State of Downtown Pittsburgh 2012

[pman]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

I've read before that a typical full-service grocery requires a population base of at least around 15,000 people in its projected trade area. Smaller urban grocery stores can sometimes work with less, but then you have to balance what are usually higher rents against selling prepared foods to nearby office workers, maybe offering specialty foods to a wider trade area, or so on.

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess the first successful store will sell both prepared foods to office workers as well as fresh produce and staples. I'm not sure how high rents can really be with people selling gyros and being closed at night and on weekends. anyway if I were a landlord I'd stop screwing around and get penn mac to open a downtown location.

Originally Posted by BrianTH

The two most realistic commuter rail lines in the region would be along the AVR and the NS corridor into Westmoreland. You could have them share the unused platform at Steel Plaza, which would allow easy (and currently free) transfers to the T for access to the North Shore venues.
.

Since the east busway cannibalized a four track main into the city, it seems unlikely any significant NS commuter service to greensburg will be launched but I suppose if the busway were converted to rail you could probably fit an extra track, maybe two into the right of way since rail requires less space. overall, though, that's not a bad idea to utilize existing assets (steel plaza). service to greensburg or even latrobe might make the most sense (though butler was named a top small town in the country).

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by pman

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess the first successful store will sell both prepared foods to office workers as well as fresh produce and staples.

Yep.

I'm not sure how high rents can really be with people selling gyros and being closed at night and on weekends.

Grocery stores require quite a bit of square footage, even the smaller urban ones, and they tend to be fairly low-margin businesses, at least on non-prepared, non-specialty foods. So restaurants and such typically have higher sales per square foot, and higher margins per square foot as well. Incidentally, fast-food counter-places can actually have among the highest sales per square foot (among different types of restaurants).

Since the east busway cannibalized a four track main into the city, it seems unlikely any significant NS commuter service to greensburg will be launched

Last I knew NS was amenable to the basic idea, but wanted to get a significant payoff, sharply limit their liability, and maintain priority for freight (they would try to schedule freight around rush hours, but would also make exceptions). So, in other words, like they treat Amtrak.

In any event, I'd rank that a distant second after the AVR plan for near-term viability, and in fact the AVR plan is the one that seems to be moving forward.

[pman]

Right but if you sell prepared foods id guess youre making as much as many other places. I think its less a matter of high rents than low demand and the wrong format. Perhaps if every resident had shopped at the last one it would still be around but thats not the case.
Last i heard ns wasnt interested...its very busy. With three or four tracks it could handle a lot more traffic. Youd particularly want it where stations are located.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Incessant wistful comparisons to the exemplary city of Atlanta notwithstanding...

I think I love you---in the non-gay way.

[Billy53]

One more time as a person who is a empty nester who loves downtown living more then anything else! I do admit I would not have raised my kids there. They graduated from white picket fence land of Latrobe Pa. Pick one day a week and go shop at Wal Mart or Giant Eagle and then get off transit issues and buy your self a decent pair of sneakers and walk to the strip and pick up your fresh meat and cheeses, go to presto george and get your whole bean coffee and grind it fresh every morning. Quit worrying about wether or not there will ever be a grocery. I'm 59 and the walking is helping me to live longer not shorter. I have walked the last 3 half marathons and usally beat a couple thousand runners

For every narrow minded concern of the city I can tell you 100 great things that happen there every day.

Here's a thought for all the people that want to try but have too many excuses.

"Never be so busy making a living that you forget to make a life"

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

I think I love you---in the non-gay way.

Speaking of which, Atlanta was recently rated by The Advocate as the gayest city in America.

Magazine ranks Atlanta as America's gayest city *| ajc.com

[Paint It Pink]

SteelCityRising...you crack me up thanks for that.