PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown II

[photoLith]

Some random restoration updates and other stuff from around the city.

Some new restorations and such I saw in Allegheny East yesterday.

AF5_7379 by photolitherland, on Flickr

AF5_7380 by photolitherland, on Flickr

AF5_7372 by photolitherland, on Flickr

AF5_7373 by photolitherland, on Flickr

It seems the owners of this 1830s house have finally gotten serious about restoring this very old house and recently painted it and restored the backside.

AF5_7383 by photolitherland, on Flickr

AF5_7387 by photolitherland, on Flickr

A photo I took for Walnut Capitol of the Foundry in Lville.

AF5_7510 by photolitherland, on Flickr

Untitled by photolitherland, on Flickr
These apartments in Wilkinsburg are finally done after they laid collapsing and abandoned for the past few decades. They did a great job and had to complete tear down all of their backsides and basically just kept the unique facades intact.

Untitled by photolitherland, on Flickr

Untitled by photolitherland, on Flickr

Untitled by photolitherland, on Flickr

[TBone7281]

Originally Posted by Private Dick

And I have no idea how that Irish pub stays in business.

2 hour waits at the Cheesecake Factory.

[Private Dick]

Originally Posted by Urbana

Similarly, I would find it over the top if they chose to manicure all shrubbery into spheres to represent afros...

Maybe over the top, but totally awesome nonetheless.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by photoLith

AF5_7379 by photolitherland, on Flickr

The empty lot at the far left of this photo should be filled in with a new house relatively soon. No word on the empty lot at the far right.

Those are the ugliest infill houses in Deutschtown by far IMHO. They'd even be uglier than average in Lawrenceville.

Originally Posted by photoLith

AF5_7373 by photolitherland, on Flickr

The plan here is to merge the two storefronts and open a pizza place, which will have outdoor seating which will open up onto the small vacant lot to the right outside of the picture.

The storefront just to the left (not in the shot) is owned by a different entity, and is slated to be demolished.

[eschaton]

July HRC presentation is live. As is usual, mostly house rehabs, but two more weighty projects

First, there's some very nice information about a complete refurbishment of the "front lawn" of Soldiers and Sailors into from a largely blank lawn to a more landscaped "remembrance park." The new park will involve an oval-shaped amphitheater occupying the front two thirds, and a more heavily-landscaped area with winding symmetrical paths and formal boxwood gardens behind.

Secondly, there is some information on a planned project at 929-931 Penn Avenue, in the Cultural District. The existing six-story building is getting a renovation, including dealing with the hideous botching of the first-floor facade. More impressively and unexpectedly, the surface parking lot next door will be occupied by an expansion, which will include two stories of restaurant space (shared with the existing building), along with a new stairwell in the rear which will extend the full height of the existing historic building. It looks like new windows will be cut in the side of historic structure as well. I'm a bit let down that they aren't doing an extension at full height - to match the buildings on either side - but I'm glad that yet another surface lot in Downtown appears to have its days numbered, and that this already lively block Downtown will see even more street activity.

[Wave]

Its also nice to see so many restorations in the historical neighborhoods on the North Side. The three restorations in Allegheny West seem particularly meticulous. There is also another one in Manchester and another in the Mexican War Streets.

The Soldiers and Sailors project also looks great...worth clicking through to the renderings.

On the flip side, it's a bit disappointing that the Penn Cultural District project will not go full height and is essentially adding a stairwell with two story retail. Good to get rid of a surface lot but that's such a cohesive block and this project would be the sore thumb in terms of height and context.

Originally Posted by eschaton

July HRC presentation is live. As is usual, mostly house rehabs, but two more weighty projects

First, there's some very nice information about a complete refurbishment of the "front lawn" of Soldiers and Sailors into from a largely blank lawn to a more landscaped "remembrance park." The new park will involve an oval-shaped amphitheater occupying the front two thirds, and a more heavily-landscaped area with winding symmetrical paths and formal boxwood gardens behind.

Secondly, there is some information on a planned project at 929-931 Penn Avenue, in the Cultural District. The existing six-story building is getting a renovation, including dealing with the hideous botching of the first-floor facade. More impressively and unexpectedly, the surface parking lot next door will be occupied by an expansion, which will include two stories of restaurant space (shared with the existing building), along with a new stairwell in the rear which will extend the full height of the existing historic building. It looks like new windows will be cut in the side of historic structure as well. I'm a bit let down that they aren't doing an extension at full height - to match the buildings on either side - but I'm glad that yet another surface lot in Downtown appears to have its days numbered, and that this already lively block Downtown will see even more street activity.

[DKNewYork]

Anyone been by the TCS Hall site on Forbes recently? Has site preparation started? You can see the site in the background of one of the Tepper School cams and it looks like nothing is happening.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Wave

On the flip side, it's a bit disappointing that the Penn Cultural District project will not go full height and is essentially adding a stairwell with two story retail. Good to get rid of a surface lot but that's such a cohesive block and this project would be the sore thumb in terms of height and context.

I've been thinking about this more, and while it's a disappointment, and the reasons for not building the full six stories are likely financial, there are solid financial reasons for not doing it.

Basically, look at the facades. It's pretty clear, considering 931 Penn Avenue is built in a virtually identical style to the building which now houses Urban Pathways Charter School, that the missing building was basically a mirror of 931. Anything which doesn't perfectly match the style of the two adjacent buildings is thus going to stick out like a sore thumb, unless it's recessed a bit from the street front or something.

Also, while every building on that side of the block is tall, there are lots of two-story buildings across the street, including the row which includes Sienna Mercato and the single building with the Ben & Jerry's. When it comes to pedestrian experience a continual street wall is the most key thing, because few people besides gawking tourists regularly look up when they are walking around a downtown.

An interesting aside - in back of the building is a private alley which separates it from another little surface lot. This alley, according to property records, is owned by a John Sampson, and is tax delinquent. Apparently "he" has owned the land since 1827! It's hard to believe that this property has had an absentee owner (really no owner) almost since the incorporation of the city.

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by Wave

Its also nice to see so many restorations in the historical neighborhoods on the North Side. The three restorations in Allegheny West seem particularly meticulous. There is also another one in Manchester and another in the Mexican War Streets.

Yes! Even East Deutschtown, long neglected is getting many rehabs and a few infill projects such as The Tannery which is 6 new townhomes, 3 of them completed and on the market for $279,900 each. It's great news.


http://www.post-gazette.com/life/hom...s/201705210020

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Austinlee

Yes! Even East Deutschtown, long neglected is getting many rehabs and a few infill projects such as The Tannery which is 6 new townhomes, 3 of them completed and on the market for $279,900 each. It's great news.


http://www.post-gazette.com/life/hom...s/201705210020

It's a very basic design, but honestly less offensive to me than some of the more high-design modern townhomes going in.

WTF is up with that sidewalk step though? Isn't that illegal under ADA?

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by eschaton

It's a very basic design, but honestly less offensive to me than some of the more high-design modern townhomes going in.

WTF is up with that sidewalk step though? Isn't that illegal under ADA?

These townhomes are by no means the best designs in the city but they suggest investment dollars and desire to bring back the neighborhood which I find highly encouraging.
As for the sidewalk step: Perhaps a skateboard ramp? I have no idea.

[Gilamonster]

The renovation of 319 Third avenue has started. The interior gutting has begun. I didn't even know about this project until looking it up due to seeing the demo. This is a sizable project. It's a 7 story building and supposed to have 88 apartments. It should be coming online a little bit before the Station Square project. It will be interesting to see if these both fill up.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Gilamonster

The renovation of 319 Third avenue has started. The interior gutting has begun. I didn't even know about this project until looking it up due to seeing the demo. This is a sizable project. It's a 7 story building and supposed to have 88 apartments. It should be coming online a little bit before the Station Square project. It will be interesting to see if these both fill up.

That's incredibly fast! I think the Planning Commission only voted on it today.

[Gilamonster]

The current posted building permit is for "interior demolition" and work has been going on for at least a few days. I've only just recently started walking through that street. It's kind of a dark, dingy street and building. Hopefully the design and density of this refurb. can help combat that.

[Private Dick]

Was in town over the weekend... random musings:

Good to see a crane in Oakland again... I imagine it is for the hotel behind the PAA.

CMU Tepper quad is really coming along now. Didn't notice any activity at the TCS building site, but I did notice fencing/banners around the tract.

Also, the renderings of the S&S lawn look great. I'm glad that they're keeping a lot of open space, while also improving the landscaping. Going to be a whole new center of activity around Bigelow & Fifth with the lawn, hotel, and planned Pitt innovation center on that empty lot.

Baumhaus is a winner. Still don't find anything all that great about the Strip District. North Oakland is going to change dramatically when that new beast of an apartment building opens. Alphabet City/City of Asylum space on northside is a winner. New North Shore parking garage is a loser.

People stand in long lines for ice cream in Pittsburgh more than I've ever witnessed anywhere else.

And fuck the Penguins. I'd much rather have development on the Hill than a Stanley Cup.

[eschaton]

I was browsing around looking to see if there were any new neighborhood master plans in Pittsburgh (haven't seen any since 2015) and I chanced upon this. It seems there's a move in East Deutschtown to rezone Chestnut Street from residential to commercial (which it used to be up until the early 2000s). This has to be considered a good thing, as it will free up a lot of new development opportunities in the corridor.

[eschaton]

New zoning agenda. There is some pretty big news in this one. Someone plans to build a new six story office building with ground level retail on N Craig Street. The location is here, which, looking at street view, has had a sign up about Class A office space for at least the last year. Obviously we have no idea what the design will be, but considering it's filling in a surface parking lot in the highest-density area of the city outside of Downtown, it seems like a solid win. That said, this seems to be a retread of a 10-year old zoning approval that went nowhere, so I'm not believing it until I see the building permits go out.

Not that much else in the weekly agenda. There's a variance to allow a retail storefront in Spring Garden, which is mildly interesting. And it looks like the Cultural Trust wants to modify its sign on Theater Square to add another LED screen

[TBone7281]

The former location of Richard Lawrence Interiors (24th & Smallman... the building that used to have Marty's Market) is becoming a Sola Salon Studios. The space has been vacant since May of 2015. The much larger space that held Marty's Market (and Right By Nature before that) has been vacant since January 2016.

I couldn't find any news articles online, but there has been a lot of remodeling activity going on there for the last few weeks. Today I noticed they had some Sola Salon Studios banners up in the windows.

[Urbana]

.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Urbana

This is what was planned for that location years ago.

Not awful, but not great either.

Originally Posted by Urbana

It is worth noting that this area of North Oakland is about to be infused with several hundred more residents with the construction of the 17 story Park 7 apartment building. That probably bodes well for their planned ground floor retail.

That section of North Oakland has always been so weird to me. I mean because it's by far the densest portion of the city in terms of population (one of only two real "apartment districts" of the city) yet because the vast majority of the apartment stock was postwar, no thought was given to either ground floor retail or even engaging with the street in any real way.

That said, if there's any corridor which could turn into a solid retail zone, it's N Craig. I mean that block has Tamarind, Ana's Vietnamese, Legume, Butterjoint, and a random pizza place and hair salon. Just across Bayard Street there's the Food for Thought deli and a new cupcake shop. Due to the current built status of the 100 block of N Craig I think it's basically impossible that it will form a continual business district with S Craig, but it will ultimately be a nice extension of the Centre Avenue business district.