Pittsburgh Construction Projects (Liberty, Lawrenceville: homes, new construction, living)

[JoeP]

I can't believe this is an issue since most developments now are not gutting neighborhoods like in the 50s and 60s.

[OutaFL]

I'm flying up from South Florida to look at real estate in the Northside this week. I have sold some properties here and cannot wait to start living in Pgh.
As a Florida native, I can tell you palm trees and sunshine and banal suburban sprawl are not all that. I was in Pgh 20 years ago and always thought it was great. I'm an urban planner, and have been to many great cities and Pgh is one of the best Ive seen for a lot of reasons. It looks like a very exciting time to be in Pittsburgh.

[ghostinthemachine]

Aloha OutaFL. The weather here will be perfect for your visit! about 35 with snow & 40 mph winds....in April! Welcome to the place you want to re-locate to!

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by ghostinthemachine

Aloha OutaFL. The weather here will be perfect for your visit! about 35 with snow & 40 mph winds....in April! Welcome to the place you want to re-locate to!

Spring always fluctuates. Earlier this week it was sunny and in the 80s.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by Drover

So that's it then? Your rebuttal is "you don't live here?"

I get the SAME responses all the time when I try to champion Scranton's recent revival as well to interested newcomers. The city residents slam me with "You don't live here. You don't pay taxes here. You don't know what it's like to be 14 and have three children while selling yourself to make ends meat. Yada, yada, yada." (Even though I only live ten minutes and two towns over from the city limits and can see the city skyline at night). I may not pay taxes in the city (yet), but I'm among a growing trend of single young professionals who can't wait to move into the city to be within walking distance of a growing cultural and nightlife scene once I graduate from college. I think Pittsburgh is similar in this regard; many young suburban twenty-somethings are cautiously-optimistic about the city's revival and are scouting out real estate options.

Just because Drover doesn't live in the city doesn't mean that he can't have an opinion about it. If you ever want to see your city as it was back in the heyday of the steel industry, then you'll have to be willing to embrace the ideas of "outsiders." Being so insular and "standoff-ish" towards potential outside investors will do nothing but harm your city in the long run. I happen to think that Drover is quite possibly the most "pro-Pittsburgh" person on this forum (why he isn't willing to move back from Chicago is beyond me, but I'm sure he has his reasons). Here in Scranton we're finally starting to round a corner again because we've just started to allow NYC and NJ investors to start giving us some insight, and our city's list of construction projects is very similar to that of this Pittsburgh list---loft housing, condos, retail space, class-A office space, new cultural venues, historic preservation, etc. If we hadn't allowed "outsiders" in to start getting the ball rolling, then we'd still be named runner-up to "Armpit of America", as we were in the 1990s. Now, we're becoming a "trendy" city again, and I think Pittsburgh mirrors that. I'm more excited for Pittsburgh than ever, and city residents should be proud that so many outsiders have positive images of it.

[Smoker]

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m151/Smoker_03/heinzlofts.jpg (broken link)

[Drover]

Originally Posted by ScrantonWilkesBarre

I happen to think that Drover is quite possibly the most "pro-Pittsburgh" person on this forum (why he isn't willing to move back from Chicago is beyond me, but I'm sure he has his reasons).

I'm "pro-Pittsburgh" only in the sense that I very much want to see it succeed as a city and as a metropolitan area. The city has a lot of potential and a lot of attributes in its favor. But I'm not pro-Pittsburgh to the extent that I'm not willing to acknowledge and account for its faults and drawbacks as I have done on numerous posts throughout this forum. And those faults and drawbacks are one of the reasons why I'm not willing to move back just yet. Other reasons are:

• I'm also quite fond of Chicago, and the primary reason I ever consider leaving it is cost of living
• Most of my family lives in the Chicago area
• Most of my wife's family lives just downstate, as does some of my family
• The portion of my wife's family that is not downstate is right next door in Indiana
• I'm also very fond of Wisconsin and I want to be as near to it as possible, if not at least a part-time resident there.

Pittsburgh is a great city in its own right. But it's going to take a pretty substantial turnaround there to draw me away from where I'm at now. I'm not sold on the notion that it's happening just yet.

[Hopes]

Smoker! I had no idea the Heinz buildings were made into lofts! Thanks for sharing that picture!

[guylocke]

Smoker! I had no idea the Heinz buildings were made into lofts! Thanks for sharing that picture!

Hopes! Where the crap have you been! lol.

I am also a born and raised Pittsburgher and have lived downtown for over half a decade now and I have seen this city transform. Without driving in my own argument, I mostly agree with Drover. There are some neighborhoods that are going downhill, some that are being completely transformed, some that improving slowly, and some that are downright scary.

And this is different from every major city how, again? The fact is that Pittsburgh is entering its next renaissance, and the ambition and drive is there. Downtown is transforming, absolutely. The Southside and Northshore are HUGE advancements for the wellbeing of Pittsburgh and revenue building. We can't just start revamping every nook and cranny at once. Pittsburgh is heading in the most positive direction it has in years, maybe decades.

Research after research has shown that Pittsburgh is not NEARLY in the dire situation people want to believe it is. I've posted links about it and I'll do it again.

Here a few to visit.

http://www.popcitymedia.com/features...%20cities.aspx
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05086/477864.stm
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...3Doff%26sa%3DN

The ONE thing I will say is that Pittsburgh is facing a serious population issue. It's undeniable. HOWEVER, it's not for the same reasons it was 20 years ago. Young people are NOT leaving the city in droves. In fact, Pittsburgh’s youth is more stable than MANY major cities. The problem is Pittsburgh’s elderly are dying— fast, and the immigration isn't here to offset the declining elderly population. There WILL be a day when the huge elderly population in Pittsburgh will be on a normal bell curve and so will the youth. And maybe that day the city of Pittsburgh will have 275,000 people. Who cares? Pittsburgh's economy will be growing. The cost of living will still be way down. There won't be hoards of hispanics making locals feel like foreigners (I'm sorry if that is wrong to say, but has anyone visited Miami or San Diego recently?) It will still be (more than ever) one of the best places in the country to raise a family. And the greater metro area will still consist of several million people.

A small addendum: you can partially attribute the large and long-living elderly population in Pittsburgh to the top-quality (and I mean TOP) healthcare Pittsburgher's receive. In that regard, it's a success story.

[guylocke]

The title of this thread is Pittsburgh Construction Projects". What are you talking about?? Pittsburgh IS a construction project!

What is that even supposed to mean?

I would like to add something about my previous post. I should clarify when I say "hispanics" because that was an unfair generalization. On another post we chat about this for a minute but I am referring to uneducated illegal immigrants, and there are many.