PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown II

[highlander206]

Along with future plans for the parking lots of Station Square, the owners are also looking at updating the shopping area of the complex. I think this is sorely needed. I haven't been in the Freight House shopping area in about three years, but I remember thinking how being around them felt like stepping into 1983.

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/ci...ersion=pgevoke

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by highlander206

Along with future plans for the parking lots of Station Square, the owners are also looking at updating the shopping area of the complex. I think this is sorely needed. I haven't been in the Freight House shopping area in about three years, but I remember thinking how being around them felt like stepping into 1983.

Excellent news. I always felt like the Freight House section was poorly-done. It should be a really cool space and it was not.

[eschaton]

I've only lived in Pittsburgh for 12 years now, but my understanding is Station Square was originally purchased/developed with plans that it would be anchored by a casino. When that fell through, it just sort of floundered around as a tourist trap with a minor office component.

[eschaton]

Pittsburgh Business Times has more details about the soon-to-be constructed CMU Tata Consultancy Building. The most surprising thing to me is aside from the top floor (which will house corporate offices of the donor) there are no plans yet for what is to go into the building. Ground should be broken next month, with completion in Spring 2018.

[highlander206]

Originally Posted by eschaton

I've only lived in Pittsburgh for 12 years now, but my understanding is Station Square was originally purchased/developed with plans that it would be anchored by a casino. When that fell through, it just sort of floundered around as a tourist trap with a minor office component.

It always gave a tourist trip vibe to me as well; a pretty lousy one at that too. It never even really comes across me to take a visitor to Station Square in its current form. Hopefully the renovating of the Freight House Shops comes through, it is showing its age quite badly. I do remember one of the three competitors for Pittsburgh's casino license was Harris who would have built it in Station Square. I feel like after that didn't happen, they stopped caring about the complex for a time.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by highlander206

It always gave a tourist trip vibe to me as well; a pretty lousy one at that too. It never even really comes across me to take a visitor to Station Square in its current form. Hopefully the renovating of the Freight House Shops comes through, it is showing its age quite badly. I do remember one of the three competitors for Pittsburgh's casino license was Harris who would have built it in Station Square. I feel like after that didn't happen, they stopped caring about the complex for a time.

Station Square also had the "club scene" really briefly after it left the Strip District and before it moved to South Side. Since then it's been floundering.

[Minivan Werner]

The only reason I ever had to eat or shop in Station Square was before a concert at the old IC Light Amphitheater. The shopping selection was never anything to write home about, certainly not worth a trip by itself. Station Square *could* be just an extension of the South Side but it always feels too disconnected from it. There's a stretch of a few blocks that are really dingy not very pedestrian friendly.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Minivan Werner

Station Square *could* be just an extension of the South Side but it always feels too disconnected from it. There's a stretch of a few blocks that are really dingy not very pedestrian friendly.

It's more than a few blocks, IMHO. East Carson Street doesn't have much street life west of the 10th Street Bridge. That means you're talking about a 20 minute walk minimum to get from the South Side business district to Station Square. Not a nice walk either - there's a sidewalk, but car zip by much faster through that area. I don't see it improving unless some new apartment buildings are constructed to provide greater density in that sector.

[TBone7281]

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2017/...trip-district/

The Mike Feinberg Co. Building in the Strip is being sold to Yinzers. The more things change, the more they stay the same I guess.

[photoLith]

^
Damn, I was hoping that space could become more than just another crappy place to buy sports propaganda.

[BrianTH]

The combination of the Smithfield Bridge, Mon Incline, P&LE RR building, Grand Concourse, and Gandy Dancer is pretty cool. The dancing fountain, old train platform, and associated historical artifacts is pretty neat too. But otherwise . . . I agree it doesn't have much appeal, and seems very, very dated.

But I think the potential is still there to make it a significant attraction. Re-doing the Freight House section would help, as would activating the area at the top of the Incline (I'd love to see an "Upper Station Square" concept), and maybe adding a cool staircase back down. Another attraction, like maybe an homage to the original Ferris Wheel, could also really up the appeal of a visit there.

[highlander206]

In light of concern given by many leaders in the area and the community and the vote to delay a decision, the PA Turnpike Commission has decided to halt all development work with the Mon-Fayette Expressway for the time being. I think it's looking likely at this point this project's final leg just gets scrapped.

http://triblive.com/local/allegheny/...tte-expressway

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by highlander206

In light of concern given by many leaders in the area and the community and the vote to delay a decision, the PA Turnpike Commission has decided to halt all development work with the Mon-Fayette Expressway for the time being. I think it's looking likely at this point this project's final leg just gets scrapped.

They really just didn't have the money for it. I think this is basically a face-saving way out for them.

That said, the state needs to make sure to claw back any non-toll money that would have gone into this.

[photoLith]

Pittsburgh still losing population...

Here’s a new slogan for local civic boosters to consider: “Pittsburgh: The Greatest Place that Doesn’t Grow.”

It seems apt as ever, based on new U.S. Census Bureau estimates posted today. Among the nation’s 30 largest metropolitan areas, Pittsburgh is the only one deemed to have fewer people on July 1, 2015, than were counted during the official 2010 census. The region is estimated to have lost 5,051 people last year and 3,240 overall since the official count, despite small gains from 2010-12.

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/re...s/201603240067

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by photoLith

Pittsburgh still losing population...



http://www.post-gazette.com/local/re...s/201603240067

Technically we only know metro and county wide population changes, not for the city proper yet. That said, with the decline of the core county, the City of Pittsburgh will certainly post some sort of population decline as well - though it might just be proportionate to the general county losses.

I don't know how much you know about Pittsburgh population history, but the main reason we continue to decline in population is because it's the only large metro where more people die than are born each year. Our outflow of domestic migrants is negative - but so is virtually every other northern city, and it's about half of the rate of the rest of the rust belt. And our international migration rate is okay - the city of course benefits from this more than the rest of the county. So it isn't as terrible as it seems. It is terrible for the outlying counties though, excluding Butler and Washington, which get some exurban development (though the latter declined in population last year again).

[mikebarbaro]

Originally Posted by photoLith

Pittsburgh still losing population...



http://www.post-gazette.com/local/re...s/201603240067

Note that that article is from last year. March 24th 2016.

[photoLith]

^
Oops there's a Pittsburgh business times article from today that is showing the population is still declining.

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburg...opulation.html

[photoLith]

I'm at market square right now and went into city works which I guess just opened. It's freaking packed and finally makes market square completely surrounded on all sides by dining.

[mikebarbaro]

Originally Posted by photoLith

I'm at market square right now and went into city works which I guess just opened. It's freaking packed and finally makes market square completely surrounded on all sides by dining.

I live right by there on Stanwix Street and have been over to City Works twice already. They opened on March 11th. Awesome spot!

[speagles84]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Technically we only know metro and county wide population changes, not for the city proper yet. That said, with the decline of the core county, the City of Pittsburgh will certainly post some sort of population decline as well - though it might just be proportionate to the general county losses.

I don't know how much you know about Pittsburgh population history, but the main reason we continue to decline in population is because it's the only large metro where more people die than are born each year. Our outflow of domestic migrants is negative - but so is virtually every other northern city, and it's about half of the rate of the rest of the rust belt. And our international migration rate is okay - the city of course benefits from this more than the rest of the county. So it isn't as terrible as it seems. It is terrible for the outlying counties though, excluding Butler and Washington, which get some exurban development (though the latter declined in population last year again).

I think our birth/death rate is waning as the primary reason we aren't gaining population. The huge population of baby boomers are retiring and just not staying here, and there aren't enough GenX and Millennials coming to replace them. The overall number of Millennials moving here is the highest it's been in decades but still not quite enough to offset the amount of recent retirees leaving. Quite depressing to see such bad numbers, I did not expect Allegheny to lose so much. I knew the rural counties would, but I thought we were going to hold steady. I was wrong.