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Old 02-12-2012, 10:56 PM
 
Location: Pittsburgh
1,758 posts, read 4,230,102 times
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Looking at an aerial view of the Hill District, one can really see that this area is poised to boom in the next decade or so and is not getting as much attention as it should. Sure, we have talked about UpTown and all the potential there with the Fifth and Forbes corridor and the Oakland Portal gradually having downtown meet Oakland. Well, I think people better start looking at the Centre, Webster, and Bedford corridors. Properties in this area have seen among the highest increase in the property assesment. This is due to location rather than the condition of the property that the land sits on. I was impressed at the lower part of Centre Avenue when I drove through the other day. I only expect the part closer to Oakland to improve also as the demand for more housing and office development closer to Oakland is sky high. The area that connects the Pitt campus at the bottom of Robinson Street extension and Herron Avenue would be another place for revitalization given the vacant lots and properties in such proximity to campus. I hate to see people displaced, but if the demand for a higher use is caused by economical forces both locally and nationally. Can The Hill become a vibrant neighborhood again? I say yes due to location, demand, manageable size, and vibrancy of adjacent neighborhoods bursting at seams (location).
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Old 02-13-2012, 06:34 AM
 
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There has been a lot more investment in redeveloping the Hill lately than some people seem to realize.

Anyway, I agree it is on a good trajectory, and the fundamentals are very good.
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Old 02-13-2012, 07:21 AM
 
Location: Lawrenceville, Pittsburgh
2,109 posts, read 2,159,200 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BrianTH View Post
There has been a lot more investment in redeveloping the Hill lately than some people seem to realize.

Anyway, I agree it is on a good trajectory, and the fundamentals are very good.
I seem to remember others saying that it was maybe a 20-30 year horizon vs. the OP's 10 year prediction. Do you have thoughts on that?
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Old 02-13-2012, 07:29 AM
 
Location: Western PA
3,733 posts, read 5,964,681 times
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I drive Centre Avenue between downtown and Oakland regularly (it's the quickest way between the two) and development up Centre Ave. from downtown is looking pretty good. The new library anchors the corner of Centre and Kirkpatrick, and it's just a short distance from there to Schenley HS. A new YMCA is being built, and the new grocery store is chugging along. The Crawford-Roberts residential development has really made a difference and brought a lot of middle-income people into the lower hill. I hope the future brings additional housing for all incomes to fill in the gaps in the neighborhood.
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Old 02-13-2012, 07:45 AM
 
20,273 posts, read 33,012,123 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WhoIsStanwix? View Post
I seem to remember others saying that it was maybe a 20-30 year horizon vs. the OP's 10 year prediction. Do you have thoughts on that?
I think you would have to break down the predicted timeline by specific area. Some parts are already well-established, some are changing rapidly, and some haven't really changed too much--yet.

The pace may also depend in part on how other nearby areas develop--I think the faster the Civic Arena site and Uptown are redeveloped, the faster the rest of the Hill will be redeveloped as well.

Overall, though, I'd guess in 10 years many more people will be talking about a revitalized Hill, thinking about locating there, and so on. In that sense I think the OP is right that the Hill will be "booming" in a collective sense over that period--in fact I think that process is already well under way. It is just going to take a while for that process to be entirely complete.
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Old 02-13-2012, 02:05 PM
 
Location: Pittsburgh Metro
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Unfortunately though I'm sure speculators are holding on to property in the Hill for dear life, just waiting to make tons of money. They know exactly that one day it will be "blooming" with activity again (by their definition: white people spending money). My wish is for more community-based development in the Hill district so that everyone benefits instead of what classically happens in Pgh -- rich land owners makes tons of money while residents are effectively booted out because of property values, etc. Look at East Liberty, Lawrenceville, etc. Developers basically said "**** you" to the Hill District when they developed Civic Arena, and I really, really hope it doesn't happen again.
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Old 02-13-2012, 03:04 PM
 
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Crawford Square and most of Crawford Roberts is pretty much there. Upper Hill is there. Oak Hill give it a couple more years and it'll become very simillar to Crawford Square... If the police would just round up all of the pimps druggies & dope dealers, then Uptown would be there. Yet at least to me it will be a long long time before the rest of the Hill gets fixed up. Note once they finish with Elmore Square & Bently Drive (Addison Terrace) and Reed Roberts Manor the city has destroyed a toatal of six Housing Projects, and yet we're still having this conversasion!
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Old 02-13-2012, 03:26 PM
gg
 
Location: Pittsburgh
26,137 posts, read 25,969,691 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WhoIsStanwix? View Post
I seem to remember others saying that it was maybe a 20-30 year horizon vs. the OP's 10 year prediction. Do you have thoughts on that?
Being someone that ACTUALLY knows real estate, I would say the Hill is a very long way off. It is really large and that is not a positive. Even parts close to Oakland are NOT very good and Oakland is in demand with tons of students. The part next to the Civic Arena sight is doing okay, but go up a couple of blocks and it isn't good. Then there is the size of that bad area from Oakland ALL the way to Downtown. It is so big to try and put a dent in. There are so may ultra low income places that it will be a very long time. I would invest in Larimer before the Hill. I think that will go at some point. Parts of East Liberty around Stanton is going to get better. The Hill? I might be long gone before that place gets going. Some people will come on here and say all is GREAT all the time, but as a real INVESTOR, I ignore it. People like Brian shouldn't give advice on real estate. If you want sunshine blown up your you know what, it reads well, but if you are an investor, it is best not be be sold on silliness.
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Old 02-13-2012, 03:47 PM
 
20,273 posts, read 33,012,123 times
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People might be interested in checking out this resource:

Mapping America ? Census Bureau 2005-9 American Community Survey - NYTimes.com

You can put something like 15219 in the zipcode box, then shift to the "Change in Median Home Value" map.
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Old 02-13-2012, 04:20 PM
 
Location: Pittsburgh
1,758 posts, read 4,230,102 times
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Mapping America ? Census Bureau 2005-9 American Community Survey - NYTimes.com

What that map tells me is that even though the heart of The Hill's median income has declined, adjacent neighborhoods like Downtown and Central Oakland have increased dramatically. This is a result of people wanting to live closer to the two major CBD's and/or where they work. The Hill fills both criteria. I do agree that places like Shadyside, Oakland and Downtown themselves will see more activity. However, if property taxes are so high based on location, change is inevitable in the next decade or so. I agree that further up Centre Avenue is not so attractive. However, this is where you get closer to Pitt's campus and the East End. I do agree that the Hill is big, and that is a deterent. But it is not too big. Much of the Hill feeds into Herron Hill, which feeds into Polish Hill and the upstart Lawrenceville. Uptown is part of the Hill and will surely see some development in the next few years along with the former Mellon Arena site. The area is not small, but I think revitization is doable due to Pittsburgh being blessed with the topogaphy it has. There is no thirty square mile squalid area like we might see in flat larger cities.http://maps.google.com/maps?q=The+hi...15210&t=h&z=15
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