Plans for housing in the strip district (Pittsburgh, York: apartments, homes)

[PittsburghLlama]

Buncher announces plans for housing in the Strip District

I feel like I'm one of the few here who really enjoy the way the strip district looks currently. I really don't feel that adding 4-15 stories of offices/housing will add "something special" to the strip district. This seems to be a new development though, and I could be wrong. Maybe the construction will be something magnificent and eye-catching.

I just feel that the strip is so beautiful and historic in its own gritty way. I fear that adding these highrise apartments/offices will really change that. I know some will argue that a change is needed, so I guess we'll see.

[BrianTH]

Most of the Strip as we know it will remain largely unchanged. The focus of this development is the surface parking lots along the river, and I personally think adding offices and apartments in that area will only help maintain the rest of the Strip as a vibrant area. The planned scale and style of the buildings should also fit reasonably well with the existing built environment. Generally I think this is all good and important for the City, because surface parking lots are a gross underutilization of such prime riverfront land adjacent to Downtown.

The one major exception to my thesis that this will not really change the existing Strip much is the planned shortening and renovation of the Produce Terminal. Again, speaking just for myself, I think that is going to work out very well in terms of giving all visitors to the Strip a better connection to the river (along the planned 17th Street plaza) and an attractive and interesting focal point in the form of the renovated Produce Terminal. But that will definitely be a change (albeit for the good in my view).

Edit:

By the way, you can get some renderings here:

http://www.dlastorino.com/portfolio/?cid=1

These are more conceptual than firm, however--they are doing the project in phases and have apparently left themselves room for modifications as the market dictates.

[eschaton]

Pittsburgh is sorely lacking right now in residential adjacent to downtown however. It's one of the curious things about downtown boosters. Virtually no one lives in downtown areas like K Street in Washington DC, or the Financial District in Manhattan. They empty out at 5, and people go home, and that's fine.

What Pittsburgh sorely lacks is residential immediately adjacent to downtown. This is because the city, through a series of poor choices, destroyed all of its "neartown" residential in the mid 20th century. The Lower Hill was obliterated for the Civic Arena. The residential at the Point vanished for Gateway Center and Point State Park. And the most accessible portions of the Northside, which formerly had a fair share of residential, were destroyed by highways and other "improvements."

Quite honestly, this is a long time coming. I bike by those vacant lots quite often. It's mind-boggling to me that such a huge area which is only a few blocks from the convention center has been underutilized for so long.

[BrianTH]

I agree the lack of Downtown-adjacent residential is an ongoing tragedy. Fortunately, though, we are in the process of addressing this in Uptown/Bluff and the Strip, and hopefully soon the Lower Hill. The central North Side is also looking good, but we really need to make use of our shiny new North Shore Connector and start putting some new residential near those stations (unfortunately, that may not serve the immediate interests of the Steelers and Pirates).

[squarian]

Originally Posted by PittsburghLlama

I really don't feel that adding 4-15 stories of offices/housing will add "something special" to the strip district

If opposition develops, I do hope it will focus on persuading Buncher to exercise some restraint in the height of the buildings, so the Strip retains its "London" scale rather than a "New York" feel.

[bradjl2009]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Pittsburgh is sorely lacking right now in residential adjacent to downtown however. It's one of the curious things about downtown boosters. Virtually no one lives in downtown areas like K Street in Washington DC, or the Financial District in Manhattan. They empty out at 5, and people go home, and that's fine.

What Pittsburgh sorely lacks is residential immediately adjacent to downtown. This is because the city, through a series of poor choices, destroyed all of its "neartown" residential in the mid 20th century. The Lower Hill was obliterated for the Civic Arena. The residential at the Point vanished for Gateway Center and Point State Park. And the most accessible portions of the Northside, which formerly had a fair share of residential, were destroyed by highways and other "improvements."

Quite honestly, this is a long time coming. I bike by those vacant lots quite often. It's mind-boggling to me that such a huge area which is only a few blocks from the convention center has been underutilized for so long.

A lot of those homes were built very cheaply by immigrants or for them at the time so there wasn't a lot of quality built into those homes. While it was bad to see so many people get displaced from the Lower Hill, in truth, a lot of those homes were dumps/squalor.

[BrianTH]

The Cork Factory is about 10, I believe, and I think up to there should be safe for the lots behind the Produce Terminal.

Personally I would say you could ramp up to 15 west of the 16th Street Bridge, then up to 20+ west of the Veteran's Bridge, without threatening the existing character of the Strip.

[bradjl2009]

One thing with me is that I question is there enough demand to live in the Strip to start building 750 housing units. There is definitely demand to live in the Strip, but I feel that it may take a little bit of time to get 750 units of housing absorbed. This would change the Strip in a good way significantly.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by bradjl2009

A lot of those homes were built very cheaply by immigrants or for them at the time so there wasn't a lot of quality built into those homes. While it was bad to see so many people get displaced from the Lower Hill, in truth, a lot of those homes were dumps/squalor.

I don't think that is generally true of the North Side.

And even the Lower Hill wasn't that bad--from the pictures I have seen it wasn't very fancy, but it was solid brick construction for the most part. You could definitely have renovated and infilled such a neighborhood into something pretty cool by now.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by bradjl2009

One thing with me is that I question is there enough demand to live in the Strip to start building 750 housing units. There is definitely demand to live in the Strip, but I feel that it may take a little bit of time to get 750 units of housing absorbed. This would change the Strip in a good way significantly.

They'd do it in phases, but overall I would say yes, absolutely. I'd note the City appears to be adding over 2000 people annually to its labor force count these days (this is by place of residence--jobs are growing even faster). Those people are likely mostly younger with good educations and decent incomes, and they are capable of absorbing a lot of units like these.