North Shore Live (Pittsburgh, Forest City, Portland: lofts, hotel, house)

[jacknotion]

What's the deal with the North Shore Live! development in Pittsburgh? It was supposed to be an entertainment/retail district with shopping, clubs, bars, restaurants, etc. in North Shore. The developer was the Cordish Company which is the developer that did the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, MD and the Power and Light District in Kansas City, MO. I know the location was taken by the casino and the city got the 1000 seat theatre as a part of it . But what going on with the development? Is it going to be relocated or is it dead. It would be really nice for the the city to have a few more upscale restaurants, clubs, and shopping.

[Pitt Chick]

Well, the entertainment complex is being built, the Hyatt Hotel is being built, and numerous restaurants/bars are in place.

Isn't that basically what North Shore Live! was supposed to be?

[BrianTH]

My understanding is that North Shore Live! was supposed to be between Heinz and PNC, not at the casino site. It is basically still happening, just not with Cordish. They are currently building the concert venue, to be called Stage AE (American Eagle bought the naming rights) and operated by PromoWest Productions (who operates a similar venue in Columbus, Ohio). They have a master plan for the remainder of the site directly between Heinz and PNC, and it has been slowly filling out.

[tranceFusion]

Where is Stage AE at exactly?

Everyone says its right next to Heinz field. I was over there the other day and all I saw was what looked like construction for the T station.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by tranceFusion

Where is Stage AE at exactly?

Everyone says its right next to Heinz field. I was over there the other day and all I saw was what looked like construction for the T station.

This is the master plan. Stage AE is the green thing (plus nearby open space) closest to Heinz:



Right now Stage AE is basically just a bunch of metal beams, just behind and to the right of the Del Monte building if you are looking from the river/Downtown. Here is a photo posted by someone at another forum:

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSQaiLK5EHykIC_SlcKcvQQZayl83ZY7 1bBI0Yzrg9Q3YLZk1U&t=1&usg=__3SFcxxbdf4FyvThqo0pL6 NjtXvE= (broken link)

[jacknotion]

Originally Posted by Pitt Chick

Well, the entertainment complex is being built, the Hyatt Hotel is being built, and numerous restaurants/bars are in place.

Isn't that basically what North Shore Live! was supposed to be?

Have u ever been in Inner Harbor or P&L District? It really says something very unique. P&L District is like a mall for clubs, bars, and restaurants with an retractable roof? I just think that Pittsburgh deserves something that would really set Pittsburgh apart when it comes to entertainment complexes. Inner Harbor is probably the best waterfront area in the nation besides Chicago. Pitt is a cool town with cool people that should be looking to be innovative in recreating itself in all ways.

[pman]

inner harbor is kind of corny but there's a market for that (actually, station square complex is very much reminiscent of the live development." nothing unique about it. still, like I said, there's a market for it. if you like corny stuff, inner harbor is there, upscale? harbor east is there, low key and historic? fell's point. would love to see something more unique in pittsburgh than cordish stuff. why not bring in fathead's? here's a development that is somewhat similar (not waterfront) where the developer committed to bringing in local businesses, and it is more unique
Introducing the Piazza at Schmidts

[BrianTH]

I'm actually a fan of keeping these things simple. In my view, the rivers, riverfront parks (including public art), and bridges are more than sufficient to provide the "wow" factor to the emerging Greater Downtown. I think it is fair to complain that some of the new buildings are pretty bland from a design and material standpoint, but I also think the basic idea of planning regular square street grids with essentially rectangular buildings is a good one--they are a tried and true way of creating dense, pedestrian-friendly districts, and when people have tried to reinvent that wheel, much more often than not they have gotten it wrong.

Edit: By the way, if I was going to suggest a model, it would be something like the Pearl District in Portland. Now the thing about the Pearl District is that it includes a lot of old buildings that are being converted to lofts and such. But I think that is the feel we should be going for, and eventually it would be great to remove some of the physical barriers between the North Shore and the North Side, in which case you would have the ability to incorporate some genuinely historic buildings into the mix.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

So is Stage AE going to be our equivalent to a House of Blues here? We need a mid-size national act venue and not a whole lot of groups seem to want to play in a parking lot in Station Square.

[Blackbeauty212]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

So is Stage AE going to be our equivalent to a House of Blues here? We need a mid-size national act venue and not a whole lot of groups seem to want to play in a parking lot in Station Square.

Please I was never a fan of the Amphitheater - It always my Dream that the Station Square owners Forest City or whatever their name is....would expand Station Square to at least the Fort Pitt Bridge maybe even to the Duq Incline (although I think the Bridge would be an obstacle to work around)...