Downtown getting a huge six screen movie theater

[gg]

Just reading this thread tells me that downtown is going to move forward in a great direction. I really think it will gain momentum. I think the amount of responses about a grocery store entering downtown just shows that is the missing part of the puzzle, BUT we all know it is coming and probably within a year's time. I love the idea of downtown living, but it will be for really high earners I guess because there just isn't many options and many will be new construction, so that means high prices unless they do mixed income crap, but the middle and upper middle get screwed on that, so the poor and rich will be fine as always.

[Geeo]

The P-G homes section had an article about the River View apartments in Gateway Center, and of course the topic of a full-service grocery store was mentioned. The tenants they interviewed said that it was not a problem because they get their groceries delivered from Whole Foods and Amazon.

[gg]

Originally Posted by Geeo

The tenants they interviewed said that it was not a problem because they get their groceries delivered from Whole Foods and Amazon.

Well that is a topic for sure. Will home delivery of groceries be mainstream? I think the people that eat just to survive will do that. The people that are really into food won't because they need to see things and pick them out. Brick and mortar grocery will exist for a very long time I suspect, but I do see it leveling out as people just don't want to deal with the time of shopping at all.

I think downtown needs a grocery store to make it really a great place to live.

[Paul2421]

Originally Posted by WhoIsStanwix?

The way I view this is it may work out, it may not, but what is the harm in trying? The opportunity cost is low, as I believe there are not any proposals for greater use that are being passed over. Also, I think convenience for a lot of the gentrifying neighborhoods is being overlooked. This sort of place is convenient to the North Side, Lawrenceville, and the Strip and will presumably be convenient to the upcoming Epalande development.

Will it make it? Hard to say at this juncture. But at least someone is putting their chips on the table and playing. The overall risk seems so low relative to other sorts of developments. I don’t see the harm in trying.

yeah i don't really have a problem either. is public money funding it though?

[eschaton]

I don't think the population downtown - or in "greater downtown" - is large enough yet for a full-service grocery store. The general rule is that you need 15,000-20,000 people to warrant a grocery store. Right now Downtown has over 5,000 people. Another 10,000 or so live the North Shore, Uptown, and the Strip District. That said, I think relatively few people in The Strip would travel to downtown for groceries (given the specialty shops cover almost everything), and the population of Uptown is misleading because a large portion of the neighborhood population is either in the jail or dorms on Duquesne's campus (college students just don't shop for groceries till they live off campus).

What I think this means is we need to see another decade or so of residential growth in Downtown (plus adjacent areas, like the Station Square apartments) before enough of a critical mass is there to support a full-service grocery store.

[WhoIsStanwix?]

Originally Posted by Paul2421

yeah i don't really have a problem either. is public money funding it though?

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has already provided $8 million of the necessary $11 million construction cost:

https://www.nextpittsburgh.com/city-...-moving-ahead/

To that extent, the properties are using "public money" the same way UPMC or Highmark are - through tax-exempt non-profit status. I can't find anything indicating there is direct public funding for this project.

[trotter_rej]

I skipped over the debate about a downtown grocery, but I, for one, would certainly drive downtown for a movie. Street parking is free after 6 and all day on Sunday, which are the times when my family usually goes to the movies. I think it's more likely that I'd have to pay for parking going to South Side Works (also an urban multiscreen theater), than the one downtown, unless other factors influenced street availability (baseball game, popular play, etc.).

What I wouldn't do is pay a big premium to see a movie downtown. We often drive to the Phoenix theater in North Versailles since adult tickets are $6 and kids' $4, even though Manor, Waterfront, SS Works, Monroeville, and probably Waterworks are a shorter drive.