Good Things Happening In East Liberty!!

Emily & Sten Carlson work on their Borland Green rowhouse.

For many years, Maria Piantanida has been part of a group who had a dream of creating a "co-housing" development in the Metro Pittsburgh area.  A co-housing community is a group of residents who share a lifestyle vision.  And so for many years, Maria and her group kept searching for a place that was suitable or had potential to accommodate them. The group eventually split into those who wanted to build new and those who wanted to be in the city and reuse existing housing.  Maria's group, the "City" group, found exactly what they were looking for in a stretch of (seven) brown-brick rowhouses on Black Street behind Peabody High School.

The rowhouses had been in the process of falling apart when East Liberty Development Inc. bought them out of foreclosure last year. Since then, the agency has assembled eight more residences on the blocks within Borland, Black and Beatty streets as part of a bigger plan.  It was this "bigger plan" that caught the eye of Piantanida's group.  They took the plunge, bought the distressed properties and promptly named their new co-housing community "Borland Green".

The community started ahead of renovations by establishing a garden on a large tract that was remediated by three years of sunflower and canola planted by the non-profit GTECH. The 18,000-square-foot garden lot will be developed to include an orchard and other edible plants. East Liberty Development still owns that land and is working with the city to get title for two more parcels. Maureen Copeland, GTECH's community programs manager and now a Borland Green resident, bought and moved into the most habitable unit in May. Pat Buddemeyer, an original member of the co-housing group, expects work to be done on her unit in October.  Sten and Emily Carlson are other members of the group who presently live in North Point Breeze as they renovate and restore the unit they recently bought.

Piantanida says it was the green space Borland Green had to offer which cinched the deal for the group.  She and her husband live in Churchill and do not have a move-in date yet. "I've lived in [Churchill] for 32 years and hardly know anybody. This is sort of where my heart is now."

What are some of the benfits of "co-housing"?

"Sharing resources so you don't need seven lawnmowers, just one," said Sten Carlson.

"Having someone look out for your house while you're out of town," added Ms. Piantanida. "Another advantage is that elders have support while they pool their resources to get care at home instead of having to go to a nursing home."

These are the staples of what makes co-housing attractive to a growing number of people. Diana Leafe Christian, a national expert on co-housing, said at least 116 communities are established across the country and roughly another 150 are in the stages of finding and purchasing land.

For further details on this exciting project, read the entire Post Gazette article:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11227/1167402-53.stm

East Liberty Redevelopment In High Gear

Eastside shopping complex in East Liberty

The renewal and revitalization of East Liberty has progressed bigger, better and faster than anyone could have hoped for.  Home Depot opened the only store located within Pittsburgh city limits in 2000.  Whole Foods opened two years later and became one of the highest grossing stores in the Austin-based chain. Then came the Mosites Co.'s Eastside development, the hipster haven Shadow Lounge and several small, high-end restaurants.  This July, a new Target will open on Penn Avenue just down the street from where Trader Joe's is thriving.

The commercial scene is obviously a success, but residential housing may yet eclipse that accomplishment.  Two homes in the neighborhood are now under agreement for $340,000 each!  Who would have ever thought? Even the guys who helped make that happen -- real estate specialists at East Liberty Development Inc. -- were staggered. The average sales price of a single-family home in the area in 2008 was $75,000.  The average hit $146,000 last year, when ELDI sold a house for $315,000.

For the past seven years, ELDI has been buying abandoned, vacant and liened properties. The portfolio now totals $10 million and accounts for almost 15 percent of the neighborhood's parcels. Payment of liens alone has East Liberty looking more like Shadyside than its neighbors to the east and west on a demographic map.

So what's next on the list?  The agency's target area for renovating and selling homes is East Liberty's historic core ..... Between Penn Circle and Stanton Avenue and Negley and Highland Avenues.  Last week, city and agency officials cut a ribbon at the Boulevard Apartments, a new six-unit building on East Liberty Boulevard and Euclid Avenue. It is solid brick, has hardwood floors, balconies with hand-crafted iron work and energy efficiency that exceeds Energy Star standards.  The agency is also working with developers to turn three existing buildings into market-rate apartments. They include the Highland Building and former YMCA, both in the business district.

The neighborhood agency's strategy is atypical.  Most community development corporations depend on public money and build homes on spec.   The East Liberty group builds for a waiting buyer.
Rather than going to the URA for money to renovate,they use the market and let the flippers take the risk.  They have legal safeguards in place that require the flipper to sell to a homeowner instead of an investor. 

What kind of homeowners have decided to make East Liberty their new home?  New residents include those who moved to Pittsburgh from out of state, some to work for Google and American Eagle, and people who have relocated from other neighborhoods and area suburbs.  After almost a decade of very aggressive work, there is a bona fide market-rate housing market in East Liberty.

Who would have ever thought .....

East Liberty

Metro Pittsburgh Real Estate

Urban Redevelopment Authority

FInally! A Bridge To East Liberty

Sketch of Pedestrian Bridge

Construction of a pedestrian bridge linking Shadyside to the Eastside shopping complex in East Liberty will begin on Monday. The 100-foot-long bridge will stretch from Ellsworth Avenue at Spahr Street to the southwest corner of the Eastside parking garage, hopping over the Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway and railroad tracks parallel to it.

Plans for the bridge go back at least seven years. Planners and developers had to work through myriad issues involving financing, right of way, property acquisition and design.  Starting Monday and continuing through November, Ellsworth Avenue will be closed from Spahr Street to Lamont Place. These streets will be open only to local and business traffic: Ellsworth from Maryland Avenue to Spahr and from Shady Avenue to Lamont, and Spahr from Alder Street to Ellsworth.  Northbound traffic on Spahr will be required to turn left at Ellsworth. Access to all businesses in the construction area will be maintained at all times.

The project features an innovative design by Pittsburgh native Sheila Klein that includes a curving fence bedecked with glass sequins, an undulating pathway bordered with landscaping and railings that were salvaged from the 31st Street Bridge when it was rehabilitated.

The glass is being made at Pittsburgh Glass Center in Friendship and restoration of the railings was by Keystone Metals in Larimer.
Completion of the $1.55 million project is scheduled for late December.

East Liberty
Metro Pittsburgh Real Estate
Shadyside

New Free People Store At Bakery Square

Bakery Square in East Liberty

Free People will open at Bakery Square in East Liberty on Friday, featuring an assortment of fashions and accessories for young women. Many wintry items that have sold out in other locations were reserved for the Pittsburgh store, and they will join trendier spring fashions, such as the maxi dress, cropped shirts, bright bralettes, special knits and a range of slips.

The Free People demographic is described as age 26 through mid-30's.  Both Free People and Anthropologie are owned by Urban Outfitters, a company started by Pittsburgh native Dick Hayne. His first store, opened in Philadelphia in the 1970s, was called Free People, but the name was later changed to Urban Outfitters. Free People became the wholesale supplier to Urban, Anthropologie and more than 1,000 specialty stores worldwide including Nordstrom. The Pittsburgh store is the 42nd in the chain and, like the others, will offer the complete line.

Bakery Square is a perfect match for Free People as the 1,330-square-foot store is infused with natural materials and playful accents. Beneath a decorative stencil overlay on the brick facade, the storefront is framed with reclaimed timbers painted white. The same white timbers are used as columns and beams throughout the interior, with recycled thrashing-floor planks on the floor, reflecting the combination of modern and rustic.

Free People is at 6425 Penn Ave., Larimer, near East Liberty. Hours are 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Information: 412-665-4680



Free People
Bakery Square
Metro Pittsburgh Real Estate

Google Presence at Bakery Square

Google Offices at Bakery Square

Google is planning a bigger presence at Bakery Square in East Liberty, where commercial development is thriving.  The California-based internet search engine company leased offices at Bakery Square in December but are now wanting an additional 70,000 sq ft.  With the additional space, Google will occupy almost half of Bakery Square's 250,000 sq ft office space and will have about 500 employees at the site.

The retail component of Bakery Square is moving along nicely as well.  Companies like Anthropologie and Free People (trendy woman's botique) already have storefronts.  Google's growing presence has already bolstered interest from other retailers and the project looks like a definite success.


Metro Pittsburgh Real Estate

Got A Sweet Tooth? Check These Bakeries Out ....

Bakery Goodies

Pittsburgh has an amazing number of stand-alone bakeries with an incredible variety of sweet and savory treats. In fact, the Steel City has so many bakeries that it's impossible to mention them all.  Here are a few that are delightful:

Better-Maid Donuts, West End
1178 Steuben St
Pittsburgh, PA 15220

(412) 921-9526

Old-school cake-like doughnuts, some filled with cream, others topped with various glazes. Plain doughnuts are light on the sugar and taste almost savory, which makes them a pleasant contrast to a sweet glaze. Seasonal doughnuts like pumpkin. The shop opens at 6 a.m. daily, but closes as soon as they're sold out -- often as early as 9 a.m.

Food Glorious Food, Highland Park

5606 Bryant St

Pittsburgh, PA  15206

412-363-5330

A Saturday-only bakery with an incredible array of pies, cakes and dessert like the over-the-top marjolaine, a flourless hazelnut and almond cake layered with chocolate, praline and vanilla buttercreams and covered in a thin layer of ganache. Savory favorites include thick focaccia topped with artichoke hearts or whole black olives.  The bakery opens at 10 a.m.; go early for the best selection and prepare to wait in line.

During the rest of the week, they run a cooking school. Check out the class schedule on their website.

Jean-Marc Chatellier's French Bakery, Millvale

213 North Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15209
(412) 821-8533

Try a sweet brioche in the morning, an intricate slice of opera cake for an indulgent afternoon snack or a family-sized quiche for a light, easy supper. Trendy and traditional go hand-in-hand like the variety of of-the-moment macaroons.

Vanilla Pastry Studio, East Liberty

6014 Penn Circle South
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
(412) 361-2306

Watching the bakers at work through a large glass window as you survey the goodies before you:  Granola, scones, muffins and, of course, cupcakes. Don't miss the lemon, which manages to capture the flavor and brightness of the whole fruit. Also wonderful .....The pineapple quick bread has chunks of roasted pineapple infused in the cake.

La Gourmandine, Lawrenceville

4605 Butler St
Pittsburgh, PA 15201

(412) 682-2210

An incredible variety of traditional French pastries, chocolate eclairs and lemon tarts.  La Gourmandine also offers a number of lunch options, including sandwiches on crusty baguette, individual quiches, and, more recently, soup with a freshly baked roll.

Sustenance Rustic Craft Bakery, Strip District 

Pittsburgh Public Market
Smallman and 17th Street
Pittsburgh PA 15222
412-251-4333 
A healthier spin on sweets (whole grain flours, etc) that taste as delicious as their less-healthy counterparts.  Maple shortbread, fig bars, grains of paradise cookies and coconut cashew cookies made with cashew butter, quinoa flour and agave nectar. According to Ms. Lewis, some people love it, others take one bite and know it's not for them. The Sustenance booth at the Pittsburgh Public Market is open during all market hours.

Metro Pittsburgh Real Estate