Allegheny Center Apartments? (Pittsburgh, Bethel Park, Lebanon: apartment complex, leasing, how much)

[glowrock]

I'm going to be moving to Pittsburgh from Houston in the next two weeks, and am actively searching for an apartment. My job will be in Canonsburg/Southpointe, and I've been looking at apartments anywhere from Downtown to Carnegie to Mt. Washington, Mt. Lebanon, Bethel Park, and the like. Problem is, frankly, there are very, very few apartments available that accept cats, and even fewer of them that don't appear to be circa 1965! Anyhow, I would like to get an estimate of the commute from Downtown/Allegheny Center to Canonsburg, as I have found some availability in that complex, and it seems to be pretty much a perfect combination of location, size of unit, views, walkability, and price. Am I facing a relatively reasonable commute of say 30 minutes or so, or is it more like an hour?

Any information would help.

Thanks!

Aaron (Glowrock)

[greg42]

Apartments are not in high supply here vs the demand, and there wasn't such a buildup of newer ones over the years. So vacancy is low and there aren't so many new buildings. Still, it shouldn't be THAT hard to find something closer even with a cat. Well, except you mentioned walkability. Here's the thing: walkability and circa 1990s or newer don't go together mostly. There are no developments like that around here anyway that I can think of. Plus, walkability down in that area is tough. But you might well want to weigh that against being much closer to work.

Commute from there to Southpointe at typical commute times will be, eh, could be 30 but probably need to allow more like 45 or so if you're going at truly peak times (7:30-8:30 departure in the morning, 5:00-5:30 departure from Canonsburg on way home).

Isn't there an apartment complex in Southpointe itself? I thought there was. Dogs are usually the big problem; cats tend to be easier to place and a big complex is somewhat more likely to allow a cat vs an individual landlord.

[greg42]

Bridgeville might be a place to look too. There's a little bit of walkable area in Bridgeville, MUCH closer commute, may or may not have circa 1965 issues. As one who moved somewhere with a 30-45 min commute, I highly recommend making it shorter and compromising something else. You might not think that now but I suspect later you will be happy you did.

[Copanut]

There are tons of apts in Canonsburg/SouthPointe/Houston, why live in the City?

[glowrock]

Thanks for the information, guys! I will certainly check out Bridgeville. As for commuting, while I would LIKE to keep my commute down to a minimum, I am still debating how much of a commute I am willing to put up with to be in a truly walkable area for evenings/weekends/holidays. 30-45 minutes really isn't that bad, it's what I deal with currently where I am in Houston (TX)... Difference is, my commute here is ugly and flat, and not full of cool things like bridges, tunnels, hills, etc... etc...

To Copanut, I've seen there are a few apartment/townhome complexes in Canonsburg. Unfortunately, almost all of them are no-pet complexes...

Aaron (Glowrock)

[TimGyves]

"Difference is, my commute here is ugly and flat, and not full of cool things like bridges, tunnels, hills, etc... etc... "

I can see why you'll appreciate the change in commute scenery and applaud you for doing the reverse commute and wanting to be able to actually enjoy the city of Pittsburgh when you're not working and on weekends.

Pets and Rentals are often a difficult combination - you're one of many people I've heard from moving here from elsewhere who are amazed at how having a pet makes the search that much harder.

Depending on your rent budget, Gateway Towers may be a good option. You'll be in the heart of everything and it's a pet friendly building - ultimate decision will fall to the owner you're leasing from, but that's a good sign.

[Lobick]

Originally Posted by glowrock

I'm going to be moving to Pittsburgh from Houston in the next two weeks, and am actively searching for an apartment. My job will be in Canonsburg/Southpointe, and I've been looking at apartments anywhere from Downtown to Carnegie to Mt. Washington, Mt. Lebanon, Bethel Park, and the like. Problem is, frankly, there are very, very few apartments available that accept cats, and even fewer of them that don't appear to be circa 1965! Anyhow, I would like to get an estimate of the commute from Downtown/Allegheny Center to Canonsburg, as I have found some availability in that complex, and it seems to be pretty much a perfect combination of location, size of unit, views, walkability, and price. Am I facing a relatively reasonable commute of say 30 minutes or so, or is it more like an hour?

Any information would help.

Thanks!

Aaron (Glowrock)

I live in the War Streets, right next to Allegheny Center, and do the drive to Southpointe/ Washington County/ All points south on an average of maybe once per week.

The morning commute, outbound, should pose no problem. There are times when I hit almost no traffic at all and 30-40 mins on average is a totally reasonable expectation.

The afternoon/evening commute will be more difficult, with traffic backing up before the Fort Pitt Tunnel (inbound), even though it's technically a "reverse" commute. I would think your looking at more like 45-60 mins on your return trip. The good part is that once you're through the tunnel, traffic to the Northside is a breeze, unlike to other sections of the city.

Hope that helps.

[glowrock]

Thanks for all of the information, guys! Much appreciated!

Aaron (Glowrock)