A carnival favorite could make a big comeback in the area with a Washington County-based developer looking to turn a brownfield site along the Ohio River into a mixed-use destination with a dedicated Ferris wheel building. 

The development plan presented by Piatt Companies to the City Planning Commission on Tuesday calls for turning a 15-acre site of brownfields, industrial buildings and the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, in Chateau along the North Shore, into a series of residential, commercial and entertainment developments. The commission will hear more about the plan, dubbed the Esplanade, on Oct. 29 and then the plan can move to a commission vote in November. 

“It’s a neglected piece of the city and we’d like to stitch that piece into the community and bring new life to the area,” said Jim Holcomb, director of development at Piatt Companies. 

If approved, construction would be completed in at least two phases, with the first phase focusing on, among other things:

• The creation of a Ferris wheel building serving as a visitor center
• A 19-story apartment building with an estimated 408 apartments
• A public parking garage.

The land’s ownership is split between Esplanade Partners LP and the Urban Redevelopment Authority. Future phases would bring in more residential buildings inspired by “a warehouse, modern aesthetic,” an unspecified entertainment/hotel building and a condominium tower. 

The residential buildings would have 20% of the units reserved for households making 80% of the area median income or less. While the area doesn’t have a registered community organization, the developers said that the plan is the result of collaboration during the last six years with organizations including the Manchester Citizens Corporation, an economic development group headed by Planning Commission Chair Lashawn Burton-Faulk.  

The developers have to demolish six existing buildings on the site and elevate new development above flood levels. According to the developer, much of the site is within the FEMA AE Zone Designation, subject to inundation during a 100-year flood. The designation reflects a 1% annual chance of flooding and a 26% chance over the life of a 30-year mortgage, according to FEMA. To counter this, the site contours will be adjusted to place buildings at least two feet above the 100-year flood elevation. 

Located on the Ohio River just downstream of the West End Bridge, the plans also call for the creation of a marina. Estimates of the total development cost approach $750 million.

Piatt representatives said they expect to begin construction in 2026 if all of their plans are approved.

Eric Jankiewicz is PublicSource’s economic development reporter and can be reached at ericj@publicsource.org or on Twitter @ericjankiewicz.

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Esplanade development takes first spin through City Planning process

by Eric Jankiewicz, Pittsburgh's Public Source
October 15, 2024

<h1>Esplanade development takes first spin through City Planning process</h1> <p class="byline">by Eric Jankiewicz, Pittsburgh's Public Source <br />October 15, 2024</p> <p>A carnival favorite could make a big comeback in the area with a Washington County-based developer looking to turn a brownfield site along the Ohio River into a mixed-use destination with a dedicated Ferris wheel building.&nbsp;</p> <p>The development plan presented by Piatt Companies to the City Planning Commission on Tuesday calls for turning a 15-acre site of brownfields, industrial buildings and the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, in Chateau along the North Shore, into a series of residential, commercial and entertainment developments. The commission will hear more about the plan, dubbed the Esplanade, on Oct. 29 and then the plan can move to a commission vote in November.&nbsp;</p> <p>“It's a neglected piece of the city and we'd like to stitch that piece into the community and bring new life to the area,” said Jim Holcomb, director of development at Piatt Companies.&nbsp;</p> <p>If approved, construction would be completed in at least two phases, with the first phase focusing on, among other things:</p> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>The creation of a Ferris wheel building serving as a visitor center</li> <li>A 19-story apartment building with an estimated 408 apartments</li> <li>A public parking garage.</li> </ul> <p>The land’s ownership is split between Esplanade Partners LP and the Urban Redevelopment Authority. Future phases would bring in more residential buildings inspired by “a warehouse, modern aesthetic,” an unspecified entertainment/hotel building and a condominium tower.&nbsp;</p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://www.publicsource.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Screenshot-2024-10-15-at-5.38.39 PM.png" alt="" class="wp-image-1311290" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Artist renderings from a Piatt Companies presentation to the City Planning Commission on Oct. 15, depicting plans for the Esplanade, including a Ferris wheel and a pavilion.</figcaption></figure> <p>The residential buildings would have 20% of the units reserved for households making 80% of the area median income or less. While the area doesn’t have a registered community organization, the developers said that the plan is the result of collaboration during the last six years with organizations including the Manchester Citizens Corporation, an economic development group headed by Planning Commission Chair Lashawn Burton-Faulk.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>The developers have to demolish six existing buildings on the site and elevate new development above flood levels. According to the developer, much of the site is within the FEMA AE Zone Designation, subject to inundation during a 100-year flood. The designation reflects a 1% annual chance of flooding and a 26% chance over the life of a 30-year mortgage, according to FEMA. To counter this, the site contours will be adjusted to place buildings at least two feet above the 100-year flood elevation.&nbsp;</p> <p>Located on the Ohio River just downstream of the West End Bridge, the plans also call for the creation of a marina. Estimates of the total development cost <a href="https://www.wesa.fm/development-transportation/2024-10-15/ohio-river-esplanade-development-planning-commission">approach $750 million</a>.</p> <p>Piatt representatives said they expect to begin construction in 2026 if all of their plans are approved.</p> <p><em>Eric Jankiewicz is PublicSource’s economic development reporter and can be reached at ericj@publicsource.org or on Twitter @ericjankiewicz.</em></p> <p>This &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://www.publicsource.org/esplanade-development-north-shore-pittsburgh-city-planning-commission/&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://www.publicsource.org&quot;&gt;Pittsburgh&#039;s Public Source&lt;/a&gt; and is republished here under a &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/&quot;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i0.wp.com/www.publicsource.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/cropped-ps_circle_favicon_blue.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;amp;ssl=1&quot; style=&quot;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&quot;&gt;</p> &lt;img id=&quot;republication-tracker-tool-source&quot; src=&quot;https://www.publicsource.org/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=1311285&amp;amp;ga4=G-CCLXQK5C14&quot; style=&quot;width:1px;height:1px;&quot;&gt;&lt;script&gt; PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: &quot;https://www.publicsource.org/esplanade-development-north-shore-pittsburgh-city-planning-commission/&quot;, urlref: window.location.href }); } } &lt;/script&gt; &lt;script id=&quot;parsely-cfg&quot; src=&quot;//cdn.parsely.com/keys/publicsource.org/p.js&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;

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