PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown II

[Brentsters]

Major stretch of Allegheny riverfront gets new life

A lone crane wielding an industrial magnet on a dusty stretch of land in Sharpsburg hints at major changes to come along a mile and a half of land along the Allegheny river.

On a summer Tuesday morning, the crane and some remaining work crews were cleaning up and removing the last traces of scrap metal of the former Azcon Metals property that have been the dominating feature of a 47-acre stretch of riverfront that runs from Sharpsburg, through Aspinwall and into O’Hara Township.

Now, the removal of all the scrap metal along with 20 buildings on the site are part of sales agreement between a local group called Riverfront 47 LP and Azcon’s owner, New York-based Blue Tee Corp. This week, Riverfront 47 LP closed on buying the Azcon property from Blue Tee for $5.34 million.
For the first time in generations, the final sale will open up what may be the largest tract of land along the Allegheny River in western Pennsylvania for new development.

The deal also marks a major step up in ambition for Aspinwall residents Susan and Currie Crookston, firsttime real estate developers who were motivated to pursue the Azcon property after they worked with the community of Aspinwall to buy an eight-acre marina and redevelop it into a riverfront park that neighbors the site.

They won’t be taking on 47 acres alone.

After generating support from the three municipalities the property runs through, the Crookstons are now partners in Riverfront 47 LP with the Mosites Co., the downtown Pittsburgh-based developer that played a fundamental role in the redevelopment of East Liberty through its East Side project.

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

A pretty big chunk of land is being cleaned up for redevelopment along the Allegheny. A nearby industrial area in Etna has plans for a new riverfront park too. Both plans would really help the trail continue upstream from the city.

[JVC]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

BRGR is expanding and moving to Penn Avenue (still in East Liberty):

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburg...nn-avenue.html

I think this is a sign of things to come for Penn as the hotels and a lot more apartments come on line.

apparently yale does a piss-poor job of teaching its graduates how to use the english language

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/come_online

come online ‎(third-person singular simple present comes online, present participle coming online, simple past and past participle came online)

(idiomatic) To enter service or become active.
It will be some time before the new factory comes online, and until then we can't fulfill demand.

Originally Posted by SWPA

Fantastic news about BRGR. I saw the article in the P-G but they didn't say exactly which corner of Penn and Highland, but now I see it's the northwest corner in the block with the Kelly-Strayhorn Theatre and the Indigo. So glad that development is now hitting the core of East Liberty, which, with its wide sidewalks, is perfect for outdoor activity. Now looking forward to the completion of the new apartment building on the southeast corner, which is going up fast.

a business owner takes a huge risk by relocating a popular restaurant to a nicer neighborhood - see the elbow room which moved from ellsworth to walnut street and basically went bust

a business owner takes a fatal risk by relocating a popular restaurant to a less desirable (to yuppie foodies) part of town - epic brgr fail in progress

[Wave]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

BRGR is expanding and moving to Penn Avenue (still in East Liberty):

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburg...nn-avenue.html

I think this is a sign of things to come for Penn as the hotels and a lot more apartments come on line.

from the PG Dining Blog, looks like it may be a smart move (two new hotels and the new apartment building plus more to come all within a block or so, they will have a larger space and they will also be filling the old space with a new concept, so its a net gain for the East Liberty dining scene:

"The move will position the restaurant closer to The Penn at Walnut, the Walnut Capital development that will include 78 apartments and 15,000 square feet of retail space when it opens next summer. It will also be closer to Hotel Indigo, slated to open this fall; and the Ace Hotel, which is on track to open in early 2016.

Before the end of the year, Mr. Stern and executive chef and S+P Restaurant Group partner Brian Pekarcik will announce a new concept to fill the original BRGR space that he anticipates will fill a gap in the neighborhood’s restaurant offerings."

http://www.post-gazette.com/life/din...nes-Newsletter

[RespectCondor]

Originally Posted by JVC

a business owner takes a huge risk by relocating a popular restaurant to a nicer neighborhood - see the elbow room which moved from ellsworth to walnut street and basically went bust

a business owner takes a fatal risk by relocating a popular restaurant to a less desirable (to yuppie foodies) part of town - epic brgr fail in progress

It's moving like a block away. You can basically see the new location from the old one.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Originally Posted by RespectCondor

It's moving like a block away. You can basically see the new location from the old one.

Don't feed the trolls...

[RespectCondor]

Originally Posted by Wiz Khalifa

Don't feed the trolls...

You're right. My bad, I didn't look at the username until after I posted.

[AaronPGH]

ARGHH I can see his posts when y'all quote him. lol

[TBone7281]

Originally Posted by PITairport

"FORE Systems Founding Principal and tech entrepreneur Francois Bitz is pursuing a plan to build an 18-story condo development in the Strip District, an early stage project expected to total 70 to 80 units in a building that could reach more than 200 feet in height."

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburg...ndo-tower.html

Wow, definitely keeping my eye on this one. 18 stories would put it significantly higher than anything else in the Strip. Hope to see some progress on this.

[gg1]

Originally Posted by Brentsters

A pretty big chunk of land is being cleaned up for redevelopment along the Allegheny. A nearby industrial area in Etna has plans for a new riverfront park too. Both plans would really help the trail continue upstream from the city.

I have been watching them clear this land over the past couple of months and wondered what was going on. That is a pretty big site and is going to mean a lot for Aspinwall, Sharpsburg and the cycling community as a whole. I never thought that scrape yard would sell, but they did and only for 5 million +. This is going to be great and i can't wait to see it move forward. Can't happen fast enough.

Not sure if people realize the size of this land on the riverfront. Going from a scrap yard to mixed use with a couple of parks on both sides. This is incredible for our region as a whole and right across from the zoo with a connecting bridge. This was gong to be sold to another scrap company for 15 million, but planets aligned for this to drop into the hands of developers. Get that trail through to Millvale and you have an amazing situation. I am floored they got this property for such a price. Can't wait to see some plans.

[greg42]

That Francois Bitz is an odd one. I very often pass by some of his property in Marshall Township on the way to and from my house. There's that modern glass house on it and it's also where he allows a nearby resident to graze highland cows and berkshire pigs. See http://www.nwoodsranch.com/p/our-story.html

I hope his proposal for a big condo tower in the Strip comes to fruition, but condos do seem like an odd choice to me these days at times. It's hard to know if there's any pent up demand to absorb that, but then again Solara has sold a bunch of units there now with a new building and before that with Otto Milk. Perhaps in the market he's aiming, very large units, condos will do ok, but that could be a long slog of selling them (only so many people want such a large unit as a condo) unless he's intending to self-finance a lot. That's something he probably has the means to do, but in the article he mentions tough financing.

[Wave]

https://www.cbremarketplace.com/OneG...aign=grandview

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by Wave

https://www.cbremarketplace.com/OneG...aign=grandview

Good location for a drive through starbucks.

[Evergrey]

PIT losing nonstops to St. Louis and Hartford. Maybe that 9-seater OneJet can fill in those gaps. Ugh.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Originally Posted by greg42

That Francois Bitz is an odd one. I very often pass by some of his property in Marshall Township on the way to and from my house. There's that modern glass house on it and it's also where he allows a nearby resident to graze highland cows and berkshire pigs. See http://www.nwoodsranch.com/p/our-story.html

Not odd, smart. You get some pretty substantial tax breaks if your property is considered farmland.

[greg42]

Originally Posted by Wiz Khalifa

Not odd, smart. You get some pretty substantial tax breaks if your property is considered farmland.

Well sure. I never suggested he wasn't smart in certain ways. Certainly smart enough to build a network equipment company and also smart enough to sell it before the 2000 bust. The property in question was farmland and in some ways still is. But the cows, they graze right up next to the modern house very often, on its driveway, etc. That is odd even if he considers himself some kind of gentleman farmer.

Not that I find it a problem. We love seeing the cows and pigs there. Much better than seeing it developed as smaller lots really I suppose, despite the arrogance inherent in having the single house. The cows don't need as much land as he has. But it's all a little strange, the fence that remains unfinished after starting years ago, the trouble he got in when he apparently changed the course of a stream illegally, etc. I always got the sense that he goes out on the land himself sometimes playing with tractors and excavating machinery without knowing what the heck he's really doing. Which is also fine, up to a point where it affects others at least (e.g. the stream). But it is still odd.

Next time the herd is stationed right up by the house I'll try to get a picture. (A phone shot won't do it; I have to go out with the real camera.) It sure makes for an unusual sight, the shaggy-haired, horned cows next to the concrete and glass modern home. We tend to wonder if he actually lives there. Rumor was he lived in the old farmhouse instead, but he tore that down a few years ago. The couple tending to the cattle and pigs and selling the beef and pork do not live on the site although they live just a couple miles away. There are places down in the city you can get the meat now.

[BrianTH]

Business Times roundup:

Apparently a lawsuit was holding up the ARC House project, but it has now been dismissed:

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburg...hrown-out.html

The Cambria Suites next to Consol has been bought and the new owners plan significant upgrades:

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburg...rgh-hotel.html

Article on Mosites' interest in and plans for the Riverfront 47 (Azcon scrapyard) site:

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburg...rgh-hotel.html

This may not be a fast-mover, but it could be a keystone development by the time it is done.

And finally, Alcoa is investing $60M in expanding its additive manufacturing (aka 3-D printing) center in New Kensington:

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburg...-research.html

Edit: Bonus Riverfvront 47 article, mentioning some gantry cranes were left in place for possible incorporation into the development as architectural elements (which would be cool):

http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/9...nt-development

[Private Dick]

Originally Posted by Evergrey

PIT losing nonstops to St. Louis and Hartford. Maybe that 9-seater OneJet can fill in those gaps. Ugh.

The airport is just kinda sad... it seems like an airport for a city much smaller than Pittsburgh. I dropped some friends off there yesterday and it was amazing how slow it was for a major travel day on Labor Day weekend. Business travel weekdays are pretty much the same.

Of course, the lack of activity makes it much more convenient (and pleasant) to travel. It's nice that you don't have to wait in line to drop people off/pick people up, and that the security line doesn't take forever to get through. But a busy airport is an indicator... and seeing so few people arriving/departing doesn't paint a positive picture.

I just hate seeing this map continue to be whittled down to what appears to be a smaller regional airport, but maybe it's just a sign of the times.

[JVC]

Originally Posted by Private Dick

The airport is just kinda sad... it seems like an airport for a city much smaller than Pittsburgh. I dropped some friends off there yesterday and it was amazing how slow it was for a major travel day on Labor Day weekend. Business travel weekdays are pretty much the same.

what's sad is the delusional cheerleading that goes on here and in the media that keeps trying to make pittsburgh something it isn't
if the city was truly booming with real commerce and consumer demand then activity at the airport would reflect that

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Just to be clear--I have JVC on ignore so I only see JVC's content to the extent someone responds to it.

So, my advice is don't feed the troll. And personally, I quite like the ignore function and recommend that people try it out.

Originally Posted by themaguffin

I see it's time for the sad and downright pathetic trolling.

Originally Posted by Muckk

Forgive my ignorance but can anyone direct me to this "ignore" function? I have someone I'd prefer to ignore. Thanks in advance.

what is beyond sad and downright pathetic is how some local adult professionals are utterly unable to have an mature response to basic reality other than name-calling and censorship
that attitude is the polar opposite of the successful metropolitan mindset found in big cities like nyc where debate and dissent are celebrated

[themaguffin]

I see it's time for the sad and downright pathetic trolling.

[PITairport]

Originally Posted by Private Dick

I just hate seeing this map continue to be whittled down to what appears to be a smaller regional airport, but maybe it's just a sign of the times.

That map looks a lot better now than it did just 1 year ago. Since then additions have been:

Dallas (DAL)
Milwaukee
Indianapolis
Freeport (incorrectly labeled as Nassau)
St. Petersburg (PIE, Tampa)
Punta Gorda (PGD, Ft. Myers)
Sanford (SFB, Orlando and Daytona Beach)
Jacksonville
Myrtle Beach
Lancaster
Altoona
Bradford
Franklin
Jamestown
Toronto (YTZ, Toronto City)
Hagerstown (yet to be added to the map)

Granted, some of these are very small markets and are served by very small airplanes. But it is nonetheless an increase in air service and things finally seem to be moving in the right direction.

I'm not sure about Hartford (BDL) but STL won't be unserved for too long. That has Southwest Airlines written all over it, considering they have a small hub there and a decent presence at PIT too.