PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown II

[BrianTH]

The Wilkinsburg Sun had an article on the Falconhurst renovation and related projects (Page 5 of PDF):

https://wilkinsburgsun.files.wordpre...un15lo-res.pdf

It confirmed some details about the specific properties and lots involved:

In addition to the Falconhurst, the following properties will be renovated: 608 Mulberry Street (three family apartments); 520 Jeanette Street (two family apartments); 855 Rebecca Avenue (brick building with wrought-iron balconies and eight apartments). In the vacant lot at 604-06 Mulberry Street, two new townhouses will be built. The entire project is scheduled to be 19 months of construction and will begin in the fall.

This is 608 Mulberry

606 is the building next door to the right (I gather it is gone or going), and then 604 is the empty lot to its right.

520 Jeannette

855 Rebecca

[wpipkins2]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

The Wilkinsburg Sun had an article on the Falconhurst renovation and related projects (Page 5 of PDF):

https://wilkinsburgsun.files.wordpre...un15lo-res.pdf

It confirmed some details about the specific properties and lots involved:



This is 608 Mulberry

606 is the building next door to the right (I gather it is gone or going), and then 604 is the empty lot to its right.

520 Jeannette

855 Rebecca

Brian TH,

My prayers have been answered. The Rebecca St. apartment building is beautiful in person. I hoped that someone would see the potential in the building. Wilkinsburg has a wealth of similar multi unit apartment buildings in need of preservation. Good for Wilkinsburg!

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by wpipkins2

My prayers have been answered. The Rebecca St. apartment building is beautiful in person. I hoped that someone would see the potential in the building. Wilkinsburg has a wealth of similar multi unit apartment buildings in need of preservation. Good for Wilkinsburg!

I also have perhaps an irrational amount of affection for small apartment buildings like that. They are just so cool, and I think they can also help maintain age and income diversity in these sorts of residential neighborhoods.

I sometimes walk to the Busway, and that Rebecca apartment building reminds me of one of my favorite apartment buildings along my usual walk, although the Rebecca version is quite a bit larger:

The Corrine.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

But that doesn't really change the fact it was a tragedy everywhere it happened.

Pittsburgh did of course dodge a number of bullets, for which we should be greatful. The Mexican War Streets were almost obliterated for towers in the park. East Carson was supposed to be turned into a highway, with the river side of the street demolished to make way for an expanded industrial zone. And of course with the exception of Crosstown, along with the area around the Point, downtown itself had relatively little urban renewal compared to most cities.

Originally Posted by GeneW

Looks like they're already working out of offices in Lawrenceville:

That made the most logical sense. Unlike Google here, Uber is going to need somewhere with warehouse spaces for the engineers, along with some lot space to undertake test drives.

[greg42]

Man that Uber play makes a big splash. Unexpected but of course totally makes sense for them as a long-term entity as far as car service. Although I really thought Uber's growth was going to be in offering different services using the same model, not a huge double down on specifically car service.

Certainly hope it comes with some better business practices as I find Uber's history tempers my enthusiasm for this news. Although I'm sure that is true of many of the the business wins these days (I'm not so fond of various Google practices anymore either, just for one example), Uber seems to reach a somewhat higher level of smarmy, or at least they did. Perhaps they will move or have moved past it.

(Hello folks, I've been reading but not posting for a while.)

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Pittsburgh did of course dodge a number of bullets, for which we should be greatful. The Mexican War Streets were almost obliterated for towers in the park. East Carson was supposed to be turned into a highway, with the river side of the street demolished to make way for an expanded industrial zone. And of course with the exception of Crosstown, along with the area around the Point, downtown itself had relatively little urban renewal compared to most cities.

I get what you are saying, but gratitude is not necessarily the emotion I feel. It certainly wasn't for lack of desire that a lot more damage wasn't done. And while the urban "redevelopers" of the time eventually ran up against better-organized opposition (and I am in fact grateful for that specifically), mostly what stopped them is they just ran out of money.

So sure, things could always be worse. But it was still a really bad episode in the history of U.S. cities, and the more you dig into it the worse it tends to look (e.g., these days, most people are not aware of how blatantly racism was used to justify a lot of those policies).

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by greg42

Man that Uber play makes a big splash. Unexpected but of course totally makes sense for them as a long-term entity as far as car service. Although I really thought Uber's growth was going to be in offering different services using the same model, not a huge double down on specifically car service.

I wasn't following Uber closely enough to have had a guess on that subject, but I do think it is worth noting that passengers are only one thing automated vehicles can carry. And ultimately there may be fewer competitors if you focus on networks of vehicles, which is likely going to remain a pretty capital-intensive industry, versus networks of all sorts of other stuff where barriers to entry could be a lot lower.

[greg42]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

I wasn't following Uber closely enough to have had a guess on that subject, but I do think it is worth noting that passengers are only one thing automated vehicles can carry. And ultimately there may be fewer competitors if you focus on networks of vehicles, which is likely going to remain a pretty capital-intensive industry, versus networks of all sorts of other stuff where barriers to entry could be a lot lower.

True enough. I wasn't thinking of it being a network of vehicles, mostly because they don't currently own the vehicles. But now that you mention it I believe they have done some things where they had Uber drivers deliver items, even if only in a promotional fashion.

It's almost as if they are the type of company who can get away with such a thing. I wonder if, say, FedEx announced an investment in autonomous vehicles, if the investors would greet it well. Somehow I suspect not. But Uber is more startup (and I think not actually public yet, right?) so everyone can go look at these guys really thinking about the future.

[wpipkins2]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

I also have perhaps an irrational amount of affection for small apartment buildings like that. They are just so cool, and I think they can also help maintain age and income diversity in these sorts of residential neighborhoods.

I sometimes walk to the Busway, and that Rebecca apartment building reminds me of one of my favorite apartment buildings along my usual walk, although the Rebecca version is quite a bit larger:

The Corrine.

Im familiar with the Corrine. I lived on Trenton for one year as a child. I loved that area and still do to this day. My first city tast of city life was in this area. I hope Wilkinsburg can preserve the southern block of Penn Ave between Center and Mill St. I remember when all of the storefronts from Wood to Swissvale were occupied.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by greg42

But Uber is more startup (and I think not actually public yet, right?) so everyone can go look at these guys really thinking about the future.

Yep. I'm not sure they can pull it off, but I can understand why the people who would invest in a company like that would actually want them to swing for the fences.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by wpipkins2

I hope Wilkinsburg can preserve the southern block of Penn Ave between Center and Mill St.

Absolutely. Maybe passing a liquor license referendum will help--I've heard more than once people would consider investing in restaurants or even hotels in Wilkinsburg if not for that.

[BrianTH]

Also, I keep hearing rumors and such that the facades on Penn which are part of the new "Walnut on Penn" project in East Liberty are now going to be preserved. People seem to think that means in place, which would be great, but it would be nice to see official confirmation of that.

[chucka]

Here is one rendering of the proposed new full service hotel located behind the PAA in Oakland:


Source

[AaronPGH]

That hotel is gross.

[PGHFan]

For my tastes, it is a terrible looking building. It pays no attention to the PAA, not repeating its rhythms nor shapes. Maybe if it was not connected it might be more tolerable. It is a lazy design.

[BrianTH]

I actually like the base. I don't understand why they didn't carry that design aesthetic up above as well.

[Urbana]

Oxford's building at the PTC is good to go.

http://www.post-gazette.com/business...01502040074://

[BrianTH]

So this old factory complex in Homewood is well into the process of being torn down, presumably to make way for the new Animal Rescue League complex.

I'm sad to see it go--it was a very cool historic industrial complex which I wish had been creatively reused in some way.

[BrianTH]

Very tangential, but the City has release a new "open data" (aka user-friendly) way of getting fiscal information:

http://pittsburghpa.gov/controller/fiscal-focus-pgh

[BrianTH]

Smucker's is buying Big Heart Pet Brands, which used to be Del Monte:

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburg...-for-5-8b.html

I actually wouldn't mind a big Smucker's sign on the North Shore.