2846 Boulevard of the Allies

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:

Pittsburgh Technology Center Parking Garage

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:

3500 Forbes Avenue (former Marathon gas station)

About

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.

 

Updates

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.

resources

255 Atwood Street

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.

Project resources:

204 Tennyson Avenue

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.

Project resources:

Family House - 233 McKee Place

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.

Project resources:

South Bouquet Street Mural Update

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 #1

Option #2

Option #2

300 South Craig Street

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.

Project resources:

University of Pittsburgh Cathedral of Learning railings

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.

Project resources:

Frazier St. and Parkview Ave.

PROJECT SUMMARY

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.

Supporting documents

Burrows and Dunbar Way

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.

Craft Place (former Cadillac dealership)

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.

214 South Craig Street

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:

3611 Parkview Avenue

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.

Project resources:

Point Park Playhouse - 222 Craft Ave.

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.

Supporting documents:

1 Oakland Square

Developer: Homeowner

Project summary: Homeowner made alterations to a single car garage in the Oakland Square Historic District and will need to present changes to the Historic Review Commission. This project was shared at the September 25, 2019 Oakland-Wide Community Meeting.

Project resources:

203 S. Craig

Project summary: The owner initially planned to construct an addition attached to the front of the building. At a ZBA hearing on September 27, 2018 the developer requested a continuance, however the project was placed on hold.

Carnegie Mellon University purchased the property in September 2019. There are no plans — aside from general cosmetic/code updates to the exterior — for the property at this time.

3247 Ward Street

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:

Wakefield Street

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:

3939 Forbes Ave, 3925 Forbes Ave, 3990 Fifth Ave

Developer: University of Pittsburgh

Project summary: 2 new 7.16 sq. ft. projecting signs, one 93.4 wall business ID sign, and 97.93 sq. ft. wall business ID sign for University of Pittsburgh. Project was presented at Zoning Board Hearing on April 4, 2019.