Archived Projects

William Pitt Union patio renovations

The University of Pittsburgh plans renovations to the William Pitt Union building to address the Forbes Avenue side patio’s leaking roof, column reinforcement, and accessibility.

Pitt presented plans at the March 21, 2022 Development Activities meeting. The Historic Review Commission approved the project at its May 4, 2022 meeting. Construction is expected to begin in in summer 2022.

Resources:

Langley Hall renovations

The University of Pittsburgh plans exterior renovations to Langley Hall, located at 142 Tennyson Avenue.

Pitt presented plans at the March 21, 2022 Development Activities (DAM) meeting. The Historic Review Commission approved the project at its May 4, 2022 meeting. Construction is expected to begin in early 2023.

Resources:

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh - main entrance improvements

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh plans improvements to the front entrance area and grand staircase at the main branch located at 4400 Forbes Avenue.

Elagin Architects presented the project at an April 4 Development Activities meeting. The project will next go to the Historic Review Commission and Art Commission.

Resources:

Wyndham Hotel antenna

The Wyndham Hotel at 100 Lytton Avenue plans to install a new wireless antenna on its rooftop. Since the project lies within the Oakland Civic Center Historic District, the project will need to go before the Historic Review Commission (HRC).

Jacobs Engineering presented the plan at a required Development Activities meeting on Monday, January 10, 2022. They will move the current 5g antennas from the side of hotel to the roof of the building, to be out of the view of the public eye. The project goes before the Historic Review Commission for a hearing on Wednesday, March 2, 2022.

Resources:

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh entrance renovations

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh has plans for entrance renovations to its main branch, located at 4400 Forbes Avenue.

Work includes in-kind reconstruction of the exterior Grand Steps, new paving and landscaping, and updates for accessibility.

The City of Pittsburgh, OPDC, and OBID will host a Development Activities meeting for the project on April 4, 2022. The project will go before the Historic Review Commission for their May 4, 2022 meeting.

Resources:

The Julian

Hudson Companies of Hermitage, PA built a new 10-story apartment building at 419 Melwood Avenue in North Oakland. Plans include apartments ranging in size from micro to two bedrooms and an indoor parking garage with 93 spaces for automobiles and 68 bicycles.

A representative from Hudson presented the plans for a 128-unit building at the April 27, 2021 Oakland-Wide meeting.

Responding to a resident’s inquiry following the meeting concerning potential detrimental impacts on traffic patterns and residential compatibility standards of the zoning code (see comments section below), Zoning Development Review staff (including DOMI) commented:

A Zoning and Development Review Application has not yet been made, but based on our understanding of the proposed scope, a new apartment building in a UI / Baum Centre Overlay zoning district will require Planning Commission review and approval and a ZBA Hearing for a Special Exception for Use.

Until a formal ZDR application is made, it's unclear if additional Special Exceptions or Variances will be required per Residential Compatibility Standards or 904.07.C.4 - Special Exception for Height in the UI.

DOMI will also require a transportation study to clarify the project's impact on the right-of-way.

OPDC hosted a follow-up meeting with the developers and representatives from the Department of City Planning, Councilman Lavelle’s office, and bordering community groups to discuss traffic and parking concerns on May 19, 2021. Notes from the meeting are linked below.

Hudson Companies presented at the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) on July 8, 2021. The project is now listed as a 10-story, 148-unit development. Gateway Engineers prepared a traffic study in July; the memo is located in “Resources” below.

The ZBA approved Hudson Companies’ request for special exceptions to construct a 10story/116’ tall building with an 8.4:1 FAR. (9/13/21)

The project went before the Planning Commission for a hearing on December 7. Planning approved the building; demolition and construction are planned to start in early 2022.

107 - 111 Halket Street townhomes

Walnut Capital plans to demolish three townhomes located at 107 - 111 Halket Street. Future plans are TBD, but the lot is to be maintained as a small open space parklet following demolition.

OPDC, OBID, and the City of Pittsburgh Department of City Planning hosted a required Development Activities Meeting (DAM) on Monday, August 9, 2021.

The project went before the Planning Commission for a briefing on October 26 and on November 9, 2021 for a hearing.

Resources

Carnegie Mellon University student health, wellness, and athletics center

Carnegie Mellon is constructing a new, 160,000-square-foot student health, wellness, and athletics center. The building will border Schenley Park and feature both renovation of existing parts of the gym as well as a new home for public entrances to accommodate different student needs. In addition, Carnegie Mellon plans to target LEED Gold certification standards.

Updates

  • Feb 27, 2023: Construction on the project is well underway with anticipated occupancy in the summer 2024. Steel is fully erected and the enclosure of the building is underway.

  • October 2021: demolition is underway at the Skibo Gym/new construction site.

  • July 27, 2021: Planning Commission meeting—the commission approved the project.

  • June 8, 2021: CMU presented the project to the city’s Contextual Design Advisory Panel (CDAP) on Tuesday, June 8.

  • April 27, 2021: CMU presented about the project at an Oakland-Wide community meeting. This project is scheduled to by done by August 2024.

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Banners

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh intends to install eight lamp posts and fabric banners outside of the main library location at Schenley Drive and Schenley Drive Extension. CLP presented plans at the September 28, 2021 Oakland-Wide meeting.

Resources

Lumen Technology

Lumen Technology plans upgrades to the exterior signs on its building at 200 Technology Drive in the Pittsburgh Technology Center.

Lumen intends to replace an existing front/Second Avenue-facing wall mounted cabinet sign, and add illuminated channel letters to the rear/river-facing side of the building.

Both signs require a Development Activities Meeting per the City of Pittsburgh. Accel Sign Group presented the project on behalf of Lumen Technology at the April 27, 2021 Oakland-Wide community meeting. Accel presented the project at the Planning Commission’s June 1 meeting and at the Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting on Tuesday, June 10, 2021.

The project goes before the Planning Commission for a 2:00 p.m. hearing on September 28, 2021.

Resources:

University of Pittsburgh Alumni Hall ADA ramp

The University of Pittsburgh plans to add an ADA-compliant ramp to the Lytton Avenue side of the Alumni Hall. Other improvements include new stars, support walls, and handrails. Construction is estimated to take 16 weeks.

Pitt presented this project at the April 27, 2021 Oakland-Wide meeting. After a June 2 briefing at the Historic Review Commission (HRC), the project returned to the HHRC for a hearing on July 7, 2021.

Resources:

Duquesne Light Riazzi substation

Developer: Duquesne Light Company (DLC)

Project summary: DLC purchased a lot previously utilized for parking to construct a new substation—located at Joncaire and Boundary (Parcel ID: 0053-A-00010-0000-00). The lot is zoned by the City as Park. The Pennsylvania Utility Commission has approved the proposed size of the transformers to be installed; public input sessions will be scheduled to allow review of construction plans.

DLC presented initial building design plans to the community at three separate meetings in late October/early November. OPDC hosted the community meeting on November 7, 2019 (see minutes below).

On November 15, DLC informed OPDC that they are preparing information to address questions and concerns raised at previous community meetings.

DLC will feature project updates and related issues relevant to neighbors and commuters traveling through the Hollow, including work schedules, road advisories, etc here: duquesnelight.com/service-reliability/infrastructure-projects/riazzi-substation#undefined.

Initial grading work (asphalt removal and site grading; no street work) began on the project site on December 9.

Councilman Bruce Kraus and Duquesne Light Co. hosted a Community Open House on January 6th to continue the dialogue with the Oakland community and to review potential site plans for the project.

Review the design concepts linked below and share your input through the feedback survey.

OPDC joined a group of Oakland residents at a meeting with State Representative Dan Frankel and his staff on Wednesday, March 4, 2020. The conversation focused on a number of outstanding concerns about requested environmental studies and project updates from DLC. We had hoped that there was state oversight of this process, but that appears not to be the case.  Even so, we appreciate Rep. Frankel's efforts to assist to gather information and bring together parties to address concerns.

OPDC spoke with Darryl Lawrence, an attorney and Senior Assistant Consumer Advocate for the Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate, on March 31. Through his past experiences and research on this project, Mr. Lawrence conveyed that the Riazzi substation is a “step-down” transformer that will operate at less than 100kV, which does not require PUC authority in Pennsylvania when the utility company owns the land.

DLC did receive permission from PJM  (The PA, Jersey, Maryland Power Pool - a regional transmission organization). Permission from PJM is required any time a utility wants to connect to a high voltage grid, such as in this case.

On the topic of environmental concerns and studies expressed by Oakland residents, Lawrence was “fairly certain” that DLC got a permit from the Department of Environmental Protection.

OPDC shared notes on the call with Frankel’s office; they have contacted the DEP for follow-up details on oversight and permits.

Frankel’s office spoke to DEP in late May. DEP confirmed with the Bureau of Radiation Protection that electromagnetic radiation is not regulated as it is a non-ionizing form of radiation. (Please see this document and study for more information. Document and link provided by DEP.)

The Allegheny County Conservation District issued a permit in December 2019 to DLC for earthmoving (which requires stormwater runoff controls during the earthwork) and to maintain runoff from the substation once it's built - this is within state and local guidelines.

July 1, 2020 UPDATES:
via DLC:

There will be a lane closure and traffic restrictions in the area beginning on July 13 and lasting for approximately 8 weeks. The southwest-bound lane of Boundary Street will be closed during working hours to those driving towards Joncaire Street.

At the start of every work shift, a work zone and traffic controls will be set up in accordance with city permits. As the day progresses, the work zone may shift, so please be aware of changes throughout the day.  At the end of each workday, we will reopen the closed lane until the following workday.

Via City of Pittsburgh’s Law Department:

In response to a community request to Pittsburgh’s City Council, the law department provided the following analysis:

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has found that the Public Utility Commission and Public Utility Code preempt municipal regulation of utility infrastructure such as substations. If you’re interested in learning more, preemption of public utility regulation is clarified in  PL Elec. Utilities Corp. v. City of Lancaster, 214 A.3d 639 (Pa. 2019) and Duquesne Light Co. v. Upper St. Clair Twp., 377 Pa. 323, 334, 105 A.2d 287, 292 (1954). Municipalities retain the right to regulate to non-infrastructure buildings (ie offices) of utility companies and have some authority to require construction permits for certain types of work, however, their discretion is limited and any disputes which may arise are resolved by the PUC. 

January 1, 2021 UPDATE:
via DLC:

As the Riazzi Substation project enters its final phase of construction, for the safety of the general public, Boundary Street (also known as S. Neville St.) will be closed north of Joncaire St. to Filmore St. to all thru traffic beginning on Jan. 11 through March 31 as crews perform underground work associated with the project as quickly and safely as possible.

The subsurface obstructions we discovered in the roadway – despite our best efforts to perform due diligence – have required us to redesign the underground portion of the substation project. We used four methods of underground investigation to give us confidence in our original design. Unfortunately, the subsurface reality we discovered will require us to do much more extensive excavation. In order to avoid conflicts with the other underground utility lines, our contractors will need to trench the street to a width that is wider than normal during the installation of our facilities.

In evaluating the safety of the worksite versus the inconvenience of extended closure, we have consciously prioritized safety while being mindful to minimize the duration of the traffic restriction. We realize this will result in restricted options for residents to get to and from their homes along Boundary St. and we have worked with our contractors to streamline the logistics so as to complete the work as quickly and safely as possible. The final traffic restriction plan which has been approved by DOMI will involve the full two-lane closure of Boundary with traffic routed along Joncaire St. during that time.

January 22, 2021 UPDATE

Duquesne Light announced on January 4 that they would close S. Neville/Boundary Street between Filmore and Joncaire in both directions on January 11, 2021, for a period of 11 weeks.

We’ve since been informed that in response to neighborhood concerns about the disruption this closure will cause, excavation has been postponed until later in the project schedule. No firm date for the closure is currently available. OPDC will post additional information as we receive it at opdc.org.

When the closure takes effect, signs will be posted at the intersections of Fifth and S. Neville and Bouquet and Joncaire to alert drivers and indicate the detour route. During the closure, pedestrian and bicycle trips originating in Panther Hollow and Schenley Park will direct people to use the Joncaire sidewalk and steps. Joncaire Street and the Pitt parking lot at Joncaire/Boundary will remain open.

March 2021 UPDATE

The planned closure of S. Neville/Boundary Street is indefinitely postponed. We have no other updates at this time.

June 28, 2021 UPDATE via DLC:

Boundary Street will be closed between Joncaire and Filmore streets beginning June 30. This was not a planned closure, but was deemed necessary out of an abundance of caution and to maintain safe conditions for the public and work crews.

The closure will last approximately 30 days and will only occur on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The project is expected to finish by August 31, 2021.

For more information about the Riazzi Substation project, please visit DuquesneLight.com/RiazziSubstation where you can find answers to frequently asked questions and updates on the project. If you have any questions about the Riazzi Substation project, please reach out by emailing RiazziSubstation@duqlight.com.

Project resources: