[Tombstoner]

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--nice to see your post; you sound like a nice guy (and probably not a dentist-in-chinos) so apologies if I was rude. If you are conscientious enough to post here and tell us about your store, that says a lot. I live in Atlanta and we have a lot of Moe's. They are (as a rule) not the cleanest places with some of the most unsavory, unhygienic staff imaginable. The food is literally thrown together (sometimes the filling hits the tortilla, sometimes not). I don't know why, but similar places (e.g., Qdoba, Chipotole) seem a bit more pleasant. I now no longer eat at Moe's in Atlanta, but I will stop by your store in Pittsburgh and see if I have a different experience. My brother works as a regional quality manager for Quiznos and I know that they have a relatively serious quality-control regimen that makes sure all franchisees at least meet minimal standards. I'm thinking Moe's may not have a central office that does likewise if Atlanta's stores are any indication.

[PA Pride]

Moe: I've never eaten at a Moe's but it sounds like you are trying your best to make the store fit the location and look attractive. I will come try you out when you open for an honest assessment.

[themaguffin]

Mike--nice to see your post; you sound like a nice guy (and probably not a dentist-in-chinos) so apologies if I was rude. If you are conscientious enough to post here and tell us about your store, that says a lot. I live in Atlanta and we have a lot of Moe's. They are (as a rule) not the cleanest places with some of the most unsavory, unhygienic staff imaginable. The food is literally thrown together (sometimes the filling hits the tortilla, sometimes not). I don't know why, but similar places (e.g., Qdoba, Chipotole) seem a bit more pleasant. I now no longer eat at Moe's in Atlanta

As some of you know I am an Atlantan these days and work walking distance (which is not often said in Atlanta) from the Moe's in Buckhead and I always that it was fine. I really do think there is a void with this kind of stuff in Pgh and someone up there should open a Bonehead's or better yet start up something similar before one gets there.

[JackStraw]

I am not opposed to chains moving downtown, but hate seeing local stores move out. All I really care about is that they restore and produce a better building. Every downtown of every city has chains. I just don't want to see stores like Nicholas Coffee being turned into a taco bell. Some of those little diners and pizza shops downtown need to stay.

I feel like we should more then welcome chains like Jimmy Johns, Moes, and others that fit into the local downtown architecture. Not just plop up a ugly building like Mcdonalds or Wendy's does. It would be nice to have more different variety then Mcdonalds or wendy's downtown also. Lets face it, as much as I support local businesses, I can only eat Pramanti's like once a month.

[cdc]

I am not opposed to chains moving downtown, but hate seeing local stores move out.

I have no problem with bad local stores moving out or failing. That
is what should happen to businesses that cannot deliver the goods.

Frankly, I want quality and I don't care if it is chain or local. All
this anti-chain angst is misguided. Being local is no excuse for
delivering a bad product.

[JackStraw]

I have no problem with bad local stores moving out or failing. That
is what should happen to businesses that cannot deliver the goods.

Frankly, I want quality and I don't care if it is chain or local. All
this anti-chain angst is misguided. Being local is no excuse for
delivering a bad product.

I agree with you somewhat. I business that is a poor store or restaurant should close. However, when downtown areas start to turn over to major corporations, it is very easy for a big powerhouse chain to buy out a little independently owned store, even if they are good. Candy Rama was moved out to help redevelopment. That was not a poor store. They just could no longer afford to be there. Nicholas coffee is another. (although it is not going anywhere). They are a coffee roaster that has been there for 75 years. Their product is good, and not badly priced compared to Starbucks or Caribou coffee. It would be disapointing if they were forced to move for a big corporate chain to buy them out.

Also, as mentioned above, I am not full of anti-chain angst.

[Tombstoner]

... All
this anti-chain angst is misguided...

I'm not hearing much "anti-chain angst" -- I think it is an issue of quality.

[I am Moe]

All - Thanks for the great replies and insight. I will attempt to respond in order. Ironically, I lived in Tampa for a few years and that is also where I discovered Moe's, and subsequesntly decided to bring it to Pittsburgh. Guy Campbell is the owner of several in the area and runs a great operation.
On the topic of a single story and the best use of land...it has already been adressed. Moe's will not hinder the progress of Market Square.
Atlanta is the home of Moe's and does have a lot of locations. As with any restaurant, cleanliness is paramont and I can't even offer an excuse for that. The original location on Peachtree has always been meticulous when I visit, but then again, it is the corporate owned location.
Boneheads is a great concept and I would love to see it in Pittsburgh, not sure I will be the guy to do it though!!!
Which leads me to quality. Quality dictates success, and it is a top priority for my two existing locations (Cranberry and Collier Town Square).
I'm not going to turn this into a Moe's commercial, but I assure you an experience at my Moe's (especially in Market Square) will be anything but boring and carbon copied. I'm not a dentist, never held residence in the mid-west, and don't even own a pair of chinos (that line was too good to ignore!).
I will check back periodically to provide insight or commentary as appropriate. Again, I welcome any comments...and thank you for allowing me to participate in your forum. MG

[Johnland]

Poor Monroeville. I see that former Palace Inn was bought by UPMC to be converted into an out-patient facility. I say 'poor' Monroeville because first they lost Westinghouse to Cranberry, and now the best they can get for the number one prime intersection is a non-profit. While it's good that it will produce jobs, it's just a let down that the property is going to wealthy, but non-tax paying, UPMC.

Not a good sign for the old Monroeville. Last I was there, it was looking extremely dated and worn. Same old beat up roads, same old 70's office buildings, same old tired stores in forlorn strip centers. The last 30 years have not been good to that suburban burg.

[JackStraw]

Poor Monroeville. I see that former Palace Inn was bought by UPMC to be converted into an out-patient facility. I say 'poor' Monroeville because first they lost Westinghouse to Cranberry, and now the best they can get for the number one prime intersection is a non-profit. While it's good that it will produce jobs, it's just a let down that the property is going to wealthy, but non-tax paying, UPMC.

Not a good sign for the old Monroeville. Last I was there, it was looking extremely dated and worn. Same old beat up roads, same old 70's office buildings, same old tired stores in forlorn strip centers. The last 30 years have not been good to that suburban burg.

A prime example of moronic development. Hence.."moronville"

[AaronPGH]

I am Moe, welcome to the board and thanks for the replies about your upcoming restaurant. I guarantee your business is going to SLAM in market square. Have you ever seen the business the one Qdoba downtown does? It's almost impossible to find, yet the line is out the door every single day in the summer. This is a niche that other than Qdoba & Madonna's is pretty untouched downtown. You're going to do great, and I will be there your opening week for sure.

[CAPATeach]

Poor Monroeville. I see that former Palace Inn was bought by UPMC to be converted into an out-patient facility. I say 'poor' Monroeville because first they lost Westinghouse to Cranberry, and now the best they can get for the number one prime intersection is a non-profit. While it's good that it will produce jobs, it's just a let down that the property is going to wealthy, but non-tax paying, UPMC.

Not a good sign for the old Monroeville. Last I was there, it was looking extremely dated and worn. Same old beat up roads, same old 70's office buildings, same old tired stores in forlorn strip centers. The last 30 years have not been good to that suburban burg.

In my opinion Pittsburgh is ahead of the curve in a lot of ways (compared to other cities), but in other ways about 10 years behind. Many other cities are experiencing the deterioration of their outer-ring suburbs as people have come back to cities. With the housing crisis and gas prices, I see this continuing... I could be wrong, but I don't see a very bright future for all of these sprawling cookie-cutter suburban developments coming up all over. Moronville is even a fairly close suburb, but I don't think it's going to fair well in the coming years... especially with more and more retail and chain stores opening up in the city. For example, with the East End exploding with new retail like the Borders, Target, Whole Foods, etc, why would anyone in the extremely dense East End ever drive out to the burbs again to shop? Does anyone really like navigating through that mess of strip malls in Monroeville, or even worse that environmental disaster at Robinson?
I don't want to get on the whole suburb vs. city debate again, but I see traditional, old-school city developments making a big comeback.

[JackStraw]

In my opinion Pittsburgh is ahead of the curve in a lot of ways (compared to other cities), but in other ways about 10 years behind. Many other cities are experiencing the deterioration of their outer-ring suburbs as people have come back to cities. With the housing crisis and gas prices, I see this continuing... I could be wrong, but I don't see a very bright future for all of these sprawling cookie-cutter suburban developments coming up all over. Moronville is even a fairly close suburb, but I don't think it's going to fair well in the coming years... especially with more and more retail and chain stores opening up in the city. For example, with the East End exploding with new retail like the Borders, Target, Whole Foods, etc, why would anyone in the extremely dense East End ever drive out to the burbs again to shop? Does anyone really like navigating through that mess of strip malls in Monroeville, or even worse that environmental disaster at Robinson?
I don't want to get on the whole suburb vs. city debate again, but I see traditional, old-school city developments making a big comeback.

I remember my Speech class in my freshmen year at college. I gave one on urban sprawl. I used Monroeville as an example and asked everyone if they would like to be dropped off at the first main intersection where 22 crosses 48 and have to walk to do their shopping at different stores, and eventually end up at the mall. Point is, this is a prime example of poor development. absolutely no thought into it. It was just single developers putting up box stores down a 5 mile stip of highway. No matter what city you are in, these areas are ugly, congested, and only are going to turn for the worse.

I will say one good thing about Robinson (this is weird coming from a anti-urban sprawl person such as me). It is atleast trying to be centralized. They kept the mall and Robinson towncenter in a centralized (only for driving though) idea. Instead of having it just strip after strip of boxes for 5 miles like Moronville.

[cdc]

In my opinion Pittsburgh is ahead of the curve in a lot of ways (compared to other cities), but in other ways about 10 years behind. Many other cities are experiencing the deterioration of their outer-ring suburbs as people have come back to cities. With the housing crisis and gas prices, I see this continuing... I could be wrong, but I don't see a very bright future for all of these sprawling cookie-cutter suburban developments coming up all over. Moronville is even a fairly close suburb, but I don't think it's going to fair well in the coming years... especially with more and more retail and chain stores opening up in the city. For example, with the East End exploding with new retail like the Borders, Target, Whole Foods, etc, why would anyone in the extremely dense East End ever drive out to the burbs again to shop? Does anyone really like navigating through that mess of strip malls in Monroeville, or even worse that environmental disaster at Robinson?

You make some interesting observations here. I definitely agree that
those of us living in the East End (myself included) would much rather
do our suburban-style shopping in the East End itself rather than
having to hit the parkway to go out to the suburbs (or even
Downtown/Strip, for that matter). I admit I'm biased, but I think the
ongoing evolution of retail in the East End is one of the areas real
development bright spots. We are building an area in the East End
where it is possible to live, walk to work (Oakland), do all your
shopping, and have lots of recreational opportunities without having
to drive off anywhere. It is great (if you can afford it).

On the other hand, there is still the high cost associated with living
in the city. It is possible that the factors you cite (housing costs,
gas prices) may push people from older more run down looking suburbs
to newer looking ones rather than pushing them towards the city
itself. For example, to my eye the Monroeville area looks more run
down than the Robinson area... and there is always Cranberry which has
the advantage of being outside of the Allegheny County high tax zone.

To really get people to "come back to the city" we need to reduce the
tax burden, significantly improve the city public schools, and provide
more high-quality family-friendly housing (either by providing
assistance/incentives for renovating run down residential properties,
or by creating new modern-style housing within the city itself through
(brownfield?) redevelopment). A lot of the residential efforts
discussed here are oriented towards Downtown-style living (e.g. new
condos) rather than family-friendly options. I think that is a mistake.

[PA Pride]

provide
more high-quality family-friendly housing (either by providing
assistance/incentives for renovating run down residential properties,
or by creating new modern-style housing within the city itself through
(brownfield?) redevelopment). A lot of the residential efforts
discussed here are oriented towards Downtown-style living (e.g. new
condos) rather than family-friendly options. I think that is a mistake.

I agree cdc. I like Vancouver's model which requires townhouses (intended for families with children) at the base of all it's modern residential towers. And from what I understand their efforts have had huge success in creating a diverse downtown population that includes many children.


This is what it looks like. The townhouses also creates human scale at ground level:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/austindaniel/Vancouvertownhousesforfamiliesbuilt.jpg

[Johnland]

In my opinion Pittsburgh is ahead of the curve in a lot of ways (compared to other cities), but in other ways about 10 years behind. Many other cities are experiencing the deterioration of their outer-ring suburbs as people have come back to cities. With the housing crisis and gas prices, I see this continuing... I could be wrong, but I don't see a very bright future for all of these sprawling cookie-cutter suburban developments coming up all over. Moronville is even a fairly close suburb, but I don't think it's going to fair well in the coming years... especially with more and more retail and chain stores opening up in the city. For example, with the East End exploding with new retail like the Borders, Target, Whole Foods, etc, why would anyone in the extremely dense East End ever drive out to the burbs again to shop? Does anyone really like navigating through that mess of strip malls in Monroeville, or even worse that environmental disaster at Robinson?
I don't want to get on the whole suburb vs. city debate again, but I see traditional, old-school city developments making a big comeback.

I'm definiteley with you on the livability of Pittsburgh city. If I move back, the East End is where I aim to look for a home. I love it there.

[cdc]

here is a bit from sunday's PG on the fit out of UPMC's new HQ at the
top of US Steel Tower (including a shot from the CEO's future 62nd
floor office).

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08069/863483-28.stm

[Grego43]

here is a bit from sunday's PG on the fit out of UPMC's new HQ at the
top of US Steel Tower (including a shot from the CEO's future 62nd
floor office).

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08069/863483-28.stm


Good for him. I worked at Top of The Triangle over the summer during my college years...I can't imagine a more inspiring Pittsburgh view from which to work. The PG article says there is no seperate elevator for the 62nd FL. Not true unless major changes were made to the express elevators that served not only TOTT, but The Downtown Club, Pittsburgh Athletic Club dining rooms, US Steel's dining room.

Looks like Romoff's office will face the point...the same location as TOTT's main bar and dining room.

[Johnland]

here is a bit from sunday's PG on the fit out of UPMC's new HQ at the
top of US Steel Tower (including a shot from the CEO's future 62nd
floor office).

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08069/863483-28.stm

Well after reading that article, I'm wondering if UPMC could be an active catalyst in a drive to establish light rail or subway from downtown to Oakland. They have just become one of the biggest stakeholders in a possible transit link between the two urban centers with so many employees in both places. If they are not going to pay taxes due to their 'non-profit' status, they could at least lend their $7 BIL /year revenue weight in getting transportation up and moving along in the city.

[hyperion1110]

Well after reading that article, I'm wondering if UPMC could be an active catalyst in a drive to establish light rail or subway from downtown to Oakland. They have just become one of the biggest stakeholders in a possible transit link between the two urban centers with so many employees in both places. If they are not going to pay taxes due to their 'non-profit' status, they could at least lend their $7 BIL /year revenue weight in getting transportation up and moving along in the city.

Let's hope so. If Romoff wants it, he'll get it. Bet on that!

[PittPenn 03]

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_556731.html

Oakland apartment complex a $60M vision
By Jeremy Boren
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, March 12, 2008

An Ohio developer is poised to demolish five decaying homes to build a 16-story apartment complex in the heart of Oakland at a cost of more than $60 million.

Guy Totino, president of Polaris Real Estate of Highland Heights, Ohio, said the neighborhood -- known for growing universities and technology companies -- needs an infusion of apartment space to fill demand.

"We think Oakland is the third-largest 'city' in Pennsylvania, behind Philly and Pittsburgh. There's a tremendous amount of growth in that corridor," he said, adding that significant rental space hasn't been added to the neighborhood in 35 years.

The 334-apartment development will be called The Chelsea and will feature studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments.

About 25,000 square feet of commercial space on the first floor of the building at North Craig Street and Centre Avenue likely will contain a specialty grocery store, Totino said.

An operator is being sought, he said.

Totino, a native of Brookline, plans to ask the city Planning Commission on April 25 to recommend necessary zoning changes to the area to allow the mix of commercial and residential space.

Pittsburgh City Council must vote to accept or reject the zoning changes after a public hearing is held.

The developer must replace 26 metered, public parking spaces where the complex is to be built, said David G. Onorato, executive director of the Pittsburgh Parking Authority.

Totino said those spaces will be replaced, and 418 spaces of indoor parking will be available for residents on several lower floors above the building's first level.

[cdc]

what do you do with an old bank vault?


Door to History: New owners of old Union Trust Building hope to find use for bank vault

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08072/864271-42.stm

[PA Pride]

what do you do with an old bank vault?


Door to History: New owners of old Union Trust Building hope to find use for bank vault

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08072/864271-42.stm

Good question.

In the West End someone turned an old vault into a restuarant which looks REALLY nice.

Also in Berlin, Germany someone turned an old vault into a dance club! That would be a unique draw for Pittsburgh. I would go to that.

[acenturi]

what do you do with an old bank vault?


Door to History: New owners of old Union Trust Building hope to find use for bank vault

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08072/864271-42.stm

If anyone gets into Philly for fine dining and wants to see what can be done with a Bank conversion, stop into the Striped Bass on Walnut Street (Restaurant Row). It's an amazing transformation which preserves the aura of an old venerable bank into the design of a very classy restaurant. It will however break your wallet to actually eat there.

[cdc]

PTC is growing! This is a great way to build off of the success of
Oakland and push growth towards the depressed/vacant areas of
Hazelwood/Glenwood where there is alot of room to redevelop.

URA poised to trigger tech center expansion
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08073/864780-53.stm

The city's Urban Redevelopment Authority is poised to begin a major expansion of the Pittsburgh Technology Center, adding two million square feet of space and up to nine buildings in the years to come.

...


And in the "what else is new" category:

Survey: More than a quarter of region's roads rated 'poor'
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08073/864792-85.stm


Of state-owned roads in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, 28 percent received a "poor" pavement condition rating in a survey released yesterday.

...
"The [Construction Cost Index] in Pennsylvania has gone up 63 percent over the past five years. It's frightening. It has killed our buying power."

...

[JackStraw]

Great news cdc. I like at the end they are contributing a grant to the Mattress factory. I really appreciate support of our local art scene. I went to the Mattress factory for the first time in a long time two weeks ago. I must say, I was disappointed. Not that the installations were bad, they were great. It was the fact that I paid 15 bucks and saw very little.

It is great that the PTC is expanding. I like when I see these once steel mill spaces being used for office spaces, and development like the southside works.

[JackStraw]

This was on the net one and a half months ago. It deals with the Mexican War Streets, and the Manteca bar hopefully being bought out and turned into something worth while. While I hate the local negative news that is usually on Channel four ACTION news. Yet another murder happened at this bar in the MWS. This is annoying when one of the coolest and historic neighborhoods is overrun with crime. I know the Mexican War Streets have turned largely in the last decade for the positive. When I returned back home I was amazed with how much progress went on there, but this stuff needs to stop. I for one would not think about living there with all the crime, and I am a full hearted urbanite that understands not to make the news allow me to be ignorant to city neighborhoods. I hope the areas around the War Streets can start turning more positive, and it can become a vibrant place.

One thing that bothers me in the artice below is how this Reese bought two properties and used it for parking. One of my pet peives when I walk in the MWS is vacant lots. This neighborhood reminds me a lot of Old City in Philly. Every lot should be taken. Not many neighborhoods in America are like this one. Don't turn old buildings into parking in a old and historic rowhouse hood.




http://pittsburghdish.typepad.com/pittsburgh_dish/2008/01/manteca.html
Reese releases plan to neighbors

Photos by Frank Kownacki

North Side resident Henry Reese, co-founder of the City of Asylum/Pittsburgh, is expected to finally purchase the troubled Manteca bar located at 1410 Monterey St. in the Mexican War Streets. Reese, a Sampsonia Way resident, balked at purchasing the property last year, leaving neighbors frustrated. A nusiance bar task force has been in place and Zone 1 detectives were collecting testimonies from neighbors affected by violence emanating from the bar.

Reese declared his future intentions for the Manteca and an adjacent building in a letter that he slipped through Monterey mail slots yesterday. The letter, along with a liquor license application posted on the front of the bar, affirms the impending demise of the sometimes violent bar. Update 3/13/08: Shots fired outside the bar

He thanked residents for their patience in the never-ending waiting game.

He calls his newly formed limited liability corporation "Ripen" a name chosen in the "hope that it can spur a surge of good things on the transformation of the Monterey Jacksonia corner begun by the Mattress Factory." The MF is located around the corner from the bar on Sampsonia Way, next to many City of Asylum owned properties that were rehabbed for visiting writers. The MF owns a building on the corner of Jacksonia and Monterey that is used for gallery space.

It is also the spot of a drive-by shooting last summer where the intended victim was seen running into the Manteca.

Reese plans to "create a complex with a bar-restaurant-bookstore and literary related activities." He will establish a "space for poetry, fiction readings, intimate theatre, small scale music and workshop spaces, etc."

His personal goal is to form a place "where all have access to ongoing cultural activity that can inspire and change lives." Reese also hopes to create a source of income to continue the City of Asylum project.

Details still being worked out, Reese wrote. No project schedules are in place at this time. Earlier, Reese purchased two properties north of the Manteca to be used as parking for Ripe. The homes were destroyed, upsetting some neighbors who say that city zoning regulations prohibit the property from being used for parking.

[randomdot]

Long time reader, first time poster.

I've attached an image of a project I'm working on at 5135 Fifth Avenue. This will be a green, luxury, 16 unit apartment building.

We had our zoning hearing for this project last week and are still awaiting the results. We have reduced its scale from 24 down to 16 as a result of the community process, which lasted 8 months.

This is at the corner of Fifth and Wilkins in Shadyside. I've also attached an image of the current vacant building.

Let me know what you guys think.
Brian


http://boterodevelopment.com
http://5135fifth.com


http://5135fifth.com/Building---Rendering---Small.jpg

http://5135fifth.com/front-image-small.jpg

[PA Pride]

Welcome randomdot. Thanks for sharing! That new building looks cool. I like it.

[PA Pride]

I just stumbled across an interesting project. This is called The Washington Park Condos being built in Mt Lebanon.

http://www.thewashingtonparkcondos.com

Renderings:
http://wpn.mlxchange.com/WPNimages/117/715637_101_12.jpg

http://www.thewashingtonparkcondos.com/images/views/Rendering-Wash%20Road-detail.jpg

http://www.thewashingtonparkcondos.com/images/views/Rendering-Wash%20Road.jpg

http://www.thewashingtonparkcondos.com/images/views/Rendering-Courtyard.jpg

I found this on the West Penn Multilist today.
There are 3 units already under contract for: $950,000, $903,000 & $629,000. And 37 additional units active on the MLS ranging from $402,000 - $973,000.

This would be considered TOD because it's close to the lightrail, correct?

[CAPATeach]

[QUOTE=randomdot;3420202]Long time reader, first time poster.

I've attached an image of a project I'm working on at 5135 Fifth Avenue. This will be a green, luxury, 16 unit apartment building.

We had our zoning hearing for this project last week and are still awaiting the results. We have reduced its scale from 24 down to 16 as a result of the community process, which lasted 8 months.

This is at the corner of Fifth and Wilkins in Shadyside. I've also attached an image of the current vacant building.

Let me know what you guys think.
Brian

I personally have mixed feelings about it. I love the historic look of the building that's being torn down, so I hate to see it go. Pittsburgh does have a lot of buildings like it, but I think it's what gives the city its character, and what separates us from so many of the cities and towns out there that all look alike to me. I'd prefer to see the original structure spruced up and returned to its original form. From the picture, though, your development looks very nice.

[JackStraw]

There are so many cool houses in Shadyside, that tearing one down and putting up a new apartment building that looks great won't be a problem. I am just suprised that there is a vacant house in this section of the city.

PAPride, great renderings of that development in Mt. Lebanon. It looks really cool.

[Johnland]

Long time reader, first time poster.

I've attached an image of a project I'm working on at 5135 Fifth Avenue. This will be a green, luxury, 16 unit apartment building.

We had our zoning hearing for this project last week and are still awaiting the results. We have reduced its scale from 24 down to 16 as a result of the community process, which lasted 8 months.

This is at the corner of Fifth and Wilkins in Shadyside. I've also attached an image of the current vacant building.

Let me know what you guys think.
Brian


http://boterodevelopment.com
http://5135fifth.com


http://5135fifth.com/Building---Rendering---Small.jpg

http://5135fifth.com/front-image-small.jpg

I love the new building. I think there is a need and a place for refreshing, contemporary designs in Pittsburgh. I too would've loved to see the old house saved and restored. From the upper floor's appearance, it looks to be Italianate which may date it from about 1870 - 1880's. But, obviously, if the economics were stronger and the number of people who value historic structures more numerous, the building would already be restored and brought up to market level. The fact that it is sitting somewhat derelict indicates no one with the means or desire has seen the potential. The bastardized lower floor could've probably been restored. In any event, it will be razed and soon forgotten. My default philosophy is, if historic must be torn down, at least replace it with architecture of merit. In this case, that seems to be the fate, so vintage structure makes way for refreshing and new. That is fine. I just go beserk when vintage is lost to CVS's and their ilk.

[Evergrey]

the new development also serves the surging demand for housing in the Shadyside submarket

[PA Pride]

I just go beserk when vintage is lost to CVS's and their ilk.

UGH! I agree.

[UrbaniDesDev]

Thanks for posting Randomdot. Very interesting project. I would love to see more of it. Though, I too, love to see buildings restored, busy Fifth Avenue offers little comfort to older small buildings. I find the project completely appropriate. Lack of parking, heavy traffic and noise make it a hard sell for small homes and business on Fifth. That section of Fifth Avenue is a mish mash of elegant old mansions, remnants of older homes and some pretty horrible apartment buildings. Thumbs up to a building daring to make a statement in a fairly stodgy surrounding.

[Evergrey]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08077/865840-53.stm

For 3 years, Lord & Taylor sits vacant

Downtown's former Mellon Bank building a tough sell

Monday, March 17, 2008
By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/images/200803/lordtaylor_500.jpg
Robin Rombach/Post-Gazette
The Lord & Taylor building in 2003, when its closing was announced -- As redevelopment activity buzzes a block away, the building sits empty in the heart of the Downtown retail corridor, its lights off and locked gates blocking the entrances.

The last time a customer stepped inside the Lord & Taylor building, Downtown, Luke Ravenstahl was serving his first year on City Council and a guy by the name of Roethlisberger was in his rookie season with the Steelers.

It's been more than three years now since the J.J. Gumberg Co. purchased the former department store, which closed in November 2004 amid declining sales and shopper indifference.

Today, the elegant granite building, a National Historic Landmark and former Mellon Bank, stands as testament to ex-Mayor Tom Murphy's failed strategy for revitalizing the central business district but little else.

As redevelopment activity buzzes a block away, the Lord & Taylor building sits empty in the heart of the Downtown retail corridor, its lights off and locked gates blocking the entrances.

It has been that way since Gumberg purchased the building in February 2005 for $2.5 million, a song compared with the $11.8 million the city sank into the deal that brought Lord & Taylor to Pittsburgh five years earlier.

Gumberg came in with hopes of landing another department store or general merchandise retailer or perhaps even multiple ones to fill the 150,000 square feet of space. There was talk of a Target discount store or even an upscale Nordstrom, which subsequently settled at Ross Park Mall.

None of it has happened. Three years later, Gumberg has yet to land a tenant.

On its Web site, Gumberg has been marketing the "Shoppes at Smithfield," described as an "inviting, modern, three-tiered open retail environment," one "designed with flexibility to accommodate today's most desirable fashion retailers, lifestyle shops and fine dining."

Fred Reitano, Gumberg executive vice president, said Shoppes at Smithfield was "just a name we were thinking of using ... if we decided to use [the building] as a retail venue."

Mr. Reitano would not disclose any of the prospective retailers or office users Gumberg has met with over the last couple of years but added that the company is willing to take its time in finding a tenant.

"We always felt the Lord & Taylor building ... is really the best location within the Downtown central business district. I know we have been patient with our selection of tenancy to ensure that we bring the appropriate retail to Downtown. That's what we're looking to do," he said.

Mr. Ravenstahl, now Pittsburgh's mayor, said the inability to find a tenant for such a high-profile building has been frustrating.

"It is something right now when you look at it, you wish something was there and a good use was there. But I also believe [with] the momentum ... happening in Pittsburgh that current vacancy will someday be an asset. I think it can potentially be a good opportunity for Downtown," he said.

Arthur Ziegler, president of the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, said he is not surprised by what has transpired. Mr. Ziegler and other local preservationists loudly protested the renovations that turned the former bank's majestic open interior, with its marble columns and floors, into a multilevel department store.

"We said it would be a tragedy when Murphy wanted to destroy that space. The building's significance was not only its magnificent exterior but its magnificent and unique interior. I certainly think what happened to it was tragic. Since it so far hasn't worked, that only compounds the situation," he said.

While lower Fifth Avenue is humming with the redevelopment of another former department store, Lazarus-Macy's, into shops, condominiums and offices, and the conversion of the old G.C. Murphy's store into apartments, retail and fitness space, the Lord & Taylor building has resisted reuse.

Local real estate brokers say the building poses unique challenges for Gumberg in marketing it for retail or office use.

Chief among them is that it is ill-suited for merchandising. The high windows worked well for a bank, but aren't desirable for retail. Few of the windows are at street level and those that are are narrow rectangles, not exactly effective for store displays.

"One of the things that retailers look for is people seeing the merchandise. The building provides certain challenges to that," said Mike Edwards, president and chief executive officer of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership. "When you walk by, you don't say, 'Oh, that's a retail building.' "

Even Stanley Gumberg, the company's chairman, conceded the structure posed a challenge when he discussed the purchase in a 2004 interview.

"I'll bet you couldn't find another building with this configuration if you stood on your head," he said at the time.

And while the structure may fit a single user, it is far less effective for multiple tenants, particularly given the limitations on altering its exterior because of its status as a National Historic Landmark, brokers said.

"It worked well as a single-use department store. Its accessibility from the street for multi-tenant purposes is challenged as well as the ability to enhance the storefront presence because it's a historic building," said Kevin Langholz, principal of Langholz-Wilson Ellis Inc., a real estate company.

Some said another factor may be the woebegone state of parts of the Fifth and Forbes retail corridor. While lower Fifth Avenue will be home to the new Three PNC Plaza and the Lazarus and Murphy's redevelopments, other areas are in need of an overhaul. That could affect the ability to market the Lord & Taylor property, brokers said.

"If anything gives Downtown a black eye, frankly, it's a lot of our rundown areas or stuff that is just behind the times. You walk down Fifth and Forbes, they're not attractive. They're not pleasant places to shop," said David Glickman, vice president of the Retail Group for Grubb & Ellis Co.

Mr. Ravenstahl believes that once the PNC, Lazarus and Murphy's projects are finished, they will be "part of what we need to change the energy down there."

"I won't deny the fact that there are challenges along that corridor and that's a significant piece of the puzzle when people come in and take a look at redeveloping a particular parcel," he said.

He remains optimistic that a tenant will be found for the Lord & Taylor building.

"I think it will happen. It's just a matter of being patient and taking things one step at a time," he said.

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



....


Here's the link to the "Shoppes at Smithfield"
http://www.jjgumberg.com/pdf/ShoppesAtSmithfield.pdf

[randomdot]

Although, I agree with restoring buildings as much as possible, there isn't much of a building left to be restored. In 1980, the current owner gutted the building, including its floor plates, and built a completely new building, but left part of the front facade, just to get around zoning. I believe if the building could be restored, it would have been. Look into the 2nd floor windows, near the bottom you will see the floor for the interior 3rd story.

I'm glad that is the reaction though. I love progress and contemporary architecture, but not at the cost of history.

Brian




Thanks for posting Randomdot. Very interesting project. I would love to see more of it. Though, I too, love to see buildings restored, busy Fifth Avenue offers little comfort to older small buildings. I find the project completely appropriate. Lack of parking, heavy traffic and noise make it a hard sell for small homes and business on Fifth. That section of Fifth Avenue is a mish mash of elegant old mansions, remnants of older homes and some pretty horrible apartment buildings. Thumbs up to a building daring to make a statement in a fairly stodgy surrounding.

[AaronPGH]

Randomdot, love the rendering! Keep us posted and welcome to the forum. :cheers:

[PA Pride]

Here's a couple of Green townhouse project updates:

From their website: www.riversidemews.com
Location: Near riverfront in SouthSide Flats

Original drawing:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/austindaniel/mewsdrawing.jpg

Progress:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/austindaniel/riversidemews.jpg


Also from their website: www.windomhillplace.com
Location: Right off of McArdle Roadway on the SouthSide slopes

Original drawing:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/austindaniel/windomhilldrawing.jpg

Progress:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/austindaniel/windomhilltownhomes.jpg

[Evergrey]

great job with the updates, PA Pride!

http://www.popcitymedia.com/developmentnews/rsbd0319.aspx

Downtown Pittsburgh welcomes first grocery store in 14 years

http://www.popcitymedia.com/galleries/Default/Dev%20News/Issue%20102/rosebud_3266_300.jpg

Rosebud Fine Food Market and Deli, the first grocery store to open in the Golden Triangle in 14 years, began welcoming patrons on March 18. Owned and operated by local business developer Robin Fernandez, Rosebud is located at 100 Seventh Ave. on the ground level of Downtown’s 151-unit Encore.

Designed by Design Stream and Hugh Boyd Architects, the 3,100- square-foot market carries locally grown organic produce, frozen seafood, fresh breads, Boar's Head meats and cheeses, and desserts. The market also stocks everyday necessities like cleaning and pet supplies, magazines and fresh flowers. Currently available to Encore residents, Rosebud’s catering and delivery services will be available to Downtown buildings over the next several weeks. During warm weather, Rosebud will feature outdoor seating.

“This is really a market. When you walk in, there’s a face to go with the operation. There’s a great neighborhood feel,” says Patty Burk, with Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership (PDP). “This entrepreneur believes in Downtown and is definitely supported by the residential community—he’s been inundated with residents saying thank you.”

Rosebud, which employs 15 people, is open six days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Burk hopes that other Downtown retailers will take a cue from Rosebud by extending evening and weekend hours. “Downtown retail is turning a corner. In the past year, we’ve had a lot of interest from entrepreneurs, and calls from people looking for space Downtown. New retailers recognize that Downtown is becoming a mixed-use environment,” adds Burk, who says that a 2007 PDP feasibility study found that total grocery expenses for current Downtown households is $2.8 million per year.

Writer: Jennifer Baron
Sources: Robin Fernandez, Rosebud Fine Food Market and Deli; Patty Burk, Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership

Photograph copyright Brian Cohen


...

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08079/866180-53.stm


New Downtown market a hit with early customers


Wednesday, March 19, 2008
By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Chuck Fallert was on his way to work yesterday when he stopped to sample Downtown's newest treat -- its first market in 14 years.

He came away impressed.

"It's awesome," he said. "It's great to have something like this Downtown. I definitely will be back."

Mr. Fallert shopped shortly after yesterday morning's grand opening of Rosebud Fine Food Market and Deli. The market is the first Downtown since late 1994, when Market on the Square closed.

The grand opening followed a "soft opening" Monday which attracted about 120 people -- a "decent start," said owner Robin Fernandez, who hopes to more than double that daily total in the weeks and months ahead.

At 3,100 square feet, Rosebud won't come close to rivaling a Giant Eagle in size, but it still manages to pack a lot of variety into its space at Seventh Street and Fort Duquesne Boulevard.

Shoppers yesterday had their pick of fresh bananas, grapefruits, oranges, strawberries, melons, grapes, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, lettuce, cabbage and green beans among the fruits and vegetables the store stocked.

Prepared foods included chef, Greek, Cobb and chicken Caesar salads and tuna and egg salads as well as desserts such as chocolate mousse cake. Among the fresh meats were roasts, steaks, pork chops and ground beef.

There also was the usual array of staples, including coffee and tea, cereals, sodas, chips, canned goods, pet and cleaning supplies, and organic products.

Rosebud, which will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, even left some shelves open for customers' special requests.

"We want to try to meet their needs and really have those items for those people that are down here that are going to be frequent shoppers," Mr. Fernandez said.

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato said the market's opening builds on the momentum started by construction of the Three PNC Plaza skyscraper and redevelopment of the former Lazarus-Macy's and G.C. Murphy stores.

"The store might not be the biggest store that you will see outside the city, but it's very symbolic. This was a day that people thought couldn't happen here and it did happen," Mr. Onorato said.

He said he and the mayor will focus their efforts on building more housing Downtown. As more people move in, amenities will follow, he said.

One of the shoppers browsing Rosebud yesterday was Sally Denmead, who lives in the Gateway Towers condominium building, Downtown.

While she said she plans to do her major grocery shopping elsewhere, she expects to use the Downtown market a couple of times a week to supplement that or when she needs to whip up something at the spur of the moment. The store is particularly convenient for her because she does not drive.

Another shopper, Ricardo J. Graca, who works near Duquesne University, checked out the store after dropping off his car at a nearby shop. He saw the market as a "good spot to pick up something quick" or perhaps to grab a few groceries on his way home to Indiana Township.

"It's overdue, long overdue," he said. "I think there's a definite need."

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

...

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_557920.html

Downtown grocery store feted

By Kim Leonard
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, March 19, 2008

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/photos/2008-03-18/0319brosebud-a.jpg
Kathryn Heidmann, with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, browses merchandise at the Rosebud Fine Food Market & Deli.
Andrew Russell/Tribune-Review

Tracy Edmunds used to stop for lunch at Robin Fernandez's former Rosebud Deli on Liberty Avenue, Downtown, and she plans to be a regular at his new store -- the Rosebud Fine Food Market and Deli in the Encore on 7th apartment building.
"I miss having a really good salad," Edmunds, a Pittsburgh Cultural Trust employee, said Tuesday as she looked over the prepared lunches at the business being called the Golden Triangle's only grocery store.

The new Rosebud officially opened yesterday, though at least two more stores selling groceries could open Downtown in coming months. Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and officials from several development and cultural groups attended a ceremony at the 3,100-square-foot store, linking it to efforts to boost Downtown living.

"The store might not be the biggest store you would see outside the city," Onorato said, "but it's very symbolic."

The city's central business district could draw another 2,000 residents in the next few years, he said, and this will bring more amenities. Downtown's last true grocery store, The Market on The Square, closed 14 years ago.
About 130 customers shopped at Rosebud during a "soft" opening on Monday, Fernandez said. The store is located at 100 Seventh St., near Fort Duquesne Boulevard and the Seventh Street Bridge.

Filling the four aisles between its bright green and yellow walls are a variety of fresh meats and standard groceries, organic items and prepared foods -- plus cleaning, household and pet supplies. A deli counter is at the center of the store.

Oranges in the produce display yesterday were priced at 59 cents each, apples were 69 cents apiece and iceberg lettuce was $1.99 a head. A package of two boneless strip loin steaks in the meat aisle was $21.27.

Fernandez said he's pricing items competitively, given higher expenses Downtown and other factors. "There will be things we will probably be a little bit higher on. There will be things we will be lower on," he said.

Fernandez, also a local restaurateur who owned the Rosebud nightclub in the Strip District until it closed four years ago, said the grocery store will feature corporate catering and a delivery service, and may have outdoor seating in warmer months.

Rosebud has 15 employees and will operate from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week.

Entrances are off Seventh Street and from the lobby of the 151-unit Encore building, which is 94 percent leased, said Tracey Jones, regional property manager for Lincoln Property Co., and two more retail spaces remain.

Smithfield News owner Brian Weiss, meanwhile, plans to expand his business at Smithfield Street and the Boulevard of the Allies to include more grocery and convenience items within a month, after construction is complete.

Weiss also plans a second food store in a former Nextel retail space along Fifth Avenue. That business, to be called Weiss Mart, could open in about three months, he said.

"It's a new marketplace down here," he said, referring to new residences and student housing Downtown.

Developer Millcraft Industries still plans a European-style grocery store, either for its Piatt Place project at Fifth and Wood Street or a former G.C. Murphy building on Fifth, though the idea is on hold.

"We are waiting to see if that need is going to be met through Rosebud," Millcraft Vice President Lucas B. Piatt said.




Kim Leonard can be reached at kleonard@tribweb.com or 412-380-5606.

[PA Pride]

Finally, Downtown dwellers have all the fresh mellons they can handle.

[Evergrey]

an interesting look into the history (and future!) of one of Pittsburgh's most significant urban developments this decade... SouthSide Works! There are a few things mentioned that I had never heard of before... such as the "marketplace"... essentially, SSW will double in size over the next few years

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08078/865741-334.stm

South Side site a snapshot of city's history

Tuesday, March 18, 2008
By Ann Belser, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Ken Kobus was 16 the first time he walked into the Jones & Laughlin Steel mill on the South Side. It was 1963 and they were still tapping the furnaces with dynamite.

His father, John Kobus, was taking him on a tour of the mill where he had spent his own career and his father, Ken's grandfather, also had worked.

Ken Kobus was 37 years old and working at the mill when the furnaces went cold and the molten steel stopped flowing in 1984.


Now when he goes to his old work site, it is for physical therapy on his back at UPMC Sports Performance Complex. He is 59 and still works at a steel mill, this one in Clairton.

The first mill where he worked -- the mill he really loved -- is gone.

The mill site, which once produced the steel for the cars built in Detroit and the beams used to build skyscrapers from coast to coast, has been torn down.

In its place are apartments, offices and stores. The land that once was the foundation for steel production is a place where Pittsburghers go to watch movies, buy kitchenwares and eat cheesecake.

That land at the southern end of the Hot Metal Bridge is, and has been, a microcosm of Pittsburgh's economy, which in turn provides a snapshot of the nation.

It was 1853 when Bernard and John Lauth, the sons of a South Side tavern owner, Samuel Kier and B.F. Jones built the puddling mill in the Brownstown section of Pittsburgh. They named the company Jones, Lauth and Company and the plant the American Iron Works.

"The ground selected was in a free orchard, which was flanked by Bennett's Chemical Works and Grierson's Fenced Orchard," according to the 1910 recollection of Thomas Boyle, who was one of the early workers.

The nation was well into the Industrial Revolution and the land everywhere was being converted from agricultural to industrial use.

Mr. Boyle wrote that the opening of the mill was delayed in 1853 because Mr. Lauth died and his sons wanted to wait until after the funeral.

The site was down the hill from the mouth of a coal mine that fed the furnaces.

"They were using the Pittsburgh Seam, that's why these things developed here," Ron Baraff, the manager of the archives at Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area, said. The coal, combined with the available Western Pennsylvania iron ore, made Pittsburgh the logical site to build steel mills.

The original plant was built on an acre and a half of land. It had four puddling furnaces, a squeezer, muck rolls, two heating ovens and a guide mill and created seven tons of wrought iron bars and cut nails per shift, according to a 1954 history of the company.

Mr. Boyle lists the men who worked the mill: Joe Myers, the first guide roller; Bill Duval, the rougher up; and Hesac Foley, the rougher down.

Others in Mr. Boyle's account, Dennis Heaphy and Tony Helig, he noted, died in the battles of the Civil War. He did not know, in 1910, they would be followed by other workers at the mill who would be killed in later wars.

The company expanded across the river in 1859 when James Laughlin, who had become a partner, bought land there, formed Laughlin and Company and built two coke ovens and the first two Eliza blast furnaces, named for Mr. Jones' mother.

The goods were carried back and forth across the river by barge until the Hot Metal Bridge was built for the Moncon Railroad, which was founded just to service that site, according to information from the Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area.

The name was changed to Jones & Laughlin Ltd. because of a change in Pennsylvania law in 1883. According to a history of the plant in the "Iron and Steel Year Book" written in 1954, Mr. Jones and Mr. Laughlin had full control of the company after the last Lauth retired in 1861.

The plant started to produce steel in 1886 when the company installed two seven-ton Bessemer converters. By 1894, iron was no longer produced on the site. The company name also went through some changes until 1923 when it became Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp.

In 1941, it was the fourth largest steel plant in the United States and produced about 3.6 million tons of ingots. During World War II, when about a quarter of the plant's approximately 13,000 workers were women, the mill, like the others in Pittsburgh, was vital to producing the steel needed for the war effort.

It was hard, hot work.

Mr. Kobus, who grew up on the South Side, remembers his first trip into the mill.

"The mill was always there when I was a kid. You could hear the mill all day every day," he said.

Every year the mill ran tours, but every time he got close to the age at which children could take the tour, J&L raised the age.

He knew he could go in at 16. He didn't let his father forget about it. Then, at age 16, he persuaded his father to take one of his days off to walk him through the mill.

John Kobus worked on the open hearth. Around his work area, where he led his son, there were machines "moving back and forth and going up and down," Ken Kobus said. Ladles carrying molten iron were moving up above.

He remembers trying to dodge the machinery. When they tapped the hearth, there was an explosion of dynamite. He jumped at the noise and then watched the metal, pouring out of the hearth and dropping 18 feet to the refractory bricks that lined the bottom and the sides of the ladle. The sound of the liquid was unlike any he had ever heard before; it was the heavy sound of steel dropping onto bricks.

The workers had dumped bags of coal onto the bricks below to change the carbon content.

"There was one heck of a fire. It was hitting the roof over our heads about 80 feet up," he said.

Like Mr. Boyle 98 years ago, Mr. Kobus remembers the names of the men who worked with him, and if not that, their nicknames.

His father, who had straight black hair that he wore slicked back, was known as "Crow." There was another man Mr. Boyle remembers who was known as "The Mexican."

The Mexican, he said, was able to lift the handles of a wheel barrow loaded with about 1,000 pounds of scrap steel. In a single shift, Mr. Kobus said, The Mexican would move 25 tons of scrap iron and coal. Though he was a man in his 50s, Mr. Kobus remembers, he had the body of a man in his 20s.

In 1968, the plant was still running, but the ownership was changing. The LTV Corp. acquired 63 percent of the J&L stock. By Nov. 22, 1974, the company was wholly owned by LTV.

The mill stopped producing steel in 1984, the same year U.S. Steel's Homestead Works shut down. Across the river where Mr. Kobus was working, coke production continued until 1998.

But on the southern bank of the Monongahela, the work had stopped. Ronald Reagan was president and as the Cold War warmed and the Soviet Union was dismantled, so were the buildings of the old Jones & Laughlin mill, the last steel mill inside the Steel City.

The steel buildings were sold for scrap, but the elaborate tunnels, built with brick archways to shield the pipes that ran through the site, were left behind.

The site was cleared of usable scrap and sitting fallow by 1994 when the city's Urban Redevelopment Authority bought it.

There were proposals to use it as a site for riverboat gambling, but ultimately The Soffer Organization, which also owns Penn Center West, was chosen to be the master developer for Southside Works -- 34 of the 106 acres of the former mill site on south bank of the river.

Other organizations bought and developed other parts. On the east side of Hot Metal Street, The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union No. 5 built a hall, the FBI built its headquarters and the Steelers built their training facility and practice fields.

New apartment buildings have been built across 26th Street from Southside Works.

Soffer, led by Damian Soffer, presented the city with an image of a development that would take the brownfield and build a new urban area where people live above stores with dining and entertainment just a short walk away. It took four years from when the Soffer Organization first answered the redevelopment authorities request for proposals to when the first building was built on the site in 1999.

The boundaries of Southside Works are Carson Street, 26th Street, Hot Metal Street and the Monongahela River. In that 34-acre area, the developers plan to keep 11 acres of open space, counting the parks and sitting areas between the buildings, which, though attractively landscaped, also act as loading docks.

Three acres of the open space is Tunnel Park, which runs the three blocks of the development. It's called Tunnel Park, and is not being built on, because the grass and the chess sets sit on top of a railroad tunnel. Visitors who walk in the park hear the whistle of the approaching train before it disappears underground.

Mark S. Dellana, the executive vice president for development and construction at the Soffer Organization, said when Soffer first proposed the site plan, which included the Southside Works movie theater and a bistro where The Cheesecake Factory is now, they were met with disbelief.

He said they knew they were on the right track when they convened a focus group and asked people in their target market what they wanted in an apartment.

The group talked about a safe neighborhood that was close enough to the movies, coffee shops and nightclubs to walk there.

"For the first hour and a half, they never mentioned anything that was in an apartment," such as a washer and dryer, he said.

Soffer has built 84 apartments over the stores in the development. Continental Communities of Columbus built another 273 apartments between 25th and 26th streets.

The full scope, and the future, of Southside Works is visible on second floor above Ann Taylor in an office with no furniture but a couple of credenzas and a 12-by-17-foot model in 1/8th inch scale. There, shoppers, frozen in place, stand on the sidewalks. Cars are stopped in the road and some guy has fallen off a boat. Oops.

The model, which has all the buildings that have been built at Southside Works, also has others that are planned for the site. Between 26th and 27th streets the developers are planning to build a marketplace shopping area with the same feel of Boston's Quincy Market or Seattle's Pike Place Market.

There is a model of an apartment building between REI and 27th Street.

But the big difference between what's there now and the buildings to come is the development on the water side of Tunnel Park, where three tall buildings have been proposed.

Along the water there is enough room for seven buildings, but Soffer Organization is taking one of those slots to build a park at the end of 27th Street that will have ramps down to an amphitheater and possibly a marina.

Up river from the park, Hofbrahaus, a Bavarian beer garden, is designing a restaurant with three office buildings in a row from there to the Hot Metal Bridge.

Downstream from the park, the company is planning to build a 144-room hotel with 23 condominium units on top in a building that is expected to be 165 feet in height.

Two other buildings are proposed between that hotel and the end of 26th Street. Mr. Dellana said they will each be between 75 and 165 feet high and hold either condominiums or offices.

Right now, Mr. Dellana said, Soffer has built 1 million square feet of offices, commercial and residential space on the site. When all of the buildings are done, he said, the development will have 2 million square feet of floor space.

Mr. Dellana pointed to a photo of the old J&L plant in his office taken early in the last century. There are homes right next to the plant, with a baseball diamond on the next corner.

"This was the original live, work, play environment," he said.

Ten decades later, it is again.

[JackStraw]

Here's a couple of Green townhouse project updates:

From their website: www.riversidemews.com
Location: Near riverfront in SouthSide Flats

Original drawing:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/austindaniel/mewsdrawing.jpg

Progress:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/austindaniel/riversidemews.jpg


Also from their website: www.windomhillplace.com
Location: Right off of McArdle Roadway on the SouthSide slopes

Original drawing:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/austindaniel/windomhilldrawing.jpg

Progress:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/austindaniel/windomhilltownhomes.jpg

cool updates PApride.

I wonder how many green living spaces like these, brownfield reclamations into substainable mixed use areas like the southside works, and LEED buildings Pittsburgh has to put up before we finally get on one of those retarded "clean", or "green" cities list.

I know pittsburgh has to force more recycling, more bike paths then just the ones built, and even more lightrail. But still, In my opinion we get no reconigtion from going from a industrial town into a town paving the way for LEED buildings and green living areas.

[JackStraw]

In the most shocking news ever, Allegheny county continues it's population loss. I will probably be dead before we ever get the news it is on the rise again.

One thing, is it is dropping at slower rates then before! I guess you can get happy about that.

By the recent activity of this board, I am starting to suspect many of our active forumers packed up and moved to North Carolina, or Atlanta also.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08080/866519-52.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml

Census: Allegheny County still losing population
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Allegheny County continued to hemorrhage population between 2006 and 2007, though by a smaller amount than prior years this decade, according U.S. Census Bureau estimates released yesterday. Slight population decline also was reported in surrounding counties other than Butler and Washington.

The bureau estimated Allegheny's July 1, 2007, population at 1,219,210, down by 5,783 residents from a year earlier. The county had dropped an estimated 9,326 residents between 2005 and 2006 and more than 10,000 people annually in some years this decade, according to the estimates based on births, deaths and domestic and international immigration. Allegheny remains the 30th largest U.S. county.

Also within the metropolitan area, the bureau estimated Armstrong's population at 69,059 (down 266 from the year before); Beaver, 173,074 (minus 947); Butler, 181,934 (plus 755); Fayette, 144,556 (minus 363); Washington, 205,553 (plus 256); and Westmoreland, 362,326 (minus 1,154).

Two Louisiana parishes hit hard by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 -- St. Bernard and Orleans -- rebounded to show the largest rate of population gain nationally between 2006 and 2007. Seventy of the 100 fastest-growing counties were in the South, with 22 in the West and eight in the Midwest.

[PA Pride]

I actually think the Allegheny population loss figure is encouraging. It only lost 5,700 last year instead of 9,300 the year before or 10,000+ per year before that.

So at this rate, it might be about 1 more year of loss. Then a year where the population change is at +/- 0 and then perhaps starting towards growth?

The Pittsburgh metro is still losing population. The fact is it is going to for at least a couple more years. But we might be on the verge of it leveling out; Which will be historic and something that hasn't happened for over 30 years.


It could be worse. You could live where I live: in Beaver County. It has lost over 25,000 people (18% of it's population) since I was born in 1981. I don't see it turning around for at least another 10-20 years.

[Evergrey]

I actually think the Allegheny population loss figure is encouraging. It only lost 5,700 last year instead of 9,300 the year before or 10,000+ per year before that.

So at this rate, it might be about 1 more year of loss. Then a year where the population change is at +/- 0 and then perhaps starting towards growth?

The Pittsburgh metro is still losing population. The fact is it is going to for at least a couple more years. But we might be on the verge of it leveling out; Which will be historic and something that hasn't happened for over 30 years.


It could be worse. You could live where I live: in Beaver County. It has lost over 25,000 people (18% of it's population) since I was born in 1981. I don't see it turning around for at least another 10-20 years.

Yes. Also, if you examine the components of population change on the Census website... one of the major culprits is Allegheny County's "natural decrease" (death exceeding births)... a legacy of the extreme exodus in the wake of the 80s steel collapse. Allegheny County may be unique as a major urban county that experiences more deaths than births... even major population losers like Cuyahoga OH (Cleveland), Wayne MI (Detroit), Philadelphia and Erie NY (Buffalo) experienced "natural increase". The net migration loss over the past year for Allegheny County is actually quite small when compared to other major northern urban counties. While these other counties are losing population due to massive out-migration... Allegheny is pretty much stable... adversely affected by the lingering affects of the 80s.

Natural decrease will continue to be a drag on metro population as the age demographic works itself out towards normal... but if we continue to post solid net job growth like we did last year (7,600 jobs for 0.68% growth rate over 2007)... then perhaps we can overcome the birth deficit with in-migration.

The 2010 Census will give us a much more accurate picture. There's no reason to have a "sky is falling attitude". The economic picture here continues to improve.... gaining strength in 2007.. which was a tumultuous year nationally. Hopefully we can remain strong in the face of the imminent national recession.

[Evergrey]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08080/866560-85.stm

Dunkin' Donuts, dessert bar planned for Market Square

Thursday, March 20, 2008
By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Market Square, not long ago plagued by nuisance bars, drug sales and loitering, rapidly is becoming a Downtown hot spot.

The public square, the city's oldest, is expected to become home to a wine, cheese and dessert bar and a Dunkin' Donuts this spring and summer.

They will join another new restaurant, Moe's Southwest Grill, scheduled to open in summer; the newly opened Crazy Mocha Coffee; and MixStirs Cafe, which opened last fall.

The transformation coincides with a crackdown on illicit activity in the square by the city and the Allegheny County district attorney's office, and the redevelopment of the G.C. Murphy store, which will house apartments, shops and the new Downtown YMCA.

Herky Pollock, executive vice president of CB Richard Ellis, a real estate firm, said the crackdown, the reuse of the Murphy's building and the Lazarus-Macy's store a block away and construction of the Three PNC Plaza skyscraper on Fifth Avenue near the square are having an impact.

"With all the development going on around it, it's taking on a whole new life and people are embracing it with open arms," he said.

The wine, cheese and dessert bar will open in space once occupied by Mick McGuire's, also known as M & M Lounge, which was shut down in January 2007 after a raid and three arrests on drug-related charges.

Dunkin' Donuts will move into space most recently used by Giggles, a variety shop on Forbes Avenue that closed this year after the owner was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and prohibited weapons.

The new bar, which will be named Sante, will serve French wines, cheese and pastry-type desserts, spokeswoman Tara Rieland said.

"It's a very new concept in Pittsburgh," she said. "There's no such thing. We're excited to create a new niche."

The owner, Brian Price, hails from the Washington, Pa., area, and was attracted to Market Square because it's close to the Cultural District and several Downtown condominium and apartment complexes, she said.

Mr. Price, who was unavailable for comment, expects to open the bar in mid- to late May.

"He believes in Market Square," Ms. Rieland said. "He believes it will be one of the next up and coming areas. He believes in Downtown."

The bar will be "very upscale" with a "definite Paris feel to it," she added. In addition to French wines, customers will be able to sample cheeses from different countries as well as the desserts.

The Market Square Dunkin' Donuts is expected to be the first of 105 being developed in Allegheny and 16 surrounding counties over the next nine years by Heartland Restaurant Group, a locally owned and operated franchisee.

Robyn Frederick, Heartland vice president of human resources and marketing, said the company hopes to open the Market Square store in late June or early July.

It would be part of a new generation of Dunkin' Donuts that serve flatbread sandwiches and pizza as well as the usual array of doughnuts and coffee.

"The restaurant will be the foundation for our growth" as Heartland seeks to expand the Dunkin' Donuts chain in the Pittsburgh region, Ms. Frederick said. She said Heartland saw the Market Square space as a "great site" in the heart of the city.

"I think what made it easy is that we know the city is trying to make changes [to Market Square]. We wanted to be part of that," she said.

Tom Sullivan, a commercial broker with Pennsylvania Commercial Real Estate, believes businesses are moving in to capitalize on surrounding development as it is completed.

He said the addition of Dunkin' Donuts may touch off "a coffee war" with Starbucks, Bruegger's Bagels, Crazy Mocha and Nicholas Coffee Co. in the square. It also could have implications for the venerable Jenny Lee Bakery, a longtime Market Square fixture.

"It might have some impact but nothing we're really worried about," said K.C. Ciganik, a sales clerk at Jenny Lee, adding that the bakery has a loyal following for its cakes and baked goods.

More change could be coming to Market Square. There are plans to remove buses from the square for good this spring. The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership also expects to add more tables for outdoor dining and is offering matching grants to shop and restaurant owners to spruce up facades and sidewalks.

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

[Evergrey]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08080/866559-85.stm

Groups want to revive light-rail to Oakland

Thursday, March 20, 2008
By Joe Grata, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

An old proposal to extend the light-rail system from Downtown to Oakland will be revived today when a public advocacy group, elected officials and others present a study in support of mass transit.

The project will be offered by the Pennsylvania Public Interest Research Group as a means of achieving recommendations in its 72-page document titled, "A Better Way to Go: Meeting America's 21st Century Transportation Challenges with Modern Public Transit."

"The report shows why we need to boost funding for public transportation and move ahead with projects like a light-rail extension to Oakland," PennPIRG Director James Browning said. "It shows how public transit reduces oil dependence, traffic congestion and global warming pollution."

Others announced as attending the 11 a.m. news conference at the United Steelworkers Building, Downtown, are Reps. Jake Wheatley, D-Hill District, and Chelsa Wagner, D-Beechview, and representatives of the Sierra Club, Mon Valley Unemployed Committee and Local 3 of the Service Employees International Union.

According to the report, the region's three biggest transit agencies -- the Port Authority, Beaver County Transit Authority and Mid Mon Valley Transit Authority -- save 5.4 million gallons of fuel a year that would otherwise be used by people driving personal vehicles. At current prices of about $3.25 a gallon for regular-grade gasoline, that translates into about $18 million in cash savings.

Riding buses and trolleys also reduces carbon dioxide emissions in the region by an estimated 22,000 tons annually, the researchers concluded.

While PennPIRG will focus on Pittsburgh today, its study is national in scope and is being released elsewhere. The study said U.S. transit operations save 3.4 billion gallons of fuel a year, prevent 541 million hours of traffic delays and cut global warming pollution gases by 26 million tons.

A light-rail line between Downtown and Oakland -- two of the state's busiest transit centers -- was first proposed in the mid-1970s while officials were still engaged in controversy over plans to replace the old South Hills streetcar lines with an elevated, rubber-tire Skybus people mover. At the time, it was called the "Spine Line" because, on paper, the preferred route resembled the curvature of a person's backbone.

The project advanced through several time-consuming, federally mandated planning steps called a "needs study" to justify the cost and the preparation and evaluation of preliminary routes.

The last board of commissioners before Allegheny County moved to a home rule form of government ordered the Port Authority to drop the project, along with an option to extend light-rail to the North Shore.

The North Shore segment was restored about a year later and the 1.2-mile, $435 million project is currently under construction, with 80 percent of the cost being paid by the Federal Transit Administration.

The last ballpark estimate to build a line between Downtown and Oakland was about $750 million and was made about 15 years ago. Also, the FTA now pays only 60 percent of such new capital projects.

Joe Grata can be reached at jgrata@post-gazette.com.

[Evergrey]

what a disaster...

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_558189.html

Pirates, Steelers may face penalties for development delays

By Jeremy Boren
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, March 20, 2008

The city-county Stadium Authority might punish the Pirates and Steelers because their developer isn't building fast enough on the North Shore.
"We're certainly reviewing our options to see if there is a better deal for the city," said Debbie Lestitian, chairwoman of the Stadium Authority. "It's been years since we reviewed the contract. If we have a chance at this point to review the terms, I think we have an obligation to do so."

Continental Real Estate has the exclusive right to develop the land between PNC Park and Heinz Field. The company, though, is nearly a year behind in meeting development deadlines under a 2003 contract between the Stadium Authority and the teams, said Mary Conturo, executive director of the city-county Sports & Exhibition Authority.

The Stadium Authority is exploring whether it could begin charging the teams higher prices for the land and to impose fines if they don't meet future deadlines, Lestitian said.

Continental has developed three sections of the North Shore so far, with construction of the $30 million Equitable Resources building and the $40 million Del Monte building. The company also is trying to build a hotel and entertainment complex.
"We're doing it as fast as it can be done, based on the market," said Frank Kass, president of retail development for Continental.

The real estate developer last Friday asked the Stadium Authority to allow it to buy 3.53 acres at the corner of Tony Dorsett and North Shore drives for $1.3 million.

The authority delayed a decision for 45 days, in part, to determine if its contract with the Steelers and Pirates has been broken because of the development delays.

Kass said Continental is ready to develop the $27.5 million, 178-room Hyatt Hotel and to pay an additional $1 million to buy land at the corner of Art Rooney Avenue and North Shore Drive, where the Steelers want the entertainment complex built.

"We had this hotel deal ready to go for six months," Kass said. "Are we behind? Maybe."

He cited two reasons for the delay:

= Construction on the Port Authority's $435 million North Shore Connector project has disrupted Continental's ability to develop two parcels of land along Reedsdale Street.

= The Steelers received a $4 million state grant in 2004 to build an amphitheater on 3.82 acres, but the team now wants to build a different type of entertainment venue.

The Steelers gave the grant money to the Stadium Authority to help it build a parking garage that replaced parking spots eliminated by the constructions of the Del Monte and Equitable buildings. The Steelers now want the money back to build the entertainment complex.

"We've already offered to buy these two sites," Kass said. "All they have to do is say: 'OK, build.' "

Lestitian said she believes the Steelers and Pirates are getting the land on which the hotel would sit for too low a price -- $8 a square foot -- but she's unsure what an appropriate price would be. She said she wants to raise the price if both sides can agree.

The Steelers and Pirates could not be reached for comment.

Mark Schneider, former chairman of the Stadium Authority and an architect of the development agreement with the sports teams, said the price is more than the Steelers, Pirates and Continental want to pay.

He said the price isn't meant to reflect true market value, which can't be known because only Continental has the rights to build on the land.

Schneider said the teams have an incentive to hasten development because their share of parking revenues increases as the teams purchase the land from the Stadium Authority.

"They can only get the parking revenues if they proceed with development," he said.

Development turns tax-exempt land owned by the Stadium Authority into taxable land owned by the teams.

State Rep. Jake Wheatley, D-Hill District, a Stadium Authority board member, said the authority doesn't want to break its partnership with the teams and Continental.

Wheatley said the board is pleased with the proposed Hyatt hotel. He said the Stadium Authority has been timely in meeting its obligations to provide enough parking on the North Shore to replace what has been eliminated by new buildings; Continental, therefore, should respond in kind.

"We've had to meet our time schedule, and so I think that the developer needs to meet their time schedule," Wheatley said.



Jeremy Boren can be reached at jboren@tribweb.com or 412-765-2312.

[JackStraw]

I am excited about this light rail proposal, a lightrail system that should have happend a decade ago. I just hope it can get a jump start and get a move on it. What logic.....Connect the central business district with the second business district with all the universities......Genius..

[PA Pride]

^IF such a light-rail extension actually happened, are they trying to extend it to Oakland underground, or on surface streets? It never seems to specify... For 750+ million, that must be underground. Which is awesome. We would have a fully funtioning subway in Pittsburgh with multiplte downtown underground stops, going under the river to the northshore and northside, and then to oakland as well. Now that would start to look like a real subway system!

[JackStraw]

^IF such a light-rail extension actually happened, are they trying to extend it to Oakland underground, or on surface streets? It never seems to specify... For 750+ million, that must be underground. Which is awesome. We would have a fully funtioning subway in Pittsburgh with multiplte downtown underground stops, going under the river to the northshore and northside, and then to oakland as well. Now that would start to look like a real subway system!

I was reading in the tribune review's free 4 page paper they put on the city streets that it was to be underground and elevated. It could be like the el in Philly.

[hyperion1110]

^IF such a light-rail extension actually happened, are they trying to extend it to Oakland underground, or on surface streets? It never seems to specify... For 750+ million, that must be underground. Which is awesome. We would have a fully funtioning subway in Pittsburgh with multiplte downtown underground stops, going under the river to the northshore and northside, and then to oakland as well. Now that would start to look like a real subway system!

I think subways are cool, too. But for about 1/3 of the money, we could build the same system on the street. We have an extensive streetcar system decades ago, which means it could still work today. There's just no real political will to get it done.

[cdc]

I think subways are cool, too. But for about 1/3 of the money, we could build the same system on the street. We have an extensive streetcar system decades ago, which means it could still work today. There's just no real political will to get it done.

Funny you should talk about streetcars... I was walking down Forbes in
Sq Hill to work the other day and there was this long pothole, and at
the bottom of it you could clearly see the old metal streetcar tracks.
Seems they just paved over the old track.

What is the advantage of streetcars over the busses we already have?
They both have to share the right-of-way with cars, except where there
is a busway.

[Evergrey]

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_558335.html

Downtown office market may tighten with moves by Equitable, others

By Ron DaParma
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, March 21, 2008

Equitable Resources Inc. is closer to choosing a location for new office space Downtown, officials said.
If it picks the Piatt Place complex at Fifth Avenue and Wood Street for expansion, it would fill space available there and in the neighboring former Revco building.

Alternatively, the energy company -- which is searching for about 235,000 square feet -- would be a welcome addition at the nearly empty 11-story Union Trust Building on Grant Street or at the 32-story 625 Liberty Ave. building (formerly the Dominion Tower), which is about 60 percent occupied.

All three Downtown buildings are among the potential choices for Equitable. Others include a proposed new building adjacent to its headquarters on the North Shore, and in Cranberry, Butler County

"We are still considering all our options," said spokesman David Spigelmyer on Thursday. The time for the company to make a final decision is getting closer, he said.
"We expect it to be made before the end of the second quarter (June 30)," he said.

He declined comment on speculation by area real estate experts that the front-runner may be Piatt Place, a mixed-use complex developed in the former Lazarus-Macy's department store building by Millcraft Industries Inc. of Washington County.

Lucas Piatt, vice president of real estate with Millcraft, has declined to comment, other than to say Millcraft would combine about 200,000 square feet of space available in Piatt Place with about 40,000 in the adjoining Revco structure if the energy company chooses the site.

Moves by Equitable and others could help further tighten the Downtown office market. It already has improved because of deals such as the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's move to lease one-fifth of the space in U.S. Steel Tower, and Bank of New York Mellon's decision to take 350,000 square feet of space in Downtown buildings off the market to accommodate growth.

Downtown's vacancy rate, which stood at 20.2 percent as of Sept. 30, was down to 18.2 percent at year-end 2007, according to figures from Grubb & Ellis Co., a commercial real estate firm that tracks the market.

Jeremy Kronman, of CB Richard Ellis Co., leasing agent for Piatt Place and the Union Trust Building, declined to comment.

Equitable has reduced its size requirements somewhat since it called off a planned acquisition of Dominion Peoples Gas and Dominion Hope Gas in West Virginia in January.

The company was looking for 300,000 to 350,000 square feet of space to house up to 800 employees, including about 200 new hires and other employees expected to join its ranks from the Dominion units.

But the company already is out of space at the $35 million, 180,000-square-foot headquarters it opened two years ago near PNC Park on the North Shore. About 477 people work there now, and it needs more room to house new staff, Spigelmyer said.

Office support will be needed as the company continues plans to spend millions of dollars on natural gas production and exploration projects.

Continental Real Estate, developer of Equitable's North Shore building, has plans to build another building on the North Shore that could accommodate Equitable's needs.

Also, Lauth Property Group LLC of Indianapolis is said to be courting the company for the Summit at Cranberry, a project that could bring 1 million square feet of office space to a 116-acre site east of Interstate 79 and north of Route 228.

"No matter where we go, we will likely keep a presence on the North Shore," Spigelmyer said. The company has 18 years remaining on a 20-year lease when it moved into the building in 2006.



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




Siemens eyeing space, too

Siemens Environmental Systems and Services may be a candidate for office space, perhaps in the vacant Union Trust Building. Formerly known as Wheelabrator Air Pollution Control Inc., the business is expanding and last month received $2.95 million in state aid in return for a pledge to create 550 jobs within three years. The unit has 500 employees in the city at 441 Smithfield St. and at 40 24th St., and said an overall $5 million expansion project could triple operations. Monika Wood, a spokeswoman, said Thursday the company is exploring options, but hasn't made any decisions.

[Grego43]

A question for anyone who knows about the commercial real estate market:

If the current office absorption rate continues, at what point does it become logical & savvy to begin construction of a major project? By major project, I mean something on the order of 750,000+ sq ft with large floor plates? Is it too late in the game to keep momentum growing considering that such a project takes years from planning to occupancy?


Concerning a light rail extension to Oakland: Downtown employers, especially UPMC and any others with university ties, should jump on this asap. While they are at it, an arc from Oakland, to the Pgh Tech Center, SSW, and Station Square should be included. Enough of the piecemeal, snails-paced expansion of the T. It is beyond time for a comprehensive expansion plan.


''make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood'' -Daniel Burnham

[PittPenn 03]

A question for anyone who knows about the commercial real estate market:

If the current office absorption rate continues, at what point does it become logical & savvy to begin construction of a major project? By major project, I mean something on the order of 750,000+ sq ft with large floor plates? Is it too late in the game to keep momentum growing considering that such a project takes years from planning to occupancy?



I could be totally off on this, but I think I recall sometime in the early 90's there was an article in either the Press or the Post-Gazette about what vacany rate it would take for another major tower to be built downtown. I think back then they were figuring in the single digits, like 7, 8, or 9%. I am sure with the way things have changed with corporate welfare and financing that the number doesn't need to be so low any more.

[cdc]

If the current office absorption rate continues, at what point does it become logical & savvy to begin construction of a major project? By major project, I mean something on the order of 750,000+ sq ft with large floor plates? Is it too late in the game to keep momentum growing considering that such a project takes years from planning to occupancy?



I would be concerned about the current national economic downturn's
effect on large construction projects. In fact, there is an article
about this in today's NYT, as it relates to the Atlantic Yards
project. How will the recession impact Pittsburgh's development
projects?


Slow Economy Likely to Stall Atlantic Yards
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/21/nyregion/21yards.html?hp

The slowing economy, weighed down by a widening credit crisis, is
likely to delay the signature office tower and three residential
buildings at the heart of the $4 billion Atlantic Yards project in
Brooklyn, the developer said.

...

[tooluther]

Construction of a new major office tower (of which there are only really three remaining sites in the CBD proper) doesn't really so much on the vacancy rate, although that is part of it. What it it would take is an increase in the class A rent compared to construction prices.

So here is the delema. Pittsburgh's CBD is projected to have one of the best growth rates in the country in 2008 (between 6-8% rent rates depending on what report you read). However, one of our advantages is that we are attractive to companies such as BNY Mellon and Alcoa as back office support. Their CEO's keep space in New York in $150+/S.F. offices while their VP's are back in Pittsburgh paying $25/S.F.

So if we were to get up higher someone may be able to justify a new tower, but then we wouldn't be as attaractive to users to fill up that new tower.

The only way its really going to happen in the near future is a new major owner comming in. For example, Westinghouse's new project would be roughly the same size as the Street Building if it were one vertical sky scraper!

[Evergrey]

tidbits from an article in Pittsburgh Business Times' Commercial Real Estate Guide released today:

according to Jon Harrigan, CEO of Pennsylvania Commercial Real Estate Inc., the tightening Downtown office market could lead to an increase in rental rates of up to 20% over the next couple years. He expects an increase of 10% in 2008. Rental rates could spike by 20% in "in-demand" towers like U.S. Steel. Rental rates are near $30 a foot in premiere office buildings like PPG Place... compared to $75-$90 in NYC. Major blocks of space remain in Dominion Tower and the historic Union Trust Building (which a rapidly expanding unit of Siemens is reportedly interested in).

According to Grubb & Ellis, 2007 was the busiest year for office leasing in Pittsburgh since 1999, with 1.7 square feet absorbed, the 12th highest amount in the United States.... greater than cities such as LA, SF, Phoenix and Seattle. Office vacancy has decreased in every submarket in Metro Pittsburgh except the East... which remained stagnant.

...

Most experts believe Pittsburgh is a strong office market in the face of the national slowdown. Many sectors of the regional economy have been picking up steam recently. I do, however, agree with cdc... while office absorption has been strong... and may continue to be... the likelihood of construction of a major downtown office building in the near term is unlikely due to the collapsing capital markets. Three PNC Plaza, currently under construction, will deliver about 350,000 sq. ft. of office space... most of it already spoken for by international law firm Reed Smith.

[PA Pride]

Interesting stuff.

Maybe developers should do what Donald Trump wrote about in one of his books: Start construction on residential buildings when office construction is at full steam and vice-versa. Which would make right about now a good time to go office.

[Grego43]

I understand that collapsing capital markets could put the kibosh on major new construction...but those of us around for "Renaissance II" (I hate those damn terms RI, RII, RIII...) remember the crappy economy of the early 80s that brought a building boom: Mellon (Dravo Tower), One Oxford, PPG, and the T. Perhaps more will see a down market as an opportune time and take advantage of lower construction costs, increasing rents, & a tightening market to throw up a true skyscraper.

As an aside...when I was at WVU in the early 80s, I tagged along when my roomate's engineering class took a field trip downtown to walk thru the under-construction T tunnels. It was wild, we entered thru an emergency egress hatch in Gateway Center and walked up to Steel Plaza (which was called Midtown back then) The stations were just shells, and there were no rails yet layed. One of the project managers told fabulous tales of Midtown being the hub of a planned expansion to the airport, North Side, North Hills, Oakland, East Suburbs, yada, yada, yada. :haha: Yes, I'm becoming an old fart.

[cdc]

I understand that collapsing capital markets could put the kibosh on major new construction...but those of us around for "Renaissance II" (I hate those damn terms RI, RII, RIII...) remember the crappy economy of the early 80s that brought a building boom: Mellon (Dravo Tower), One Oxford, PPG, and the T. Perhaps more will see a down market as an opportune time and take advantage of lower construction costs, increasing rents, & a tightening market to throw up a true skyscraper.


Do you think construction costs will actually go down? A common theme
I've been seeing from government officials bidding out projects is
that the cost of raw materials (e.g. concrete, steel) keeps going up
even though the economy is slowing. Usually they reference demand
from China or something like that...


The term "Renaissance" reminds me of Newark, NJ. (not a positive
association to have).

[Evergrey]

goddamn, i love wasting time...

tabulated MSA and CSA totals from the the new Census county estimates... comparing 2007 to 2006... while I'm getting a population change of -7,502 for the MSA... the 2007 MSA estimate as calculated by me appears to be roughly 15,000 less than the 2006 MSA estimate released last year... I wonder if they retroactively revise previous years' estimates. I checked the numbers twice... and this is what I get... a decline of 7,502 is certainly nothing to brag about... but it is significantly better than recent years. The net migration loss is very small... in any other metro... this loss would be easily covered by "natural increase"... a pleasure we don't have due to a devastating out-migration of child-bearing age adults in the 80s.

Allegheny
Population: 1,219,210
Change: -5,783
Natural Increase: -1,998
Births: 12,481
Deaths: 14,479
Net Migration: -3,876
International: 1,862
Domestic: -5,738

Armstrong
Population: 69,059
Change: -266
Natural Increase: -168
Births: 702
Deaths: 870
Net Migration: -124
International: -1
Domestic: -123

Beaver
Population: 173,074
Change: -947
Natural Increase: -355
Births: 1,767
Deaths: 2,122
Net Migration: -617
International: 38
Domestic: -655

Butler
Population: 181,934
Change: 755
Natural Increase: 342
Births: 2,118
Deaths: 1,776
Net Migration: 394
International: 68
Domestic: 326

Fayette
Population: 144,556
Change: -363
Natural Increase: -271
Births: 1,494
Deaths: 1,765
Net Migration: -125
International: 13
Domestic: -138


Washington
Population: 205,553
Change: 256
Natural Increase: -232
Births: 2,130
Deaths: 2,362
Net Migration: 415
International: 43
Domestic: 372

Westmoreland
Population: 362,326
Change: -1,154
Natural Increase: -946
Births: 3,417
Deaths: 4,363
Net Migration: -346
International: 53
Domestic: -399

Pittsburgh MSA
Population: 2,355,712
Change: -7,502
Natural Increase: -3,628
Births: 23,839
Deaths: 27,469
Net Migration: -4,279
International: 2,076
Internal: -6,355


...


Lawrence (CSA only)
Population: 90,991
Change: -360
Natural Increase: -159
Births: 991
Deaths: 1,150
Net Migration: -225
International: 14
Internal: -239


Pittsburgh CSA
Population: 2,446,703
Change: -7,862
Natural Increase: -3,787
Births: 24,830
Deaths: 28,619
Net Migration: -4,504
International: 2,090
Internal: -6,594



some observations:

1. Unlike other declining or stagnant "Rust Belt" metros... which usually suffer huge losses in the core urban county with weak to moderate growth in outlying suburban counties... Pittsburgh's population losses are widespread across the region. Even "booming" counties like Washington and Butler barely nudge their populations forward. This is a testament to the unique historical settlement patterns in Southwestern Pennsylvania. The "suburban" counties were not developed as "bedroom communities" but had their own significant concentrations of heavy industry and resource extraction. The vaporization of the old-school primary metals economy in the 70s and 80s heavily affected the outlying areas as well.

2. This link (http://recenter.tamu.edu/data/popm00/pcbsa38300.html) is a fascinating website that has components of population change for every U.S. metro from 1970 through 2006. Since 1971, Pittsburgh MSA has seen only three years of population growth, 1991-1993.

3. The aforementioned link only has birth/death numbers back to 1981. What is interesting... is even back in 1981, Pittsburgh MSA had a very small "natural increase" of about 6,000. Compare this to the similarly hammered (throughout the 1970s) and smaller Cleveland MSA's "natural increase of about 14,000. I found this discrepency shocking. But it turns out that the Pittsburgh region began stagnating way before 1970. After a rapid ascension in the late 1800s and early 1900s... becoming the 5th most populated region in the country around 1930... population growth slowed dramatically over the next couple decades as a number of other regions passed Pittsburgh by. The Pittsburgh MSA actually began declining in the 1960s (http://www.smartpolicy.org/pdf/pop_drain.pdf)... which may be one of the earliest... if not the earliest case of population decline in a major U.S. region in the modern age. (if I recall, there was a couple decades lag between the major population expansion periods of Pittsburgh and Cleveland, which may somewhat explain the early 80s "natural increase" difference). Obviously, the tiny "natural increase" could not overcome the huge out-migrations that were common amongst northern metros in the 1970s and 1980s... a legacy of Pittsburgh's early stagnation. After decades of stagnation... the demographic damage caused by a particular brutal stretch during the early/mid 1980s finally pushed Metro Pittsburgh into the "natural decrease" category in 1996. This widening disparity between deaths and births has been a defining facet of the continued population decline despite relative economic stabilization in the past 15 years. While some small neighboring metros like Wheeling, Johnstown, Weirton-Steubenville, etc. entered "natural decrease" in the 1980s... Pittsburgh remains the only major metro experiencing "natural decrease" (though Buffalo is flirting with it now).

4. According to my tabulations, Pittsburgh MSA's death tally in 2007 was 27,469, a decrease of about 800 from the previous year... generally, annual estimated deaths has hovered in the 27k-28k range since 1981... while births have declined from 33k-23k during that period. We probably have the lowest fertility rate of any major metro. This has generally resulted in a widening discrepency between deaths and births each year... though that trend reversed slightly in 2007.

5. While the Pittsburgh MSA regularly experienced population decreases since the 1960s, a particularly traumatic four year stretch from 1984-1987 devastated the region and heavily impacted population trends to this day. After about a decade of losing between 2k and 18k a year... the final, devastating collapse of labor-intensive Big Steel in the region in the early/mid 1980s eliminated hundreds of thousands of jobs and pushed the region's unemployment rate into the stratosphere. Each of these 4 years saw population declines over 20k, peaking in 1985 (the year we were first named "Most Livable") at over 39k loss. The cumulative loss of these four years was about 110k. This dramatic exodus on top of 2 decades of already declining population and weak "natural increase" resulted in a dismal demographic situation that has been a lag on population and economic growth to this day. Not only did we lose the people who left... but we lost their estimated 300,000 children who were born elsewhere. While the Pittsburgh MSA responded bravely in the wake of the steel collapse with employment growth throughout the 90s, hitting a peak in 2001, many of the new jobs were absorbed through greater participation in the workforce by traditionally under-represented demographics (women, older people). Additionally, the national trend of declining household size has increased the proportion of the population in the workforce. Instead of having dad at the mill with mom at home with 5 kids... you have a working couple with one kid at home (over-generalizing to make a point).

6. Population loss does seem to stemming according to the estimates. The post-9/11 recession was an unfortunate bump in the road after over a decade of solid economic expansion in the region.

7. These are only estimates... Census 2010 will give us an accurate picture.

[PA Pride]

Thanks for the interesting synopsis, Evergrey.

Having had both grandfathers work in steel mills, my dad briefly worked in a steel mill and then became a truck driver hauling steel for the rest of his career, I feel I am qualified to share the following: My dad used to tell me that one of the biggest reasons for the local decline in mills and factories was the post WWII deals given to Japan, where many steel mills ended up going. That would explain why our decline started earlier than other cities, because this region was hugely important in the building of supplies for the world wars, but then afterwards we started suffering. Japan was the Mexico or China of today, in the way jobs are outsourced for cheaper labor.

[JackStraw]

You know, every time these census reports come out I get pissed off when I see my hometown city falling. I keep looking at the others like Denver, Houston, Salt Lake, and others and wish we growing like them. Then I walk around the Burgh neighborhoods and realize we have something many other cities don't have, and are ours only. Pittsburgh is one of a kind. Boston, Philly, N.Y. all have their great unique individual neighborhoods, but Pittsburgh's are unique and one of a kind. You go out to many of these growing cities and you will find the same thing over and over again.

I had a friend move here from Puetro Rico that I met when I started working back here in the burgh. He loves it here, and was telling me a few weekends ago, he sees Pittsburgh ready to boom. It is at the bottom of the curve on its way bouncing back up. I see it the same way too. You take a simpe parabolic curve and we have recently been on the decline, and we are now starting to climb our way back up. All these other booming cities are just the same way the burgh use to be, and they soon will be hitting the same problems we did.

Thats all I got to say about these damn census reports.

[Evergrey]

Another way to think about the birth/death numbers. Metro Philly is roughly 2.5 times bigger than we are. However, we have 1/3 the births they have... yet 1/2 the deaths.

In recent years we've only had about 2-3k less deaths annually than Metro Houston... which has a population over 5.5 million.

Comparing to slow-growth rust belters... we essentially have the death total of a St. Louis (2.8 million) with the birth total of a Milwaukee (1.5 million).

Even places like Cincy, Columbus and Milwaukee have about twice as many births as deaths. This is the primary demographic anomoly that continues to drag on us.

[Wheelingman04]

Nice, informative posts, Evergrey.:yes:

[Evergrey]

Thanks for the interesting synopsis, Evergrey.

Having had both grandfathers work in steel mills, my dad briefly worked in a steel mill and then became a truck driver hauling steel for the rest of his career, I feel I am qualified to share the following: My dad used to tell me that one of the biggest reasons for the local decline in mills and factories was the post WWII deals given to Japan, where many steel mills ended up going. That would explain why our decline started earlier than other cities, because this region was hugely important in the building of supplies for the world wars, but then afterwards we started suffering. Japan was the Mexico or China of today, in the way jobs are outsourced for cheaper labor.

There could be something to this... never heard of it explained this way before.

But I think the regional economy was set up for failure... perhaps there may not have been a way to avoid the painful transition. We were a region that became so good at producing steel... it's what made us a major city and gave us our identity. But I think our steel dominance may have depressed the potential for development of other economic sectors. For instance, Pittsburgh still is a laggard in entrepreurial activity. In the days of Big Steel... we were a region dominanted by huge corporations (steel, glass, oil, banking, etc.). Additionally, these huge corporations could often take care of everything in-house (accounting, engineering, etc.) instead of needing outside professional firms. This "paternal" economic atmosphere most likely depressed entrepreneurial activity and innovation. Big Steel was also a dirty, unattractive industry that took a huge toll on the environment and the urban life (especially before 1950s). While the region was super-productive, it was also reviled by many due to its pollution and grim environment. Who would want to do business in such a place unless it was related to steel manufacture?

However, Big Steel imbued us with a wealth of institutions that have taken the lead in our post-industrial economic growth. And the death of Big Steel did not mean steel became inconsequential here. Out of that demise sprang forth many smaller companies founded on the legacy of industrial expertise here. Pittsburgh's "steel suppliers" (http://www.industrystudies.pitt.edu/papers/cluster-bushelbasket.pdf) cluster is an intermediate supply chain that provides machinery, operating services, engineering services, etc. to the steel industry.

[Johnland]

You know, every time these census reports come out I get pissed off when I see my hometown city falling. I keep looking at the others like Denver, Houston, Salt Lake, and others and wish we growing like them. Then I walk around the Burgh neighborhoods and realize we have something many other cities don't have, and are ours only. Pittsburgh is one of a kind. Boston, Philly, N.Y. all have their great unique individual neighborhoods, but Pittsburgh's are unique and one of a kind. You go out to many of these growing cities and you will find the same thing over and over again.

I had a friend move here from Puetro Rico that I met when I started working back here in the burgh. He loves it here, and was telling me a few weekends ago, he sees Pittsburgh ready to boom. It is at the bottom of the curve on its way bouncing back up. I see it the same way too. You take a simpe parabolic curve and we have recently been on the decline, and we are now starting to climb our way back up. All these other booming cities are just the same way the burgh use to be, and they soon will be hitting the same problems we did.

Thats all I got to say about these damn census reports.

Oh I know. A little population growth would go a long way in helping Pittsburgh. It's a real testament to the city's durability that it is as great as it is with a declining population growth. Just imagine how a net gain would impact the city.

On the one hand, you can only consol yourself so far by rationalizing stagnation as a 'preserving' effect. At least large swaths of the city aren't being torn down to make way for cheap, new mundane devlopement. I's rather see the old, even if somewhat tattered and worn. But the point is reached where additional people are just needed so much to bring in new retail, office, and entertainment projects.

[cdc]

I think this one from today's trib is of interest...


Groups use historic designation as tactic against developers

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_558728.html

With a bulldozer about to crush a unique example of neoclassical
architecture in the North Side, Michael Coleman ambushed the
building's owner with a bid to win historic protection for it.
...

[JackStraw]

^ I wonder what they would have thought of my proposal to blast away the Mexican War Streets and put up a mega Walmart with plenty of parking.

[hyperion1110]

Thanks for the interesting synopsis, Evergrey.

Having had both grandfathers work in steel mills, my dad briefly worked in a steel mill and then became a truck driver hauling steel for the rest of his career, I feel I am qualified to share the following: My dad used to tell me that one of the biggest reasons for the local decline in mills and factories was the post WWII deals given to Japan, where many steel mills ended up going. That would explain why our decline started earlier than other cities, because this region was hugely important in the building of supplies for the world wars, but then afterwards we started suffering. Japan was the Mexico or China of today, in the way jobs are outsourced for cheaper labor.

You hit the nail right on the head, PA pride. Pittsburgh suffered because of the deals coming out of World War II. But it wasn't just Japan; far worse was the impact of European reconstruction. In both cases, industrial capacity was heavily subsidized by the governments, including and especially the US. To this day, the steel industries in Japan, Germany, and France are HEAVILY subsidized. If it were any other industry, the US gov would take these countries to the WTO for anti-competitive practices. But, for some reason, we are still in that post-war mentality, and we let it keep on happening. That's also the reason why, about a year back, US Steel, Alcoa, United Steelworkers, and a bunch of other unions and companies organized a new group to try to prevent American heavy industry from disappearing.

The ironic part is that one of the reasons we won the war is because we were an unmatched industrial powerhouse. My grandpa used to tell us all the time how, during WWII, the skies were so polluted by all the factory smoke that the street lamps were on at noon. That was how much this region sacrified for the war cause, in addition to the men who served. And how did they get repaid? As soon as they came home, their jobs were shipped over to the people who, only a few years ago, were doing everything in their power to kill them.

Funny how that works, huh?

[themaguffin]

Evergrey, I've followed that handy site for a while now and noticed that yeah, the decline (or peak) was somewhere in the 60's. I think we had a modest gain in like '71 but then a continued slide.

The post war comments just mentioned touch on something often overlooked.

It's too soon to say if there is a slowing trend in that the decline will reverse soon. This decade won't have the benefit of the some 20,000 gain in the early 90's that offset some of the late 90's losses.

What would be nice is that if Pgh could perform reasonably well as the economy sinks. The modest gains in the 90's were during the recession. If Pgh could hold its own in the next 2 or so years then maybe the region could get a footing to positive traction in jobs and migration.

[Evergrey]

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2008/03/24/story5.html?b=1206331200^1608264

Tax credit issue threatens to slow Downtown Pittsburgh housing project

Pittsburgh Business Times - by Ben Semmes

http://cll.bizjournals.com/story_image/113496-400-0.jpg
Joe Wojcik
TREK Development president Bill Gatti stands outside the Century Building.

The credit crunch has already put the brakes on several high-profile real estate deals, including the Cultural Trust's $460 million riverfront development and the sale of the U.S. Steel Tower.

But tightening of global credit markets also could derail or delay a less glamorous segment of the local real estate market: new affordable housing developments.

In exchange for making rents affordable to residents earning below 60 percent of an area's median income, the Pennsylvania Housing Authority offers developers tax credits of between 30 percent and 70 percent of their project's total costs. Developers typically fund their projects in part by selling the tax credits to other businesses.

The problem, developers said, is demand for the credits has dropped as would-be buyers have less income they'd want to shield from taxation.

"They don't have the appetite" for tax credits, said Bill Gatti, president of Oakland-based TREK Development Group, which is relying on $9 million in tax credit equity to complete the $16 million residential conversion of the Century Building, a Downtown office property.

TREK, with financing from the Cultural Trust, paid $3 million for the 12-story, 68,000-square-foot Century Building in February 2006. At the time, investors were paying about 95 cents per dollar of tax credits, Gatti said, and the project was underwritten with that expectation.

If Gatti's tax credits are ultimately sold at 80 cents on the dollar -- closer to the going rate -- instead of 95 cents, the Century Building project would be left with a nearly $1.5 million funding gap.

"Early indication says we will have to find another source to fill the gap," said Gatti, who said he may push back the planned summer start date for the project while he looks for additional financing.

While Pittsburgh's housing market is one of the nation's most affordable, high-quality affordable housing is still hard to come by in many city neighborhoods.

"If you look around, it is a matter of quality," said Kevin Hanley, manager of real estate and housing programs with the nonprofit South Side Local Development Co. "I think it is even more pronounced on the rental side."

With credit markets tight, Gatti expects to have a difficult time coming up with additional financing for his project.

Possible sources include state and local agencies that are committed to providing low-income or affordable housing, said Tom Cummings, director of housing with Pittsburgh's Urban Redevelopment Authority.

Yet outright grants can be hard to come by. The Century Building has received low-interest loans from the URA and the Allegheny County Department of Economic Development but no grants.

The few options available to developers include reducing project costs or accepting lower profit margins, which are often already small on affordable housing projects, said Ralph Falbo, president of Ralph A. Falbo Inc., a Downtown-based developer that specializes in affordable housing.

Falbo said he has applications out for tax credits on two senior affordable housing projects, one in Braddock and the other in Ross Township, and it is uncertain at what level the credits will be priced.

If credit markets don't improve by the fall -- when those who receive tax credits in the next funding round would be starting construction -- delays are possible as developers seek additional funding, he said. "Hopefully the market will get better."

bsemmes@bizjournals.com | (412) 208-3829

[PittPenn 03]

http://www.postgazette.com/pg/08083/867104-155.stm

Since it is just an op-ed I will only post the link, but I think this piece talks briefly, but well about what could bring Pittsburgh back in the time of peak oil -which we are likely in. There are quite a few advantages we have, but I am particularly interested in the mentioning of barge shipping, as I read an article a few years ago that barge shipping could create 20,000 to 30,000 direct jobs in the region. I would imagine the potential for the indirect jobs this could create would be huge with possible supply hubs and new manufacturing to take advantage of the ultra cheap shipping barges provide.

[hyperion1110]

:previous: That editorial was a very interesting read. I think Pittsburgh is perfectly positioned to be one of the major growth regions of the future. We just need to hold our own until then...

[PA Pride]

1.Thanks for backing me up concerning post-war deals, hyperion & themaguffin.


2.Also, that Century Building story makes me wonder something: The article says "With credit markets tight, Gatti expects to have a difficult time coming up with additional financing for his project."

Wouldn't that financing already be in place when he took on this project?


3. Pittpenn: That would be great if our regions shipping capabilities became desireable again. Let me also add that I was talking to a Carnegie Mellon professor one day at an open house and he speculated that we also have a vast electrical and energy infrastructure still in place that used to power the mills and factories along the rivers. He mentioned that that might be desirable for building large facilities in the future compared to other metros that don't have such large electrical infrastructure already built.

[Evergrey]

http://www.popcitymedia.com/developmentnews/smst0326.aspx

Summerset at Frick Park surpasses 60% sales mark in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill


http://www.popcitymedia.com/galleries/Default/Dev%20News/Issue%20103/summerset_300.jpg

Amidst a national subprime mortgage crisis and decline in homes sales, Summerset at Frick Park has nearly sold out of the newest product available in its latest phase.

Sixty-six houses, town homes and condominiums were sold between January 2007 and February 2008, and sales are being seen across all price points. Some of the increased sales activity is attributed to recent mortgage rate reductions. Summerset’s first phase—which features Cottage, Village and Estate single-family homes, Crescent Court Condominiums, town homes, and rental units—is sold out with the exception of 15 condos. Since July of 2007, 29 of 46 phase 2A units—including single-family homes and town homes—have sold.

“In a year that’s experienced financial turmoil, we’re beyond sixty-percent sold. The whole spectrum of Summerset has continued to progress. Traditional neighborhood developments remain strong,” says Craig Dunham with Summerset Land Development Associates, who notes that homes ranging from $300,000 to $900,000 have sold during the past year. “It will ride through the economic turmoil because it has solid underpinnings—it’s efficient, walkable and close to areas of growing employment. It’s a high-quality product with all of the fundamentals of a solid investment.”

The majority of residents who were surveyed in December moved to Summerset from out-of-state, other city locations or Pittsburgh’s eastern suburbs. “Everybody said they’d recommend living in Summerset. We all know word of mouth is effective. It’s driving interest in the community,” adds spokesperson Patti Jo Lambert, who says location is a top draw.

During phase two, road and utility infrastructure will be developed at Summerset at Frick Park—which is being completed in three phases and will feature 700 homes. The next phase will be rolled out in one year.

Writer: Jennifer Baron
Source: Craig Dunham, Rubinoff Company and Summerset Land Development Associates; Patti Jo Lambert, Summerset at Frick Park

Image courtesy Summerset at Frick Park

[tooluther]

1.2.Also, that Century Building story makes me wonder something: The article says "With credit markets tight, Gatti expects to have a difficult time coming up with additional financing for his project."

Wouldn't that financing already be in place when he took on this project?


No, Tax credits are sold (mostly to banks) when construction is complete and they are then awarded by the government. The issue in the article is that as recently as a year ago, they were going for as much at $.92 on the dollar in Pittsburgh (big banks in a region mean its easier to sell tax credits).

Bill is a great developer and has a way of making tax credits work well for him, so I'm sure he will pull through on this project.

[Evergrey]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08086/867912-52.stm

A neighborly gesture: Penguins reduce arena height, refine design

Wednesday, March 26, 2008
By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/images/200803/20080326ho_centre_plaza_330.jpg
The Centre Avenue entry plaza for the Penguins' new arena.


The Penguins have tweaked the design of the new arena, slightly reducing its height and refining features to address neighborhood and city concerns, as they skate toward a late June construction start.

Architects detailed the changes and presented the latest renderings of the team's new home yesterday during a briefing before the city planning commission, which will hold a public hearing on the project in two weeks.

The two biggest revisions were made to address concerns voiced by some Hill District residents about the look of the arena's eastern facade and to accommodate requests for a pedestrian connection between arena entrances on Centre and Fifth avenues on the west side.

HOK Sport, the arena architect, has placed more windows on the facade's eastern side, facing the Hill, and added banners along Centre Avenue in an effort to make the building more appealing and to enliven its street presence.

"It will be much more animated, much more detailed," said Don Carter, president of Urban Design Associates, a local architectural firm assisting in the project.

Architects also have designed a public thoroughfare that will run between two of the main arena entrances, one on Centre and one on Fifth. The pathway will be situated between the Epiphany Church and the arena's 40- to 80-foot glass atrium facing Downtown.

Planners and the city's Contextual Design Advisory Panel had sought such a connection in earlier reviews of the arena plans. The Penguins at first objected, saying the church didn't want the pathway for safety reasons. The team now is considering a similar thoroughfare on the eastern side.

Among other changes, HOK has reduced the height of the arena by about 10 feet, to 163 feet at its highest point.

Wayne London, principal of HOK Sport, said the change was made primarily to "reduce the volume of the building so aesthetically it fit into the neighborhood a little bit better." It had the added benefit of cutting the overall cost of a project under a very tight budget.

With the changes, the project is on schedule toward a late June construction start. The timetable was aided last week by the implosion of the former St. Francis Central Hospital and the purchase of a small synagogue on Colwell Street by the city-Allegheny County Sports & Exhibition Authority. Both stood in the path of the new building.

"That pretty much clears the way for complete site preparation," Penguins spokesman Tom McMillan said.

The 18,500-seat arena is under a 24- to 25-month construction schedule. The Penguins intend to open it in time for the start of the 2010-11 hockey season.

The site also will include a 500-space parking garage.

The team is investigating the potential for a 125- to 150-room boutique-style hotel as part of the complex. It also is considering other potential uses at the site, including a community ice rink, parking and green space.

The public hearing on the arena project development plan is scheduled before the planning commission on April 8, followed by a vote on April 22.

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

[cdc]

I wondered what these signs were for. Is it really worthwhile to
permanently sign inactive "detours" just in case something happens?



http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08086/867915-147.stm

They're not for moving traffic during the latest construction
project. Instead, they're a precaution in case a major incident or
emergency closes highways.
...

[edncc1701d]

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/PittsburghArena2.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/1222parena-a.jpg
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/images/200803/20080326ho_centre_plaza_330.jpg

Ugh. Every time I see an updated rendering of the new arena, I feel more unexcited. It just seems like we go from something that could be "architecturally significant" to bland.

[EventHorizon]

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/PittsburghArena2.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/1222parena-a.jpg
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/images/200803/20080326ho_centre_plaza_330.jpg

Ugh. Every time I see an updated rendering of the new arena, I feel more unexcited. It just seems like we go from something that could be "architecturally significant" to bland.

I agree. If this newest pic is the arena, I wonder what their garage is going to look like? ;)

[JackStraw]

That new picture is just looking at the glass curtain wall at a specific angle. It gives is a worse look then it really is. It will be unique, and I saw rendering models of the inside that shows what you see of Pittsburgh from the inside. They look spectacular. It will still be a very nice arena with a cool architectural look.

[PA Pride]

I don't know what to think about the new arena design change. We'll just have to wait to see how it turns out I suppose.

Also, about the St. Francis Hospital demolition, post-gazette.com has a nice video of it from the top of the Duquesne Univ. parking garage:
http://www.post-gazette.com/multimedia/ then click 'News' and it's the first video on the top left.

[themaguffin]

I liked the initial designs, but the new rendering looks like a bland campus style office building.

[edncc1701d]

I liked the initial designs, but the new rendering looks like a bland campus style office building.

Agreed. Even Pitt's Peterson Events Center Looks more interesting.... Hopefully, this is just a bad picture. Are there additional updated renderings besides those in the paper?

http://web-smg.athletics.pitt.edu/images/home_photo01.jpg
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/images/200803/20080326ho_centre_plaza_330.jpg

[chucka]

Here is a link to the latest arena presentation:
http://www.pgh-sea.com/images/New_Arena_CDAP__26Feb08_Web.pdf

[DBR96A]

The arena looks fine to me. That rendering in the Post-Gazette is just one angle. The other images look nice.

Go to page 3 of the .pdf presentation above. One thing I'd like to see eventually if the old arena and surrounding parking lots are razed and redeveloped is I-579 covered between Centre Avenue and Bigelow Boulevard, with development on top. (If any of you have ever been to Atlanta, just picture something like how GA 400 is covered in the Lenox Square area.)

[EventHorizon]

Here is a link to the latest arena presentation:
http://www.pgh-sea.com/images/New_Arena_CDAP__26Feb08_Web.pdf

Thanks for the pdf link Chucka! The other images do give me a better impression now. The PG could have used one of the better pictures, jeez! I still prefer the original plan, but, whatever, this is OK.

[Johnland]

Agreed. Even Pitt's Peterson Events Center Looks more interesting.... Hopefully, this is just a bad picture. Are there additional updated renderings besides those in the paper?

http://web-smg.athletics.pitt.edu/images/home_photo01.jpg
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/images/200803/20080326ho_centre_plaza_330.jpg

Wheeew... that is one boring box. The Arena I mean.

[JackStraw]

The arena looks fine to me. That rendering in the Post-Gazette is just one angle. The other images look nice.

Go to page 3 of the .pdf presentation above. One thing I'd like to see eventually if the old arena and surrounding parking lots are razed and redeveloped is I-579 covered between Centre Avenue and Bigelow Boulevard, with development on top. (If any of you have ever been to Atlanta, just picture something like how GA 400 is covered in the Lenox Square area.)

Agreed, The photo is showing the worst angle looking at the curtain wall. Inside, you go up more then a hundred feet on huge escalators along the curtain wall. It is going to be an impressive way to enter an arena. You will be able to look outside and see the city, and other impressive views.

The one photo really fits in along the street, and gives it more of a urban feel. I don't want to see a huge dome in a sea of parking lots.

[UrbaniDesDev]

Well...
this is disappointing
pretty generic...


Site Plan
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/SitePlan.jpg

There is nothing in this plan that has warranted the removal of the Church's rectory and school. They were significant buildings. There really seems to have been a great deal of unnecessary waste in the process of this project. There will be 3 major arenas with in 1 mile of each other. The Pete, and The Palumbo practically across the street. One can see this city's priorities!
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/AerielView.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/AerielView2.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/AerielView3.jpg

North at Washington Place, existing
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/NorthatWashingtonPlaceexisting.jpg
& proposed. This is the best attempt. Very striking
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/NorthatWashingtonPlaceproposed.jpg

East at Fifth Avenue, existing
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/EastatFifthAvenueexisting.jpg
& proposed
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/EastatFifthAvenueproposed.jpg

West at Center, existing
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/view2.jpg
& proposed
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/view3.jpg

East at Center, existing
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/WestatCenterExisting.jpg
& proposed
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/WestatCenterproposed.jpg
From here it looks like a parking garage
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/WestatCenterproposed2.jpg

is this supposed to be the "Boutique Hotel" in the foreground?
It looks like a Hampton Inn
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/WestatCenterproposed3.jpg

West at Fifth Avenue, existing
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/WestatFifthAvenueexisting.jpg
& proposed
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/WestatFifthAvenueproposed.jpg

Elevations North & South
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/ElevationsNorthSouth.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/ElevationsEastWest.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/GarageFifthAvenueElevations.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/CentreAvenueEntryPlaza.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/View.jpg

Sections
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/Sections.jpg

Fifth Avenue
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/FifthAvenue.jpg

It seems that the glass facades are interesting but the masonry elevations are very boring. I realise this is still a work in project.
The Civic Arena was an architectural marvel when it was completed. I still like it much better. This really doesn't add much to the skyline, I suppose it doesn't have to. The longer they wait the more it will cost, so get on with it

[Evergrey]

UrbaniDesDev: what is a "staging area"? is that just a fancy name for a surface lot?

[UrbaniDesDev]

A staging area is a designated area where vehicles, supplies, and construction equipment are positioned for access and use to a construction site.

[Evergrey]

what would you do differently with the underwhelming site plan?

[UrbaniDesDev]

I would have tried to integrate the existing buildings, considering the enormous site they have to work with. Specifically the church buildings. The hospital recently demolished could have been converted to a hotel.

They're using the same layout they proposed when it was to be attached to a casino. There was no significant changes made considering all the parameters have been changed. It should have been completely reconfigured after that.

It's the waste that bothers me, then theyre going to try to call it a green project

[PA Pride]

Thanks for posting all those Urbanidesdev. I think overall the arena will blend nicely into the urban fabric. So much better than a 'civic arena' style design surrounded by parking lots. Hopefully the current Mellon Arena and parking lots will be developed wisely in the coming years.