east liberty station: realizing the potential - City of Pittsburgh

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are currently underutilized. This area
also includes the Broad Street Corridor
which features the highest number of
currently vacant and available
properties within the study area. A
PPAP surface parking lot lies between
Kirkwood Street and Broad Street
immediately adjacent to the new
Target store. Phase II of the proposed
value capture area would also extend
towards the traditional residential
portions of the neighborhoods of East
Liberty and Larimer. At the northwest
corner of Penn Circle, conceptual
plans call for redevelopment of surface
parking lots and abandoned structures
for new residential use including a mix
of for sale single family detached
houses and townhomes. The
traditional neighborhood design being
planned calls for new units to fit the
existing context while maintaining the
historic and architectural integrity of
surrounding houses. In addition, the
TRID value capture area would be
extended on the eastern portion
behind the Target to include the first
phase of a planned residential
development off Larimer Avenue in
close proximity to other recent mixedincome
residential initiatives along this
corridor.
Expansion of the value capture area
accommodates the likely phasing of
redevelopment of the former
Reizenstein school site as well. The
recommended expansion in the 2nd
phase would encompass the
remainder
of the parcel slated for additional
development. It is likely the residential
components of the proposed project would
occur at a later stage to best respond to
market conditions.
As the wave of revitalization continues, a
3rd expansion could capture value of
longer term development potential. The
final proposed TRID value capture area
would encompass other fringe areas that
present opportunities in the 10+ year
horizon buiding upon early momentum
within the study area. Beyond accounting
for improved market conditions, this
phased expansion strategy allows for the
greatest level of value capture to reinvest
in TOD and other district-wide
infrastructure improvements or
maintenance.
The TRID value capture area would be
expanded to Penn Circle North to
encapsulate the remainder of the central
business district. This includes many
properties that are suburban in nature and
totally oriented to automobile use.
Improvements would target better
connectivity to the residential portions of
East Liberty to the north and Larimer to
the east.
Also within this expansion is a block of
vacant or underutilized structures in
between North Highland Avenue and
North Whitfield. These parcels, including
the dilapidated former Governor’s Hotel
building, were originally targeted for a
large scale redevelopment comprising of a
hotel and commercial space. Significant
opportunity still exists within this block
including building rehabilitation and new
construction.
Three key commercial areas would also
be included in the final value capture
area expansion. Underutilized
properties across Center Avenue and
the initial phases of Eastside present
various opportunities to strengthen this
corridor. Connectivity would improve
with Friendship to the west and new
residential developments along Penn
Circle West. Although they are stable
drivers of local market activity, Ellsworth
Avenue and South Highland Avenue do
present opportunities for investment
that will continue their success over the
longer term. Ellsworth Avenue
especially could benefit from an
extension of economic activity from its
current terminus under the South
Highland Avenue bridge towards the
new intermodal center and eventually
connecting to Shady Avenue.
Properties along Shady Avenue,
especially Shady Hill Plaza, represent
areas with the most significant TOD
potential in the study area pending
infrastructure improvements.
Expansion of the TRID value capture
area to include this suburban style
shopping center would help facilitate its
eventual reconfiguration into a more
multimodal development at a pedestrian
scale. Situated directly adjacent to the
new Eastern Gateway Intermodal
Center, the site can also be connected
to new activity along