A regional developer pitched plans for a multi-use project on North Shore brownfields as a catalyst for construction and returning the river bank to its natural state by replacing invasive Japanese knotweed with native plantings.
Piatt Companies initially unveiled plans for a 15-acre brownfield development called Esplanade earlier this month in a presentation to the City Planning Commission. The company is seeking approval for the construction of residential, commercial and entertainment buildings with an expected total price tag around $740 million.
On Tuesday representatives of the company outlined plans for stormwater management and weed removal along the site’s riverfront in Chateau. The commission is expected to vote on the development in two weeks.
Philip Wilkinson, the principal architect with AE7, which is working with Piatt, said stormwater management is “a big principle in this project.”
“It becomes an amenity in restoring the natural habitat.”
Steven Savich, lead engineer with Michael Baker International, noted the plan is to create a “centralized stormwater basin along the site that integrates into features of that area,” which could include routing runoff into three marshy areas called swales and a planned channel water feature. All of the water would be treated before being discharged into the Ohio River.
The project would be built in at least two phases. The first phase would center on building a Ferris wheel visitor center building, a public parking garage and a 19-story apartment building with about 408 units. According to Wilkinson, the goal is to reserve 20% of the units for affordable housing.
The developer’s representatives said they envisioned this project not just to serve future residents of the apartments but also with an eye to the cyclists and pedestrians frequenting the Three Rivers Heritage Trail that cuts through the site.
“When we first approached the site we thought about parking last and pedestrians and cyclists first,” Wilkinson said. “We’re trying to create a whole amenity for the city.”
“A large portion of the site is dedicated to the public realm,” Wilkinson said.
“We want to make it easy to bike into the city and not have a car,” he continued. “It doesn’t have to be car-centric. We’re really making sure the landscape is accessible for anyone who is mobility-impaired or challenged.”
Ultimately, Wilkinson said the intention is to create a “festival atmosphere.”
If plans are approved, the development would require the demolition of six existing buildings on the site and elevation of the new development above flood levels.
Along with a marina, redevelopment would include at least six new buildings with plans for 13-foot-wide sidewalks throughout the site, according to Wilkinson.
With all attention on the riverfront, Commissioner Phillip Wu wondered what the developers plan to do with the other side of the site, along Beaver and W. North avenues.
“I know there’s emphasis on the riverfront, which is great, but will there be entrances to buildings on Beaver and North, given that it’s a goal to integrate this into the Manchester neighborhood?” Wu asked.
Wilkinson and Savich noted that the design of the actual buildings hasn’t started yet but they envisioned a bus stop being added along with merchants filling the retail space.
“This is going to change the whole character of the neighborhood,” Commissioner Steve Mazza said.
“This is an opportunity to open the riverfront and Beaver Avenue and maybe another phase going down to the old Western Penn jail site. That could unlock everything. That would open up the whole city.”
Mazza said the project was a “great idea.”
Jim Holcomb, director of development at Piatt Companies, responded by recalling that when Amazon was looking for its second headquarters site in 2017, the company studied the Chateau area and observed that between this planned site and the abandoned penitentiary there’s about “225 acres of brownfield ready to be developed. …. With the construction of this project we think it’s going to be a future catalyst for future growth and opportunities.”
Eric Jankiewicz is PublicSource’s economic development reporter and can be reached at ericj@publicsource.org or on Twitter @ericjankiewicz.
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