Proposed conversion of an office building to a 19-unit residential building. Paramount Construction presented preliminary plans for the project at the November 30, 2021 Oakland-Wide Meeting, requesting residents’ feedback on the design. Paramount returned on December 11, 2023 with updated plans.
Resources:
December 11, 2023 presentation and recording
November 30, 2021 presentation, recording, and minutes
The UC-MU District allows for commercial uses while also providing housing options. Publicly accessible open spaces are required, along with active ground floor uses and adequate sidewalk width. To transition from smaller scale residential adjacent to this district, green spaces and other buffers are required between lower scale residential and taller new buildings.
On July 11, there is a scheduled joint Development Activities Meeting for the first phase of Oakland Crossings “Parcel A” at 3401 Boulevard of the Allies. The developer seeks to add 426 apartments units, a grocery store, parking, and retail in the space. Renderings can be accessed here.
On Friday, September 17, 2021 Mayor Bill Peduto submitted a bill to City Council, seeking to re-zone 17+ acres of Central and South Oakland. This bill is not a product of the ongoing Oakland Plan process, and did not involve the Department of City Planning.
At the regular City Council meeting on Tuesday, September 21, Councilman Bobby Wilson introduced the bill as 2021-1906 and remanded it to the Land Use and Economic Development Committee to refer to the Planning Commission.
Oakland residents organized a petition for a public hearing on the bill and submitted it on Friday morning, September 24. At the next meeting of the Land Use and Economic Development Committee on Wednesday, September 29, the committee voted to hold the bill pending the citizen-demanded public hearing.
City Council hosted a public hearing on Tuesday, October 5. 31 people spoke at the hearing, 27 in opposition to the bill, including 17 Oakland residents. Following the hearing, OPDC and several Oakland residents reached out to Councilman Bruce Kraus’s office to request a meeting to discuss the matter further. No one received any acknowledgment.
On October 12, Councilman Kraus announced that he, his legislative aide, and Walnut Capital’s lawyer had spent every day since the hearing behind closed doors working on a set of amendments, which he introduced at the same time that he asked Council to approve them. After some brief discussion, Council voted 8-0 to send the amended bill to the Planning Commission for its review.
The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing for this bill on January 11, 2022 (see guidelines for submitting testimony here). Following the hearing, the Planning Commission will make a recommendation to City Council, at which point City Council will review the Planning Commission recommendation, receive public comment, and vote.
OPDC hosted a Development Activities Meeting for the proposal on Monday, November 29, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. The project presented plans at a briefing before the Planning Commission on December 7. Originally schedule for a hearing on January 11, 2022, new Mayor Ed Gainey requested a 30-day continuance and a new hearing date.
Mayor Gainey attended the January 25 Oakland-Wide meeting regarding the proposed Oakland Public Realm District E (OPR-E).
The Mayor’s office hosted a public community listening session on February 2, 2022.
The bill was scheduled for a Planning Commission for a hearing on February 8. Mayor Gainey issued another 30-day continuance and a new hearing date was set for March 8, 2022.
On March 7 at 2:00 p.m., the Mayor’s office released a statement and substantial and transformative revisions (including a change from 17 to 13 acres) to the proposed Oakland Crossings legislation. Click for the Mayor’s press release and revised text.
At the March 8 meeting, the Planning Commission issued another continuance. The bill returned for a hearing on March 22.
On May 25, the bill went before City Council for a hearing. From here, the bill was referred to Land Use Committee, who will then refer it back to City Council for a vote in the coming weeks.
On June 13, Councilman Kraus hosted a meeting to discuss 2021-1906. He heard from Oakland residents their concerns about the process, heights, and uses in the bill. He announced that the bill would be discussed at the next standing committee meeting.
On June 15, City Council, at it’s regular meeting, discussed 2021-1906. An amendment to the bill was introduced less than an hour before the meeting began, which changed the maximum allowable street façade length from 400 ft to 425 ft. This amendment was passed, but then City Council had a spirited discussion not just about the appropriateness of that length, but also whereby the bill had arrived in Council chambers. The city solicitor advised Council that they could take no action on the bill until the public had been given the opportunity to review and provide feedback on the proposed amendment. The bill is held at standing committee until next weeks meeting June 29.
At a Standing Committees meeting on June 22, Pittsburgh City Council gave Council Bill 2021-1906 an affirmative recommendation.
On June 28, 2022, Council Bill 2021-1906 was passed.
September 17, 2021: Amended bill 2021-1906 (pdf version), amended bill 2021-1906 (via pittsburgh.legistar.com)
June 15, 2022: Amended bill 2021-1906, Amended bill 2021-1906 (via pittsburgh.legistar.com)
October 5, 2021 hearing recording and transcript
October 13 City Council Standing Committee meeting recording
City of Pittsburgh’s EngagePGH Oakland Plan website
OPDC blog entries on zoning and this proposal
September 14 - OPDC’s statement on Walnut Capital and re-zoning in Oakland
September 17 - Let’s Talk…Zoning
September 30 - The Public process is working for Oakland. developers should wait their turn.
October 14, 2021 - Zoning update
October 20, 2021 Let’s Talk slides, recording, and meeting minutes.
OPDC blog, “There’s affordable, and then there’s ‘affordable’.”
November 29, 2021 Development Activities Meeting feedback form
November 29 meeting presentation, recording, and minutes.
November 29 Oakland Neighborhood Planner report
Feedback summary on November 29 meeting (last updated: 12/29/21)
December 7, 2021 Planning Commission meeting recording.
OPDC blog, “Bad in five dimensions”
Mayor Gainey’s January 10 press release.
January 25 Oakland Wide meeting recording, slides, and minutes.
February 2 City of Pittsburgh community listening session recording.
EngagePGH project page
February 8 City of Pittsburgh press release - 30-day continuance
March 4 OPDC blog, “Mayor Gainey recommends important changes to Oakland Public Realm Subdistrict E (OPR-E)”
March 7 press release and revised text
March 8 Planning Commission meeting recording, presentation 1, presentation 2, map, and proposed uses
March 9 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial, “Oakland Crossings deal is a win for Mayor Ed Gainey”
Quick facts for providing testimony for the Planning Commission hearing
March 22 Planning Commission agenda.
June 22 Standing Committees meeting
June 23 Development Activities Meeting event and renderings.
Elmhurst Group
In November 2017, Elhurst Group began drafting a proposal to the URA for a tech research/light manufacturing development. In Spring of 2018, they entered into an exclusive negotiation for the site. They reached out to the community to collect feedback. In Fall 2018, the developers submitted finalized plans to the URA and the Department of City Planning.
A few minor architectural updates have since been made to the proposal. Elmurst Group presented at Planning Commission for approval on May 7, 2019. The two-building, 156,000 square foot project will contain tech-flex commercial space. See below for the winter 2018 presentation on building materials and space composition.
The URA voted at its December 2020 board meeting to approve the plan and financing. Elmhurst expects construction on the “Elmhurst Innovation Center” to start in March 2021. Depending on the weather and other factors, they expect a 12-month duration on the project.
This project is under construction.
Project design presentation - 12.11.18
Project summary: The owner will be renovating 2846 Boulevard of the Allies into flex office spaces. The renovation will include contemporary improvements to the facade. There is sufficient parking existing on the property. The building is by right and has an existing occupancy permit.
The start of the pandemic in 2020 delayed the permit process and halted work. The team resumed work in the first quarter of 2021 and estimate that an additional year of work is needed before work is completed.
Supporting documents:
Project summary: Indovina Associates Architects is working with the URA to design a new structured 7-story parking garage (Parking Garage No. 3) at the Pittsburgh Technology Center on Second Avenue. DOMI is reviewing a recently completed traffic study.
Indovina presented at the virtual Oakland-Wide meeting on July 28, 2020. The Planning Commission unanimously approved the project at its March 23, 2021 meeting.
Project resources:
The owner of the lot at Frazier St. and Parkview Ave. had a Zoning Board of Adjustment hearing scheduled for February 6, 2020 regarding a proposal to subdivide the lot and construct two homes. A density variance was requested for the plan to construct two homes on one lot. The owner did not meet with the community to present their plans, nor were they responsive to OPDC’s attempts to make contact. Prior to the start of the hearing, the community, via Councilperson Kraus’ office, requested a continuance so that there could be community discussion.
The Zoning Board granted the requested continuance. The zoning hearing will take place on March 5th at 9:40 a.m.
The developer revised the proposal. It now consists of building only one new house on the lot, no longer needing a density variance. Variances for setbacks are all that the project now needs. See the latest, revised proposal below. OPDC is working with South Oakland Neighborhood Group to provide an opportunity for community members to review and discuss this revised proposal. The project was presented at the SONG meeting Tuesday, March 3, 2020 at 6 pm at Frazier Field House. Residents expressed concerns with the curb cut on Parkview Avenue, the design of the building being out of character with the rest of the neighborhood, and the potential for this property to become a student rental.
OPDC submitted testimony to the zoning board at the hearing on March 5. The ZBA approved the developer’s request for a side setback variance, subject to the condition that any access to the interior parking garage shall be from Wolf Way, with no new curb cut on Parkview Avenue.
Developer: Walnut Capital
Project Summary: Construction in process to convert the building into office space with attached parking. Tenant will be UPMC for office space, not clinical space.
Construction has been completed and UPMC research offices have recently moved into the space.
Developer: OPA-HI Development LLC
Project Summary: The owner of the vacant lot at 3247 Ward St originally proposed splitting the property into two parcels and building a single family house facing Ward and a duplex facing Hardie Way. The project was granted a continuance at the December 13 Zoning Board of Adjustment hearing due to a lack of community process. After hearing concerns from residents, the developers are now proposing to split the lot and build two single family homes; one facing Ward St and one facing Hardie Way.
The project has since been revised so that both dwellings have a front entrance on Ward St. The developers requested side setbacks at a ZBA hearing on May 16, 2019 (see page 9 of the agenda). The requested variances were denied on July 18, 2019 (see the decision below).
Project resources:
Developer: Medco
Project Summary: Developer proposes to build seven, market-rate, owner-occupied town homes at 3523 Wakefield Street. The ZBA hearing took place on November 29, 2018 and the project was approved by the zoning board on Jan 24, 2019.
Supporting documents:
Developer: David McCallin
Project summary: Owner currently plans on building one or two houses on the vacant lot.
