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Ok, seriously guys, you need to head to East Liberty soon There is so much development going on it is next to impossible to figure out where one development ends and the other begins. i went to Target this morning and was absolutely shocked at everything that was happening. The two big news items I noticed were:
A) Bakery Square 2.0 has begun demolition on the Reizenstein School. looks like ground breaking will be in March. http://www.cpexecutive.com/cities/pi...ound-in-march/ B) a new development was just announced with big banners on the building across the street from Target. Alphabet City Co.will develop the three buildings at the corner of Penn ave and Penn circle into a retail and office project with 9,200 to 10,000 square feet of rentable space per floor. This whole Alphabet City development company seems to have a history with Walnut Capital... i am intrigued... http://www.oxforddevelopment.com/alp...-east-liberty/ floor plans and such can be found here: http://www.alphabetcityco.com/conten...ast-liberty-pa |
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The contrast with the Philly-Harrisburg route is illuminating. They have invested a lot in upgrading that line, and now it is very well-used with frequent service. Of course Pittsburgh is not the same size market as Philly, and upgrading the line on to Pittsburgh will be more expensive and challenging, but still, it indicates the demand is there if you give it a chance. |
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http://goo.gl/maps/lk9u1 On the plus side, the Oxford Development post had this information: Quote:
http://www.theodeonbuilding.com/ However, it looks to me like they have also eliminated what used to be a plan to preserve some historic facades along Penn as part of the project. New: http://www.theodeonbuilding.com/wp-c...tview-copy.jpg Old: http://i56.tinypic.com/1589qa8.jpg http://i51.tinypic.com/15e7jw4.jpg http://i54.tinypic.com/25f68m0.jpg |
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I'm actually beginning to think that that McCormick-Taylor HSR study some years back was a forgery. Is Harrisburg even paying attention at the strides Pittsburgh is making economically? US Airways discontinued air service about 5 years ago, and without decent rail transportation, the strongest economy in the state will be completely isolated from the state capital unless you drive or rely on subpar bus service (yes, it's subpar because it's popular among winos and other low-lifes -- based on personal experience!!) If Allegheny County was smart (I know they're not, so this argument is moot), they'd begin discussions with Cuyahoga County to develop some inter city initiative to improve rail transportation with Cleveland. Pennsylvania and Ohio should really be in a discussion here, but I take it neither party is at all interested. They'd rather shoot themselves in the foot with a rocket launcher... Regarding the latest East Liberty development, wow! |
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The Odeon development looks to be a huge addition to the neighborhood, and I'm particularly interested in that amazon chick stepping off the sidewalk. |
Give East Liberty another 2-3 years and I think it's going to end up being pretty freaking amazing. The Odeon project looks fantastic, no doubt about it!
As for the state and the situation with Amtrak, let's face facts, Corbett just couldn't give two shits about Pittsburgh. He doesn't really care about anything other than the oil & gas companies, quite frankly. He's so biased it's not even funny, and hell, I'm IN that industry! Corbett's a useless sack of crap, period. Once he goes away (hopefully!), then there's a chance of getting better rail service. Until then, I think we're more or less screwed. Aaron (Glowrock) |
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You would think I would have learned by now this forum doesn't autoshrink large images.
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The East Liberty transformation has been exciting to watch and I am pleased to see such a high caliber of development taking place over there. WOW that odean looks GREAT! But to Glowrock's comment in the place being pretty amazing in a few years, I agree, but once that happens can we please shift our focus of assistance, tiffs, subsidies, etc, elsewhere in the city where it really needs it? I think that enough has taken place over there now for the private market to take over and invest in an area that in the past was so vulnerable. Meanwhile, neighborhoods elsewhere are slipping into the abyss.
I get that you need to keep building off of the strong areas to have the best impact but lets identify someother strategic investment centers to seed development in and around those neighborhoods. South, West, North... We can now see what a huge focus like East Liberty did to solidify Shadyside and Highland Park, imagine what that same impact to do shore up the West End, or to the Southside by focusing on the Hilltop neighborhoods. Uptown between Downtown and Oakland could make alot of sense too, maybe around improved transit between these 2 financial centers. Lets work to create a market in these places too. |
I'm definitely not opposed to looking for development opportunities in the Hilltop and West End that would benefit from public support. But I think it is worth noting there are still lots of areas to the North and East where some public component is likely to remain necessary for an extended period of time (e.g., Homewood).
I'd also note that things like TIFs are not a zero-sum game. |
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As for the Hilltop areas (Arlington, Knoxville, Belzhoover, etc...), while there are areas that are certainly going to continue their downward trajectory, I believe the continuing gentrification of the South Side is going to head on up to the top of the Slopes at some point. The areas closest to the Slopes will likely see some reinvestment soon, while it will certainly take longer in some other areas. Allentown seems to be somewhat holding its own, though, and I'm glad to see it. Belz, well, who knows what will happen there. It's so bombed out that perhaps it might only take a relatively small amount of new blood to start a slow revitalization of the neighborhood? Not sure... Aaron (Glowrock) |
So, I'm all for increasing rail options into Pittsburgh, the more rail the better IMO, but the more I ask myself why I think that way, mostly it's just because I feel emotional about it. Riding on a bus is depressing, but riding on a train is really fun, almost a romantic way to see the country from a vantage point you can't get otherwise. I really have no economic or feasible reason for wanting more rail other than that. So, my question is, are you all the same? Or is there some reason why it is actually better to spend a gagillion dollars on rail when you could just slap a bus on a highway and call it a day? Both options get people from A to B, just seems like improving rail infrastructure is ridiculously expensive, especially between here and Harrisburg.
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Take your thoughts further...slap a bus on a highway and remove planes from the air and end the huge subsidies to airport infrastructure. Put more cars on the roads and remove big expensive busses. Put horse and buggy sets on the ground and get rid of the cars. Trains (when they are done right) are about moving large numbers of people quickly, efficiently, and with short head ways. Most of the first, second and some of the third world does it, but with the exception of the NEC, the US is woefully behind. |
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Ever listen to the 1971 song "City of New Orleans?" That song made me fall in love with rail travel. I think trains drive economic growth and reinvestment in our urban centers. They also bring something else to the table that is not quantifyable... In addition to bringing reinvestment to some places, those said places just seem more vibrant, more alive... |
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And that superior ability to compete with airplanes is very important when you realize there are significant capacity constraints in our air system which themselves would take "gagillions" of dollars to address. Accordingly, when you contemplate a future of rising demand for high-speed intercity travel (as the United States becomes ever more populous and affluent), and take proper account of the costs of meeting that demand with airplanes versus trains, it becomes pretty obvious it is foolish to insist on a plan of entirely meeting that demand with airplanes, when we know of a variety of specific sorts of situations in which highspeed trains can compete economically and effectively with airplanes. |
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