Community

06/12 2015

Joncaire St Steps Reconstruction Project Update

The City recently finished their geo-tech study of the site; the study revealed that the existing steps are slowly sliding down the hill. In order to address this, building the new steps will require core drilling into the bedrock. 

The current project timeline is:

  • Design completion by December 2015.
  • The project will be bid out in January 2016.
  • Demolition will begin Winter 2016.
  • Construction will finish Spring 2016.
06/12 2015

Oakwatch Mtg – Wed 6/17, 6pm Oakland Career Ctr, 294 Semple St

Next Oakwatch meeting is Wednesday, June 17, at 6pm at the Oakland Career Center (294 Semple Street). The City's Nighttime Economy Manager Maya Henry will join as our guest speaker.  Regular updates from valued enforcement partners. Expect lemonade!

Find May's meeting minutes online at opdc.org/oakwatch

-The Zone 4 Public Safety Council Meeting has moved to the third Thursday of the month– next meeting is Thursday, June 18th at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh in Squirrel Hill.

-Officer Leshen shared an online bike registry site as a way to prevent and track stolen bikes: bikeindex.org

06/02 2015

Designs For 3407 Forbes Ave – Planning Commission Hearing 6/2

pdf icon FORBES_AVE_APTS_Planning-Commission_150525.pdf

Inline image 1
The developers of the proposed Campus Advantage building on Forbes Avenue shared the attached presentation with us. They will present this to the Planning Commission Meeting June 2nd.
 
There are a few notable changes to previous plans; now the top two floors of parking enter from Euler Way, with the first floor parking still entering from Forbes.  This change resulted in a small reduction in the proposed parking spaces, however the project still meets the parking requirements.  The designs also show additional greenery at the resident amenity space on the 4th floor facing Forbes and incorporate some color detail based on CDAP feedback.

05/14 2015

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Corridor Planning And Info

pdf icon brt-scoping-booklet.pdf

Inline image 1STUDY OVERVIEW – The City of Pittsburgh, Port Authority, and the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh, along with Allegheny County Economic Development, in coordination with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), are conducting an environmental and engineering study for a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in the area extending from Downtown Pittsburgh to Uptown, Oakland and other East End neighborhoods in Pittsburgh. Incorporation of bicycle and pedestrian facility improvements into the project is also proposed. The map below illustrates the study area.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? – 
  • Spring 2015: The public scoping period begins with the May 5 & 6 public meetings and extends to June 4, 2015 during which additional public and agency input is received. The NEPA review will begin. Coordination with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission has been initiated and contacts with other regulatory and resource agencies will occur.
  • Summer 2015: Community workshops to discuss the location and design of BRT stations will be convened. The analysis of the alternatives effects on the social and economic environment, physical environment and transportation system will continue. The alternatives will be refined.
  • Fall 2015: The NEPA analyses will be completed. Based on the input from the workshops and technical analyses, the station designs will be developed further.
  • Winter/Spring 2016: The draft NEPA document will be prepared.
  • Spring/Summer 2016: The public will review and comment on the draft NEPA document. Based on public comment and the NEPA analyses, the LPA will be selected. A report on the LPA will be submitted to FTA for approval to advance the project into Preliminary Engineering.
05/10 2015

Crime Alert

Armed Robbery

University of Pittsburgh Police Officers assisted the City of Pittsburgh Police Department with an armed robbery that occurred on Friday, May 8th, 2015, at approximately 9:45pm, near the intersection of Bigelow Boulevard and Tennyson Avenue.  The victim stated that while in his car, a white male approached him, displayed a handgun and demanded his wallet.  The victim gave the suspect a credit card, and the suspect fled on foot in an unknown direction.

Description of the suspect follows:

  • Suspect – White male, approximately 5’6”, wearing a black sweatshirt, black pants, black hat, and white shoes.

Anyone having information regarding this incident should call the Pittsburgh Police Department (Zone 4) at412-422-6520 (reference CCR #81560) or the University of Pittsburgh Police at 412-624-2121. (Reference report #15-01340)

05/05 2015

3407 Forbes Ave – Proposed Private Development Student Housing Updated Plans

pdf icon 3407-Forbes-Ave-May-4-Design-Updates.pdf
pdf icon 3407-Forbes-Avenue-Apartments-Traffic-Study-4-22-15.pdf

Inline image 1
This is the updated design from Campus Advantage for their proposed development at 3407 Forbes Avenue.
The updated design improves the pedestrian experience at the street level and sets the entrance to the parking garage back from the street to help increase safety for pedestrians when vehicles are entering and exiting the building. They've also stepped back the building slightly in a couple of places which helps break up the facade. The pdf lays out the old design vs. the new design for comparison.
The current traffic study is also attached.

04/20 2015

CORRECTION: Public Mtg On Plans For Proposed Student Rental Housing at 3407 Forbes, Tue 4/14 6pm

3407 Forbes Avenue – Proposed Campus Advantage Development (next to Arby's)
Campus Advantage, a national student rental housing management company, is proposing to build a 13-story, 137-unit student housing building. Attached are some rough designs and details the developer shared with us.
They are on the ZBA agenda for April 23, 2015 at 9:20 pm. 
​THE CORRECTED TIME IS 9:20 AM, not PM.

South Oakland Neighborhood Group (SONG)

SouthOaklandPgh.org
04/08 2015

Public Mtg On Plans For Proposed Student Rental Housing at 3407 Forbes, Tue 4/14 6pm

pdf icon 3407-Forbes-Ave-Campus-Advantage-Development-Meeting.pdf
pdf icon First-draft-building-design-3407-Forbes-Ave.pdf
pdf icon Project-details-3407-Forbes-Ave.pdf

Inline image 13407 Forbes Avenue – Proposed Campus Advantage Development (next to Arby's)
Campus Advantage, a national student rental housing management company, is proposing to build a 13-story, 137-unit student housing building. Attached are some rough designs and details the developer shared with us.
They are on the ZBA agenda for April 23, 2015 at 9:20 pm. Currently they're planning to request a special exemption and a variance related to increasing floor area ratio* (FAR), a variance to increase the percentage of the lot covered by the building from the allowed 90% to 96%, as well as increasing the building height from the permitted 102 feet (with LEED bonus) to 140 feet.
Next week, OPDC will host a public meeting for community input on the project:
Tuesday, April 14, 2015, 6:00 pm – Oakland Career Center, 294 Semple Street
*Floor Area Ratio (FAR): The total square feet of a building divided by the total square feet of the lot the building is located
04/06 2015

UPMC – Oakland Transformation Project Through 2016

pdf icon UPMCPlans2016.pdf

​Inline image 1​
"​UPMC is moving forward with plans to make major improvements that ​will bring more green space and enhanced traffic flow to the vibrant city neighborhood of Oakland.
The project will remove the top six floors of the South Tower (formerly Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh) and portions of the bottom eight floors.  The pedestrian bridge between the Falk Medical Building and UPMC Presbyterian also will be removed.
…
Large-scale demolition of the South Tower is scheduled to begin mid-June.  Project completion is anticipated in the summer of 2016."