Building block: New York developer pitches plan for 97-unit apartment complex in Lawrenceville
By Mark Belko / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A New York developer is preparing to join the latest residential surge sweeping through Lawrenceville.
Camp Eight Capital is proposing to build a 97-unit apartment building at 4107 Willow St. at the site of the former Kaleidoscope Cafe. The site is adjacent to the Foundry at 41st apartment complex, which Camp Eight recently purchased.
And in Oakland, developer Walnut Capital is pressing ahead with its plan to build an 11-story, 159-unit apartment complex on McKee Place, adding to the bump in residential construction taking place in that neighborhood.
Representatives for Camp Eight and Walnut Capital briefed the Pittsburgh Planning Commission on the projects Tuesday,
In Lawrenceville, William Sittig, Camp Eight attorney, said the new development will finish out the stretch of Willow between 41st and 43rd streets.
“This is the last piece of this puzzle,” he said. “It’s really filling out that whole block, that whole urban industrial block from Willow to the railroad tracks to the north.”
The L-shaped six-story building will feature two levels of parking as well as a second-floor courtyard with a swimming pool and deck.
Of the 97 units, 73 of them will be one bedroom. Of those, 43 will have a den. There will also be 18 two-bedroom apartments, five studios and one three-bedroom.
Ten of the 97 units will be designated as affordable to households at or below 50% of the area median income, or $35,400 for one person. That is required under Lawrenceville’s inclusionary zoning law.
Camp Eight is moving ahead with the plan about 17 months after first discussing it with Lawrenceville residents and community groups. The complex will feature a net of 56 parking spaces in all, 22 more than what’s required under the zoning.
“We’re excited about how this really completes this block,” Mr. Sittig said.
Planning Commission member Mel Ngami said she liked the materials Camp Eight selected for the building, much of which will be clad in red brick.
“Overall, I do really appreciate the fact that you didn’t go with the usual gray template,” she said.
The Willow Street complex is part of the latest wave of residential development in Lawrenceville. Pittsburgh-based Lobos Management is proposing to build 15 townhouses at 153 51st Street, replacing a warehouse it has owned for the past 20 years.
In addition, Chicago-based Abion Residential has started construction of a 267-unit apartment complex with 27 affordable units at the corner of Butler Street and McCandless Avenue. It also includes the preservation of an old firehouse.
At Foster and 38th and 39th streets, Washington D.C.-based Dalian Development is proposing a 334-unit apartment building, its first in Pittsburgh. The plan includes 34 affordable units.
Walnut Capital, meanwhile, briefed the Planning Commission on its proposal to build a 226,737-square-foot apartment complex on McKee Place bordering Louisa Street, Coltart Avenue and Iroquois Way.
The building would feature a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments and 5,000 square feet of commercial space that could house two or three restaurants, Walnut Capital President Todd Reidbord said.
In addition, the developer is hoping to use those spaces and accompanying outdoor dining to activate much of McKee Place. Plans call for two sports court-type areas and other amenities.
Instead of traditional parking, the development will use carousels to store vehicles. Residents will be able to summon them by using an app.
However, after praising the materials used in the Willow Street complex, Ms. Ngami took issue with those being proposed by Walnut Capital in Oakland.
Although parts of the building would be clad in “traditional Pittsburgh red brick,” the two ends would have a grayish-colored masonry.
“That gray, it really screams gentrification to me,” she said. “When you see that color, you’re like, OK, now it’s going to be expensive, this area’s becoming expensive.”
She urged Walnut Capital to consider using a different or brighter color, saying it’s an “opportunity to add something more lively and vibrant to the neighborhood where it’s even an icon or beacon ... right now it’s just an imposing building.”
Other commission members had a more favorable view. Commission member Phillip Wu liked the way Walnut Capital is planning to activate McKee Place.
“I think what you’ve done here is great,” he said.
Commission Chairwoman LaShawn Burton-Faulk said she liked the different colors “to give you some more depth and dimension” in the building and the amenities planned along McKee Place.
She also liked the fact that the complex will have operable windows.
The McKee Place building is the latest residential development in the works in Oakland. On Melwood Avenue, developer Hudson Companies is planning to erect a 12-story building housing 166 units and convert an existing two-story office structure into 42 units.