Pittsburgh needs developers.
The city has real challenges that require solutions only found through the swing of a hammer.
Empty, unused buildings can become warrens for criminal activity. Derelict areas don’t generate tax money, but they do use it up. There are all manner of businesses in need of space to operate and residents who need doctors, lawyers, accountants, Thai food and good pizza.
That doesn’t even address what might be the city’s biggest problem — homelessness — and a potential solution: more affordable housing.
None of that happens without developers. The constant work of building and rebuilding a city is not just something a government does. It is a mix of public and private ideas and investment.
The newest plan on the horizon is Esplanade, a development for a brownfield site in the Chateau neighborhood that will replace mostly unused riverfront property with $740 million worth of attractive real estate. On the table are a 126-unit condo complex, a 13-story hotel and a Ferris wheel. Also part of the plan is a mixed-use apartment building.
The proposal is beautiful. Take the flavor of the North Shore and the rehabilitation of the Waterfront and the mixture of opportunities of Station Square and combine them into something new to complement the city’s silhouette. You might even say “uniquely Pittsburgh,” but a big Ferris wheel right on the river near a bridge seems to borrow from London.
It’s exciting. It has a lot to offer. But making it happen still requires the city, Allegheny County and Pittsburgh Public Schools to sign off on the tax breaks. A good idea isn’t a great accomplishment until everyone is on board.
Even then, there is long-term planning to do.
Gentrification is a real fear for nearby residents in Manchester. Reinvigorating one area could increase property values and price people out of their homes. That’s a legitimate concern given the city’s existing struggles with affordable housing.
Every empty mall started out as a good idea. So did splashy projects like Station Square and the Waterfront. They did what the Esplanade is supposed to do — take something old and remake it as something new and exciting.
But, over time, big plans can take unfortunate turns. No one expected the Pittsburgh Mills Mall to become an empty pothole-riddled relic.
There are a lot of reasons to be enthusiastic about Esplanade, from housing opportunities to job creation to money it could generate for the local economy.
That doesn’t mean you walk into a good idea without a wary eye on the future.