]

All - I appreciate the positive commentary and welcome any critisism, as it always serves as a vehicle for improvement. I am the local Moe's Franchisee opening in Market Square. I found this forum last night while Googling to see who had picked up the story.
Please do not misinterprit my post as propaganda, simply a response. Moe's is national in concept, but local in scope. We independantly operate the business and keep all of the funds within the local economy (except for the small amount of royaties). Purely out of curiosity - those who have posted opposition to our move to Market Square or the brand in general, could you please elaborate?
Finally, we intend to restore the original brick work, either refinish or completely replace the wood work on the facade, put some beautiful awnings in place, and make the building and that corner the best looking in the Square. And yes, we are putting some significant TI into the job.
Thanks much for alowing me to post....Mike

Mike: Best of luck. I'm down in the Tampa Bay area & have enjoyed Moe's ever since they arrived - my daughter & her high school friends enjoy Moe's plus we use them for some of our office lunches as well.

I'll be up in the Burgh in June - if you're open I'll be in for a Joey Bag O'Donuts!

[chucka]

I thought 210 Forbes Ave (the new Moe's location) was going to be torn down to make way for a Piatt development:
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/ForbesFourthApartments.jpg

That one story structure isn't the best land use for the area.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=210+Forbes+Ave+pittsburgh+pa&sll=40.44124,-80.002625&sspn=0.000721,0.002224&layer=c&ie=UTF8&ll=40.440931,-80.002099&spn=0.000721,0.002224&t=h&z=20&cbll=40.44057,-80.00216&cbp=2,159.29016641777702,,0,2.223400458955552