The Latin American Studies Association (LASA) has acquired the building at 4338 Bigelow Boulevard to serve as its future headquarters and a Latin American Cultural Center. LASA presented this project at the January Oakland-Wide meeting on January 26, 2021. The center is set to open to the public in fall 2021.
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Developer: Thomas Liang
Project Summary: Owner of the vacant lot bordering Boundary Street, Yarrow Way, and Isis Way is proposing a town home development of five or six units - see below for the site plan options. The developer presented these proposals at the Oakland-Wide Community Meeting on May 29, 2019.
In 2017, the owner proposed to build around eight units on the lot, which was met with community opposition because it did not comply with zoning. OPDC encouraged the owner to postpone their ZBA hearing at the time. Oakwatch and nearby residents have been vigilant about code enforcement concerns related to overgrowth and a failing retaining wall. These concerns have been before various court hearings.
The owner returned to the November 26, 2019 Oakland-Wide Community Meeting with an updated proposal to build six new homes on the vacant lot. The first sales would be restricted to owner-occupants.
The proposal was scheduled for the ZBA virtual meeting on November 5, 2020. The ZBA issued a continuance. The November 5 meeting was not held in order to schedule a public meeting. The design team presented the project at the February 23, 2021 Oakland-Wide meeting.
This project went to the ZBA on April 8. The ZBA released its decision on May 26, 2021, denying the request for variances without prejudice to resubmit a revised proposal for the site.
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Site plans: 1) six houses, 2) five houses, and 3) five individual houses
Feedback summary as of November 2019
Feedback summary as of March 29, 2021
OPDC’s March 30, 2021 letter to the Zoning Board of Adjustment
The owner of 3721 Forbes Avenue seeks two variances to install a 56” digital display screen inside of a window facing Forbes Avenue. The project went before the Zoning Board of Adjustment on Thursday, June 3, 2021.
Developer: Walnut Capital
Project Summary: Developer is rehabbing the former PAA and incorporating office spaces, a fitness center, restaurants, and a social club. After COVID-19 related delays, construction resumed in Summer 2020. Walnut Capital completed construction on the project in April 2021.
Carnegie Mellon University is proposing to slightly expand, pave, and install storm water management infrastructure to the dirt parking lot on Melwood across from the former Pittsburgh Filmmaker’s building. CMU bought the building and the lot last year and are still making plans for their use. In the meantime, the paving of the lot will require a Zoning Board action, as well as Planning Commission due to the lot’s location in the Baum Centre Overlay District. CMU presented at the Oakland-wide meeting on January 28, 2020, proposing that paving will take place in June/July 2020.
The project was put on hold during the pandemic lockdown and is tentatively deferred to summer 2022. CMU plans to restart permitting and outreach in fall 2021.
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Developer: Building owner and ZILKA and Associates
Project summary: The building owner seeks to request occupancy change for the first floor from retail to restaurant. They also propose to extend the facade of the second floor to match the current free standing facade. The project was presented at the Oakland-Wide Community Meeting on January 28, 2020.
April 2021 update: The project is still active, but work has been delayed due to COVID restrictions and permit delays.
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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.
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Clark Street Holdings/CA Ventures, a nation-wide multi-family developer with particular expertise in off-campus student housing, hopes to develop a mixed-use project on the site of the former Marathon Oil gas station at 3500 Forbes Avenue.
The development site is approximately 1.2 acres in size and is bounded by Semple St. Forbes Avenue and McKee Place. The proposed building will be designed and constructed to meet LEED certification requirements and will be 102 feet tall, as permitted by the Zoning Code using the Code’s sustainable development bonus. Stormwater controls will include, among other things, a green roof design that will capture and use a significant amount of stormwater that would otherwise leave the site.
The project will be marketed to young professionals, medical workers, students, and others looking for modern, well-appointed apartments in Central Oakland. The building will provide office, retail, and amenity space along Forbes Avenue. The building will be designed and constructed with an integral parking garage for tenants and visitors. There will be approximately 300 residential units on the site with a mix of studios, 1 bedroom, 2 bedrooms, and 3 bedroom units.
Residential units with ground-floor entrances are planned along McKee Place. Importantly, the site plan for the building includes a twenty-foot wide publicly accessible pedestrian connection between Semple St. and McKee Place.
CA Ventures made a preliminary presentation at the virtual Oakland-Wide meeting on August 25, 2020. A subdivision of the site went to the City of Pittsburgh Planning Commission on November 24, 2020.
CA Ventures presented updates at the December 15, 2020 Oakland-Wide meeting and the January 26, 2021 City of Pittsburgh Planning Commission meeting. CA Ventures re-scheduled the project’s February 9 return to the Planning Commission for February 23, 2021. The commission issued a continuance for the project.
CA Ventures returned to the Planning Commission on March 23, 2021. The commission resumed the hearing for the proposed apartment building, which they continued earlier; testimony was closed and they did not hear a full presentation of the plans as this was done previously and was also provided to the commission in advance for their review.
The developer presented one image of a change to the rear of the property to address community concerns and concerns from the adjacent property owner, Family House. The revised design steps back the portion of the building at the rear of the property, reducing the height by two stories for part of the building at the Semple side. Representatives from CA Ventures and Family House stated that the two organizations reached an agreement on the project; the Planning Commission approved the project.
The site is currently under construction.
Updated renderings (12/14/20)
Letter regarding building line (follow-up to question posed at 12/15/21 meeting) (1/26/21)
Revised presentation from March 23, 2021 Planning Commission meeting
This project consists of a proposed small building addition to the rear of the existing two-story multi-unit residential building along with a first floor rear deck located at 255 Atwood St.
The existing building consists of four residential units, two units per floor (front and back units, both floors). The new addition will increase the square footage of the back two Units by roughly 180 net sf per unit as well as provide a second means of egress for the upper floor units.
Project architect Lab8 designs presented at the December 15, 2020 Oakland-Wide meeting. The project went before the Zoning Board of Adjustment on January 7, 2021 The Planning Commission approved the project at its February 23, 2021 meeting.
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Mr. Wang, the homeowner of 204 Tennyson has plans for an exterior renovation that goes to the HRC. Previous owners used the small, detached building in the backyard as a garage. This project will be part of the November Oakland-Wide meeting on November 24, 2020.
Renovations at 204 Tennyson began before the November meeting; Mr. Wang was unaware of the Historic Review Commission’s regulations. The project goes before the HRC at its February 3, 2021 meeting. OPDC sent a letter to the HRC ahead of the meeting, acknowledging that Mr. Wang presented the project as a required Development Activities Meeting in November.
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Project summary: Family House has entered into the planning and approval process for responsible demolition of its 233 McKee Place property. The permitting process is anticipated to take 8 - 12 weeks, with demolition anticipated to take place between August and September 2020.
Family House is working closely with its contractor, PJ Dick, to mitigate noise, traffic, and other potential inconveniences during this process. Prior to demolition, Family House will salvage and re purpose furnishings and other elements from the house which was the site of the first Family House that opened in 1983.
Currently, Family House does not have definitive plans for its use of the property, though the organization will maintain control of the property and will inform OPDC, OBID and other neighborhood groups of its plans as they emerge.
Family House made a preliminary presentation at the virtual Oakland-Wide meeting on September 29, 2020.
The demolition plan goes before the City of Pittsburgh Planning Commission for briefing on October 27, 2020. Click here for the agenda and the meeting link.
The plan goes for action with the planning commission on the November 10 virtual meeting. More information, including the Zoom link can be found here.
The City of Pittsburgh Planning Commission voted to approve the demolition during the November 10, 2020 meeting. Family House hopes to begin soon on the expected 6-week project.
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Moving the Lives of Kids Community Mural Project (MLK Mural) proposes an update to the mural located at 312 - 320 South Bouquet Street. They plan to invite residents and college students to help paint while utilizing social distancing.
As part of the "Pittsburgh Solidarity for change" murals, the Bouquet Street mural will have a QR code that incorporates video, imagery, and solutions to problems of police brutality, systemic racism, and gun violence in collaboration with Carlow University, Social Justice Institute, social work students, and criminal justice majors.
Please state your preference for the two new design ideas by Friday, September 18 via the feedback form. We will share all results with MLK Mural. They plan to have a community painting day on Saturday, September 26 from 10 AM - 6 PM (following social distancing guidelines).
MLK Mural and community and university volunteers completed the new mural on September 26.
Option #1
Option #2
Project summary: Property owner plans to complete interior and exterior renovations of the existing retail space at the corner of Craig Street and Winthrop for a second Oakland location of Fuku Tea (the first location is located at Forbes and Oakland Ave).
A public review of the proposed exterior renovations took place at a Development Activities Meeting on October 24. 2019. The project is scheduled for review at the January 14, 2019 Planning Commission hearing.
The Craig Street location of Fuku Tea opened in August 2020.
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Project summary: The University of Pittsburgh plans to replace and add railings to 11 locations around the Cathedral of Learning. The wrought iron railings are designed to match existing historical details and meet ADA design standards.
The University of Pittsburgh will present at the virtual Oakland-Wide meeting on July 28, 2020.
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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: Burrows Street Townhouses, LLC
Project summary: Burrows Street Townhouses, LLC, an affiliate of PE Real Estate Holdings, LLC, plans to build a single-family housing development on the western side of Burrows Street in West Oakland. The development will be market rate, for sale, and will not require any material zoning exemptions. The developer met with the West Oakland Community Council (WONC) in July 2019. This project is currently under construction.
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: Mike Wu
Project summary: Owner proposes to build a six floor, mixed-use development. The building will include restaurant space and one- and three-bedroom apartment units. The developer is asking for the following variances: Lot coverage, restaurant use, floor area ratio (FAR), parking, and height.
This proposal was presented to the Bellefield Area Citizens Association (BACA) on September 10, 2019. BACA was not in support of the developer’s request for a parking variance. An updated proposal was presented at the Oakland-Wide Community Meeting on September 25, 2019.
The original Zoning Board of Adjustment hearing scheduled for January 16, 2020 was postponed. The new hearing date is Thursday, February 20, 2020 at 9:40 a.m.
Project resources:
Proposal presentation (Sept 10, 2019)
Proposal presentation (Sept 25, 2019)
Project summary: Homeowner wishes to complete exterior renovations in rear of property. The renovations include a reduction in depth of rear facing porch and demolition of single car garage in rear of property. This home is in the Oakland Square Historic District, but the proposed changes are not visible from the street. The project was presented at the November 26, 2019 Oakland-Wide Community Meeting.
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Developer: Point Park University
Project summary: A fence is currently up around the property for asbestos abatement. Point Park has applied for a demolition permit. Reviewed at the March 27, 2019 Oakland-Wide Community Meeting. The project was up for hearing and action at the May 21 Planning Commission agenda.
The project moved forward and Point Park began demolition in early June 2019.
Demolition was completed and the site was sold to Magee-Womens Research Institute and Foundation.
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