PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown III - Page 27

BrianTH · #**521** Posted **Feb 13, 2018, 11:16 AM**

Data geek note: The Pittsburgh Economic Quarterly has an article on alternative measures of employment:

https://ucsur.pitt.edu/files/peq/peq_2018-01.pdf

The point I want to focus on is that when you move up to what is called U-6, suddenly Pittsburgh drops significantly below the United States, and way below Pennsylvania.

So what's special about U-6? Compared to all the other measures (U-1 to U-5), U-6 adds in people who are working part-time but want to be working full-time. It is sometimes called an "underemployment" versus "unemployment" measure for this reason.

Accordingly, it looks like Pittsburgh is unusually low in this specific category, meaning relatively few people here looking for full time work have to settle for part time work. You can do the math--it works out to something like 2.8% here, versus 3.4% nationally and 3.5% in Pennsylvania.

Steel City Scotty · #**522** Posted **Feb 13, 2018, 2:17 PM**

Is Pittsburgh's Rental Market a Good Fit for Amazon?

Quote:

Is the city’s housing market actually a good fit for Amazon? If Pittsburgh were to land Amazon, would that benefit current Pittsburgh residents? City officials believe Pittsburgh is a great fit.

But policy experts see the housing market as a major obstacle for Pittsburgh in landing Amazon, and believe that if Amazon were to pick Pittsburgh, it would likely add intense pressure to rental markets and drive up prices. And everyone seems to agree, Pittsburgh’s rental and housing markets are in for some changes, especially if Amazon comes to town.

mikebarbaro · #**523** Posted **Feb 13, 2018, 3:19 PM**

A rendering of The Esplanade on the North Shore from the Millcraft Instagram today...

Caleb Eugene · #**524** Posted **Feb 13, 2018, 4:33 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikebarbaro

A rendering of The Esplanade on the North Shore from the Millcraft Instagram today...

Oh I see little house boats. Kind of like the ones in Seattle.

eschaton · #**525** Posted **Feb 13, 2018, 4:45 PM**

The proposed new 150-foot height limit for Chateau will certainly help The Esplanade get through zoning more quickly.

ks2006 · #**526** Posted **Feb 13, 2018, 5:35 PM**

With the nearby casino, new casino hotel, and this proposed development with retail and Ferris wheel, this plan is starting to remind me of National Harbor near DC

contellus · #**527** Posted **Feb 13, 2018, 5:48 PM**

Something big coming from UPMC and Pitt this afternoon. From the picture in the attached tweet, it looks as though it could be the long-awaited development of the old car dealership property on Centre, Morewood and Baum? That’s just a guess, though. It looks like they’re announcing whatever it is in an old industrial property.

https://twitter.com/pittchancellor/s...57728139218945

chucka · #**528** Posted **Feb 13, 2018, 6:14 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by contellus

Something big coming from UPMC and Pitt this afternoon. From the picture in the attached tweet, it looks as though it could be the long-awaited development of the old car dealership property on Centre, Morewood and Baum? That’s just a guess, though. It looks like they’re announcing whatever it is in an old industrial property.

https://twitter.com/pittchancellor/s...57728139218945

UPMC, Pitt to invest $200 million in immunotherapy research facility in Shadyside

Brentsters · #**529** Posted **Feb 13, 2018, 6:24 PM**

is that the morewood-centre perspective? What's going on in the foreground?

i wonder if they'll start talking about adding another busway stop there again.

eschaton · #**530** Posted **Feb 13, 2018, 6:51 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by chucka

UPMC, Pitt to invest $200 million in immunotherapy research facility in Shadyside

So, from the look of it, they plan to demolish the building at the corner of Centre and Moorewood, and potentially an odd-angled bit of the main historic building (three of rows of windows are gone). The block will actually look worse from Centre, with a giant, elevated empty plaza - which I presume is actually the top deck of an underground garage.

Blargh.

Caleb Eugene · #**531** Posted **Feb 13, 2018, 7:21 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by eschaton

So, from the look of it, they plan to demolish the building at the corner of Centre and Moorewood, and potentially an odd-angled bit of the main historic building (three of rows of windows are gone). The block will actually look worse from Centre, with a giant, elevated empty plaza - which I presume is actually the top deck of an underground garage.

Blargh.

Blurgh: (Noun) is a new word in the city limits of Pittsburgh regarding to the performance of recent developments and renderings.

Bricktrimble · #**532** Posted **Feb 13, 2018, 7:34 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Caleb Eugene

Oh I see little house boats. Kind of like the ones in Seattle.

Well, that's not a truly accurate representation. You know that people on the house boats will be Steelers fans and they will have Steeler country flags all over those houseboats!

Caleb Eugene · #**533** Posted **Feb 13, 2018, 7:52 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bricktrimble

Well, that's not a truly accurate representation. You know that people on the house boats will be Steelers fans and they will have Steeler country flags all over those houseboats!

You know what I meant! LOL. I also hope there are more plans for house boats, maybe not so much around downtown but in other areas for riverfront development.

pj3000 · #**534** Posted **Feb 13, 2018, 8:02 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bricktrimble

Well, that's not a truly accurate representation. You know that people on the house boats will be Steelers fans and they will have Steeler country flags all over those houseboats!

I have a feeling that those houseboats will be at a price point to keep the 'You're in Steelers Country' element out.

pj3000 · #**535** Posted **Feb 13, 2018, 8:04 PM**

The UPMC Centre Ave development will be a drastic improvement for that area.

As long as they don't elbow the Cricket Lounge out of there, I'm all good with it.

AaronPGH · #**536** Posted **Feb 13, 2018, 10:22 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by pj3000

The UPMC Centre Ave development will be a drastic improvement for that area.

As long as they don't elbow the Cricket Lounge out of there, I'm all good with it.

I think Cricket closed a few years ago.

AaronPGH · #**537** Posted **Feb 13, 2018, 10:23 PM**

Woah! I'm wrong! It didn't. That's weird, maybe I'm getting my strip clubs mixed up.

Evergrey · #**538** Posted **Feb 14, 2018, 4:46 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by AaronPGH

Woah! I'm wrong! It didn't. That's weird, maybe I'm getting my strip clubs mixed up.

They did close briefly for an ownership change or renovation or something like that.

BrianTH · #**539** Posted **Feb 14, 2018, 12:17 PM**

That Esplanade rendering is oddly crude but still very cool in concept.

As for the UPMC project, I'm tempted to go off on a similar rant about why hospitals, despite being great for economic development, can be pretty crap when it comes to urban development issues. But whatever--that corridor seems destined to be hodge-podge with lots of unfortunate mini gaps and such, but as long as it is built up to an overall high level of use it will support better-planned development all around it.

pj3000 · #**540** Posted **Feb 14, 2018, 2:05 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrianTH

As for the UPMC project, I'm tempted to go off on a similar rant about why hospitals, despite being great for economic development, can be pretty crap when it comes to urban development issues. But whatever--that corridor seems destined to be hodge-podge with lots of unfortunate mini gaps and such, but as long as it is built up to an overall high level of use it will support better-planned development all around it.

Agreed. Hospital facility developments are going to dominate the surroundings in ways that benefit them, first and foremost. It seems like for whatever reason, hospitals are exempt or just oblivious to good urban design practices.

I'm just so sick of that awful Centre/Baum corridor right in that area. It's looked abandoned and ugly for way too long, so I'm fine with seeing a plaza/green space in hopes that it will help to improve the overall surroundings and add more pedestrian activity to the area.