PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown II - Page 63

markson33 · #**1241** Posted **May 31, 2012, 7:56 PM**

Great news about PNC buying the Lord & Taylor. That does make the renovation of 350 Fifth Avenue more appealing.

Riverparc isn't completely dead. I do expect it to be revived at some point.

Jonboy1983 · #**1242** Posted **May 31, 2012, 8:23 PM**

I must say, I am rather torn between the rennovation of 350 Fifth Avenue vs. new tower construction. It is ironic that PNC bought the former Mellon Bank branch, but it will contribute nicely to the overall transformation of Downtown.

I, too, think Riverpark will be revived at some point as well. The market probably was not (and still is not) there yet. Demand is still on the increase. Didn't Downtown's residential population double over the last 5 or 6 years? I also agree that it would be nice to see a signature residential tower in Downtown.

Also, did anyone else notice how the Trib article was worded? The new zoning would allow for buildings of 15 to 20 floors to be built further back from the river. As I said before, I hope the office buildings, likely located in between the Ft. Wayne RR and 16th Street Bridges will be more in this range.

BrianTH · #**1243** Posted **May 31, 2012, 8:26 PM**

I'm sure something will eventually be done with that land in the Cultural District. Whether it has any notable continuity with Riverparc is another issue.

AaronPGH · #**1244** Posted **May 31, 2012, 8:43 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evergrey

Don't forget Crazy Mocha...

Knowing Crazy Mocha, they will probably open two of them per block.

That is one local chain I would love to see bite the dust.

BTW - is it worth posting the Oxford tower in the highrise proposal thread?

Evergrey · #**1245** Posted **May 31, 2012, 8:52 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by AaronPGH

Knowing Crazy Mocha, they will probably open two of them per block.

That is one local chain I would love to see bite the dust.

BTW - is it worth posting the Oxford tower in the highrise proposal thread?

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=199590

What do you have against Crazy Mocha? They're certainly been a trailblazer in a lot of formerly transitional neighborhoods.

AaronPGH · #**1246** Posted **May 31, 2012, 9:06 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evergrey

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=199590

What do you have against Crazy Mocha? They're certainly been a trailblazer in a lot of formerly transitional neighborhoods.

I think they have the worst coffee and store interiors in the city – worse than Starbucks. It just sucks that our biggest coffee chain has to be so terrible in quality. It's a hard chain to be proud of – they aren't attempting to raise the bar at all.

chiaroscuro · #**1247** Posted **May 31, 2012, 9:20 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by themaguffin

Riverparc wasn't bad, but downtown really would be great with a signature residential tower or 2...

I think the plan included 20 and 30 story residential towers.

Jonboy1983 · #**1248** Posted **May 31, 2012, 9:37 PM**

THey did. The buildings themselves looked architecturally interesting as well. At least I thought anyway. They sorta looked like a series of glass blocks unevenly stacked on top of each other, which I thought looked rather cool. I do hope to see a 30-plus story residential building in Pittsburgh's future.

TBone7281 · #**1249** Posted **Jun 1, 2012, 12:33 AM**

Lot 24

5/31/12

The crane is sitting where the pool is going to go.

TBone7281 · #**1250** Posted **Jun 1, 2012, 12:40 AM**

Oh, and I took a few of the proposed Riverfront Landing site, since I'm down there most days anyway.

This was taken from beside the Consumers Produce building (so 21st Street). For any out-of-towners, the proposed development would encompass all of the lots in the shot all the way down to the second bridge (Veterans), about 1/2 a mile.

I did read, I think in the Trib article that they are planning on upgrading the trail in sections as they develop the land adjacent to it. I'm really hoping that's true as portions of the trail are lacking, specifically the section between 21st and 16th. Kind of like walking through a parking lot... oh wait.

chiaroscuro · #**1251** Posted **Jun 1, 2012, 12:45 AM**

In your first Riverfront Landing pic, the Steel Building looks like the Monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

On second glance, I even see a UFO top center-right.

Wave · #**1252** Posted **Jun 1, 2012, 5:54 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by chiaroscuro

In your first Riverfront Landing pic, the Steel Building looks like the Monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

On second glance, I even see a UFO top center-right.

That's so funny, that is precisely what i was thinking when i saw that shot regarding the monolith from Space Odyssey. Objectively not the most stunning high rise bldg in the history of the world and from that angle quite forlorn and lonely looking. That strip district view is so awkward for our skyline and yet so dramatically different than the view from the west which of course is iconic & spectacular.

All of that empty real estate along the river is such an incredible opportunity and yet has sat empty and unused forever. I believe Penn Central (or it's post bankruptcy successor) sold the land to Buncher in the very early 80's. That's a VERY long time for a buy & hold real estate play but I guess they were able to survive on parking revenue all of these years and the fact that they paid virtually/relatively nothing for the land back then.

jmcleanva · #**1253** Posted **Jun 4, 2012, 1:40 PM**

Just curious....Didn't Buncher have some sort of "Festival Market" planned for that area in the strip at one point or another? I thought they were going to model it after the Inner Harbor in Baltimore?

Jonboy1983 · #**1254** Posted **Jun 4, 2012, 8:06 PM**

Anything to model the Inner Harbor of Baltimore would be awesome. Altho I think there is at least one other piece of land where such development would suffice better: the Mon Shore between Station Square and the West End Bridge, and in the area between PNC Park and Heinz Field, altho that piece of land as about to house a miniscule monstrosity...

BrianTH · #**1255** Posted **Jun 4, 2012, 9:27 PM**

One of the exciting things about the Strip is you don't really need to try to manufacture a cool commercial district--it already has one. So you can basically just pack in a bunch of new residential and office units, and make the riverfront a little nicer, and voila--instant model mixed-use urban neighborhood.

guyFROMtheBURGH · #**1256** Posted **Jun 4, 2012, 10:57 PM**

Is there any recent news on transportation developments through the strip? I think implementing the trolley idea with this new residential construction will bode extremely well for 'TOD'.

Private Dick · #**1257** Posted **Jun 5, 2012, 2:30 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by AaronPGH

I think they have the worst coffee and store interiors in the city – worse than Starbucks. It just sucks that our biggest coffee chain has to be so terrible in quality. It's a hard chain to be proud of – they aren't attempting to raise the bar at all.

Not a fan of their coffee nor the interior design of their shops either, though I do agree with Evergrey that they have been first movers to establish stores early on in areas where others shy away from. I have to respect their efforts in really helping to kick some activity into neighborhoods before other businesses are willing to take the chance.

The North Side shop is a prime example... bringing nearby hospital workers and War Streets residents back to a corner that has been ultra seedy for a few decades. As is the one on Butler in Lawrenceville -- they went in before it became a "cool" area. I think one is planned for the Baum Blvd corridor too. And I know that they signed on as the first commercial tenant in the first phase of downtown Erie's "Union Square" mixed-use redevelopment of former surface lots and one-story 1960s mistakes near Griswold Park and Union Station. I believe they are going in on the corner below:

http://www.goerie.com/

Austinlee · #**1258** Posted **Jun 5, 2012, 3:15 PM**

^Thanks for the Erie update pj3000 *oops*, I mean "Private Dick"...

Private Dick · #**1259** Posted **Jun 5, 2012, 3:32 PM**

^ Sure, no prob... but huh?

Austinlee · #**1260** Posted **Jun 6, 2012, 2:27 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Private Dick

^ Sure, no prob... but huh?

Nothin', just an inside joke among some of the forumers. Proceed...