Development News

The City of Pittsburgh received a $2 million infrastructure grant from the federal government toward Bakery Square 2.0.  An award from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), these funds will be used for the construction of public infrastructure at the $120 million development site.

The grant will help fund public amenities which are needed to construct the proposed mixed-use development, a redevelopment of the former Reizenstein Middle School site.

"I am extremely grateful to President Obama and the Economic Development Administration for their support of this great project that will create much needed high-tech office space to support the growth of our innovation economy," Mayor Ravenstahl said in a statement.

The mayor's press secretary Joanna Doven says the city is seeing a lot of investment from the federal government, and cites the recent $15 million grant to the East Liberty Transit Center.

"We’re seeing a lot of federal support that is spurring millions in private investment," Doven says.  "We believe that the government’s main role in development is readying infrastructure, and this is what that grant will do."

The grant will be matched by funds provided by Walnut Capital, the RCG Longview Fund and the Pennsylvania Gaming Economic Development and Tourism Fund.

The plan for the former Reizenstein Middle School site calls for constructing several new office buildings, creating 400,000 square-feet of office space, 90 rental townhomes, and 20 single family houses.

"Bakery Square 2.0 will be a campus-like setting that will allow for more high-tech companies, more startup ventures to be located in a place that has a lot of synergy," Doven says.  "There’s a lot of talent around that area, a lot of young minds, and it’s a place where people want to be."

Developer Walnut Capital has previously said they will spend up to $130 million on the project, or equal to the amount of the original Bakery Square site redevelopment.

The URA will work with the Department of Public Works to construct the streets and associated public infrastructure, such as street lighting, curbing and storm, sanitary and water facilities, which will ultimately be dedicated to the City of Pittsburgh.


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Joanna Doven

Kelly O's Diner has opened in the Strip District, serving breakfast seven days a week.  It is the second location for the diner which has been serving the North Hills for the past eleven years. 

Owner Kelly O'Connor says she had been looking to open a second location in the city, and most recently in the Strip District, for many years.  But then recently everything fell into place.  “It almost felt like fate," she says.

Located at 100 24th Street, Kelly O’s replaces the former Jo Jo's Restaurant in a building that had once been an automotive garage.  The diner is adjacent to the Otto Milk Condos and across from Marty’s Market.

Due to an earlier fire, O'Connor says the interior was partially demolished when she took over the space.  She needed to rebuild the kitchen and bathroom, as well as install new electric, plumbing, and HVAC.

Kelly O's flooring is finished with the diner's signature black and white tiles, and its walls are wrapped in sparkling diamond plate.  On the building's exterior, O'Connor covered the entrance side in a stainless steel facade, providing a modern twist on the diner look, she says.  The remaining exterior walls will be covered in murals.

O'Connor has been working with the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Women in Business for the past three years. The school provides expertise to entrepreneurs in the city, assisting with drafting business plans and providing a business attorney, among other services. 

O'Connor says was attracted to the Strip District for its diversity, and because of its concentration of independently-owned businesses.

"The fact that you’re surrounded by a bunch of small business that make this one really big business community, I think that's awesome," she says.

In keeping with the Strip's tradition, Kelly O's opens early for breakfast, at 5 a.m., Monday through Saturday, and at 7 a.m. on Sunday, and closes at 3 p.m.  412-232-EGGS.


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Kelly O’Connor

To celebrate this year’s anniversary of the Whiskey Rebellion--which occurred near here in 1794--the Strip District's Wigle Whiskey plans to tar and feather its patrons.  But don't worry, while the distillery might make its rye whiskey much like it was done in 18th Century, their process for tarring and feathering is much more humane.

The event is a collaboration between the Mattress Factory, Attack Theater, Society for Contemporary Craft, Toonseum, Carnegie Library and the Carnegie Science Center.  Each organization will “tar and feather” attendees, with guests will voting on the most inventive method.  The winning organization will receive use of the distillery for an evening.

But why tar and feather?  Meredith Grelli, co-owner of Wigle, explains that historically Europeans and Americans have protested taxes this way, and that local tax collectors were once tarred and feathered by Pittsburgh distillers.

Along with art-related tar and feather activities, food will be provided by the Pittsburgh Taco Truck, Franktuary, and the Goodie Truck.  And Bar Marco will host an afterparty with $5 Wigle cocktails.

In addition to this weekend's event, Wigle is preparing to release several new distilled spirits. 

In October, Wigle will unveil its first traditional Genever gin, and will be one of only two distilleries in the nation currently offering that spirit, Grelli says. 

And Wigle hopes to have a new line of bitters available before the holidays, with experimental flavors such as lychee or honeysuckle. 

"We hope to just keep innovating and introducing people to new spirits, to lost gems of distillation," Grelli says.

Grelli says since opening Wigle has become a destination for whiskey lovers, with enthusiasts traveling from as far as Scotland and Costa Rica, and from throughout the nation.  She expects the momentum of craft distilleries to continue growing.

"The craft distilling environment and the industry is really where craft beer making was probably 20 or 30 years ago,” she says.  “So we're really at just the start of this.”

Wigle Whiskey is open for cocktails and tastings Wednesday through Sunday.  Tours of the distillery can be booked through their website. 


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Meredith Grelli

The network of trails winding around scenic Mount Washington continues to grow.  A new segment of the Emerald View Park trail opened yesterday, which will soon connect Duquesne Heights, Allentown, and Mount Washington. Once complete, the park will feature over 20 miles of primary and secondary loop trails.

"This is a way of connecting our community both to itself as well as to all of the neighboring communities and trails," says Ilyssa Manspeizer, of the Mount Washington Community Development Corporation (MWCDC).

Manspeizer says the trail system acts as a spur to the Great Allegheny Passage and Pittsburgh's riverfront trails; provides opportunities to strengthen businesses and real estate markets; and increases recreational opportunities to improve health and social cohesion. 

More than a million people visit Mount Washington each year, Manspeizer says.  As a regional amenity, Emerald View Park is free and open to all, and is intended for use by residents and visitors alike.

The new segment includes a secondary spur which connects to the Palm Garden T station.  The path is marked along the sidewalk, with plans for medallions in the pavement to permanently mark the trail.

The trails were built by the Emerald  Trail Corps, a group trained in a six-week program with the A. Phillip Randolph Institute.  MWCDC then hires and trains a select group of graduates  in trail construction and habitat restoration. 

Manspeizer says that for many residents to explore Pittsburgh's unmanaged woods can be a scary experience, especially when wandering through degraded dumping sites and vacated industrial land to an unknown destination. 

But the construction of these trails is changing that experience.

"We tend to speak about this park as an urban wilderness, because you get the sense that you're in this wild place," Manspeizer says.  "But once you build the trail, it gives you a sense that you're supposed to be there."


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Ilyssa Manspeizer

The first four homes in the South Side’s Windom Hill Place development were built six years ago.  Now, with improved market conditions, the second and final phase of this hillside enclave is underway.

Every three-story home in the development is Energy Star certified, and sustainable building materials include recycled steel railings, recycled drywall, and bamboo flooring.  The modern homes were designed by John Martine of Strada Architects, and built by Ernie Sota of Sota Construction Services. 

The four new, 3,000-square-foot homes start at $699,000 and are similar in design to the previous set, with three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, and finished lower levels.  Other amenities include rooftop decks, back patios, and two-car garages.  Since there are no load-bearing walls in the buildings, each unit can be customized to an owner’s specs. 

But the most striking feature that each unit boasts, says Diana Lynn of One80 Real Estate Services, is its incredible views of Oakland, Downtown, and the South Side from its hillside perch.

The development is located in the South Side Slopes, east of the Liberty Tunnel and within walking distance from the restaurants and nightlife of East Carson Street.  In addition to a current set of city steps, pedestrian improvements along the PJ McArdle Roadway bridge are scheduled to be completed in the next month, Lynn says.

And while the shells of each home should be completed in the next few months, with a sales agreement, “someone could move in within six months,” she adds.


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Diana Lynn

The Downtown Preservation Project has officially begun, with $4 million in restoration work underway on seven historic structures in the Wood and Market Street corridors.  Arthur Ziegler, President of the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation (PHLF), says this partnership between the mayor's office and a preservation organization is unlike any other in the country.

"I think it's unique in the United States where a mayor sees historic preservation as a primary instrument for economic revitalization and to attract downtown living," he says.

According to Ziegler the impact of historic preservation in downtown is already evident, and he cites the revival of Market Square and Fifth Avenue.  The square and its environs were severely dilapidated when PHLF undertook to restore that area, much like the seven structures currently under renovation are in great need of exterior work.

Ziegler says once the initial investment was made in the square, other investments followed their lead.

"We think that if we can improve these facades and graphics, we will find the same kind of upgrade occurring through the private market," Ziegler says. "The mayor believes in that, and we have proven that it can work, and we think it'll work again."

PHLF is being employed by the City to hire architects, oversee bidding and design, and construction supervision.  Funding for the project comes from the Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program.

The project is emphasizing the Wood Street corridor as a women's retailing district, as they had emphasized Market and Fifth for men’s retailing.  Ziegler says that more than 40 businesses have expressed interest in the storefronts, and seven have said they would be ready to move in today if space and deals were available.

Of the three cast iron facades to be restored, three are now owned by PHLF.  The foundation is working with Point Park University to bring student housing to the structures’ upper floors.

Ziegler says the cast iron facades, once produced in foundries throughout the region, create remarkable buildings.  And while its unknown if these particular pieces were produced locally, Ziegler recognizes the material’s resonance in Pittsburgh.

“We’re the city of iron and steel,” he says.  “We have three of these in a row on Wood Street, they are all in very bad shape, and we will take them back to what they looked like originally.”  


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Arthur Ziegler

The City of Pittsburgh has recently launched initiatives to develop the city's first ever comprehensive plans for urban design and public art. The plans--known as DESIGNPGH and ARTPGH--will set guidelines for future development based on the quality and character of design, and create a strategy for the city's public art collection.

The purpose of these plans is to provide predictability in development, not uniformity, says Noor Ismail, director of city planning. "We do not want to stifle creativity," she says, but rather to have development meet a contextual purpose.

Public Art Manager Morton Brown says it would be impossible, and ill advised, to prescribe to Pittsburghers what type of public art should appear in their neighborhoods.

"You want artists to respond to the contexts of each neighborhood,” Brown says.  "And likewise with urban design, not every neighborhoods has the same built character.  We must remain flexible."

The two initiatives are just two of twelve components of PLANPGH, the city’s first ever 25-year comprehensive plan, to be completed in 2014.

Ismail says the city is not interested in reinventing the wheel, and project consultants will sift through and incorporate existing neighborhood plans. The plan will be developed following a variety of community meetings and public workshops.  Brown says the first of several meetings will seek to put community members on equal footing in terms of understanding design concepts.

"Part of it is education and bringing everyone up to a certain vocabulary level so that we can dig deeper into these conversations and learn what are the needs and desires of the community, and how can we serve them through this plan," he says.

Once the process is complete, DESIGNPGH will produce an urban design manual to guide development in the city.

Joy Abbott, assistant director of city planning, says these manuals will aid developers and community groups with a streamlined set of standards for criteria such as aesthetics in new construction, streetscape elements, and contextual design.

"It's going to make it easier for them to understand what the city is looking for in terms of what things look like," Abbott says.  "This is going to supplement our code by showing people with pictures, rather than text, what kinds of projects we're looking for and what the community wants them to look like."

Brown anticipates the first public meeting to be held before the end of the year.


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source: Noor Ismail, Morton Brown, Joy Abbott

Just in time for the fall semester, Duquesne University is opening its newest resident facility,  Des Places Hall.  The 12-story, 400-bed resident facility is an all-suite, on campus residence hall, and will be home to juniors and seniors, as well as graduate and law students. 

The residence hall was constructed with Gold LEED certification standards, and designed by WTW Architects. 

Rob Dobish, executive director of facilities management, says the university has made a commitment to requiring any new construction, as well as renovations to existing buildings, to meet LEED standards.

“We want to minimize the negative impact we have on the environment,” Dobish says.  “We really believe by doing that we're looking out for the environment’s best interest, and providing  a good lesson for our students who we're here to train to be future leaders.” 

The new structure replaces a former building of the same name, which housed academic and non-academic programming, including the studios of the former WDUQ radio station.

Duquesne announced plans to build the new hall in 2010 citing a need to meet growing on-campus housing needs amid a period of record-breaking enrollment.

The university estimates that sustainable efforts in the building’s construction will save at least 22 percent in energy use.

According to the university, environmentally friendly features in Des Places Hall include elevators that generate electricity as they break going down; a 5-kilowatt solar panel and light-colored roof membrane to offset heat buildup; underlay on ceramic tiles made with recycled materials; and a heat recovery unit.

Rubble from the demolition of the former Des Places Hall was either recycled or used for backfill on the site.


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Rod Dobish

Market Square's latest dining destination, Perle, has made it very easy to celebrate.  In addition to a long list of bottles, the French-Mediterranean tapas lounge has six varieties of champagne on draft.

As the renovated Market Square has quickly filled with restaurants, Perle is offering a new nightlife concept that has been missing from this area of Downtown.

The beige interior features an open ceiling that allows light fixtures to circulate throughout the lounge, a visual ode to champagne’s signature bubbles, or pearls, after which the space is named. 

Along with flutes of champagne, the bar has created a list of champagne cocktails that includes classic recipes with French and Greek liquors, as well as interpretations of drinks like the Manhattan, Old Fashioned, and Gin Twist.

Perle’s small menu has around 20 dishes, including French crepes, and tapas offerings designed for sharing.

Perle is a project of Peter Landis and the Big Y Group, owned by Yves Carreau.  Carreau's other restaurants include NOLA, located just next-door, as well as Seviche, and Sonoma.

Located above Bruegger’s Bagels, at 24 Market Square, Perle features a small open-air balcony that is a first for the square in recent years.  Although too small for tables, guests are able to bring drinks outside and overlook Market Square.

The amenity adds a New Orleans-Bourbon Street feeling, says bar manager Jennifer Welsh, which combined with NOLA’s sidewalk dining enhances the streets overall aesthetic.

Perle opens Wednesday through Saturday at 4 p.m., and closes late (2 p.m.) on weekends.


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Jennifer Welsh

Pittsburgh's first full-service hostel in many years has found a home in the South Side.  After four years of planning and a few false starts, the Pittsburgh Hostel Project (PHP) plans to open above the Beehive Coffeehouse on East Carson Street.

In the coming months, the Project will begin to rebuild the second and third floors of the building for guest accommodations, including restrooms, beds, and other hostel particulars.  The building's owner, developer Tom Tripoli, has agreed to complete base improvements to the structure, such as floor and ceiling renovations. 

PHP Director Anne Marie Toccket says the project’s leaders have been driven to bring a hostel to Pittsburgh because of a desire to share their enthusiasm for the city.

“None of us are really from here but we've all ended up here and we love it,” Toccket says.  “I’ve spent four of the past six years abroad and traveling, and I always tell people about Pittsburgh and how great it is.”

Toccket believes a hostel can increase the amount of foreign travelers stopping in Pittsburgh, as a logical midway point between New York City and Chicago.

Toccket is also eager to offer affordable accommodations to domestic travelers, with plans to build connections with cyclists traveling on the Great Allegheny Passage trail from Pittsburgh to Washington D.C.

“I see real opportunities to bring an active, outdoorsy demographic of travelers not just to Pittsburgh, but to the hostel, and have the hostel serve as a trailhead place,” Toccket says.

PHP is currently applying for grants, and seeking charitable donations and foundation support for the hostel’s construction, with a goal of raising $500,000.

While the Project is in the process of becoming an official non-profit, they have fiscal sponsorship from the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, who will accept tax-deductible donations on behalf of the hostel.

The hostel hopes to appeal to travelers beyond the budget-backpacking set.  In addition to dorm-style bunk rooms, PHP will offer private rooms with baths and kitchenettes. 

Toccket says they are optimistic that renovations will be complete, and the hostel will be accepting guests by the end of 2013. 


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Anne Marie Toccket

While Oakland’s Schenley High School may have closed its doors in 2008, some community members believe the building should remain an institution of learning.

That was just one of several scenarios that were developed during a series of recent planning sessions led by the Schenley Farms Civic Association and Oakland Planning and Development Corporation.

Architect Rob Pfaffmann, a project consultant, says neighborhood residents want the school board to think outside the box in terms of what an educational intuition could look like in this facility.  

Community members considered various possibilities, from an International Baccalaureate program, to an employment training facility or an Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.  

But Pfaffmann says the community was most excited about the possibility of a mixed-use facility that combined residential units on the top floors, with office or educational space on the bottom.  He says this scenario would allow a developer to take advantage of historic tax credits by creating apartments, while renting space to an income-producing learning institution on the bottom floors.

All of the scenarios have been gathered in a report, available on OPDC’s website, which will be presented to school board on August 15th.

But Pfaffman says all of these scenarios will be high magnitude challenges from a development perspective.

“If it was easy, it would have already been done,“ he says.  “In order for a developer to be successful it probably means that he has to offer a fairly low purchase price to the school board.”

When the school board originally listed the building for sale last year, they received only one bid for $2 million from PMC Property Group of Philadelphia.

Pfaffmann says the school board has cooperated with the Oakland community throughout this process, and Superintendent Linda Lane agreed to delay the school’s sale while the process was put in place.

The three public meetings were made possible by funding secured from City Councilman Bill Peduto.  The goals of the meetings were to provide information about best practices, address community concerns and desires, and provide a report of these findings to the school board.


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Rob Pfaffmann

In just over five years the Pittsburgh-based handmade bag company, Moop, has grown from a living room operation to a new 7,000-square-foot facility in Carnegie, adding employees and growing customer base.

Moop is owned by Wendy Downs and Jeremy Boyle.  The couple moved to Crafton, where Boyle grew up, from New York City in 2009.  They returned to the region to be near family, but also because Pittsburgh was affordable, and would allow them to grow their business at a faster pace, Downs says.

Once established in Crafton, the business began hiring employees, expanded its product offerings, and increased its ability to meeting customer demand.

Last year though it became clear that their business had outgrown its 700-square-foot facility in the West End, and they would need a new shop.

While exploring various neighborhoods for a new suitable space--by road and by Google Maps--Boyle remembered an old industrial facility where he had gone to skateboard as a kid.  They tracked down the warehouse, and learned it was for rent.

Boyle, a former contractor, used his construction experience to renovate their space, which Downs says was an empty rectangle when they moved in.  They subdivided and added a fully-enclosed woodworking shop, production areas, a lounge and kitchen for the staff, as well as offices and art studios.

The facility, located at 100 Rosslynn Road, is also close to their daughter’s high school.  Downs says that as a small family business it was important for the entire family to be comfortable with the space, and to have an ease of mobility.

Downs says if Moop continues to grow at its current pace they’ll be looking to hire more employees in the coming months.

“Our growth is slow and steady, which means its manageable and its controllable and its predictable,” Downs says.  “Which are all very healthy ways of running a business.”


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Wendy Downs

While PNC Bank readies the foundation for the world’s greenest skyscraper, they’re quietly opening another structure, the Lantern Building, as a tribute to the region’s banking history.

The new 800-square-foot facility, located at 600 Liberty Avenue, is part of the PNC Legacy Project, a program designed to honor, document and preserve the history of banks that PNC has acquired. 

The exhibit is free to the public, and features interactive multimedia displays that highlight the city’s culture, commerce and community.

Within the exhibit a touchscreen timeline chronicles Pittsburgh’s history from the late 19^th century, and features a listening experience using oral histories collected from prominent community leaders, from the Zambelli Brothers to Carol Brown, former executive director of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

David O’Neil, an oral historian and the founder of Story Trust, produced the stories that tell of the city’s numerous transformations.  Mary Beth Corrigan, an archivist and curator who has curated other PNC Legacy Projects, oversaw the development of the exhibit.

The Innovation Wall, also part of the exhibit, recognizes 230 organizations that have recieved PNC support.

The building, redesigned by Pittsburgh-based EDGE studio, makes use of an existing storefront, but the former Liberty Travel structure is hardly recognizable.  Gone are the billboards that had once adorned the façade.  A revolving door, green and grey zinc panels, and channel glass bring the space in line with PNC’s other nearby properties.

The Lantern Building sits adjacent to the Fairmont Hotel, and its sleek modern materials complement the towering glass structure.

And while it might not be as large as the planned green tower on Wood Street, the new Lantern Building does feature a green roof that’s used to naturally cool the building and lowering energy consumption, as well as address storm water management.

The building will not be used for any banking operations,  however, its second floor will be used as a meeting space.

In addition to Pittsburgh, Legacy exhibits exist in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Cleveland, Fredericksburg and Annapolis. 

The Legacy exhibit will be open to the public on Thursday, August 2^nd.
 

Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Emily Krull, PNC Bank; EDGE studio

Even the smallest neighborhood business district is important.

That’s the message of the City’s latest revitalization initiative known as Biz Buzz, a small grant program that targets the less prominent districts of the city. And it’s meant to enable small businesses and volunteers to have an immediate impact in their community.

“We've put a lot of focus on our larger business districts like Liberty Avenue, Butler Street…and we’re still working with them” says Josette Fitzgibbons, URA Mainstreets/Elm Street coordinator.

But Biz Buzz will provide services to the little districts that, while they may never become booming destinations, are “key to being not only the health of the neighborhood, but the key to the health of the city,” Fitzgibbons says.

According to Fitzgibbons, the project has three main goals: to create a buzz about a particular business district; to attract new people, whether it be shoppers from outside, residents within, or even new entrepreneurs; and to highlight the unique nature of a particular neighborhood.

Mayor Ravenstahl will launch the program today, at Cannon Coffee, in Brookline.

Awardees will be given up to $7,000 for a particular initiative. Biz Buzz has a total project budget of $45,000, and Fitzgibbons hope to allocate more funding for the project in the coming year.

At today's event, Brookline will introduce their new shop-local campaign, called, I Shop the Line. The Biz Buzz program will reward shoppers with Brookline Bucks for purchases made in the district.

The URA plans to work with communities to develop successful strategies, and to build capacity for specific events. But Fitzgibbons says the actual ideas should come from the districts themselves.

“We want groups to be creative about this,” she says. “There's not a whole lot of guidelines to it because we want to hear what the community has to say, and what the community wants to do.”


Writer: Andrew Moore
Source:  Josette Fitzgibbons

To many, the name Wholey's is synonymous with the Strip District.  And with the opening of Wild Alaskan Grille, Luke Wholey is hoping to build on that legacy by offering a full-service restaurant that fittingly serves high-quality seafood.

Located at 2106 Penn Avenue, one aspect of the new eatery will seem familiar to regulars of Wholey’s Fish Market: Luke himself. 

For the past three years, Wholey has served grilled sockeye salmon outside the market that his grandfather established over a hundred years ago.  And Wholey will once again be on grill duty, standing beside his six-foot-wide, cast-iron grill.

"I'm out here seven days a week, manning the grill," he says.  "Cooking has always been a passion of mine, and it's a lot of fun for me to be out here serving my customers."

Wholey’s sidewalk salmon special ($12) is served over rice with grilled zucchini and roasted red peppers.

Inside, the restaurant features a full-service kitchen and menu.  The space is a repurposed warehouse that plays well on the Strip’s legacy and the Wholey name.  It currently seats 150 on the first floor, but will accommodate up to 300 guests once the second level is complete.

Nautical décor features prominently throughout the rustic interior, including work by local artists, fish mounts, and handmade tables of reclaimed electric cable spindles.

Wholey will be missing from the grill in the coming weeks, but he has a good excuse for his absence.  He will be competing in the Great American Seafood Cook-Off in New Orleans.

Wholey, a lifelong fisherman, plans to catch eight yellow perch in Lake Erie, and ship them live to New Orleans, where he will prepare them for the competition on August 11th. 

A hopefully victorious Luke Wholey will celebrate a grand opening at his restaurant on August 15th.


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Luke Wholey