PITTSBURGH | Rundown [Archive] - Page 50

Minivan Werner

09-24-2008, 10:39 PM

http://postgazette.com/pg/08268/914809-53.stm

Workers poised to 'top off' Three PNC Plaza
26-story structure includes businesses, hotel and condominiums
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
By Michael A. Fuoco, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Bill Wade/Post GazetteThree PNC Plaza where the final big beam will be placed Thursday.Jake Desko and Richard Friedman were light on their feet as they peered into a crystal blue sky and stretched toward a beam dangling above them from a crane.

It was just out of their reach but in a second it swung back. They snatched it, steadied themselves, pulled in down, squatted and quickly connected it to two larger beams.

And then the ironworkers repeated the process, performing an amazingly nimble dance, balancing on a beam only 4 inches wide and 24 stories high. A crane operator, equally talented at his trade, floated beams to the men he couldn't even see but who had blind trust in him.

They were among 190 workers who yesterday were on the construction site at Fifth Avenue and Market Street, using their skills to build Three PNC Plaza, Downtown's first new high-rise office building in two decades.

Tomorrow, Mr. Desko and Mr. Friedman and a crane operator will have the honor of "topping off" the structure, signifying the completed erection of 4,500 tons of structural steel for the $200 million skyscraper. As is the tradition of ironworkers, the final beam will be hoisted with an American flag and a Christmas tree on it. The beam, which will be signed by about 200 construction workers beforehand, will be set in place about 11 a.m. on the building's northeast corner.

"That's a real big deal," P.J. Dick Inc.'s Ray Monaco, the project's general superintendent, said of the topping-off ceremony, the completion of about 333,000 hours of work on the project thus far.

Construction of the 26-story structure -- 23 floors, two mezzanines, and one elevator penthouse -- is on schedule for mixed-use occupancy next year. Housed inside the building on Fifth Avenue will be offices for PNC and the international law firm Reed Smith; a 165-room hotel to be run by Toronto-based Fairmont Hotels and Resorts; 28 luxury condominiums starting at $500,000 apiece; retail shops; and an underground garage.

"We're really happy," said Gary Jay Saulson, director of corporate real estate for PNC Financial Services Group. "We think it's really going to be a positive contribution to the skyline of Pittsburgh.

"It's a fairly complicated project with its mixed use, the first one here, but that really makes it more interesting and one way it positively contributes to Pittsburgh."

Retail space will be on the first floor--tenants haven't been announced yet--and an immense ballroom will be on the second. Offices are will occupy the third through the 13th floors. The hotel and condominiums will occupy the top 10 floors.

Tenants in the new building will have spectacular views on all sides, situated as the building is in the middle of the Golden Triangle.

Mr. Saulson estimated that Reed Smith should be able to move in by next Memorial Day and PNC will do so by the end of 2009. The condominiums, being marketed by Howard Hanna, should be ready by 2009's close. The hotel should be ready for guests by late August or early September, he estimated.

He noted that the building can receive U.S. Green Building Council-established Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED environment standards, in five areas--the building's core and shell, Reed Smith's space, PNC's space, the hotel and the condos.

PNC also plans to construct a public park in a triangular-shaped plot at the corner of Fifth and Liberty avenues in front of the building. It will include benches and drought-resistant plants and people will be encouraged to bring their dogs there.

Exciting to see the finishing touches being put on 3 PNC.. Disappointing that the cranes will soon be leaving the triangle area.

AaronPGH

09-24-2008, 10:47 PM

Hey here's a great joke I came up with:

::knock knock::

"Who's there?"

It's me, Bruce Kraus, ruining everything in southside!

What a goddamn let down that man is. I was so happy to finally get the first openly gay councilman, and now he's obviously the only gay man in the city that hates fun. He could have even just pooped all day on the floor of his office and I would have been happier. Great job jackass. :yuck:

Johnland

09-25-2008, 02:21 AM

I just got back from a week in Pittsburgh visiting family. Sunday morning we rode bikes along the trails along the rivers. We started off near the Hot Metal Bridge, went through South Side, Station Square (good place to stop for coffee), over Fort Pitt Bridge and on to the North Side around the stadiums. Then back over the 7th St bridge through Downtown, up First Ave and back to the Jail Trail to starting point.

It was a beautiful morning and there people everywhere. The trails, Station Square, thr Point, the stadium was filling up for a Pirate game, people queuing for kayakes on the river, Market Sq. was busy. This just never happens in Tampa. We have none of the street life that Pittsburgh has. And it was just happening as if it were a regular Sunday morning. No big contrived event like they have to arrange here to bring on people out of their cars.

And what's more, the neighborhoods are all so different and interesting. We are just starting to build a Riverwalk, but I don't think it will ever compare to the extensive trails in Pittsburgh. Ynz guys are truly fortunate to have such a terrific city.

PA Pride

09-25-2008, 02:55 AM

AaronPGH

09-25-2008, 06:12 AM

When I bike to and from work on the jail trail/hot metal bridge every day.....if it was rush hour it would also extend to the jail trail. I think Pittsburgh is near the point where they might actually want to think about widening their trails. No joke. It can get really crowded. It's a good thing IMO. :cool:

Evergrey

09-25-2008, 06:16 AM

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08269/914663-57.stm

Ridership breaks record, but fare increase looms in Beaver County

Thursday, September 25, 2008
By Ken Fisher, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Beaver County Transit Authority carried a record high number of passengers in the fiscal year ending June 30, and additional service to Pittsburgh may be offered on its Route 60 express route.

But a fare increase of 25 cents to 50 cents appears likely Jan. 1 because revenues from higher ridership have not offset skyrocketing fuel costs, said Mary Jo Morandini, the authority's general manager.

"We're in a very tough situation," Ms. Morandini said. "We want to encourage ridership, but we just can't keep up with the fuel costs."

She said the agency paid $350,000 for fuel in 2004-05. That cost increased to $750,000 in 2007-08 and is projected to top $1 million in this fiscal year, which started July 1.

"There's no way we can keep up with this," she said.

The Beaver County Transit Authority carried 754,017 passengers last year -- nearly a 60 percent increase in six years. The total represents a 12 percent increase from last year and is the sixth straight year of higher ridership.

The routes with the largest one-year increases were:

• Route 1 -- Between Chippewa and Pittsburgh, generally on Route 65, serving retail areas in Chippewa, the YMCA in New Brighton and Northern Lights Shopping Center in Economy, up 12 percent.

• Route 2 -- Hourly service between Rochester and Ambridge, serving Beaver Valley Mall, Wagner Road in Center, Community College of Beaver County, Green Garden Plaza and Franklin Avenue in Aliquippa, up 19 percent.

• Route 4 -- Express rush-hour trips between Chippewa and Pittsburgh via Route 60, serving the Expressway Travel Center in Center, up 12 percent.

• Route 11 -- Between Vanport and Rochester from 6:30 a.m. to about 6:15 p.m. Monday through Saturday, up 4 percent.

The transit authority provides about 3,000 trips on its fixed route system each weekday. In addition, it transported nearly 97,000 passengers on DART -- a demand and response transportation system offering door-to-door service for passengers age 65 and older.

The combined ridership on fixed routes, DART and the Medical Assistance Transportation Program totaled 937,519 -- a gain of 10.5 percent.

The authority operates hourly service on its local routes on weekdays and Saturdays throughout Beaver County, and it runs express buses on Route 60 and Route 65, serving the Airport Corridor and Ohio River Boulevard with trips to Pittsburgh.

While the rising cost of gasoline certainly was a factor in the ridership increase, Ms. Morandini said, "if you look at the last six years in a row, gasoline prices did not attribute to more riders. I think the system is easy to use and people are taking advantage of it."

Buses arrive and depart on the half hour at the agency's transportation center in Rochester.

"Transfers are easy and riders are confident that they can catch a bus at any half-hour so they're riding more," she said. "The transfer system enables people to shop, travel to neighborhoods, ride to Beaver County Community College classes or commute to their jobs."

Ms. Morandini said her agency plans to address the problem of crowding forcing riders to stand on its Express 60 service into Pittsburgh and on some runs on Route 2 buses.

"We have a consultant studying ways we can tweak the service and expand it to meet the demand," she said. "We're hoping to announce improvements by the end of the month."

She said ridership for July is ahead of last year's pace, so the agency may be headed toward another record year.

Ms. Moranidi said she was thrilled with the ridership increase and happy that the state Department of Transportation provided technical assistance to study the crowding problem.

"Looks like we're off to another great year," she said.

For Beaver County Transit Authority schedules, visit www.bcta.com.
Ken Fisher can be reached at kfisher@post-gazette.com or 412-722-0085.

Johnland

09-26-2008, 01:48 AM

Yinz should plan to move back at some point and help contribute to the streetlife and urban activity for good.

That's my goal. Within the next year or two, I'm outta FLA!!

PA Pride

09-26-2008, 03:25 AM

Here is a U/C photo of the new building at the Technology park:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/austindaniel/P1010487.jpg

And here is a photo thread I just put up of my trip today to see Fallingwater for the first time:
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=158383

Minivan Werner

09-26-2008, 06:05 PM

Nice pictures

I was trying to find info on the status of the proposed Pittsburgh Palisades Horse-racing track that was being talked about on the SS.. and I came across this site: http://www.savehayswoods.org/

Any opinions out there on this matter?
Basically amounts to this:

http://www.savehayswoods.org/now/maps/maps/MainMap.jpg

VS this:

http://www.savehayswoods.org/development/palisades/bettersmap_edit.jpg

Kinda torn on this subject. At first I was thinking what a great draw the Palisades would be in terms of bringing people into the city, revenues for the city, and developing what little un-developed land in the (small) city limits was left. Looked into it a little further, and it seems like Hays Woods is used by a lot of the community down there and may be a great opportunity to establish a new city, or maybe even state park. With trails, campsites, etc. Would also be in line with Pittsburgh's transition of "going green."

However, until the area is officially designated as something (park, habitat, wilderness area, etc.) it's always going to be at risk of major development.

Evergrey

09-27-2008, 09:59 PM

that proposal has been dead for years... the banner photo on that website is AMAZING though... wish I could see a bigger version of it and without the text

EventHorizon

09-27-2008, 11:17 PM

that proposal has been dead for years... the banner photo on that website is AMAZING though... wish I could see a bigger version of it and without the text

Here's the shot from a similar perspective EG. It's from the Hays Woods group's Flickr page. You could tweak the colors a bit and crop it to make it closer looking to the banner image.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/71/157238952_4c2ebe647f_b.jpg
Image from Hays Woods' Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/10567323@N00/sets/72157594151006326/) Page

Evergrey

09-28-2008, 01:47 PM

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_590551.html

College students enjoy living, spending Downtown

By Bill Zlatos
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, September 28, 2008

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/photos/2008-09-27/0928-students-a.jpg
Angela Cody, 19, from Canton, Ohio, is living at Shannon Hall while attending the Art Institute of Pittsburgh for Interior Design. She and her roommates have many cityscape views of downtown from their Shannon Hall apartment.
Jasmine Gehris /Tribune-Review

Art Institute of Pittsburgh sophomore Amanda Cody lives in Shannon Hall, a converted warehouse Uptown that offers a bird's-eye view of Downtown and a two-block walk to her classes.

"Being real close to the school's the best part, and the T's a good location," she said. "There's a lot of jobs Downtown."

Cody, 19, of Canton, Ohio, is one of an increasing number of post-secondary students who live in or near Downtown and go to school there. Some business owners say students make up a growing part of their business and add to Downtown's vitality.

At the Smithfield News, for example, student business has grown from 5 or 10 percent five years ago to 25 percent, said owner Brian Weiss.

"We'd love to see it expand because at night it's tough," he said. "There's a different element Downtown."

In the past five years, Downtown has become a mecca for college students. The Art Institute this year opened Shannon Hall, the former Try Street Terminal. The institute recently opened Miller Hall at Smithfield Street and the Boulevard of the Allies and the Standard Life Building and its annex on Fourth and Smithfield.

In addition, Point Park University is creating a $210-million Academic Village that will include two residence halls, a student center and the relocation of the Pittsburgh Playhouse from Oakland to Downtown. The university spent $6.5 million to convert a building on Boulevard of the Allies into apartments, which recently opened. The school will convert the neighboring building into apartments and open it next fall.

Duquesne University opened Power Recreation Center on Forbes Avenue, Uptown, and hopes to start a commercial development on Forbes.

According to the 2000 Census, 855 students lived in the Golden Triangle and 3,475 students in the Central Core, an area that includes the North and South shores, Strip District, Uptown, the Bluff and Lower Hill.

By April 2008, that number grew to 2,927 students Downtown and 5,842 in the Central Core, according to a study by the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership.

"We're seeing more people interested in living (in downtowns) across the country," said Patty Burk, the partnership's vice president of housing and economic development. "I'm sure that that translates into students interested in going to school in an urban environment."

George Pry has seen the thumbprint of the Art Institute grow Downtown. Ten years ago, it had 539 students living in Allegheny Center in the North Side. The institute has 945 students living in or near Downtown and nearly another 1,000 students who live in independent housing.

"It's definitely the second largest concentration of students in the city," said Pry, the school's president.

Shannon Hall resident Maggy Donovan likes Downtown life -- especially walking to the South Side.

"I love Downtown because where I live is cow country," said Donovan, 22, of South Fayette.

Burk said a study by the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership found that students spend an average of $35 a week Downtown.

That's why Weiss spent more than $500,000 to double the size of the Smithfield News and add a grocery store and stock it with gourmet coffee, take-out sandwiches and other foods popular with students.

"If they want something," he said, "we get it."

Students make up 60 percent of the customers at the 7-Eleven at Fourth Avenue and Wood Street, said Shireesh Kunder, a clerk at the store. The students boosted sales 40 percent over the past two years, Weiss said.

Agustin Garcia owns two Mexico City restaurants Downtown, one on Wood and another on Smithfield. Students make up 25 percent of the customers at the Wood site and about 40 percent at the Smithfield location.

"The business we have in the evening is mostly students," Garcia said at the Wood restaurant. "When they're not here, there's hardly any business in the evening."

Pry admitted he was reluctant to buy the Try Street Terminal and convert it into Shannon Hall because of its proximity to the Allegheny County Jail. He said he changed his mind because of the relatively low crime in the area.

"I guess nobody wants to commit a crime when they can see the jail," he said with a laugh.

Shannon Hall residents say they, too, have no gripes about living close to the jail.

"The worst you get is people coming out of prison asking you for cigarettes," said Sean Jacob, 18, a freshman from Fairview Park, Ohio.

Bill Zlatos can be reached at bzlatos@tribweb.com or 412-320-7828.

...

Evergrey

09-29-2008, 06:10 AM

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_590620.html

Children's Hospital neighborhood plans for business growth

By Tony LaRussa
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, September 29, 2008

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/photos/2008-09-28/0929-hot1-a.jpg
Michelle Pate (front) works with her sister, Kathy McDonnell, owner of Penn Main Cafe, one of the shops in Lawrenceville able to hang on after business dropped off in 2002 with the shuttering of St. Francis Medical Center.
Keith Hodan/Tribune-Review

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/photos/2008-09-28/0929-hot3-a.jpg

Kathy McDonnell, owner of Penn Main Cafe at 4108 Penn Ave., said she hopes the opening of the new Children's Hospital will be good for business, which has relied on construction workers' dollars in the meantime. Many of the nearby storefronts are boarded up.
Keith Hodan/Tribune-Review

Shawn Carlson need only look out his window to get a progress report on the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC being built across the street from his Lawrenceville apartment.

"When they started putting those bright yellow, blue, green and orange panels on the front, it really caught my attention," said Carlson, 32. "I looked at that rainbow and thought: I think there's a pot of gold at the end of it."

Carlson, who has been working as a chef for seven years, rents the empty ground-floor storefront of his building and is looking for investors to help him open a restaurant.

"This area looks pretty dead right now, but when the new hospital opens it's going to be booming," Carlson said. "I want to be part that."

In the years since the former St. Francis Medical Center closed its doors in 2002, the surrounding commercial district has fallen on hard times.

Many of the storefronts are boarded up. There is little foot traffic. And the steady stream of cars and trucks traveling Penn Avenue have little reason to stop.

In early May, the neighborhood is expected to change dramatically.

When the 1.5 million-square-foot hospital opens, it will employ more than 3,300 people and is expected to draw between 2,300 and 3,500 patients and their families each day, according to hospital officials.

The owners of the few businesses that hung on during construction say the opening cannot come soon enough.

"If it wasn't for the construction workers, we probably would have closed the doors," said Kathy McDonnell, 49, of Murrysville, who bought the Penn Main Cafe at 4108 Penn Ave. two years ago when her banking job was outsourced. "It's been a bit of a struggle, so we're very excited about the hospital opening."

Sam Furman, who has operated Sammy's Famous Corned Beef shop on Penn Avenue for nine years, said having two locations Downtown has helped him survive in Lawrenceville .

"There definitely was a drop in business when (St. Francis) closed," Furman said. "We've been able to hold our own in the neighborhood, but it will be nice to get the boost in business we expect after Children's opens. I'm looking forward to it."

Phil Spano, chairman of the Penn Main Business Association, said redeveloping the commercial corridor to accommodate the influx of employees, patients and their families will be "tricky."

"We don't have football field-size properties to work with," said Spano, who grew up across the street from the hospital and owns properties in the neighborhood.

"Most of the shops are small, so there will be some limitations on what can go in them. Right now we are working with the landlords to try to come up with a mix of businesses that not only complement the hospital but serve the needs of the neighborhood," Spano said.

Although most people believe the hospital will benefit the neighborhood, not all business owners are enamored with the prospects of what it will bring.

Angelo Posteraro, owner of Graziano's Pizzeria on Penn Avenue, said his business -- about half of which comes from take-out beer sales -- dipped 25 percent when the city recently removed parking meters along his block to add a lane to accommodate hospital traffic.

"I know we're supposed to look at the hospital like it's Emerald City and will be a big benefit to the neighborhood," Posteraro said. "But if people have to circle around the block a couple of times and still can't find a parking spot, they will just keep driving past my place. I guess nobody thought about the little guy when they made that decision."

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

Evergrey

09-30-2008, 06:53 AM

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08274/916069-192.stm

Un-conventional: The city's bigger, better center is an underachiever

Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Even before the first David L. Lawrence Convention Center opened in 1981, it was considered too small to lure big-money conventions to town. That's what led Allegheny County officials to build a spectacular, taxpayer-funded, $373 million facility, triple the size of its predecessor, a magnet that would be competitive for about 80 percent of the nation's convention business.

The five-year-old center itself is a marvel, with a breathtaking Rafael Vinoly design that swoops from Penn Avenue toward the Allegheny River. It contains 313,400 square feet of exhibit space -- equivalent to more than five football fields -- and all the latest technology.

But it has yet to fulfill its promise, or even come close.

In an eye-opening report in Sunday's editions, Post-Gazette staff writer Mark Belko laid out the figures that spell trouble. Annual attendance exceeded the old center's total only in its first year of operation. The new center holds fewer events per year than the old one. Even convention attendance, which was supposed to be the bread and butter of the center, has been falling since 2004.

The Sports and Exhibition Authority, which owns the building, and Visit Pittsburgh, the agency responsible for booking major conventions, offer unsatisfactory rebuttals. They contend that attendance and the number of events aren't the true measure of success, and Mark Leahy, the center's general manager, says they're being "selective" in what they book.

In the 1990s, cities including Pittsburgh scrambled to build or expand their centers, which were seen as a vital component in drawing tourists with fat wallets to town. Now there are too many sites chasing the same events. This doesn't seem like a good time to be "selective."

Center operators, though, say the real test is the number of hotel nights booked and the amount spent by visitors. But a nationwide survey gave Pittsburgh a below-average rating on its number of hotel nights, and economic impact estimates can be notoriously unreliable.

If the SEA can ever seal a deal for a convention center hotel next door to the center, that would help. In the meantime, SEA officials argue that more taxpayer support is needed from the Regional Asset District tax to operate the center. We disagree. Instead of seeking RAD dollars, convention center management should be devising a plan for luring a lot more business.

Johnland

09-30-2008, 02:30 PM

This is why I'm leary of the 'Big Fix' that politicians seem to love as an answer to overall economic problems. In theory, having loads of big spending out-o- towners flooding the city would be a boost. Yet, the fixed costs on convention center must be borne by the city month in, month out. Why is it never even on the table to lower business costs for the whole metro region to stimulate an influx of commerce/business/industry that would would increase jobs, tax revenue, population, etc? Is it just too impossible for the government leaders and officials to try and re-tool Pittsburgh's economy to work more like Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, Austin, Phoenix, or any other of dozens of cities that sem to have an economic act together enough to spur growth?

Here in Tampa, they put in a 'Big Fix' downtown near the port. A huge complex called 'Channelside' was built with a multi-screen movie theater, bars, restaurants, stores. It has never paid off. Locals (ie city residents) abhor it as a cheap imitation of a real city neighborhood and avoid it (as do I), The suburban day trippers come, but not in enough numbers to keep restaurants and store alive. Restaurants and stores have come and gone over the years and dwindled down to fewer in number. Channelside competes with similar type venues closer to Orlando and in St. Pete. It is not unique. Just as Pittsburgh's convention center is not a unique commodity. Convention Centers are everywhere. Good old State of PA has built and an even more colossal center in Philly and is now building one in Lancaster. Does one state need all these centers? Essentailly, government officials act as brokers for the convention investment, using taxpayer money. As brokers, they make out win, lose or draw. They've brokered the transaction and collected all the associated brokerage benefits. If the deal loses money, it's the taxpayers on the hook for the losses. I'd rather invest in jobs and real economic growth. But the payoff is too many election cycles away, so elected officials have no incentive to even break a sweat on that concept.

PA Pride

09-30-2008, 03:27 PM

It's still a huge asset. Maybe it just needs better management.

Minivan Werner

09-30-2008, 04:11 PM

Somehow I find it hard to believe that all the DLLCC needs to prosper is a hotel connected to it. There should be plenty of rooms nearby, no? You've got that new Hampton in a block away, the Double Tree next door, SpringHill on the N. Shore plus many others. I'd still love to see the connecting hotel built as originally proposed, however.

That article poses a lot of questions but doesn't offer any answers. Wish the writer would have found a nearby convention center that is successful and used it as a comparison and told us what they're offering or doing differently than us. How do they lure more business?

lastcall4am

09-30-2008, 04:23 PM

It sounds like there is too much competition at the top end of the convention center biz. There was a race to build oversized convention centers, but the convention business wasn't exaclty growing as much as the size of these conventions. Instead of being "selective" and focusing on bringing in conventions that can fill the whole space, why not focus on smaller and medium size conventions that will generate continuous business. I live just up the road in Buffalo and our convention business has been suprisingly brisk in recent years with the use of a convention center a fraction of the size as pittsburgh has. Everybody wants the homerun convention, but small and medium sized conventions can bring in just as much business, if not more

Minivan Werner

09-30-2008, 05:57 PM

That sounds almost too logical.

Perhaps operating smaller conventions in such a massive building isn't cost efficient? Hope that's not the case.

The article states Leahy and his staff are being selective about what comes in. He's either telling the truth or there is the possibility that there just isn't much interest in ANY conventions, big or small, coming to the DLLCC. I'm not sure which possibility is worse. Why be selective when there's money to be made and business to be brought into town?

tooluther

09-30-2008, 07:20 PM

[QUOTE=Minivan Werner;3831011]Somehow I find it hard to believe that all the DLLCC needs to prosper is a hotel connected to it. There should be plenty of rooms nearby, no? You've got that new Hampton in a block away, the Double Tree next door, SpringHill on the N. Shore plus many others. I'd still love to see the connecting hotel built as originally proposed, however.
QUOTE]

VisitPittsburgh argument (for what its worth) is not that there aren't enough hotel rooms downtown, but that there is no "headquarters" hotel at the convention center. When big conventions come to town, they want 1,000 rooms in one building, at the convention center...or else they don't come.

Given downtown's hotel occupancy as of late, even with more supply, it all looks warranted.

The downside is Forest City who was to be the developer put a country wide freeze on new development for 2 years...they are getting hammered pretty hard up there in Cleveland (imagine what will happen if Nat City fails!). One of my classmates from the MRED program at Clemson just got laid off as did many others

tooluther

09-30-2008, 07:22 PM

Also, in case everyone didn’t just see…Equitable FINALLY announced publicly that they are moving their headquarters and expansion to the old dominion tower on Liberty. This is a consolidation of jobs from Kentucky and West Virgina so it’s a net gain of 500-(eventually) 700 jobs for downtown. They are keeping 175 jobs on the north shore.

The lease is for 257,000 s.f. which is about 1.5% of the total class A office space downtown. The lease will immediately raise class A occupancy from 86.6% to about 88.1%

PA Pride

09-30-2008, 08:01 PM

^Thanks for posting the occupancy rates with Equitables new lease. I would love to see downtown occupancy go into the 90%'s.

UrbaniDesDev

10-01-2008, 03:19 AM

Smoker

10-01-2008, 06:41 AM

Evergrey

10-01-2008, 06:51 AM

http://www.popcitymedia.com/developmentnews/mrktsq1001.aspx

$35M project kicks off construction with DISCO LIVE in Pittsburgh's Market Square

http://www.popcitymedia.com/galleries/Default/Dev%20News/Issue%20129/marketsquarestrada_300.jpg

Call it a groundbreaking with a creative twist. Marking the start of construction on Downtown’s latest mixed-use development, Millcraft Industries is hosting Disco Live on Oct. 8 in Market Square.

The free social event—aimed at introducing urban professionals and the city’s workforce to the Downtown’s latest residential offerings—kicks off construction at MarketSquare Place.

The $35 million project, housed within the former G.C. Murphy, will feature 46 loft-style rental ranging in size from 700 to 2,500 square feet and starting at $700. The property’s 75,000 square feet of retail space will include the YMCA’s new 45,000-square-foot headquarters. Designed by Pittsburgh-based Strada, the project will seek LEED certification. Contractor is Tedco.

“It’s an exiting time for Downtown. The fantastic new programs happening in Market Square, which is cleaner and safer, are kicking off something big,” says Lucas Piatt, with project developer, Canonsburg-based Millcraft Industries. “2009 is going to be a banner year for Fifth Avenue, with the Fairmont opening and new corporate clientele coming into Downtown.”

Piatt is discussing retail opportunities with spas and salons, deli-style restaurants and a high-end tapas lounge. “The key is to balance local purveyors with national shops,” adds Piatt, who says MarketSquare Place will open in summer 2009. “The goal is to create a boutique neighborhood.” The project, which received historic and new market tax credits, is financed through US Bank.

An official groundbreaking ceremony will start at 5 p.m. The event will feature street performers, dancing, prizes, and a 7 p.m. set by Pittsburgh-based disco-themed band Dancing Queen. To reserve special group seating, call 412-281-6560.

To receive Pop City free every week, click here.

Writer: Jennifer Baron
Source: Lucas Piatt, vice president, Millcraft Industries, Inc.; Christian Boscherini, marketing manager, MarkIT Group

Image courtesy Strada

Minivan Werner

10-01-2008, 01:47 PM

Guess I'd better break out the platform shoes.

hyperion1110

10-01-2008, 02:43 PM

I agree with PA Pride about new management for the DLLCC. Previous mgmnt. knew how to attract and promote. There was always lots of TV advertising that was effective in attracting us to an event.

I've often had the feeling that they sit in their offices sending out media kits expecting the business to just come to them. If they have salesmen they aren't getting the job done. If they use an advertising agency it's time for a better one although we probably don't spend enough to be looked at as an attractive account to have.

I've never gone to the new center because I've never heard about anything to make me want to go there. I want to take a look around, just give me a half decent reason to go.

It was a grandiose idea that seemed kind of stupid at the time and was heavily protested as I recall. At the same time Port Authority needed some fixin' and was ignored.

I also agree with lastcall4am. The small and medium sized conventions are your bread and butter. The once in awhile super conventions are only gravy.

Change the name to something happy and inviting. Nobody knows nor cares who David L. Lawrence was, probably some politician which most of us hate these days. When you've got no business you can't afford to be selective. That's probably what got you where you are. Wise up.

I agree with most of what you say...just not the part about David Lawrence, especially when it comes to this beautiful, environmentally friendly building.

David Lawrence was mayor of Pittsburgh from 1945-1959, and he was one of the architects (along with R.K. Mellon) of Pittsburgh's first Renaissance.

Check out Pittsburgh before Mayor Lawrence, then tell me he's not the perfect namesake for the convention center.

http://images.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/i/image/image-idx?q1=aerial;sid=bf82ca08210826cf9361a9c5a0fc6491;type=boolean;rgn1=aerial_all;view=thumbnail;g=imls;med=1;c=aerial

PittPanther

10-02-2008, 04:34 AM

Here's the shot from a similar perspective EG. It's from the Hays Woods group's Flickr page. You could tweak the colors a bit and crop it to make it closer looking to the banner image.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/71/157238952_4c2ebe647f_b.jpg
Image from Hays Woods' Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/10567323@N00/sets/72157594151006326/) Page
Looking at all this empty space made me remember an idea that I thought of over the summer. Watching the Beijing games in August and everything they had to build and improve to get ready for the games was something. Imagine if the Olympics were to be held in Pittsburgh (I know it will never work; politics, funding, infrastructure), but just think of the possibilities and everything that would be completed.

The only problem I could see is that Pittsburgh is to small and it might negatively hit the city just like how Athens was affected after the 04 games, but I can imagine Hays Woods completely developed with an Olympic village, stadium etc... Anyways, A man can dream.

Evergrey

10-02-2008, 05:16 AM

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_591183.html

Boaters land another touchpoint

By Allison M. Heinrichs
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, October 2, 2008

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/photos/2008-10-01/1002-trail2-a.jpg
The Fourth Street kayak and canoe landing, across the Monongahela River from the Allegheny County Jail, is a project envisioned by Friends of the Riverfront to enhance river access for paddlers.
Joe Appel/Tribune-Review

David Malehorn slipped into his red "toy boat" kayak Wednesday and paddled to the grand opening of the Fourth Street kayak and canoe landing in the South Side.

It was natural for the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute researcher, who has kayaked since childhood.

"The quality of life is definitely on the upswing in Pittsburgh, and I think access to the rivers is a big part of that," said Malehorn of Morningside, as he floated on the Monongahela River. "People are recognizing the merit of recreational opportunities in the city."

Friends of the Riverfront began the project nearly a year ago. It is the 18th landing the South Side nonprofit has completed to enhance river access for paddlers.

The state on Tuesday announced a partnership between the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Fish and Boat Commission, Pennsylvania Environmental Council and National Park Service to develop "water trails" -- boat routes suitable for canoes, kayaks and small motorized watercraft. Pennsylvania has 21 water trails spanning more than 2,000 miles.

Pfaffmann + Associates, a Downtown architectural firm, designed the Fourth Street landing. It is near the Pittsburgh Terminal Building, across the Mon from the Allegheny County Jail.

"What inspired us as architects and artists was the site itself," said firm owner Rob Pfaffmann, an avid kayaker. "This was originally a barge landing area that's now a cool place to hang out and have a picnic lunch."

Twenty-three concrete steps lead through an amphitheater alcove to a wooden platform resting along the river 15 feet below. Black-eyed susans and other native flowers sprout from small gardens. An artistic, yet functional, railing made of 2-inch rebar picks up a nautical theme by coiling like a rope around joints as it flanks the stairs.

"We fused contemporary design and modern techniques with traditional craftsmanship," said Alexi Morrissey, project manager for Red Star Ironworks in Millvale, which made the railing. He explained that the coiled rebar is more than just artistic -- it's a blacksmithing technique that has been used for thousands of years.

The city of Pittsburgh, Friends of the Riverfront, Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Steel Industry Heritage Corp., Sprout Fund and Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta paid for the landing, which cost $150,000.

Access to the water sets Pittsburgh apart from other river cities, said Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, adding that when he visited Cincinnati recently, city officials there told him they didn't have kayak landings.

"I believe that the revitalization and rebirth of this city, in many ways, has been (due to) our ability to access our riverfronts," he said.

Allison M. Heinrichs can be reached at aheinrichs@tribweb.com or 412-380-5607.

Smoker

10-02-2008, 08:35 AM

I agree with most of what you say...just not the part about David Lawrence, especially when it comes to this beautiful, environmentally friendly building.

David Lawrence was mayor of Pittsburgh from 1945-1959, and he was one of the architects (along with R.K. Mellon) of Pittsburgh's first Renaissance.

Check out Pittsburgh before Mayor Lawrence, then tell me he's not the perfect namesake for the convention center.

http://images.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/i/image/image-idx?q1=aerial;sid=bf82ca08210826cf9361a9c5a0fc6491;type=boolean;rgn1=aerial_all;view=thumbnail;g=imls;med=1;c=aerial

I don't believe in honoring dead politicians by defacing structures with their names just because they did a job they got paid to do, even if they did it exceptionally better. The same with the Clemente bridge or anything else. Using a person's name is detracting and serves no practical purpose. There are some exceptions like Disneyworld, but that's a private enterprise. Happy Valley Convention Center would be much more memorable and inviting than David L. Lawrence CC which sounds very long, boring and dead. I think we should break away from this useless tradition and be more innovative.

I don't need those photos to remember what Pgh. used to look like. We had TV in the 1950s and it looked the same. We've come a long way.

Minivan Werner

10-02-2008, 06:00 PM

Looking at all this empty space made me remember an idea that I thought of over the summer. Watching the Beijing games in August and everything they had to build and improve to get ready for the games was something. Imagine if the Olympics were to be held in Pittsburgh (I know it will never work; politics, funding, infrastructure), but just think of the possibilities and everything that would be completed.

The only problem I could see is that Pittsburgh is to small and it might negatively hit the city just like how Athens was affected after the 04 games, but I can imagine Hays Woods completely developed with an Olympic village, stadium etc... Anyways, A man can dream.

I admittedly don't know that much about the Olympics.. But I don't think Pittsburgh would be a bad choice for the Winter Olympics someday. With the slope events being held outside the city like in Hidden Valley or something.

Evergrey

10-02-2008, 06:23 PM

article fails to mention the Montrose Exchange development

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/tribpm/s_591265.html

Promised commercial development in East Liberty has been slow to arrive

By Jodi Weigand
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, October 2, 2008

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/photos/2008-10-02/1002storefront-a.jpg
Storefronts along Penn Avenue near South Highland Avenue in East Liberty Wednesday October 1, 2008.
James Knox/Tribune-Review

Numerous development projects have popped up around Penn Circle in East Liberty.

Few have ventured inside.

It's been three years since the razing of public housing high-rises on Penn Avenue signaled a step toward long-awaited development in East Liberty's business district, but significant changes have yet to come. Many storefronts remain empty.

"We recognize if you come on Penn Avenue that you'll see some facades that are in bad need of being restored," said Paul Brecht, executive director of the East Liberty Chamber of Commerce. "There's no sense in (improving) it until you know what kind of businesses are going to be going in there."

Community development groups are confident that projects outside the circle such as the Home Depot that opened in 1999 will encourage development within.

The goal is to attract anchor stores on both sides of the Penn Circle, which, in turn, would draw shoppers, said Ernie Hogan, deputy director of East Liberty Development Inc. That would provide a customer base for prospective small businesses, he said.

"So people come to the district and then they have a tendency to stay and have lunch, then they might (visit other stores), because they realize (they're) here," he said. "By creating that market flux and draw, we expand the community in a more advantageous way that benefits everybody."

Existing business owners have mixed emotions about what they call Shadyside-esque development making its way to the central business district.

Vince Arabia, 52, of Lower Burrell, owner of Sam's Bostonian shoe store on Penn Avenue, is afraid such development would destroy the atmosphere small businesses provide.

But he also sees the benefit of larger retailers.

Business suffered slightly when a PNC bank across the street from his store moved to the Eastside complex on Centre Avenue. That complex houses Whole Foods, Starbucks and Borders, among others.

"The people who go to the stores over there don't even park over here," he said. "They're afraid," because of how it looks.

Neighborhood leaders hope two projects change that.

One, dubbed the East Side Five, is on Broad Street between Sheridan Avenue and North Beatty Street, Brecht said. Developers such as Edward Lesoon of the East Liberty-based Wedgwood Group would like to lure retail stores and restaurants to the complex. Target, for one, has shown serious interest.

The other involves East Liberty Development, which last year bought four buildings on Penn Avenue near North Highland Avenue, Hogan said. The nonprofit received bids from companies interested in leasing space and is optimistic renovations could begin next year, he said.

Hogan reassured existing businesses that they will be considered in the shopping district's redevelopment. His organization is working to educate owners on how to compete in the changing market, he said.

Rafia Brookings, 22, of Highland Park, manager of Jamil's Global Village on Penn Avenue, called the development "excellent and wonderful."

"Could it push the small African-American, mom-and-pop types out of here? I don't see why it would," he said. "It would take the people who own the places to close them."

Jodi Weigand can be reached at jweigand@tribweb.com or 412-380-5609.

PA Pride

10-02-2008, 11:18 PM

250 years of pittsburgh history! 7 minute video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o75yBx8XBK0

Johnland

10-02-2008, 11:36 PM

I don't believe in honoring dead politicians by defacing structures with their names just because they did a job they got paid to do, even if they did it exceptionally better. The same with the Clemente bridge or anything else. Using a person's name is detracting and serves no practical purpose. There are some exceptions like Disneyworld, but that's a private enterprise. Happy Valley Convention Center would be much more memorable and inviting than David L. Lawrence CC which sounds very long, boring and dead. I think we should break away from this useless tradition and be more innovative.

I don't need those photos to remember what Pgh. used to look like. We had TV in the 1950s and it looked the same. We've come a long way.

I agree 100% about this craze for renaming things after people. As an excample: it's great to honor someone such as Clemente, but renaming the 7th Street after him changes it from logical and geographical to only-locals-know-it. 7th St. Bridge is short and sweet and you know exactly where it is.

hyperion1110

10-03-2008, 04:47 PM

I agree 100% about this craze for renaming things after people. As an excample: it's great to honor someone such as Clemente, but renaming the 7th Street after him changes it from logical and geographical to only-locals-know-it. 7th St. Bridge is short and sweet and you know exactly where it is.

Umm...calling it the Pittsburgh Convention Center or whatever is just plain stupid.

Naming things give them a sense of purpose beyond the obvious. Yes, a bridge is just that, a bridge, and calling it the 7th St Bridge is very descriptive. But I see no problem with renaming it to honor a great athlete and humanitarian, especially given the fact that it acts as a grand walkway during Pirates games for people coming from downtown. Likewise, we have this wonderfully designed, LEED-certified convention center, which stands as a monument to the transformation of this city from an sooty, industrial center to a vibrant, high tech-focused and environmentally conscious place. How, then, would it be more appropriate to name it something generic like the Pittsburgh Convention Center than to name it after one of the people who started cleaning up this city, with the current facility being one of the realizations of his mission?

If simple description for public places and buildings is the most convenient way to name things, then fine. I move that we rename the convention center the 40 degree North 79 degree West Convention Center. ...Boy, I'll bet no one will ever be confused as to where that's located!

themaguffin

10-03-2008, 05:10 PM

No naming it after something old industry related would be bad. We don't need to continue long dead steeltown crap, but Lawrence was a very significant mayor who pushed the modernization of Pittsburgh in the post war years.

I suppose that La Guardia airport should be renamed Long Island Airport (the one that's not JFK).

Smoker

10-03-2008, 06:02 PM

Do you want to sell conventions or honor the past? Build a statue of him if you must but nobody outside of Pgh., and even the younger generation here, doesn't care one iota. You don't understand marketing.

themaguffin

10-03-2008, 06:42 PM

Do you want to sell conventions or honor the past?

I can't wait to read how the name of a convention center matters to event planners. I'm sure that they are thrilled that you insulted their intelligence and job duties with the including of the all important criteria "does their building have a cool name?"

Perhaps if that planner were named Sarah Palin, maybe.

Build a statue of him if you must but nobody outside of Pgh., and even the younger generation here, doesn't care one iota.

Correct, a younger generation doesn't care what name is on a convention center, so your point is confirmed as irrelevant.

You don't understand marketing.

My boss and clients would disagree with you.

But more importantly you don't seem to grasp relevance.

The marketing of the convention center is selling it's value to potential businessess for their convention business. It's irrelevant to them what name is on the building. They care about price, amenities, and whatever specific criteria is relevant to their convention.

It's common for city (state and federal) buildings to get named after people - particularly those significant in goverment There has been no one more significant person in the city of Pittsburgh's goverment in the last many decades than Lawrence.

It's doesn't matter that you give a shit about Lawrence or if New Yorkers today give a shit about La Guardia or any of the million other names on government buildings. That's not why they were named and it's certainly not relevant to filling the calendar.

However, getting an appropriately sized hotel for one, does matter and it won't have a cool name either.

cdc

10-03-2008, 07:16 PM

Maybe they can sell the convention center's naming rights and use the
cash to help cover their operating budget, since conventions
themselves can't seem to cover them. Ha ha.

"Convention center seeks ways to offset its deficit"
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08277/917053-53.stm

PA Pride

10-03-2008, 07:21 PM

Website for the new condos in PNC 3. The Residences at the Fairmont

http://residencesatthefairmont.com/

Nothing there yet except a registry form. Can't wait to see what these look like. I'm sure these will be some of the nicest downtown condos.

except from a company email I received:
"This is the first condo of its kind in Pittsburgh offering home ownership with the amenities of a five-star hotel.
We go public on October 15th, 2008. Don’t miss this opportunity.
Floor to ceiling glass, Sub-Zero and Wolf kitchen appliances, Toto plumbing fixtures, hardwood, marble, granite and more are all included. Don’t miss this chance for your clients and friends to “live above the world”."

UrbaniDesDev

10-04-2008, 01:30 AM

I wonder what floors the condos are located. The upper Im assuming

UrbaniDesDev

10-04-2008, 01:40 AM

Is it me or is this Pittsburgh 250 the biggest sleeper ever?

PA Pride

10-04-2008, 05:23 AM

Is it me or is this Pittsburgh 250 the biggest sleeper ever?

Meaning suprisingly good or surprisingly boring?

Evergrey

10-04-2008, 05:35 AM

Is it me or is this Pittsburgh 250 the biggest sleeper ever?

http://www.post-gazette.com/images3/20050823dm_privatesector_450.jpg

Evergrey

10-04-2008, 06:12 AM

the title of this article doesn't exactly pertain to the article... but it's an interesting read nonetheless

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_591621.html

Oakland begins to rival Golden Triangle

By F.A. Krift
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, October 4, 2008

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/photos/2008-10-03/1004-oak1-a.jpg
The Original Hot Dog Shop on Forbes Avenue is always a popular destination in Oakland
Sidney L. Davis/Tribune-Review

To understand Pittsburgh's flourishing office real estate market, look to Oakland.

Always rich in first-floor retail and quick-eat, carry-out shops geared toward students at its three universities, Oakland has transformed itself into the hot spot office-space option for technology and medical firms.

"Eds and meds -- that's what we hear it called," said Georgia Petropoulos, executive director of the Oakland Business Improvement District. "That's really growing strong and stable."

The crammed Oakland office-space market -- the region's smallest -- remains one of the most occupied, with an 8 percent vacancy rate, according to a Grubb & Ellis office-market trends report. Office space never has been readily available in Oakland, real estate experts said, but demand increased as Pittsburgh's economy continued to evolve and center around medicine and research.

The industries' growth is affecting other neighborhoods, such as Downtown. As start-up technology firms mature into mid-sized companies, many relocate away from Oakland's hospitals and universities because they can't find the space they need within the neighborhood.

With a two-year annualized growth rate of 7.8 percent, Pittsburgh is the No. 1 rated office rent growth market in the United States, according to Torto Wheaton Research, a Boston-based property research company.

"Between the hospitals and universities, that is the backbone of the employment base in Pittsburgh, and everybody is scrambling to find any type of space that they can get their hands on," said Jeff Schultz, senior vice president at Grubb & Ellis.

Oakland has 129,000 square feet of available office space, compared to the 3.8 million square feet in Downtown and 1.3 million square feet along the Parkway West corridor, according to Grubb & Ellis. In Oakland, it's particularly difficult for larger, expanding companies to find enough space, Schultz said.

"If you want 10,000 square feet or greater, you will find a difficult time finding choices, if any," he said.

When Apangea Learning Inc., which provides live online tutoring, outgrew its Indiana County office, it moved to a Downtown space after looking throughout the region, including Oakland.

The availability of space and public transportation persuaded company leaders that Downtown was the best option, said Matt Hausmann, vice president of marketing and business development for Apangea Learning.

"We were expanding our company, needed to do a lot of hiring, and felt we needed to be in Pittsburgh to tap into Pittsburgh talent," he said. "We felt Downtown was the right place to be."

About 60 employees are crammed into 10,000 square feet at Apangea Learning, said Hausmann. With more hiring expected, the company soon will look for additional space.

In Oakland, asking rent for office space averages $20.26 a square foot for the best-rated space, according to Grubb & Ellis. It's the second most expensive submarket in the region behind Downtown, where similar property rents at an average of $22.34 a square foot. Landlords ask for $22.08 in the central business district's fringe area.

Oakland isn't necessarily more popular than Downtown, where nearly half -- 21.5 million square feet -- of Pittsburgh's office space is located, said Jeremy Kronman, executive vice president of CB Richard Ellis/Pittsburgh.

"Both are star performers right now," he said. "I don't mean locally, (but) nationally. Overall, both the Oakland market, with university and technology-driven type tenants, and Downtown's tenants, both are performing at the absolute top."

Expanding start-up companies sometimes choose the central business district because it portrays a traditional business image with its long-established reputation as the center of industry in Western Pennsylvania, said Sean Luther, Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership's development specialist.

"At some point, tech firms want to grow up in the eyes of their investors," he said. "Having a Downtown location rather than an Oakland address is a sign of maturity in a lot of their minds."

F.A. Krift can be reached at bkrift@tribweb.com or 412-380-5644.

UrbaniDesDev

10-04-2008, 03:09 PM

Meaning suprisingly good or surprisingly boring?

I mean, I am hearing nothing about it and see little evidence of any major event Downtown, outside of the fireworks. I think they have done a horrible job. Where is the promotion? The year will be over and there is very little buzz. Even the fireworks arent being promoted as they should have been.
I thought they were going to beautify some of the major streets downtown and have some major projects complete. They spent an enormous amount of time on Point State Park and only finished the city side. The stone walkways along the river and around the fountain are a nightmare and should have been a priority. The Mon Wharf hasnt been touched and the connecting riverside park at the Convention Center and under the Fort Duquesne Bridge ramp, vital connections, not touched. They funneled money to the bike trails, a great investment, but not at all connected to the 250 celebration. The final piece of the Noth Shore riverwalk is incomplete.
I thought it was going to be huge draw for tourism this year. Im finding even most locals know nothing about it and have no plans in participating. Outside of our group or people actually involved with the city there is NO BUZZ!
I really thought we were going to be making national news over this.

The last leg left off on the North Shore in front of the Carnegie Science Center
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/carnegieconnection-1.jpg

The important connection of the Riverfront at the Convention Center
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/SEA_300.jpg
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/ConventionCenterPark-2.jpg

The connection of Point State Park to the Allegheny River front Park
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/PointStatePark8-1.jpg

The completion of the riverfront at Point State Park
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/PointStatePark17.jpg

The connection of point State Park to the Mon Wharf
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/PointStatePark6.jpg

and the Mon Wharf
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e235/UrbaniDesDev/MonWharf-1.jpg

finishing the Golden Triangles Riverfront should have been the priority!
High hopes, I suppose. They are all set for starting but should have been in place for this year.

Burgh15

10-04-2008, 06:13 PM

finishing the Golden Triangles Riverfront should have been the priority!
High hopes, I suppose. They are all set for starting but should have been in place for this year.

I agree. Having a grand opening of the new Riverfront Parks would have been a great way to have a fireworks celebration as well as something that people could have used.

tooluther

10-04-2008, 08:53 PM

Double post, sorry

AaronPGH

10-04-2008, 08:56 PM

I mean, I am hearing nothing about it and see little evidence of any major event Downtown, outside of the fireworks. I think they have done a horrible job. Where is the promotion? The year will be over and there is very little buzz. Even the fireworks arent being promoted as they should have been.

I agree completely. It's not just you that's angry about the lack of promotion for the 250 events, there are a lot of people somewhat connected to the whole thing that feel like this was a squandered opportunity. One of my friends works with the Sprout Fund and says a lot of money was wasted with this thing. Where is the green music festival? Where is the national press? Where are the well promoted events that are supposed to lure young people? The ball was dropped on this one. This was a great chance to really do it up proper for Pittsburgh and so far it's not looking like it's been a success.

tooluther

10-04-2008, 10:34 PM

the title of this article doesn't exactly pertain to the article... but it's an interesting read nonetheless

...but that guy they quoted at the end of the article is pretty awesome.

BTW: Evergrey, where is that bad ass logo from?

On the PGH250 stuff, I can't comment, but off its def. more than just the Sprout Fund that thinks that

Evergrey

10-05-2008, 07:58 AM

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_591769.html

Happy 250th, Pittsburgh!

By F.A. Krift
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, October 5, 2008

At the "Birthday Blow-out" bash for Pittsburgh's 250th year Saturday in Point State Park, 76-year-old Frank Schiller had a simple message for Pittsburghers: Go ... do ... now.

Almost 250 years after Gen. John Forbes arrived at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers and christened the place Pittsburgh, Schiller and his wife, Anastasia, couldn't imagine living anywhere else. Kayak on the rivers? The Schillers have done it. Come Downtown to the Cultural District for a musical? Better believe it, they said.

"We get out and do things," said Anastasia Schiller, 75, of Wilkins Township.

And they weren't about to sit at home to celebrate the city's birthday.

Pittsburgh celebrated its past yesterday with a million-dollar extravaganza complete with a flotilla, concerts in the park, a 335-mile bicycle ride from Washington along the Great Allegheny Passage, and a huge fireworks display shot from 17 locations. Thousands of people came Downtown and to the North Side to witness the fireworks -- billed as the largest ever in a town that can't get enough of them.

The party celebrated the people who made Pittsburgh what it is, like steelmaker and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, and the things that will shape its future, like the Great Allegheny Passage, which 80 bicyclists rode from Washington to Pittsburgh, as part of the celebration. But it was about the future, too, birthday party organizers said.

"The whole theme is Pittsburgh: Imagine what you can do here," said Bill Flanagan, director of Pittsburgh 250, which organized the yearlong celebration. "What I like about it is it's kind of a call of action today, but it sums up what Pittsburgh has been for 250 years."

Anastasia Schiller's father came here after emigrating from Czechoslovakia and worked in a coal mine. Frank's parents owned and operated a Point Breeze grocery store. He took over the business before selling it in 1998.

"We belong here," Frank Schiller said.

Tracy Eagen feels like she belongs here. She grew up in Spring Hill in the house her grandfather was born and died in. He came here from Germany.

Eagen came to the park from Sheraden for the fireworks with her daughter, Kayla, 21, and friend Alyssa Gerlack, 23.

After the French abandoned what was then Fort Duquesne in 1758, Forbes renamed the outpost Pittsburgh in honor of British Prime Minister William Pitt. Because of the rivers, the city was considered the Gateway to the West and evolved into an industrial giant, only to lose much of its manufacturing base in the last two decades. It has become a center for science, medicine and technology, whose hills and riverfront make it a tourist destination.

Downtown wasn't a destination when Eagen was growing up on the North Side, she said. Point State Park has changed since then, too, she said. Part of Pittsburgh 250's signature projects was a renovation of the park, which is not quite finished. One-half of the park is closed for a makeover.

"I just hope the city keeps growing and growing," Eagen said.

Gerlack moved here a year ago from Florida. Her 5-month-old son, Lawrence Timmons Jr., sat on the outline of Fort Pitt with her yesterday. There's a lot to do in the city, she said, but many aren't experiencing it.

"When you live here you need to think like a tourist," Gerlack said.

Festivities started early yesterday morning, when each of the Three Rivers was closed for a flotilla that included more than 100 ships, including the Delta Queen.

The morning's opening ceremony included a historic flag ceremony in which dozens of area Eagle Scouts carried a huge American flag from one end of Point State Park to another.

"What's interesting about all of this is how much history there is to Pittsburgh," said Joseph Smith, 21 of Crafton and one of the Eagle Scouts who helped carry the flag.

Smith's father moved to Pittsburgh from Philadelphia 31 years ago.

"He's here to stay, and so am I. This city has a bright and glorious future," Smith said.

Pittsburgh today is not the gritty, smoky mill town, said people at the birthday celebration, but a modern, clean and friendly city.

"I can remember as a kid the pollution," said Jim Smith, 46, of Clarion as he sat in a lawn chair during a jazz concert. "Now it's a completely different environment. It's high technology and one of the best cities to live in."

F.A. Krift can be reached at bkrift@tribweb.com or 412-380-5644.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/photos/2008-10-04/1005-fireworks1-a.jpg
Fireworks light up the city skyline for the 250th birthday bash on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2008.
Sidney L. Davis/Tribune-Review

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/photos/2008-10-04/1005-fireworks2-a.jpg
Fireworks were set off from 17 locations around the city.
Sidney L. Davis/Tribune-Review

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/photos/2008-10-04/1005-boats2-a.jpg
J.A. Hannagan of Shadyside watches as a recreational vessel makes its way down the Allegheny River to the Point on Saturday during the river flotilla of the Pittsburgh 250 celebration. The river parade included canoes, kayaks, Chinese dragon boats, recreational boats and commercial boats.

Jasmine Gehris/Tribune-Review

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/photos/2008-10-04/1005-250tent-a.jpg
Civil War re-enactor Mike Kiss of Monroeville rests in his dog tent Saturday at Arsenal Park in Lawrenceville. Kiss and his unit were taking part in the Pittsburgh 250 celebration.
Sean Donnelly/Tribune-Review

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/photos/2008-10-04/1005-250schiller-a.jpg
Frank and Anastasia Schiller of Wilkins Township enjoy the festivities at the Pittsburgh 250 celebration at Point State Park in Pittsburgh Saturday, Oct. 4, 2008.
Heidi Murrin/Tribune-Review

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/photos/2008-10-05/1005-250eagen-a.jpg
From left, Alyssa Gerlack of Franklin Park; her son, Lawrence Timmons, 5 months; Tracy Eagan (center); and her daughter, Kayla Eagan of Sheraden enjoy the festivities at the Pittsburgh 250 celebration at Point State Park on Saturday, Oct.4, 2008.
Heidi Murrin/Tribune-Review

not mentioned in the article... but I'm taking a wild guess that Lawrence Timmons Jr. of Franklin Park is the son of Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Lawrence Timmons... who went to Florida State University... lol

PA Pride

10-06-2008, 12:33 AM

^Geez, lots of talk about the Schillers in that article...

The fireworks were: AMAZING! There were hundreds of thousands of people out. It was insane. I had a great time.
Took lots of photos but they all look like shit.

Here is a couple I took of the north shore T station signage:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/austindaniel/P1020074.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/austindaniel/P1020075.jpg

UrbaniDesDev

10-06-2008, 08:49 AM

Great fireworks!
The POINT was closed for the FIREWORKS!
I couldnt believe it

Evergrey

10-08-2008, 01:17 AM

http://pittsburgh.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2008/10/06/daily19.html?surround=lfn&brthrs=1

Tuesday, October 7, 2008 - 4:25 PM EDT

Pittsburgh's suburbs see declines in housing growth; city sees improvement

Pittsburgh Business Times - by Ben Semmes

Slammed by the ongoing credit crisis and fears of recession, Pittsburgh’s suburban new housing market continued heading south in the first three quarters of the year.

Permit filings for single-family detached units in the six-county Pittsburgh region fell 12.6 percent to 1,609, according to a report from Ross-based Tall Timber Group.

The market for single-family attached and multi-family units was even worse, suffering a 17 percent drop in permitting activity from the same period last year.

“Pittsburgh’s economy is as solid as it’s ever been, but the fear of the national recession seems to have put enough fear into the market to drag it down,” said Jeff Burd, president of Tall Timber Group, in a statement.

Most of the drop was attributed to suburban areas, while new housing permits in Pittsburgh were up 17 percent over the first three quarters of last year, according to the report.

Meanwhile Adams Township, the next most active suburb, saw permits fall from 158 in the first three quarters of 2007 to 131 during the same period this year, a 17 percent drop.

Burd said the trend is the opposite of a few years ago, when suburban markets showed steady new housing growth while the city of Pittsburgh stagnated.

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

All contents of this site © American City Business Journals Inc. All rights reserved.

Evergrey

10-08-2008, 05:33 AM

what an uninspiring project... smaller than the previous complex... loss of its exhibit space... and the renderings are only incrementally better than the hideous blue plastic structure that's being replaced

I'm also very disappointed in city planning's decision to allow that cemetery group to demolish their 1850s Greek Revival St. Mary's Academy for an expanded cemetery... religious groups get way too much power to do whatever they want since they have the mysterious "power of god" on their side... /rant

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_592194.html

Planning commission OKs new SportsWorks' final plan

By Jeremy Boren
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, October 8, 2008

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/photos/2008-10-07/1008-works-a.jpg
SportsWorks building to be built on the North Side.
Submitted

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/images/200810/sportsworksimage_1_1008_500.jpg

An interactive sports museum beside the Carnegie Science Center is on pace to open in time for Labor Day weekend.

Pittsburgh Planning Commission approved final plans Tuesday for the $5 million SportsWorks, a one-story, 25,000-square-foot attraction geared toward teaching visitors about sports, nutrition and health.

The original SportsWorks building closed Aug. 24. It is being demolished to make way for the Port Authority of Allegheny County's North Shore Connector light-rail project. The new SportsWorks will be made of prefabricated steel and sit on the opposite side of North Shore Drive.

It will offer many of the same exhibits as its predecessor, along with at least one old favorite that allows visitors to race against a virtual Olympic runner on a short track, said spokeswoman Ann Metzger.

Other exhibits will include a trampoline, rock climbing wall and human gyroscope.

"There are going to be new experiences, as well. Some related to the physics of sports, which is really what the old SportsWorks was about, and some related to health and the human body," Metzger said.

Missing from the new building will be room for traveling displays such as the "Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition" and "Bodies" exhibitions that drew large crowds.

"The new building will not have space for traveling exhibits," Metzger said.

More space could become available during future phases of the science center's expansion, including a reception center that would connect the science center and SportsWorks.

Separately, the Planning Commission voted 4-2 to reject a Lawrenceville architect's attempt to designate the former St. Mary's Academy on 46th Street a protected historic structure.

The academy was built between 1853 and 1854. It has served as a church, convent, school and administration building for nearby St. Mary's Church, said Joe Huber, director of family services for the Catholic Cemeteries Association.

The association bought St. Mary's, the former academy and surrounding grounds for $287,000 in 2005. It plans to demolish the academy to make room for more cemetery plots and turn the former church into a mausoleum, Huber said.

Lawrenceville architect Keith Cochran nominated the academy for historic status to save the Greek Revival style building from the wrecking ball. Cochran said this summer he sought to preserve the building because it is of a rare architectural style in Pittsburgh.

Planning Commission members said the building's owners have the right to demolish it because the former academy is a religious structure. Under city code, religious structures can be nominated for historic status only by their owners, not third parties.

Commission members Kirk Burkley and Barbara Ernsberger cast the dissenting votes. The decision is only a recommendation. City Council will have the final word.

Huber said the cemeteries association would consider selling the small building to preserve it, but only if someone also pays to have it moved to another site.

"We don't have the resources to preserve a building that we're never going to use," Huber said.

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

Evergrey

10-08-2008, 05:43 AM

I figured we were gonna start seeing changes in the ambitious Baum-Liberty project... considering the state of the financial world... I think going with apartments instead of condos is a smart move... and the East End rental market is VERY TIGHT... so these should be snapped up quickly... I am concerned about how long the parking-obsessed NIMBYs and Peduto are gonna stall this project...

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_592173.html

Bloomfield residential plan may be pared

By Sam Spatter
FOR THE TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Developers said the nation's financial crisis may force changes in the $230 million Baum Liberty Crossing project in Bloomfield, including reducing its size and asking for public financing for part of the project.

One change may be building 70 apartments instead of 50 condominiums in a proposed seven-story building that's planned in the first phase, said Mark Dellena, executive vice president of Doc-Economou, part of the development team.

Dellena, speaking before about 100 residents from seven neighborhood groups at a Monday night meeting to review a traffic plan for the project, said today's financing markets seem to have more money for apartments than for condos.

"We may later convert the apartments to condos," he said.

And, he said, the developers will seek public financing, although he declined to identify how much or from where.

"We need public support for infrastructure that includes parking, trees and sidewalks," he said.

A traffic impact study, prepared by Trans Associates, is being reviewed by the City Planning Department and was not available at the meeting.

"Depending on market conditions, we may have to scale down the building by a floor, or provide only 1 1/2 levels of underground parking beneath the building instead of two levels," he said.

City Councilman Bill Peduto arranged the meeting in hopes residents could review the traffic and parking plan for the development, to be located on the former Don Allen Auto site at the corner of Baum Boulevard and Liberty Avenue.

His hope is to have a traffic/parking plan that is acceptable to residents prior to an Oct. 23 hearing before the City Zoning Board of Adjustment on variances sought by the developers to permit a seven-story building in a zone that permits four stories.

"Without the support of the community, I will not support the project," Peduto said.

Current plans call for the first floor and portions of the second floor for retail, three floors of about 140 to 160 hotel rooms and two top floors for condominiums. The project involves four city blocks, stretching from Ritter's Diner on the west and the Children's Home on the east.

The master plan for the 5.5-acre site includes four buildings -- two of four stories and one of three stories, plus the seven-story structure -- which would house about 300,000 square feet each of office and retail space, the extended-stay hotel and condominiums.

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

dugdogmaster

10-08-2008, 09:43 AM

I hope something gets done. Bloomfield is my top choice for relocation:yes:

PA Pride

10-08-2008, 04:48 PM

Wow, anything is better than the current blue box for sportsworks, but that is a boring, uninspired new building!

Kind of a shame, the exhibit space isn't there. Bodies was awesome...

Burgh15

10-09-2008, 02:16 AM

Wow, anything is better than the current blue box for sportsworks, but that is a boring, uninspired new building!

Kind of a shame, the exhibit space isn't there. Bodies was awesome...

A boring, uninspired building is a lot easier to take if they keep the room for traveling exhibits. It's very disappointing that the new building won't have the room.

themaguffin

10-09-2008, 07:11 PM

This is more business than development, but it's potentially significant:

Thursday, October 9, 2008 - 10:26 AM EDT

Report: National City in talks with PNC, Canadian bankPittsburgh Business Times

According to a report in Thursday's Wall Street Journal, National City Corp. (NYSE: NCC) is in talks with two banks to discuss a possible sale.

The WSJ cites unnamed sources "familiar with the situation." It names Pittsburgh's largest bank, PNC Financial Services Group Inc., and Bank of Nova Scotia in Canada as among the potential buyers.
“PNC does not comment on rumors and speculation,” PNC spokesman Fred Solomon said Thursday morning.

Cleveland-based National City has been fending off acquisition rumors for the better part of a year. Speculation intensified last week, as the price of its shares plunged to $1.25 and its stock spent two days valued at less than $2 per share. It closed Wednesday at $2.23 per share.

National City was the first out-of-state bank to buy its way into Pittsburgh, with its 1996 purchase of Integra Financial Corp. Integra had cobbled together half a dozen western Pennsylvania banks.

When it became National City, it employed 4,300 and had 90 branches here. According to FDIC market share data released Wednesday, PNC (NYSE: PNC) had 96 offices in the Pittsburgh region with deposits of $26.3 billion; National City had 158 branches and deposits of $10.98 billion. Both saw deposits increase in and outside Pittsburgh over the past year.

Greg Melvin, chief investments officer at Downtown-based institutional investment firm C.S. McKee LP, told the Pittsburgh Business Times last week that the FDIC would likely try to partner National City with a buyer. In that scenario, the regulatory agency would contact potential buyers and ask them to do due-diligence on National City.

Melvin speculated that the likeliest buyer would be San Francisco-based Wells Fargo & Co., (NYSE: WFC), although if the FDIC was involved, calls to JPMorgan, even with its full plate, and PNC would be possible. He ruled out Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs as “too leveraged” to handle such a purchase. But, Melvin added, “My sense is PNC won’t do it unless told to do so.”

Wells Fargo's attempted takeover of failed Charlotte, N.C.-based Wachovia Corp. was snarled this week as rival Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) filed suit against Wells Fargo amid the two banks' dueling proposals to buy financially distressed Wachovia (NYSE: WB). That matter is currently on hold as the details are worked out.

A PNC takeover of National City would mean job loss in the Pittsburgh region, though it would certainly extended PNC’s market share from the current 37 percent, which is significantly dominant.

Outside the Pittsburgh region, National City had deposits of $86.8 billion, up from $71.8 billion in 2007, again an indication of the health of the Cleveland-based bank’s retail business. All told, it operates 1,568 branches.

PNC’s deposits outside Pittsburgh were $50.5 billion, up from $38.3 billion in 2007. It operates roughly 1,100 branches.

PA Pride

10-09-2008, 11:22 PM

^I'm thinking PNC may seriously consider National City because they could consolidate jobs in Pittsburgh for efficiency. It certainly would make for a relatively seamless takeover, I would think.

hyperion1110

10-10-2008, 02:39 PM

:previous: I'd like to see whichever bank is going to protect more jobs, especially in Cleveland, purchase it...and I don't think that would be PNC. Sure, it would be great for Pittsburgh. But, I think on a moral level, knowing how much both cities have suffered economically, I don't think it would be right for us to mothball National City. It just wouldn't be right.

Now, I know someone is going to do it, and so some say it might as well be PNC, and hence Pittsburgh's gain. And yes, I know the Browns suck. But Cleveland is very, very similar to Pittsburgh in most ways, and it's barely a two hour drive away. To me, it would be like finding out my next door neighbor was loosing his house in foreclosure, buying it up from under him, and kicking him out on the street.

I say this not for the benefit of the corporation itself (read: the Executives), but for the thousands of employees of the company, their families, and for the wounded pride of a diminished city.

How would we feel if it was PNC failing?

tooluther

10-10-2008, 03:55 PM

A PNC purchase of Nat City would make PNC almost un-swallowable. Which, Hyperion's noble sentiment aside, would be a very very very good thing for Pittsburgh.

If the FDIC is brokering the deal it also makes a lot of business sense. Consolidating all the branches in Pittsburgh alone would make for massive synergies. The flip side is Ohio is not exactly the growth market PNC should be going after.

themaguffin

10-10-2008, 04:01 PM

I think it puts PNC in a safe position long term

While it sucks to see Cleveland suffer, they are going to suffer regardless and let's not forget those National City branches you see in Western PA had a different name a dozen years ago - Integra bank... and with that name change went a Pgh based bank.

PA Pride

10-10-2008, 07:08 PM

themaguffin

10-10-2008, 08:37 PM

That makes it sound pretty good, but keep in mind one thing: no bank is unswallowable at this point.

This isn't like recent years where some banks are just being aggressive.

Banks that are going away now are in either pretty bad or horrible shape and all but (or are) collapsing.

National City is in bad shape. PNC is in very good shape.

Evergrey

10-11-2008, 06:23 AM

oooh... skyscraper signage change!

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_592776.html

One Oliver Plaza begins preparing for law firm

By Ron DaParma
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, October 11, 2008

Renovations have begun at One Oliver Plaza to prepare 14 floors at the Downtown skyscraper for K&L Gates LLP to move there in early 2010, the law firm said Friday.

K&L Gates, one of the city's two largest law firms with about 650 employees, including 235 lawyers, will be moving to the 39-story building from its offices in the Henry W. Oliver Building on Smithfield Street.

Overall, it has 1,700 lawyers and 3,800 employees worldwide, with 28 offices in the United States, Europe and Asia.

"We are proud to renew our commitment to the City of Pittsburgh," said Peter J. Kalis, chairman and global managing partner. In February, the firm signed a lease for about 251,000 square feet at the 637,000-square-foot structure on Sixth Avenue.

The building will be renamed K&L Gates Center, and the firm's name will be placed on the top of the tower, which is owned by One Oliver Associates LP, an affiliate of Kojaian Cos., of Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

Its name will replace that of Ariba Inc., a Sunnyvale, Calif.-based software company that remains a major tenant, but downsized its space there from 10 floors to five in a new long-term lease signed in 2007.

The law firm's new space includes four of the five floors vacated by Ariba, said Jason Stewart of the Grubb & Ellis Co. commercial real estate firm. Stewart handles leasing for the building.

One Oliver Plaza is about 92 percent occupied, Stewart said.

Ariba signs are expected to be taken down in the coming weeks in preparation for the installation of the new K&L Gates signs next year.

Cost of the renovation was not disclosed.

Work planned includes the addition of a state-of-the-art conference facility, renovation of the building lobby, the exterior facade of the first two floors and the plazas surrounding the building.

Reed Smith, the other of the city's two largest law firms, also is planning a move -- to 183,690 square feet on seven floors of the $179 million Three PNC Plaza under construction at Fifth Avenue and Market Street.

The firm, which has about 650 city-based employees, including 229 lawyers, will relocate its Pittsburgh hub from the James H. Reed Building at 435 Sixth Ave. in June 2009.

Mika Realty Group of Los Angeles has a tentative agreement to buy Reed building, owned by Reed Smith LLP and 435 Sixth Avenue Associates, entities composed of current and former Reed Smith law partners.

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

http://www.pbase.com/deadwing/image/86846909.jpg

PA Pride

10-11-2008, 07:03 AM

Work planned includes the addition of a state-of-the-art conference facility, renovation of the building lobby, the exterior facade of the first two floors and the plazas surrounding the building.

Cool! I hope they make the plaza look really nice outside. With the new PNC 3 plaza and park, that's gonna be one really nice corner of downtown I bet. Good spot to eat outside at a cafe or just people watch and take photos...

Johnland

10-11-2008, 12:56 PM

Evergrey

10-11-2008, 01:46 PM

Thanks for the eloquent praise, Johnland! ;)

Minivan Werner

10-14-2008, 05:40 AM

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08288/919753-53.stm

Penguins to announce deal for new hotel today

Tuesday, October 14, 2008
By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

An upscale hotel will be the first major development spawned by the $290 million arena that will be the new home of the Penguins.

The team is expected to announce a deal today with Horizon Properties Group to build a 130- to 150-room hotel on Centre Avenue next to the arena.

It will mark the team's first bid to fulfill the development potential associated with the arena project, which is being built with annual contributions from the city's casino (now under construction), state development funds backed by slot machine revenues and Penguins contributions.

The team and Horizon Properties have signed a memorandum of understanding to build the seven-story hotel on a roughly one-acre parcel. The total cost of the development was unavailable yesterday.

City Contextual Design Advisory Panel members will get their first look at the plans at a meeting today. The Penguins declined comment yesterday.

The hotel will be built on the same side of the street and just east of the arena.

Cecil-based Horizon is involved in the construction of the new Dick's Sporting Goods headquarters in Findlay and also developed the Hampton Inn & Suites hotel near The Meadows. It is developer of the Southpointe II project in Washington County.

Officials hope to start construction of the hotel by the start of the new year and have it completed when the new arena opens before the start of the 2010-11 hockey season.

The hotel will be run by a national chain, but the operator has yet to be determined. Among its amenities, the hotel will feature a street-level restaurant with an outside dining patio facing one of the arena's entrances. There also will be conference space in the hotel.

Team officials had requested proposals from hotel developers early this year to gauge interest in such a project. At the time they were looking at a limited-service boutique-style hotel, but have since decided to go more upscale.

They apparently are counting on Penguin games and the team's rabid fans as well as concerts and other performances at the new arena to help fill the hotel.

The hotel will compete with several in the area, including the 402-room Marriott Pittsburgh City Center, which bills itself as the official hotel of the Penguins.

Before the arena opens, the Penguins also will try to find tenants for ground-level retail space along one side of the building on Fifth Avenue.
Mark Belko can be reached at mbelko@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1262.

It's going to be next to the Washington Plaza Apartment building. Hope the design is more unique than the bland rendering that was a part of the original arena design. Either way it's good though because it'll block the view of the parking garage from the north.

Evergrey

10-14-2008, 08:13 AM

I'm excited about the new URA director... should be a refreshing change from the previous director

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_593171.html

'Right thing' stabilizes neighborhoods, new URA chief says

By Jeremy Boren
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, October 14, 2008

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/photos/2008-10-13/1014prob-b.jpg

Rob Stephany zigzagged his city-issued Chevy Impala through Homewood seeking spots where a well-placed coffee shop, townhouse or public garden might blur the invisible line that starves it of the prosperity that neighboring Point Breeze enjoys.

"The epicenter of educational attainment, wealth and property values exists within a few blocks of some distressed neighborhoods -- that's Homewood, Larimer, East Liberty, Garfield," Stephany said Thursday, a month after officially becoming the Urban Redevelopment Authority's executive director.

"It's about trying to find the right thing that stabilizes the neighborhood, but at the same time, brings market value increases to it," he said.

The sagging neighborhoods along Pittsburgh's Penn Avenue corridor are where Stephany started as an architecture-student-turned-urban-planner, so it's natural his gaze from atop the city's development agency is focused there.

Stephany, 42, of Lawrenceville said he is excited about the new role even though he is just emerging from the cloud of a highly publicized ethics controversy created by his predecessor, former development chief Pat Ford.

In contrast to Ford, who was rarely shy about using his authority to set priorities, Stephany is a self-proclaimed consensus builder. He wants to hear from neighborhood planners.

That holds the "welcome" promise of less, unwanted government interference, said Richard Swartz, who gave Stephany his first job in urban planning and is the executive director of the Bloomfield-Garfield Corp.

"No one would want to see, Rob least of all, government calling all the plays in the huddle," Swartz said. "The question is: Is he going to be the guy up in the booth relaying information to the field or the guy on the field directing traffic? It would be better if he were up in the box."

The two disagree over whether a 36-townhouse development on Kincaid Street is worthy of the URA's support for a state, low-income-housing grant. Swartz believes it could bring former Garfield Heights public housing residents back to the neighborhood in a few years.

Stephany isn't willing to offer a letter of support because he said the URA's objective should be to improve distressed neighborhoods beyond isolated developments.

Stephany said neighborhood groups must focus on building up their main business corridors, which have the best potential for enriching the real estate market.

Kincaid Street is about five blocks from Garfield's main drag, Penn Avenue, which has enjoyed a surge of business and nonprofit investment. One of the most notable is The Children's Home -- a 63,000-square-foot center that opened in March 2007 to carry on its mission of promoting child and infant health.

"What we do and where we do it is more important now than it's ever been," Stephany said. "We're trying to bring an ethos to community development -- to build from the strong edge of your neighborhood and then into your neighborhood."

Stephany said one project that might achieve that goal is at the corner of Meadow and Leonora streets in Larimer, where owner Mike Fiore Sr., 58, is planning a $2 million expansion of Mikes Auto Body.

The URA has helped Fiore acquire land for the 12,000-square-foot garage and classroom building where he plans to expand not only his business, but also a hands-on apprenticeship program for teens and adults.

He hopes to pair some of his mechanics with up to four students who want to learn the business of removing dents and scratches and replacing bumpers.

Told of Stephany's enthusiasm for his efforts, Fiore said, "This area could use a little shot of Vitamin B12, you know. We may not be the answer, but we can be part of the solution."

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

Rob Stephany

Age: 42

Residence: Lawrenceville; originally from Bellevue

Family: Wife, Molly, an insurance broker; two children, Oliver and Eliott

Education: Bachelor's degree in urban studies, University of Pittsburgh

Occupation: Executive director, Urban Redevelopment Authority

Salary: $115,000

Background: Became the URA's deputy executive director of planning and development in September 2007; named acting executive director in April after former chief Pat Ford went on paid suspension.

In September, the URA's board of directors voted to make him executive director. Before joining the URA, Stephany worked almost 10 years for East Liberty Development Inc. as director of commercial development. Before that, he oversaw housing development and the Penn Avenue Arts Initiative for the Bloomfield-Garfield Corp.

Stephany: He's a consensus builder who wants to hear others' ideas.

PA Pride

10-14-2008, 09:30 PM

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08288/919753-53.stm

It's going to be next to the Washington Plaza Apartment building. Hope the design is more unique than the bland rendering that was a part of the original arena design. Either way it's good though because it'll block the view of the parking garage from the north.

We are getting a ton of these little mid-szed hotels all over the downtown area. I hope they don't over saturate and then squeeze out the possibility of a anchor hotel for the convention center.

PA Pride

10-14-2008, 09:31 PM

I'm excited about the new URA director... should be a refreshing change from the previous director

I hope so too, but i saw this guy speak on tv last night and he seems a little weird...

Minivan Werner

10-14-2008, 10:46 PM

We are getting a ton of these little mid-szed hotels all over the downtown area. I hope they don't over saturate and then squeeze out the possibility of a anchor hotel for the convention center.

Good call, here's hoping. Though from what I remember reading a year or so ago the need for hotels in the triangle was so high that we could build another 4 mid-sized hotels and still not have enough rooms for the market.

Speaking of hotels why aren't there any being built on the site of the casino? Sure rather have an 8 story Comfort Inn than an 8 story garage.

Evergrey

10-15-2008, 01:58 AM

this KDKA video features renderings of the Penguins hotel

http://kdka.com/video/?id=47450@kdka.dayport.com

dugdogmaster

10-15-2008, 09:45 AM

I like it. I'd like to see a 3D rendering as well though, I'll have to look for one. But from the view from Uptown is seems to blend in well with the city skyline.

Evergrey

10-15-2008, 11:13 AM

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_593326.html

Bakery Square tenants include Anthropologie, West Elm

By The Tribune-Review
Wednesday, October 15, 2008

The specialty women's apparel and accessory store Anthropologie and a West Elm furniture, bedding and lighting fixture store have leased space in the $113 million Bakery Square complex in Pittsburgh's East End. Another tenant is the previously announced Urban Active fitness facility, said Herky Pollock, executive vice president, CB Richard Ellis/Pittsburgh. Also, Concord Hospitality will build a 110-room Marriott SpringHill Suites hotel, Pollock said. Bakery Square is being developed by Shadyside-based Walnut Capital through Bakery Square Holdings LP.

...

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_593325.html

URA mulls 3 hotels in East Liberty

By The Tribune-Review
Wednesday, October 15, 2008

The city's Urban Redevelopment Authority on Thursday will consider two developments that could bring three new hotels to East Liberty. One request would provide a $2.75 million loan from the Pittsburgh Development Fund to help develop a 140-room Indigo hotel at the intersection of N. Highland Avenue and Broad Street. The $21.43 million development proposed by Governor's Hotel Co. LP, includes plans to renovate two existing buildings, including the former Governor's Hotel. A second $42 million proposal by HSH Liberty Suites LP would convert the long-vacant Highland Building, the vacated Baum Square and an adjacent building into two Hilton Hotel brands -- an 84-room Homewood Suites and a 100-room Hampton Inn.

...

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_593353.html

Hotel near hockey arena on the horizon

By Bonnie Pfister
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, October 15, 2008

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/photos/2008-10-14/1015-hotel-a.jpg

The Pittsburgh Penguins and a Cecil developer announced plans Tuesday to build a 142-room luxury hotel immediately east of the hockey arena under construction Uptown.

Penguins and Horizon Properties Group LLC officials said the operator of the hotel won't be determined for a few weeks, but it will be a national, franchised chain.

"It's a first step in the arena as a revitalizing anchor for the entire region," said Penguins President David Morehouse. "We think it's good to develop in Pittsburgh, to expand the tax base and actually have some more businesses in the area."

Morehouse said the development price is being determined. He declined to say how the team and Horizon Properties would structure their partnership.

Horizon officials and DL Astorino Horizon Architects presented preliminary plans for the seven-story building to the city's Contextual Design Advisory Panel. A more complete proposal will be submitted later to the city Planning Commission for approval.

The hotel is the Penguins' first foray into developing land around the arena and would be paid for with money expected from the casino under construction on the North Shore. In addition to the 1-acre hotel parcel, the hockey team plans to bring retailers to the arena's street-level space and to develop 28 acres nearby.

The arena is expected to open in time for the 2010-11 season. The casino is expected to open in August 2009 at the earliest.

Horizon Properties project engineer Mark Koontz said a fifth level of parking would be added to the arena's garage to accommodate hotel guests. Discussions are under way with several Pittsburgh restaurateurs to develop a ground-floor restaurant with outdoor seating along Centre Avenue, he said.

Morehouse said he believed the hotel could help reconnect the Hill District to Downtown.

"We all know the Crosstown Expressway is almost like a moat," he said. "This is one more connecting piece that we can add to the puzzle."

Horizon Properties has developed two Hampton Inn & Suites -- one adjacent to The Meadows Race Track & Casino in Washington County, and another near a golf course and conference center in Blairsville. Horizon is developing a Hilton Homewood Suites and a Cambria Suites/Choice Hotels, both at Southpointe II in Cecil, Washington County.

Bonnie Pfister can be reached at bpfister@tribweb.com or 412-320-7886.

Steel Boy

10-15-2008, 01:52 PM

PittPenn 03

10-15-2008, 02:02 PM

Re; the arena hotel. I'm sorry, but all I see is another standard Courtyard Marriott/Hampton Inn design for this. I was hoping for something a little more distinctive in such a prominent spot downtown.

Seriously. While I am happy for the project, that has got to be one of the most uninspired buildings I have seen since...well, looks like every other hotel built in the last 10 or so years. -Just adjust the height or change the color of the bricks.

Tombstoner

10-15-2008, 05:17 PM

We are getting a ton of these little mid-szed hotels all over the downtown area. I hope they don't over saturate and then squeeze out the possibility of a anchor hotel for the convention center.

I understand the sentiment, but I think it might be cool--and distinctively Pittsburgh--to have a series of high quality boutique hotels (not that any of these fit that description) than a huge, inpersonal convention center hotel.

Minivan Werner

10-15-2008, 05:33 PM

Seriously. While I am happy for the project, that has got to be one of the most uninspired buildings I have seen since...well, looks like every other hotel built in the last 10 or so years. -Just adjust the height or change the color of the bricks.

To me it looks like all the buildings they're putting in on the North Shore only with a square spire instead of a round one.

themaguffin

10-15-2008, 06:25 PM

I understand the sentiment, but I think it might be cool--and distinctively Pittsburgh--to have a series of high quality boutique hotels (not that any of these fit that description) than a huge, inpersonal convention center hotel.

They have different purposes though. It's important to have a convention center hotel to handle larger conventions. Yes some people like to adventure beyond next street, but many won't and in fact it's usually someone who is responsible for booking many people's rooms and defaults to the covention center hotel.

As for hotels in general, I am concerned about the amount being built.

PA Pride

10-15-2008, 07:22 PM

Average looking hotel; But Maybe all this infill will add up and downtown will actually connect to the hill.

Tombstoner

10-15-2008, 07:27 PM

They have different purposes though. It's important to have a convention center hotel to handle larger conventions. Yes some people like to adventure beyond next street, but many won't and in fact it's usually someone who is responsible for booking many people's rooms and defaults to the covention center hotel.

As for hotels in general, I am concerned about the amount being built.

A group of well-coordinated smaller hotels (coordination conducted by the conference center) can achieve the same objectives as a mega-hotel AND get people into the city. Downtown and the North Shore aren't all that big (area-wise) and are in pretty close proximity of the convention center. Most major conferences are farmed out to a group of hotels, anyways. I've stayed in many conference hotels in NYC, Chicago, etc. that are easily 5-7 blocks from various meeting rooms. Let people that want to stay in the safe confines of the conference hotel come here to Atlanta. :yuck:

Evergrey

10-16-2008, 03:03 PM

I noticed that a portion of East Liberty Blvd. has been converted to bike lane, reducing automobile traffic to a single lane. In a city so dominated by narrow streets (which I love, though it can make it difficult for dedicated bike lanes), I'm very happy to see this rather over-built auto corridor transformed into a bike-friendly passage.

dugdogmaster

10-16-2008, 03:16 PM

Minivan Werner

10-16-2008, 10:22 PM

Hotel boom in E. Liberty..

http://postgazette.com/pg/08290/920542-100.stm

Building boom: 3 new hotels scheduled for East Liberty
Thursday, October 16, 2008
By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Three new hotels are in the works for East Liberty.

The city's Urban Redevelopment Authority board approved a $2.75 million loan to Governor's Hotel Company LP this afternoon to aid in the construction of a 140-room Hotel Indigo at the corner of North Highland Avenue and Broad Street. The $22 million project will include the renovation of two buildings, including the former Governor's Hotel, and new construction.

Construction is expected to start in March, with completion targeted for May 1, 2010. InterContinental Hospitality Group, which runs Holiday Inns, will operate the hotel, with expected rates of $140 to $150 a night.

The URA board also approved the sale of the historic Highland Building and the vacated Baum Square property to HSH Liberty Suites LP as part of a $42 million development that will include a 105-room Homewood Suites hotel and a 113-room Hampton Inn. The Homewood Suites hotel will occupy the Highland Building, while the Hampton Inn will be new construction. Another existing property, the Stadterman Building, will be turned into a 200-space parking garage.

Zambrano Corp., which was part of the 151 First Side condo project Downtown, will head up the development of the two hotels in conjunction with Vista Host. Zambrano hopes to break ground in six to nine months.

-----------

The Indigo Hotel is gonna be a boutique as I recall.. And even though Homewood Suites is a chain kudos to them for refurbing the Highland Building rather than building from scratch.

JackStraw

10-16-2008, 11:18 PM

Very cool news Minvan Werner. I like it that it is both renovating two buildings and involving new construction.

Welcome to the board by the way.

Evergrey

10-17-2008, 06:54 AM

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_593692.html

Union Trust owner buys Reed building

By Ron DaParma
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, October 17, 2008

While the Reed Smith law firm plans to relocate its Downtown headquarters to the new Three PNC Plaza next year, it may soon move a separate back office operation from the Gulf Tower on Grant Street to another location.

Officials involved in the transaction won't comment, but the law firm may be ready to commit to take about 50,000 square feet of space at 20-story National City Center at 20 Stanwix St.

As reported, National City Bank, the building's anchor tenant, has put some of its space there on the market for sublease. The bank also is marketing for sublease about 100,000 square feet of space at Allegheny Center on the North Side.

Mika Realty Group likes the Pittsburgh real estate market enough to buy a second major Downtown building, the James H. Reed Building.

The sale price was $6.5 million, according to a deed filed Thursday in Allegheny County.

The Los Angeles-based group is purchasing the nine-story building at 435 Sixth Ave. eight months after buying the historic Union Trust Building on Grant Street for $24.1 million.

The building has been owned by Reed Smith LLP and 435 Sixth Avenue Associates, two entities composed of current and former partners of the major Pittsburgh law firm, Reed Smith.

It will become vacant when Reed Smith relocates its offices to the new $179 million Three PNC Plaza building on Fifth Avenue next year.

"We love the building and love the synergy that we have between this building and the Union Trust Building," said Rick Barreca, CEO of Mika Realty. "We will keep all of our options open, and we are optimistic we can find a viable and economic use for the property that everyone in Pittsburgh will be happy with."

Officials of Reed Smith declined to comment.

"The Reed building is an historic structure, located in a prime location in the heart of Downtown," said Jeffrey Ackerman, a commercial real estate broker with CB Richard Ellis/Pittsburgh, who had been marketing the building on behalf of Reed Smith.

The 181,348-square-foot building could continue as an office facility, but residential or hotel uses also are possibilities, he said.

An improving office market is one factor that may be attracting out-of-town investors like Mika and Rugby Realty Co., of New Rochelle, N.Y., which owns more than 20 buildings in and around the Downtown, including the landmark Gulf Tower and Frick Building, said Gerard McLaughlin, commercial broker with the Grubb & Ellis Co. commercial real estate firm.

At the end of the 2008 second quarter, office vacancy Downtown and nearby areas such as the North Side, South Side and Strip District stood at 17.2 percent, down from 19.6 percent at the same time in 2007, according Grubb & Ellis market analysis.

Allegheny County public records list the Reed building's market value at $16.78 million, but the fact that structure soon will lose its sole tenant makes the purchase price reasonable, said Peter Sukernek, general manager of Hanna Commercial, an arm of Howard Hanna Real Estate Services.

"They are paying about $36 per square foot, which I think is a fair price," said Sukernek, who was not involved in the sale.

Since its purchase of Union Trust, Mika has been able to attract a major new tenant Siemens Power Generation Inc., which is taking four of the building's 11 stories, Sukernek noted. Mika likely believes that it will have similar success in finding new tenants for the Reed building, he said.

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

Evergrey

10-17-2008, 06:54 AM

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08291/920613-52.stm

East Liberty scores a hat trick of new hotel proposals

Friday, October 17, 2008
By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Forget the credit crunch. There's more boom on the way for East Liberty.

The city's Urban Redevelopment Authority board heard plans yesterday for not one, not two, but three new hotels -- more than 350 rooms in all -- targeted for the heart of the neighborhood's commercial corridor.

Governor's Hotel Co. LP plans to build a 140-room Hotel Indigo at North Highland Avenue and Broad Street with the help of a $2.75 million Pittsburgh Development Fund loan approved by the board.

About two blocks away, HSH Liberty Suites LP is proposing to convert the Highland Building, a national historic landmark, into a 105-room Homewood Suites hotel and to build a 113-room Hampton Inn adjacent to it as part of a $42 million development.

The $21.4 million Hotel Indigo project involves the use of East Liberty's former Governor's Hotel and other existing buildings as well as new construction. The developer hopes to break ground in March and open the hotel on May 1, 2010. The development fund loan was the last piece of financing needed for the project, URA officials said.

Governor's Hotel Co. will seek a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, silver certification for the project. It is planning to incorporate a public plaza and patio with a permeable pavement that would allow all rainwater runoff to drain back into the ground as well as a green roof and other environmentally friendly features.

The limited-service boutique hotel will be managed by InterContinental Hospitality Group, which also operates Holiday Inns, Staybridge and Candlewood Suites and Crowne Plazas. The developer also is planning street-level restaurant and retail space.

Hotel Indigo is geared more toward affluent audiences and features rooms with oversized beds, hardwood-style floors with area rugs, and spa-style showers. Cindy A. Murphy, InterContinental vice president of operations, said no two Hotel Indigos are alike, with each having different interior designs.

"What you see in Pittsburgh, you won't see in Miami, you won't see in Chicago," she said.

Room rates in Pittsburgh will range from $140 to $150 a night.

"It's an extremely exciting project," said URA board member Jim Ferlo, a state senator from Highland Park. "This is exactly what's needed to put a power punch [into the East Liberty commercial corridor]."

The URA board, meanwhile, approved the sale of the Highland Building, at 116 S. Highland Ave., and vacated Baum Square to HSH Liberty Suites for $1,000 to help facilitate the Homewood Suites and Hampton Inn hotels.

HSH Liberty is a partnership between Zambrano Corp., which assisted in the development of the 151 First Side condominium tower, Downtown, and Vista Host, a hotel operator and developer with two Hampton Inns in the Pittsburgh market.

They are taking over the properties from Terminus Real Estate Inc., which had plans to turn the Highland Building into 84 condo units.

While the Highland Building, built by industrialist Henry Clay Frick in 1910, will be converted into a Homewood Suites, the adjacent Stadterman Building will be demolished and replaced with a 200-space parking garage, with the seven-story Hampton Inn built on top of it.

Eugene Zambrano III, president of Zambrano Development, said the project is still in the "very early stages." He said the plan is to begin the demolition of the Stadterman Building in the first quarter of 2009, with construction to follow.

Financing is expected to include historic tax credits, new markets tax credits, private equity and debt. Mr. Zambrano said he believes he can secure the financing despite the credit crisis facing the nation.

"I don't think we would be here today if we weren't confident that we could get financing on both projects," he said.

The three East Liberty hotels would supplement a fourth planned on nearby Penn Avenue as part of the $113 million transformation of the former Nabisco bakery into a mixed use complex.

It may seem like an awful lot of rooms for such a compact space, but URA officials said yesterday marketing studies have indicated that the area can support up to 450 rooms.

The hotels hope to draw from the various medical institutions in the area, including the Hillman Cancer Center and nearby hospitals. Because the hotels each offer different amenities, levels of service and price ranges, studies indicate they can co-exist, said Robert Rubinstein, the URA's economic development director.

URA board members also took preliminary steps yesterday to advance roughly $2 million in tax increment financing for the Centre Avenue, Penn Circle and Highland Avenue section of East Liberty to help with public improvements, such as new sidewalks, streetlights and trees.

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