Pittsburgh
Landmark Developments To Look Forward To in Downtown Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh’s growing downtown will soon welcome a new wave of development. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 60 projects are currently planned for the Golden Triangle region, totaling about $2.2 billion in investment.
Developed by Millcraft Industries, the Gardens at Market Square is among the most notable mixed-use towers expected to break ground in the heart of downtown this year. Lucas Piatt, the company’s president and chief operating officer, has discussed the $95 million hotel, office and retail project during the recent annual meeting of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership.
New York REIT Acquires Courtyard By Marriott Property in Pittsburgh
Carey Watermark Investors Incorporated of New York has acquired a 132-room Courtyard by Marriott hotel in Pittsburgh’s Shadyside area.
The company’s total investment in the Courtyard Pittsburgh Shadyside property is around $34.6 million. This amount has been financed with $21 million of debt and includes a purchase price of $29.9 million, $4.8 million in planned capital improvements and acquisition-related costs.
Open since 2003, the hotel offers approximately 1,600 square feet of meeting space, a Starbucks Coffee House, a fitness center, a business center and an indoor pool/whirlpool. It also provides easy access to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the Western Pennsylvania Hospital, the Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Public Market Moving to Improved Facility on Penn Avenue
This summer, the Pittsburgh Public Market will relocate from 12,000 square feet in the Pennsylvania Fruit Auction & Sales terminal building on Smallman Street to a larger space, also in the Strip District.
The Pittsburgh Business Times reports that Neighbors in the Strip, the community organization that operates the public market, has closed on the lease of a 27,000-square-foot brick building at 2401 Penn Avenue. At its new location, the market will be able to add amenities such as a commercial kitchen, air conditioning, heating and restrooms.
McCandless Crossing Development in Suburban Pittsburgh Adds New Tenants
AdVenture Development LLC is about to break ground on the fourth phase of the McCandless Crossing 1.2 million-square-foot mixed-use development in Pittsburgh’s suburban North Hills.
High-Profile I.M. Pei Apartment Community Slated for Renovation
One of Pittsburgh’s iconic residential towers, the 24-story Washington Plaza Apartments, is set to undergo a series of upgrades this year. According to the Pittsburgh Business Times, Faros Properties LLC has hired Perkins Eastman of New York to remodel the property’s lobby, business center, fitness center and swimming pool. Improvements are also planned for the kitchen and bathroom(s) of each unit.
Built in 1964 and designed by I.M. Pei and Partners, the 388-unit high-end apartment complex is located at 1420 Centre Avenue, just west of the city’s downtown. The property includes studios, as well as one- and two-bedroom residences, with monthly rents going from $1,000 to more than $2,000. The complex offers approximately 400 parking spaces, 291 storage units, a 24/7 concierge service, controlled access and valet parking, as well as tennis courts, volleyball courts and BBQ picnic areas. There is also a retail portion on the ground floor, with a bar & grill, massage spa, dentist and hair salon.
New East Side Transit-Oriented Development Moves Forward
The Mosites Co. is planning to build a new multi-modal transit center, with 54,000 square feet of retail, more than 360 residential units and 595 parking spaces in Pittsburgh’s East End neighborhood. The estimated price tag of the entire project is around $75.2 million.
According to the Pittsburgh Business Times, the city’s Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has approved the developer’s request to purchase a small portion of land in this area, clearing the way for the new development. The project will sit on an assembly of 6 acres, stretching from Penn Avenue to the Eastside II retail complex on Penn Circle South.
Developer Completes Multifamily Conversion Project in Pittsburgh
Burns & Scalo has completed the redevelopment of the former Goodwill Building at 2600 E. Carson Street on Pittsburgh’s South Side. Dubbed “The Brix at 26”, the $34 million reconversion project is now ready for occupancy and offers 87 market rate apartments, 91 parking spaces and 10,397 square feet of retail space.
According to CoStar, 20 percent of the building’s residential units are already pre-leased. Most of the apartments are one-bedroom units, while only a few have two bedrooms.
“This project could not have happened without the support of the Mayor and the URA’s active involvement,” said Jim Scalo, President and CEO, Burns & Scalo.
Bakery Square 2.0 Development To Break Ground in March
Walnut Capital and its financial partner, the RCG Longview Fund, have closed on the acquisition of the vacant Reizenstein School in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty section. The purchase of the property will allow the developers to move forward with their plans for the approximately $100 million Bakery Square 2.0 development.
Plans now call for three office buildings totaling 400,000 square feet, two 175-unit apartment buildings, 57 rental townhouses, an underground parking garage, new streets, as well as public and private green spaces. It is estimated that the project’s full build-out period will span over five years. “Bakery Square 2.0 will be another world class development and is expected to create more than 1,200 new jobs and offer amazing office and housing opportunities that will attract new businesses and residents,” Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said.
Pittsburgh Public Schools Unveil Project Bids for Schenley Redevelopment
Officials at Pittsburgh Public Schools have revealed proposals from four bidders interested in purchasing and redeveloping the former Pittsburgh Schenley High School in North Oakland.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that in order to qualify, the bids were required to include an acquisition price of at least $4 million. This amount covers the remaining debt on the historic property.
The four bidders and the bid amounts are:
• PMC Property Group, $5.2 million
• AWSVPA/Edward Alexei, $4.1 million
• Ralph A. Falbo Inc., $4 million
• Kossman Development Co., agent for Provident Charter School, $4.6 million.
The candidates intend to convert the property into apartments and/or create a new school. The highest bid came from Philadelphia-based PMC Property Group. The developer is proposing 175 residential units, along with parking and an on-site fitness center. The development will incorporate the existing basketball gym, while the uses of the pool and auditorium will be determined at a later date. The estimated cost of the project is around $37 million.
Preliminary TIF Plan Moves Forward for Pittsburgh’s Largest Riverfront Project
The Urban Redevelopment Authority has initiated a historic tax increment financing (TIF) process for the nearly $1 billion redevelopment of the former LTV Steel site along the Monongahela River in Hazelwood. If approved, the master plan would turn Pittsburgh‘s last major abandoned industrial site into a hub of activity comprised of approximately 2.1 million square feet of high-tech research and office space, and more than 1,200 residential units. Located close to Downtown, the 178-acre site has sat dormant for 15 years. Almono LP purchased the brownfield property in 2002 for $10 million. The consortium is made up of four local foundations: Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, Heinz Endowments, Richard King Mellon Foundation and McCune Foundation. The Regional Industrial Development Corporation of Southwestern Pennsylvania is currently managing the property on behalf of the partnership.