Multimillion-dollar retail and office developments on Pittsburgh's South Side -- at Forest City Enterprises Inc.'s Station Square complex and Soffer Organization's SouthSide Works project -- have been drawing a good deal of attention.
But more quietly, two residential projects have been moving ahead successfully in that same neighborhood.
Carson Street Commons, a 270-unit complex developed by Columbus, Ohio-based Continental Real Estate Cos., and the Flats at SouthSide Works, an 84-unit project developed by Pittsburgh-based Soffer, report brisk rental activity.
"Leasing has been going spectacularly," said Tony Corsa, property manager at the Carson Street Commons, where 194 of the 242 units have been occupied in less than a year since the first were built.
Based on the interest in the remaining 28 units still under construction, Corsa said the project could be full by Thanksgiving.
The complex offers apartments ranging from a 583-square-foot, one-bedroom unit that rents for $899 a month, to a 1,027-square-foot two-bedroom, two-bath unit that rents for $1,125. In addition, there are townhomes that offer 1,400 square feet and start at $1,520.
Meanwhile, 52 units at SouthSide Works have been leased, or about 62 percent, said Pam McMahon, property manager.
"Our company is really excited; we're doing really well," McMahon said, explaining that the units have only been fully available since April.
The complex offers a variety of one- and two-bedroom units, with 27 floor plans, including loft apartments. Prices start at about $1,000 for a one-bedroom unit to $2,450 for a two-bedroom apartment with two baths and a study.
Good news for the city of Pittsburgh and the region in general is that a number of the renters at both projects are coming from out-of-town.
For example, McMahon said she has new residents who have relocated from California, Florida, Michigan, New York and Texas, working for such companies as Bayer, FedEx, Marc USA and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, among others.
"There are a lot of people coming to the city to work," said Corsa. In addition, he said employees of the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University and graduate students from area universities are among Continental's tenants.
"This is so convenient to the city, and the South Side always has had some of the best restaurants in Pittsburgh," Corsa said. "And there is a lot of excitement about what's going on next door," referring to retail and restaurant development at the SouthSide Works project.
Another Pittsburgh-area developer, Eve Picker, is reporting progress on a number of ongoing projects.
In East Liberty, her company, no wall productions, is redeveloping two buildings -- the Liberty Bank office/retail building on Penn Avenue and the Werner Building on North Highland Avenue.
"The Werner Building is about 80 percent leased, and we are negotiating with Jamaican and African restaurants to occupy space there," she said. The Liberty Bank Building is about 40 percent leased, she added.
In downtown Pittsburgh, Picker continues working with Rugby Realty, of Teterboro, N.J., in the conversion of a building at 930 Penn Ave. into 23 rental units, and she also is considering another project, an 18-unit complex on a site she declined to identify.
Other potential projects include an 18-unit complex on the South Side and a 12-to-15-unit apartment complex in a building close to her Luna Lofts office development on N. Craig Street in North Oakland.
One project that Picker has decided not to pursue is redevelopment of the 13-story Highland Building in East Liberty. "It was just moving too slow, and there were parking and other problems," she said of the project, which was to include commercial and residential elements.
Now that Picker has given up her option on the building, the city's Urban Redevelopment Authority has entered into preliminary discussions with a group from Atlanta about developing the project, said Jerry Detore, acting executive director of the URA. Detore decline to identify the group.
Other real estate notes:
Plans for construction of an Allegheny County public health laboratory may be a step closer to reality as the county Department of Public Works is requesting bids on the new facility at the Clack Health campus in Lawrenceville. The laboratory, estimated to cost $5 million, will include a secure section that can be used to determine bio-terrorism materials, such as Anthrax, said Guerilleo Cole, a spokesman for the Health Department.
Financing for the project is still being determined although the state initially announced it would provide just under $1 million for the secure section. Cole said equipment for the hazardous portion has been purchased but cannot be used in the existing Oakland lab. The new building would be on a portion of the parking lot, close to the 40th Street and Penn Avenue side of the campus.
Steeb Crawford Construction Co. is serving as general contractor for a new facility for Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Enterprise Car Sales in West Mifflin. The project -- consisting of a 4,300-square-foot, one-story building that includes a customer service area, sales area, office space and detailing garage -- is slated for completion in late fall. John Kudravy & Associates is the architect.
Secon Corp. said it has obtained tenants for its first building at Cedar Ridge Business Park, at Interstate 79 and Rt. 60 in Robinson Township, Allegheny County. Building 200, with 21,626 square feet, will have as tenants American Property Capital, Conway Financial, De La Torre Orthotics and Prosthetics, and Ohio Valley General Hospital's Wound Care and Pain Centers. All should be in the building by January. With 6,000 square feet still available in 200, Secon will begin construction of Building 300. Eventually, six buildings -- all with 21,626 square feet -- are planned.
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