PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown II

[eschaton]

The first two zoning board reports are up for the year.

1/12 report: The Wharton Street apartment building has been resubmitted from last month - apparently it didn't get approved off the bat. I think the biggest issue with the design is it's in violation of the new riverfront overlay, which mandate buildings along the river be under 500 feet in length, with the newly proposed apartment building slightly longer than this (536 feet). Other than this it's pretty minor stuff, including a small expansion to the Union Project, and a request for a commercial business along Stanton Avenue at the border of East Liberty and Highland Park. Plus a few infill houses here and there.

1/19 report: A number of small residential infill projects in South Side Flats, South Side Slopes, and South Oakland.

[TBone7281]

Not sure if anyone saw this the other day, but Pittsburgh has a net-gain of population with Philly. Definitely a change from years past.

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/re...s/201701020003

[BrianTH]

Interesting we lost people on net to Erie. I wonder if they are starting to trump us on affordability.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Interesting we lost people on net to Erie. I wonder if they are starting to trump us on affordability.

Keep in mind this is a metro area comparison. It may be that a lot of the people moving to Erie were actually relocating from areas in northern Butler County, like Slippery Rock and Boyers, which aren't really part of the Pittsburgh MSA except in name.

[TBone7281]

I obviously don't know, but I wonder if some of the losses going to Erie/State College are associated with young people moving to further their education.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by TBone7281

I obviously don't know, but I wonder if some of the losses going to Erie/State College are associated with young people moving to further their education.

I certainly think that is a good hypothesis with respect to State College, and for that matter Boston.

I would have guessed the student balance would have been more favorable with Erie, but I could be wrong.

[TBone7281]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

I certainly think that is a good hypothesis with respect to State College, and for that matter Boston.

I would have guessed the student balance would have been more favorable with Erie, but I could be wrong.

The population base in Pittsburgh is a lot bigger than Erie... so it might make sense that we have more people going there than are coming here. Erie has Penn State (Behrend), Gannon, Mercyhurst, maybe Edinboro off the top of my head. None of those schools are huge, but I imagine they have an impact.

Anyway, like I said, just a guess.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by eschaton

It may be that a lot of the people moving to Erie were actually relocating from areas in northern Butler County, like Slippery Rock and Boyers, which aren't really part of the Pittsburgh MSA except in name.

Off hand, I wouldn't guess there was enough of a population base just in northern Butler County to create such a significant net flow. I think the two places you named, for example, only have a combined population of around 5000 people.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by TBone7281

The population base in Pittsburgh is a lot bigger than Erie... so it might make sense that we have more people going there than are coming here.

That's definitely the same thought I had about State College. I think those two metro areas (Erie and State College) are actually pretty close in size, so if collectively the higher-ed institutions in Erie (LECOM is quite large too, for a graduate/professional school) drew enough from the Pittsburgh Metro, you could in fact be right.

[eschaton]

Anyway, a few days back there was the back and forth about the cracker plant in Beaver County. As I've said in the past, I am actually pretty concerned that its construction will actually be a detriment to Pittsburgh redevelopment, at least in the medium term.

My logic is as follows: From what I have read, the plant will require somewhere in the vicinity of 6,000 construction jobs. Many of those jobs will undoubtedly be specialized elements of the construction industry which cater to the industrial market, meaning people will be moving into the area from outside. But some of those jobs (at least on the subcontractor level) are going to draw on the existing construction labor market. This will cause a local labor shortage for other projects. This labor shortage will in turn cause local construction wages to tend to rise. As a result building anything which isn't the cracker plant will get more expensive, which may considerably tighten the development spigot for several years.

[guyFROMtheBURGH]

Just curious, but could we find inbound and outbound numbers? I would estimate that a good percentage of those people are relocating to begin college at the aforementioned institutions but I wonder how many move back right after school. I'm not saying that none do but that's a relatively large net decrease to State College so how many have moved to Pittsburgh?

Originally Posted by BrianTH

That's definitely the same thought I had about State College. I think those two metro areas (Erie and State College) are actually pretty close in size, so if collectively the higher-ed institutions in Erie (LECOM is quite large too, for a graduate/professional school) drew enough from the Pittsburgh Metro, you could in fact be right.

[themaguffin]

For State College, I think that's definitely the case. Erie is puzzling.
While they do have a few colleges in the city, Pittsburgh obviously has a lot more, not to mention more job opportunities. Unless there is a retirement thing happening up there...?

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by guyFROMtheBURGH

Just curious, but could we find inbound and outbound numbers? I would estimate that a good percentage of those people are relocating to begin college at the aforementioned institutions but I wonder how many move back right after school. I'm not saying that none do but that's a relatively large net decrease to State College so how many have moved to Pittsburgh?

I'm sure some of the kids who go from Pittsburgh to Penn State end up back here, but Penn State is the sort of university which can lead to lots of opportunities to move elsewhere, if you feel like it. For example, I knew a girl from Pittsburgh--she babysat our kid at one point--who went to Penn State and yada-yada-yada she lives in Sidney, Australia now.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by themaguffin

For State College, I think that's definitely the case. Erie is puzzling.
While they do have a few colleges in the city, Pittsburgh obviously has a lot more, not to mention more job opportunities. Unless there is a retirement thing happening up there...?

With the Pittsburgh MSA being around 9 times the size of the Erie MSA, even if a substantially higher percentage of Erie kids were coming to Pittsburgh for higher ed than the other way around, the net balance could be from Pittsburgh to Erie anyway.

That said, I am not sure that is all or most of the explanation in Erie's case.

[Private Dick]

Originally Posted by TBone7281

The population base in Pittsburgh is a lot bigger than Erie... so it might make sense that we have more people going there than are coming here. Erie has Penn State (Behrend), Gannon, Mercyhurst, maybe Edinboro off the top of my head. None of those schools are huge, but I imagine they have an impact.

Anyway, like I said, just a guess.

Originally Posted by themaguffin

For State College, I think that's definitely the case. Erie is puzzling.

While they do have a few colleges in the city, Pittsburgh obviously has a lot more, not to mention more job opportunities. Unless there is a retirement thing happening up there...?

While the Erie-area colleges (Gannon, Mercyhurst, LECOM, PSU-Behrend, Edinboro, and Allegheny) attract significant numbers of Pittsburgh area students, I can't imagine that students alone are the cause of a net population loss of over a thousand people to the Erie area. And I can't imagine that Erie universities attract more Pittsburgh students than Pittsburgh universities attract Erie students. Maybe I'm wrong on that, but it just doesn't seem to make sense.

Originally Posted by BrianTH

That's definitely the same thought I had about State College. I think those two metro areas (Erie and State College) are actually pretty close in size, so if collectively the higher-ed institutions in Erie (LECOM is quite large too, for a graduate/professional school) drew enough from the Pittsburgh Metro, you could in fact be right.

A loss to State College is probably all students going to Penn State (I think the Pittsburgh area makes up the largest block of students there). The Erie area is significantly larger and much more diverse in economic focus than the State College area though and does pull workers from the Pittsburgh area. I think State College's MSA is around 150k and Erie's is around 280k... and Erie's number only consists of Erie County, which is really not an accurate measure of how it serves as the regional center of population for not only Crawford County to the south (as reflected by the Erie-Meadville CSA at approx 370k), but also for southwestern NY state and a small portion of NE Ohio (which in actuality pushes the population number over 500k). State College area really has little else to pull people there aside from PSU-affiliated reasons. And the State College-DuBois CSA is a major stretch to even call it a CSA, since most of the territory is very sparsely-inhabited farmland and forest.

My thought is that these Pittsburgh loss to Erie numbers coincide with UPMC taking over Hamot Hospital/Health System and dramatically expanding there. And West Penn-Allegheny Health System absorbing Saint Vincent Hospital/Health System. Both of these are major hospitals and two of the top employers in the region, and have added many Pittsburgh employees to their rosters over the past 5 years. I think that this, combined with Pittsburgh students going to Erie area schools (particularly LECOM medical, dental, and pharmacy schools) and the normal job relocations that always occur between the two cities, is likely the reason for the loss to Erie over the past 5 years.

[BrianTH]

Mr. Smalls (in Millvale) has bought the former Methodist church across the corner and is planning to build it out with a variety of uses:

http://www.nextpittsburgh.com/city-d...ding-purchase/

The owners of Mr. Smalls Funhouse, Liz Berlin and Mike Speranzo, have purchased the former Millvale United Methodist Church across the street from their popular concert venue with plans to convert it into a neighborhood café, secondhand music equipment store, and recording studio for local youth. They plan to call the building, located at 192 Butler Street, The Sanctuary at Mr. Smalls.

An opening date is not yet set but once it is open it will be home to Creative.Life.Support, the nonprofit arm of Mr. Smalls.

Among its many programs, CLS hosts an annual “We Rock” 18-week residency program in conjunction with Allegheny County’s Department of Human Services. Now in its seventh year, the program is designed as a way former and current foster children can open up through the arts. “The focus is in creating spaces for at-risk youth to experience tech and understand how to work through traumatic experiences by expressing themselves through music and art,” says Speranzo.

The basement of The Sanctuary will hold a professional studio with remote capabilities that will allow students to record shows happening in-house or across the street at the theater. Berlin and Speranzo envision students with an interest in audio or video tech enrolling in a short program to gauge the extent of their interest without the time or financial commitment needed at most full-time vo-tech schools.

It is a cool old church:

[photoLith]

About time this happened. I live about 5 houses down from that church. There's about to be a cool hipster grocer here, a coffee shop, and a new tea cafe opened. It's only a matter of time before rent sky rockets.

[BrianTH]

Millvale is officially becoming part of the Greater Lawrenceville Hipster Belt.

[BrianTH]

PennDOT is applying for federal funding pursuant to the Automation Proving Ground Pilot Program:

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburg...a-proving.html

Here is the program description:

https://www.transportation.gov/fastl...ounds%E2%80%9D

Through this program, the Department will designate facilities as qualified proving grounds for the safe testing, demonstration and deployment of automated vehicle technology. We believe that by designating facilities as part of a Community of Practice, we can foster a safe environment for these entities to share best practices related to testing and developing this technology. . . . We will be accepting applications from test tracks or testing facilities, race tracks, cities or urban cores, highway corridors and campuses (corporate or academic).

PennDOT news release:

http://www.penndot.gov/Pages/all-new...spx?newsid=281

The application outlines the benefits and possibilities for testing within the state that already exist and offer an array of environments and topography under varying degrees of testing. The proposal includes testing facilities:

in Pittsburgh, building on the city's leadership in development and testing for these vehicles and offering an urban environment, connected signals and multiple bridges and tunnels;

at Penn State University, which has a closed track where commercial, transit and other vehicles can be tested at low speeds and with controlled incidents;and

at the Pocono Raceway, which offers a closed track and is ideal for testing higher speeds, multiple connected vehicles (platooning) and other options.

"We're thrilled to be a partner with PennDOT on this application, and continue our leadership as a laboratory for innovation that benefits all residents," said Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto.

I haven't seen the actual application, but it sounds like Pittsburgh might be going for designation under the "cities or urban cores" category mentioned by the feds, which would be pretty exciting. And one would think we were very well-positioned for success given everything that has happened here to date.

Edit: The Trib has a link to the actual application

http://triblive.com/local/allegheny/...cation-testing

They are in fact proposing that a "Western Testing Facility" be designated, constituted by the public streets of Pittsburgh. The Trib apparently got clarification that designation would not involve any immediate funding, but it could lead to funding support in the future.

[GeneW]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Millvale is officially becoming part of the Greater Lawrenceville Hipster Belt.

My son lives in Millvale and works at Smalls and it's definitely getting a lot of overflow residents who would live in Lawrenceville but can't afford to.