New mini-development in Uptown shows how Pittsburgh can address housing crisis... (Reading: fit in, section 8)

[eschaton]

So, I noticed this morning an article discussing two new mini-apartments being built in Uptown. One is on Locust, the other Mittenburger. Both have eight units. The design is clean and straightforward.



The most interesting thing about this however is the construction of two new small apartment buildings in a rowhouse area. Both construction sites have a frontage of about 47-48 feet. Although vacant lots today, both of these plots appear to have held at one point two rowhouses. Under zoning rules covering areas like South Side and Lawrenceville today you wouldn't be able to construct more than three townhouses on this land without a variance. So where maybe six homes would be built elsewhere, we get 16 apartment units instead.

This comes down to the still relatively new Uptown Public Realm zoning rules. In Uptown, there are no longer parking minimums for anything, so no structured parking whatosever was needed for these buildings. In addition, multi-family was added across all of Uptown by right. There are still height limits in this part of Uptown, but otherwise you're pretty free to build what you want, meaning more units can be fit in, and a much denser neighborhood can be constructed.

If Pittsburgh applied similar zoning across many of its high-demand neighborhoods, we would be able to see several times the existing number of units added to new developments. In addition, the cost of those units would fall, because the construction of structured parking (garage space) is huge, and new construction rents in areas without parking would be more modest. But lots of students in particular don't necessarily have cars, and don't need access to structured parking.

[PreservationPioneer]

I love this. I have to say, for new development, the design is very classy and appropriate to the style of the neighborhood. This is much better than that glass and steel crap they are throwing up like vomit everywhere.

[Geeo]

I love this. Those parking requirements were so outdated and inhibited a lot of development all over the city. Might these less stringent parking restrictions be adopted in other parts of town?

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Geeo

I love this. Those parking requirements were so outdated and inhibited a lot of development all over the city. Might these less stringent parking restrictions be adopted in other parts of town?

The new riverfront zoning already reduced parking minimums by 50%, so in large swathes of the city you only need one space for every two units now. That's not the same as no parking minimum though.

IMHO the most crucial place to reduce parking minimums is Oakland. Arguably the lower-income neighborhoods in the city too, because there's plenty of people who go into affordable units with no car, meaning lots of empty parking spaces being plotted out for no good reason.

[gg]

Are these more government projects and section 8?

[PghYinzer]

Originally Posted by gg

Are these more government projects and section 8?

Reading is key to understanding.....

Rents have yet to be determined, but will be market-rate, notes McAllister

[gg]

Originally Posted by PghYinzer

Reading is key to understanding.....

Rents have yet to be determined, but will be market-rate, notes McAllister

Well in that area is there really any “market rate” places or section 8? We will see at some point.

[svband76]

Originally Posted by PreservationPioneer

I love this. I have to say, for new development, the design is very classy and appropriate to the style of the neighborhood. This is much better than that glass and steel crap they are throwing up like vomit everywhere.

I like the outside at least of the Skyline Vue development in the Hill. The insides are too modern but they look like your classic vintage fare from the outside..https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sk...!4d-79.9768323

[PghYinzer]

Originally Posted by gg

Well in that area is there really any “market rate” places or section 8? We will see at some point.

Fifth Avenue School Lofts are on the corner of Miltenberger and Fifth Avenue, so yes.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by PghYinzer

Fifth Avenue School Lofts are on the corner of Miltenberger and Fifth Avenue, so yes.

There's also Flats on Fifth, which is a new construction 74-unit market-rate building. IIRC it's a bit cheaper than similar units Downtown or in Oakland, but still not cheap.

There's also a brand-spanking new one at 1450 Fifth Avenue. Again, market rate. Fairly small building (five stories, 29 units). It came in under the new Uptown zoning, so there's less than one space per unit, which is what made the building feasible.

Looking on Apartments.com, whole houses in Uptown apparently now rent for as much as $2,000 per month!