Happenings in Pittsburgh!! (Duquesne: relocation, condo, hotel)

[londonbarcelona]

Originally Posted by guylocke

Woah, all the rumors were true. I am sort of in shock. I'm sure it will do VERY well for itself, I have many friends who do a lot of online buying and now have a boutique of their own in Pittsburgh.

Tiffany to open store at Ross Park Mall - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review



At 5,700-square-feet, it's not gonna be a little rinky-dink store, either. This was one hot rumor I had been hearing a lot about that proved to be true. The next rumor hopefully to be proved will be that the new Ross Park development will also have a Louie Vuitton boutique. Right now we only have a LV counter at one specific place.

Well, my life is complete now. I shop Nordstrom all the time. I shop Neiman's but they can be SO pricey! But Neiman's carries the Brevard earrings my daughter wears, so they warrant a trip every couple of weeks or so.

And Tiffany's! I have to laugh. Coming from Buffalo, we never had anything like Tiffany's there so when we moved to Scottsdale, my daughter and I went to Tiffany's to buy her things all the time. (Mainly the sterling silver stuff.) It got to the point where she's, UGH - please mom, no more!

I guess what I'm saying is I'm so excited that Pittsburgh will have more than SAKS. Macy's to me is just "ok." Wait until Nordstorm opens and you get a load of their customer service. It's the best! Here's a tip: buy your perfume from Nordstrom because when you do, they give you a TON of samples for free! It's like friggin' Christmas! LOL

AH, life is sweet, is it not Guylocke?

[guylocke]

This is wonderful news. Aside from development of Pittsburgh's urban green space, among many other things, I think the most exciting news out of this is the start of the Convention Center Riverfront Park. One thing that this will do is connect the Strip District the entire way to the Point. Fantastic!!

Allegheny County projects receive $2.7M as part of $39.4M DCNR funding

Two of the largest awards went to the Urban Redevlopment Authority and Sports and Exhibition Authority for the further development of Pittsbrugh’s urban green spaces. Upcoming work on the $10.5 million South Shore Riverfront Park will involve constructing a stage and water feature, completing ADA access and installing park furniture and utilities.

Plans for the $8 million Convention Center Riverfront Park call for new docks, plaza space and trails connecting the Strip District and the Point. “It’s to make the area between the roadway and river more useable and create access to the river,” says Mary Contoro with the Sports and Exhibition Authority. Funds will also be used for new greenery, benches and lighting. Contoro, who expects designs to be completed by LaQuatra Bonci Associates by the summer of 2008, says the project will take eight months to construct.

A number of projects involving outdoor amenities in Allegheny County also received grants, including $200,000 for improvements to Hartwood Acres Mansion, $80,000 for the redevelopment of Library St. in Braddock and $162,000 to build a soccer field and walking trail in Green Tree Borough Park. Pine Township Community Center will use $250,000 to construct exercise facilities and the Port Authority of Allegheny County was awarded $200,000 to build Gateway Station Plaza.

[guylocke]

Of course everybody knows the ground-breaking for the casino took place yesterday. Here is an article about it and one shot of the new renderings. The garage, albeit a huge concern, looks fairly acceptable to me. They are going to paint it a "warm tan" and use decorative screenings (not shown in the rendering), too. The garage is 119 feet, which is roughly the same size as several other of the garages on the north shore including ones for the stadiums and science center.

Ground broken, new renderings released for $450M casino amidst design controversy

Located on a 17-acre North Shore site between the Carnegie Science Center and West End Bridge, the $450M gaming facility will house 3,000 Vegas-style slot machines, four bars and a 20,000-square-foot multi-purpose ballroom. Slated to open in April of 2009, the two-story complex will also feature five restaurants. Las-Vegas-based Bergman, Walls & Associates is architect of record for the casino; the firm is working with Pittsburgh-based Strada on the design of the casino's exterior. Strada is also landscape architect of record for the site's riverfront park.

The development also calls for a riverfront ampitheater and meeting space for banquets and small conventions, as well as a proposed nine-story 3,880-space parking garage. A second phase will include a showroom and hotel.

“We’re a net-plus addition to the Pittsburgh skyline and neighborhood, aside from creating one thousand good-paying jobs with benefits and generating in excess of two hundred million tax dollars for county and state residents,” says Ed Fasulo, with Majestic Star Casino. “We’re an additional amenity for Pittsburgh to list in convention and chamber materials.”

Fasulo says that facade alterations will be made to the garage's exterior. "We're adding metal material on all four sides of the garage that will cover the openings and make it look more like a building," adds Fasulo, who says the garage's exterior will be sand colored. On Jan. 21, the project will be presented to the city's planning commission during a public review session.

Also to note, Mr. Barden pledged it will be his "flagship" casino out of his entire fleet and will be world-renown, world-class, green, and will rival the beauty of Las Vegas. In fact, I think this is a really great thing, and his quote:

"Unlike everything in Las Vegas that's all concentrated toward the inside to keep you there, ours is open, with windows and light and beautiful colors. I think you'll be very proud with what we're planning for Pittsburgh," he said.

[guylocke]

Downtown, Piatt Place is welcoming another addition to already successful Capital Grille, and that would be McCormick & Schmick's. I actually visited Piatt Place a few weeks ago and asked them what about the TONS of other retail space they still have for lease. The woman told me they get offers to rent on a DAILY basis but the owners are being EXTREMELY selective and will only allow top-quality to enter the building. She said there will be more announcements soon and some will really be a great surprise. YAY!

Downtown Pittsburgh's Piatt Place welcomes McCormick & Schmick's

On Dec. 13, McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant will open at Downtown’s Piatt Place. The 8,400 square-foot restaurant, Pittsburgh’s second location, joins the Capital Grille in bringing new dining options to Downtown.

“We've always had an affinity for downtown urban enviornments. A great downtown is the heart and soul of a city. Several downtowns are starting to rebirth in terms of mixed-use and we believe Pittsburgh is at the tipping point of that,” says Doug Schmick, who founded McCormick & Schmick's in Portland, Oregon in 1979. “It’s a good a time to be here. We're on the edge of great things. Capital Grille just came in; you'll see a lot more high-quality restaurants and retail and obviously the downtown living component.”

Slated to open in 2009, the $65 million Piatt Place will feature 65 condos, 180,000 square feet of offices and 50,000 square feet of retail. “To have two of the best restaurants in the U.S. in your building is something unmatched in the city. You can live, work, park and play—it’s a turnkey opportunity,” adds Lucas Piatt, with Millcraft Industries, who says that 35% of the units are pre-sold.

[guylocke]

The Northside got a new coffeehouse!! It's called Hoi Polloi and looks very intriguing, I will have to go check it out.

Hoi Polloi Coffeehouse joins Allegheny West business district on Pittsburgh's Northside

On Dec. 7, Allegheny West welcomed new coffeehouse Hoi Polloi to 1100 Galveston Ave.

Taking its name from a term meaning “common people,” Hoi Polloi’s owners Sandra Telep and Jessica Burgan—who met at the University of Pittsburgh—are committed to creating a community gathering spot for Northsiders. After living in Washington, D. C. for seven years, the pair returned to Pittsburgh to open a café. Eager to make their mark on North Side revitalization efforts, Burgan, 25, and Telep, 27, purchased the turn-of-the-century building in May.

The first-time business owners chose Massachusetts-based Dean's Beans which roasts only organic, fair trade coffee. “We strive to obtain as many local, organic, natural, and fairly traded ingredients and products as possible,” adds Telep, who says an “army” of family and friends helped them design a new counter, paint and decorate, cull furniture from thrift shops, and remove “years and years of dirt and grime.”

During opening weekend, Hoi Polloi welcomed a steady flow of patrons ages from two to sixty.

[guylocke]

Here is the website for the very large and impressive Bakery Square project that will soon be happening. Make sure you click "Watch the Video Now"!!

http://www.bakery-square.com/

[Geeo]

Maybe, oh maybe, Crate & Barrel will open here??? Any intelligence on that, Guylocke?? It would be a perfect location for them.

[guylocke]

Maybe, oh maybe, Crate & Barrel will open here??? Any intelligence on that, Guylocke?? It would be a perfect location for them.

Well, I would LOVE Crate & Barrel to open all over the place! lol! It's confirmed for Ross Park Mall, though, I think you knew that. I haven't heard much about anything confirmed for Bakery Square yet except office and living space.

[Geeo]

Wow, I didn't know it had been confirmed for Ross Park! That's great news! I guess they want to open everything in time for Nordstrom next October. I wonder what else they're putting in - 65,000 sq. feet of additional retail is a lot.

[guylocke]

Here is something new and interesting. Apparently there will be a larger announcement today I will try to find. This is actually a new development for the Southside Works. It sounds very ambitious. Click the link and check out the renderings, very nice.

Development planned for South Side Works

A Wexford-based company today will announce plans for a multimillion-dollar "live, stay and play" facility at South Side Works.

DOC-Economou president Phil Hugh said in a statement that the complex will feature a 140-room luxury hotel, 23 condos, including five penthouses, a spa/fitness center with indoor/outdoor swimming pool and 20,000 square feet of ground floor riverfront dining and retail shops.