Developer Walnut Capital is taking another, smaller shot at reviving part of its plans for Oakland a year after it shelved its Oakland Crossings proposal, by now seeking zoning changes along McKee Place and Louisa Street.   

Councilperson Bob Charland, whose district includes the considered area, presented the request for a zoning change to the City Planning Commission. He argued that the area is currently residential but zoned as Urban Center – Employment. Changing the zoning to Residential Mixed Use would help keep the area residential. The area currently has three pre-war residential buildings and it’s the site of the former Jewish Federation headquarters.

Charland introduced Jonathan Kamin, an attorney representing Shadyside-based Walnut Capital, to present the proposed change to the commissioners. 

“We thought a mixed use concept focusing on more residential is appropriate for this section,” Kamin said.

Responding to questions from commissioners, Kamin said that Walnut Capital hasn’t come up with a plan for what they want to do with the site but that it would be primarily housing with some retail. 

“Our intent is to redevelop it into apartments,” he said. “We wanted the zoning perfected before we spent millions of dollars on planning.”

The commission will hold a public hearing in-person and online on March 19 to discuss the matter further and vote on the zoning change. The proposed change would then go to Pittsburgh City Council for its approval.

Walnut Capital originally planned for the area to be part of the Oaklands Crossings project, a huge redevelopment plan that originally included rezoning of 18 acres around the Boulevard of the Allies. Plans for that larger development have since taken a “pause,” according to reports. 

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

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