The Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Riverfront Properties

by Liviu Oltean, Associate Editor

The Urban Redevelopment Authority is searching for developers for an important riverfront property between the Rivers Casino and the West End Bridge, the Pittsburgh Business Times reports. In a recent board meeting, URA approved the clearing of a joint site for redevelopment, and also issued an RFQ for two parcels.

One of the parcels belonged to Eles Brothers and was purchased out of bankruptcy for $500,000. The second parcel is the former J. Allan Steel Site. The joint site encompasses about seven acres, and it is close to the major attractions of the North Shore: the Rivers Casino, the Heinz Field, the Stage AE and the PNC Park.

Yarone Zober, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl’s COS and URA’s chairman, commented that URA is researching market interest in the area because of the site’s unique location and potential. According to the information provided by Kyra Straussman, director of real estate for the URA, there is no official release date for the RFQs.

In related news, the board for the Redevelopment Authority for Allegheny County chose Trek Development Group as coordinators of the former UPMC Braddock property. Trek Development Group is a real estate development firm based in Pittsburgh that specializes in residential housing and community development. Alongside Rothschild Doyno Collaborative, an architecture and urban design group, the developers have already started to collaborate with various organizations in Braddock in order to optimize the design of the project. They are expecting to have a proposal within 30 days.

Ken Doyno, Rothschild Doyno Collaborative partner, described the site as having tremendous potential.