Carnegie Mellon University Master Plan

Developer

Carnegie Mellon University

Project summary

CMU is updating its Institutional Master Plan to include recent project additions. While the original IMP was approved by the City in 2012, there is no timeline yet for when the amendment to their IMP will be completed.

Upcoming events

Past events

Click through for meeting slides, minutes, and recordings where available.

Featured
Public Hearing: CMU IMP and Zoning Change
Nov 9
Public Hearing: CMU IMP and Zoning Change

An application was submitted for a new Institutional Master Plan (IMP) and to change the Zoning Districts for (7) parcels to Educational Medical Institution (EMI) from Residential Multi-Unit, High Density (RM-H); and Residential Single Unit Detached, Low Density (R1D-L).


Timeline

A presentation on the amendments including the reconstruction of Scaife Hall (construction of the five-story structure and rezoning a small strip of land from “park” to “EMI”) and three proposed housing projects was presented at an Oakland-Wide Community Meeting in April 2019.

One proposed housing project, a new residence hall at Fifth Avenue and Clyde Street, was presented at Planning Commission on November 19, 2019. See below for the commission briefing and zoning submission. CMU started construction on this project as of January 27, 2020, and activity will continue into February:

  • Construction Trailer Delivery & Install on January 27 (noise and activity)

  • Site Survey from January 27 through January 31 (activity)

  • Tree & Shrub Removal from January 27 through January 31 (noise and activity)

  • Site Demo from February 3 through February 7 (noise and activity)

More information on the Fifth and Clyde project can be found here: https://www.cmu.edu/housing/about-us/news/2019/fifth-clyde.html.

CMU returned to the November 2019 Oakland-Wide Community Meeting to present project updates for the new residence hall proposed at Forbes Ave and Beeler St.

In 2019, CMU purchased the former Pittsburgh Filmmakers facility at 477 Melwood Avenue and the associated dirt lot. The university has not proposed plans for the building but is seeking ZBA and Planning Commission approval to pave and expand the lot, as well as implement stormwater management. CMU presented plans for the lot at the Oakland-Wide Community Meeting on January 28, 2020.

March 2020: CMU plans to install a central compactor and recycling center behind the building at 4217 Fifth Ave. This improvement will reduce the number of trucks needed to serve buildings in the immediate Fifth/Clyde area. Access will be via a one-way loop using the existing curb cut at the Fifth and Clyde site and reconnecting with Clyde between addresses 618 and 624 Clyde. They are requesting a variance at the zoning board on Thursday, March 12, 2020, at 9:50 a.m. for off-site facilities and a dimensional variance for one relocated parking space.

CMU has started preparing the work site at Forbes and Beeler in advance of the construction of the new residence hall. They presented an introduction to the process of a new 10-year Institutional Master Plan (IMP) at the March 30 Oakland-Wide meeting.

Forbes Beeler is on track for a summer 2023 opening; Fifth and Clyde is open as of August 2021.

CMU presented an updated version of the IMP at the August 31, 2021 Oakland-Wide Meeting. The City of Pittsburgh’s Department of City Planning, OPDC, and the Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition hosted a Development Activities Meeting on October 26, 2021. The IMP returned for another joint Development Activities Meeting on December 13, 2021.

Carnegie Mellon submitted the IMP to City Planning before Winter break. They hope to have approval from City Council by May/June 2022.

Project resources: