US Steel "likely" to stay downtown (Pittsburgh, York: 2013, tenant)

[pman]

Originally Posted by Lobick

The 1990s just called and they want their urban redevelopment concepts back...

You can quibble with elements of a particular design, but I think it should go without saying that a strong residential component be included in the plan.

the biggest mistake, I think, is not carving it up into parcels and simply auctioning it off rather than selling "super block" development schemes which are so 1950-60's. agreed on residential. I think it would have worked better if the city restored the street grid as public streets.
I'm not sure about the produce terminal and whether it was even necessary to kick out the wholesale business, cities can accomodate varied types of uses in any given area. maybe they could put a giant slip n slide in there.

[JoeP]

I don't believe that USS being part of the Strip project would improve it - it could and should, but I think it would still be a wasted opportunity for that land since Buncher seems to be determined to do a weak project there.

However, the amount of space that USS needs would be enough for a developer to start a new tower.

[pman]

Originally Posted by JoeP

I don't believe that USS being part of the Strip project would improve it - it could and should, but I think it would still be a wasted opportunity for that land since Buncher seems to be determined to do a weak project there.

However, the amount of space that USS needs would be enough for a developer to start a new tower.

In an interview last week, James Scalo, president and CEO of Burns & Scalo Real Estate Services, said U.S. Steel also had considered a 29,000-square-foot parking lot he owns on Fort Pitt Boulevard near Smithfield Street for a headquarters. He said the company told him it was looking for more of a horizontal campus-like headquarters than a vertical office tower

Read more: U.S. Steel expected to stay in Downtown - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

it wouldn't be terrible if the pen's won them over either, given the enormous amount of available land around downtown (not in) a horizontal building or group of buildings should be easy to accomodate and could eat up some acreage.I don't think oxford's tower is a good idea though scalo's is at least proposed for a surface lot on the edge of town which would be nice.

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by Lobick

The 1990s just called and they want their urban redevelopment concepts back...

You can quibble with elements of a particular design, but I think it should go without saying that a strong residential component be included in the plan.

I'm fine with housing/residential units but some spots are just too prime even for that. We have a lot valleys to fill with housing but closer into downtown, the choices should be more judicious. Nearer David L Lawrence, I'm more inclined to favor visitor amenities.

[pman]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

I'm fine with housing/residential units but some spots are just too prime even for that. We have a lot valleys to fill with housing but closer into downtown, the choices should be more judicious. Nearer David L Lawrence, I'm more inclined to favor visitor amenities.

visitor amenities and resident amenities are one and the same, in fact, the more mixed the two are, the better the experience for the visitor.

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by pman

visitor amenities and resident amenities are one and the same, in fact, the more mixed the two are, the better the experience for the visitor.

True, but visitors are at the hotels and convention centers so you want the amenities near them. As their stay is short term, they'll put up with the higher cost. Residents might live further out anyway as they have to balance convenience with cost. I still think some spots are just too prime for residences but that doesn't mean they have to live far away.

[pman]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

True, but visitors are at the hotels and convention centers so you want the amenities near them. As their stay is short term, they'll put up with the higher cost. Residents might live further out anyway as they have to balance convenience with cost. I still think some spots are just too prime for residences but that doesn't mean they have to live far away.

the draw of downtown is paying more for convenience for resisents as well.

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by pman

the draw of downtown is paying more for convenience for resisents as well.

Right, but residents are staying there 365 days so they don't want to pay the premium prices per day that hotels guests do for maybe 7 or less days.

But the point I'm making is that Pittsburgh has little riverside entertainment/dining amenities in downtown and the spot in question can have a better purpose than for a corporate campus or apartments/condos. Plenty of other locations along the river banks but there is only one convention center. It's not ideally close to David L Lawrence but not bad and it works with the Strip District as well.

[pman]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

Right, but residents are staying there 365 days so they don't want to pay the premium prices per day that hotels guests do for maybe 7 or less days.

But the point I'm making is that Pittsburgh has little riverside entertainment/dining amenities in downtown and the spot in question can have a better purpose than for a corporate campus or apartments/condos. Plenty of other locations along the river banks but there is only one convention center. It's not ideally close to David L Lawrence but not bad and it works with the Strip District as well.

hotel rooms can also go empty. i think a mix of office, hotel, lodging with ground floor retail is perfect. its a huge parcel, design is where it seems the project will fall flat. well see.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by AaronPGH

Part of me wants to see them take a piece of the Buncher land because I would hope that by doing that we could at least count on some landmark architecture along the riverfront.

Originally Posted by bmantz65

I would love to see USS build a new aesthetically pleasing campus along the river in the Strip. That would anchor that development nicely.

I'll third this.

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

But the point I'm making is that Pittsburgh has little riverside entertainment/dining amenities in downtown and the spot in question can have a better purpose than for a corporate campus or apartments/condos. Plenty of other locations along the river banks but there is only one convention center. It's not ideally close to David L Lawrence but not bad and it works with the Strip District as well.

It's called Station Square. It's dying. My partner's family ate at Hard Rock Cafe last night. Very uncrowded. My parents were in town last year. I showed them the dancing fountains at Station Square. The place was a ghost town then, too. A similar development in the Strip District might finally fully kill Station Square.