Central Oakland

Bates Street rowhouses/cleared lot

Project Summary: Oakland Gateway Ventures (OGV) purchased the row house on Bates St. between Boulevard of the Allies and Zulema St in 2014. OGV proposed a development that was opposed by the community. OPDC, along with our local elected officials, opposes it as it is not consistent with the Oakland 2025 Master Plan or City of Pittsburgh zoning. Read the town hall minutes here: https://www.opdc.org/blog/2017/11/21/november-2nd-town-hall-meeting.

February 4, 2021 UPDATE

OPDC statement re: conservatorship filing, 3400 block of Bates Street

As has been reported in the media, a private firm filed a conservatorship action to become the conservator of the row of vacant properties in the 3400 block of Bates Street.  OPDC is currently discussing the planned future development of the site with principals at Penn Pioneer Enterprises in an effort to determine a redevelopment plan that will be financially feasible and also be a community asset in line with zoning and worthy of community support.  OPDC will continue discussions to prepare information for a community meeting in the next month or so to solicit community input and feedback.  Please stay tuned for more details as we have them. 

June 14, 2021 UPDATE

Walnut Capital is acquiring the condemned rowhouses located in the 3400 block of Bates Street.

Walnut Capital presented plans to demolish the buildings and plant grass at a June 24, 2021 Development Activities Meeting (DAM). No development is proposed at this time; they will present any proposal to the community in the future. Walnut Capital presented the project for a hearing at the July 27 Planning Commission meeting; the commission voted to approve. Demolition on the project started in early August 2021. New sidewalk surrounding the now empty lot was poured and opened to the public in late October 2021.

These buildings have since been demolished and the property sold to Pitt.

Project resources:

Council Bill 2021-1906, proposed “Oakland Crossings” UC-MU

About

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.

Upcoming

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.

Past Updates

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.

Resources

346 Joncaire Street

PROJECT SUMMARY

Paramount Construction, owners of 346 Joncaire, propose a subdivision of the property to create new lots for development of four new construction duplexes.  The zoning for the property is R2-H.  A duplex is an allowable use by-right.  The minimum lot size per unit in R2-H is 750 square feet.  Thus, a lot size of 1,500 square feet would be needed for an as-of-right duplex. The owners are proposing subdivided lots that would each be in excess of 1,500 square feet.  Each building would have integral off-street parking. 

Tom Chunchick from Paramount presented the project at the virtual Oakland-Wide meeting on May 26, 2020.

The Planning Commission approved a subdivision of the property at its October 26, 2021 meeting. An Oakland resident filed an appeal of Planning’s decision. The Zoning Board of Adjustment determined the project complies with the Codes’s requirement for street frontage at the ZBA meeting on January 20, 2022.

PROJECT RESOURCES

Innovation Research Tower - 3342 Fifth Ave

Developer: University of Pittsburgh

Project summary: Walnut Capital proposed to build a 10-story office building (Innovation Research Tower) geared toward technical, medical, and research companies. The building's use complies with the zoning code, but the developers requested variances for height, FAR, and parking. Walnut Capital presented its preliminary plans at a public meeting on January 23, 2019, and hosted a follow-up meeting on February 25, 2019. The project went before the zoning board on March 14, 2019. OPDC executed a community benefits agreement with Walnut Capital that addresses 1) transportation demand management strategies, 2) community-oriented retail space, and 3) investment in Oakland Community Land Trust.

The ZBA approved Walnut Capital’s request for a new 10-story office building with ground-level retail and 100 accessory parking spaces on May 9, 2019 (see decision below).

Walnut Capital presented a detailed review of building design at an Oakland-Wide Community Meeting in August 2019.

The City Planning Commission approved the project on October 22, 2019.

Walnut Capital plans to start demolition of existing structures in May. Two years of traffic restrictions are set to begin on May 26, 2020, reducing inbound traffic to two lanes between Chesterfield Avenue and Robinson Street. Left turns onto Halket Street will not be allowed; detours will be in place.

The project, originally expected to be completed by July, is now set for September 2022 due to a product delay.

The University of Pittsburgh’s board of trustees voted to purchase the Innovation Research Tower from Walnut Capital at their June 17, 2021 meeting. Pitt announced that they would review programmatic needs and design for the project.

Walnut Capital requests a Special Exception to permit the University of Pittsburgh to use a portion of the project for educational space. Walnut presented at the August 9, 2021 Development Activities Meeting. The project went before the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) meeting on September 16, 2021. They requested a special exception in the OPR-C zone for the educational space and they did not receive any objections.

Construction is currently underway and is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.

Supporting Documents:

3440 Forbes Ave - Wexford Science + Technology

Developer

Wexford Science + Technology

Project summary

Proposed new construction for commercial development. Reviewed at the March 27, 2019 Oakland-Wide Community Meeting. Developer returned to the Oakland-Wide Community Meeting on May 29, 2019 to present updates.

Per input at the two Oakland-Wide Community Meetings, OPDC and a group of community members discussed a package of potential community benefits with Wexford. The community’s requested community benefits package and Wexford’s response are linked below.

Wexford’s ZBA hearing was schedule for July 11, 2019. Council President Bruce Kraus, at the request of OPDC and community members, requested that the hearing be postponed in order to further consider impact and community benefits. ZBA granted this request.

Wexford was scheduled to appear again at ZBA on July 25, 2019, however, the hearing was rescheduled for August 15, 2019 at 10:50 a.m. This occurred because they were unable to confirm a quorum for the hearing.

Following a July 22 meeting convened by Council President Bruce Kraus, plus feedback we received through community input that we’ve gathered, there is not support for a community benefits agreement. OPDC’s position on the project is to oppose the requested variances due to the potential negative impacts on the community. Wexford appeared at ZBA on August 15, 2019.

Findings of fact and conclusions of law statements were due on September 27th. OPDC submitted a document expanding on our opposition to the project.

On October 24, 2019, the ZBA denied Wexford’s proposal as presented at the August 2019 hearing (see the decision below). On November 22, 2019, Wexford filed an appeal of the ZBA decision in the court of common pleas of Allegheny county.

At the status conference on January 28, 2020, the parties discussed whether there was a possibility of reaching an agreement.  Councilman Kraus convened a meeting to discuss the project on Wednesday, February 12th to try to reach a compromise.

At the status conference on Tuesday, February 25th, the judge once again encouraged parties to discuss a settlement agreement and also established a schedule for parties to submit legal briefs. Parties in the case are continuing to discuss the possibility for reaching an agreement before legal briefs.

On March 25, 2020 we added an update on the process and details on Wexford’s final CBA proposal here. We appreciate all those who viewed the information and provided feedback via our online response form. We published the responses below.  During the time that the courts extended deadlines due to COVID-19 and when OPDC was in the process of determining a course of action based on community feedback, three Oakland residents submitted a petition to intervene in the case.  A virtual hearing regarding this petition took place on June 9, 2020. On June 10, 2020, Judge James denied the petition to intervene and issued a briefing schedule. Briefs are due July 10, 2020. 

As of January 4, 2021, the local legal case has concluded, and a settlement is in place. Issues remain in front of the Commonwealth Court, however, regarding a petition to intervene.  OPDC and Wexford Science and Technology, parties to the local litigation, have executed a Community Benefits Agreement.

As described on this project page, upon Wexford’s filing their appeal, OPDC's Board of Directors calculated risk to the community of Wexford winning their appeal of the Zoning Board decision.  The risk was significant; thus, we pursued a CBA and negotiated building height lower than what they originally proposed and may have been awarded through their appeal. OPDC appreciates the community feedback received in March and believes the agreed-upon CBA offers substantial benefits to the Oakland community.

OPDC will engage the community in an extensive public process regarding the deployment of and expected outcomes for the $400,000 neighborhood grant (see bullet #3 in the CBA). Wexford will pay the neighborhood grant upon construction completion, so we have ample time for community discussion.

Please click here for terms of the CBA.

March 2, 2021 statement on OPDC's work related to development:

OPDC seeks to mitigate impacts of development in order to protect the community. 

While OPDC never sought a contribution, Wexford Science + Technology ultimately proposed a holistic, win-win agreement that would benefit the entire community.  This agreement is unique in that the parties reached this compromise to resolve a legal dispute and does not represent OPDC providing carte blanche approval of the development. 

OPDC is proud of this transparent, community-focused resolution to protracted litigation.  OPDC’s priority is the residents of Oakland, especially those lower-wealth individuals who can be left behind when development pressure raises prices in the neighborhood and squeezes people out of opportunity.

Judge Joseph M. James of the Court of Common Pleas issued an order of the court on October 19, 2021, reversing the ZBA’s decision and hereby permitting Wexford Science and Technology to build to 153’.

In November 2021, Caroline Mitchell, attorney for Coltart Area Residents Association, South Oakland Neighborhood Group, Oakcliffe Community Organization and three Oakland residents, filed an appeal of Judge James’s ruling; the case now goes to commonwealth court.

2023 update: Wexford has demolished the old structure and are preparing for construction. They participated in a Development Activities Meeting on May 8, 2023.

Supporting documents

Presentations, reports, and minutes:

Community benefits agreement (CBA) negotiation:

Feedback summaries:

Croatian Fraternal Union - 3441 Forbes Ave

Developer: University of Pittsburgh

Project summary: Preservation Pittsburgh and the Croatian Fraternal Union nominated the property for historic designation. The nomination was accepted by the Historic Review Commission.

Preservation Pittsburgh added the Croatian Fraternal Union building to its “2020 At Risk” list of endangered historic places.

The University of Pittsburgh presented an historic preservation and early re-development plan for the building at the May 25, 2021 Oakland-Wide meeting. The University presented the plan at a required Development Activities Meeting (DAM) hosted by OPDC, the Oakland Business Improvement District, and the City of Pittsburgh Department of City Planning on June 21, 2021. This project had a briefing at the Planning Commission meeting on July 27, 2021. Though pieces of the property have been carefully denoted as historic, the rest of the building is set for demolition.

The University of Pittsburgh returned to the Planning Commission on September 14, 2021 for a hearing regarding the building’s demolition. While finalized plans for the site have yet to be determined, the commission approved the building’s demolition without dissent.

Project 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:

4338 Bigelow Boulevard - Latin American Studies Association

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.

Project resources:

0 Boundary Street/525 Yarrow Way

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.

Project resources:

Pittsburgh Athletic Association - 4215 Fifth Avenue

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.

Scaife Hall Addition - 3550 Terrace Street

Developer: University of Pittsburgh

Project Summary: Pitt proposed to tear down the auditorium portion of the structure that sits at Lothrop and Terrace and rebuild a 110,000 gsf addition. The proposal also included renovation of the existing structure to add more academic and lab space. Pitt solicited community feedback on this project in conjunction with their meeting on the IMP in February 2019. The project was presented again at an Oakland-Wide Community Meeting in May 2019. They presented the proposal to the Zoning Board of Adjustment in July 2019 and the Art Commission in October 2019. Pitt received the necessary approvals to move forward with construction. Construction is currently underway.

After early pandemic-required shutdowns on construction projects, contractors resumed work. As of spring 2021, framing is about 1/3 complete, and the entire addition is scheduled to end in August 2022.

Project resources:

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3500 Forbes Avenue (former Marathon gas station)

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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:

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

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:

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:

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:

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.