A groundbreaking for long-awaited infrastructure improvements will be held tomorrow at 2:30p.m. at the entrace to
Summerset at Frick Park along Browns Hill Rd. in Squirrel Hill.
The $2.9M project—a partnership between the city, county, URA, PennDOT, and project developers Summerset Land Development Associates (SLDA) and
Walnut Capital—will create a much-needed entrance to Summerset and Walnut Place, and will prepare the roadway for future residential and retail development.
The first of several improvements planned from the Homestead Bridge to the Parkway entrance, the new intersections and turning lanes along Browns Hill Rd., Parkview Blvd. and Imogene St. will provide access to Summerset, Walnut Place, Riverview Towers, Weinberg Village, and Duck Hollow.
The project also sets the stage for Summerset’s next phase of 125 new homes, 132 apartments and 30,000 square feet of commercial space. “It’s a key piece and a big trigger for the entire project. Now I can actively market and plan for the commercial,” says Craig Dunham, with SLDA. “This project creates the site for neighborhood retail and services that will support commuter traffic and the captive community within Summerset.”
The project will also feature a new “leg” into Walnut Capital’s new retail development, which is nearing completion at the intersection of Browns Hill Rd. and Imogene St. The 24,000-square-foot Walnut Place will feature the city's first IHOP, as well as a 7,000-square-foot Hokkaido Seafood Buffet and the Dr. Dean Ornish Program for Reversing Heart Disease.
SLDA and Walnut Capital contributed $570,000 to fund designs created by
GAI Consultants. Those costs provided matching dollars, enabling the project to receive full funding via federal transportation dollars.
The project will go out to bid this week; construction is expected to begin in July.
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Writer:
Jennifer Baron
Source: Craig Dunham, managing general partner, Summerset Land Development Associates
Image courtesy Summerset Land Development Associates and LaQuatra Bonci Associates