The streets, trails and sidewalks of the 178-acre Hazelwood Green site in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood were completed in early 2020, and the area has since been awaiting finalized development plans to transform the former steel mill site into a fully functional residential and commercial neighborhood.
On Friday, the owners of Hazelwood Green officially named Tishman Speyer, a New York-based developer of properties worldwide, as the development partner. The firm will fill the new mixed-use neighborhood with dense offices and tech spaces, thousands of affordable and market-rate housing units, parks, open spaces, as well as several retail shops and restaurants. One of its first projects is scheduled to open in 2024.
The Almono Limited Partnership owns Hazelwood Green. Carnegie Mellon University, a key tenant at the site, joined in the announcement.
Tishman Speyer’s portfolio of properties include Rockefeller Center in New York City and Mission Rock project in San Francisco.
Almono is made up of local foundations — the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, Richard King Mellon Foundation and The Heinz Endowments — who bought the site in 2002 with long-range plans in mind. The McCune Foundation, an original partner, sold its share to Mellon in 2016.
“Pittsburgh has long been a global model for urban reinvention, thanks in large part to the support of its bedrock local institutions, including Mellon, Heinz and Benedum,” said Tishman Speyer CEO Rob Speyer in a press release. “We look forward to delivering on a shared vision for Hazelwood Green as a sustainable, equitable hub of innovation, discovery and community.”
Heinz Endowments President Grant Oliphant said having foundation ownership allowed for patience that will benefit the neighborhood in the long run. He said the initial plans to convert the former Jones & Laughlin Steel Co. industrial plant included impoundment lots, a coke battery site, and big box retail. Oliphant said the lack of pressure to produce revenue quickly on the site allowed necessary time to find a star developer and create the right vision for Hazelwood Green.
“I think this is huge news, obviously for the partnership, but also for Pittsburgh,” said Oliphant. “It puts us on the national picture and the global picture on a commitment to really high quality development. Not just a fancy place for tech, but for community and sustainable vision and commitment to Pittsburgh.”
Tishman Speyer officials said the developer will adhere to the Preliminary Land Development Plan for the site. That plan includes about 98 acres of developed land and 30 acres of urban open space.
The Hazelwood Green site rests along the banks of the Monongahela River, and stretches from Tecumseh Street to the intersection of Blair Street and Second Avenue in Hazelwood.
The plan also calls for 3,500 residential units. Almono Limited Partnership managing agent Todd Stern didn’t specify what exact percentages of those units would be subsidized affordable, but said the developer joins the commitment the owners have to bring housing affordability to Hazelwood Green.
“Our collective goal is to provide housing that supports a range of income levels,” said Stern.
Oliphant said Hazelwood Green’s development will continue to work with the adjoining Hazelwood community, and follow the Greater Hazelwood Neighborhood Plan. He said Hazelwood Green will have spaces for locals to open up small businesses to serve Hazelwood residents and others.
In addition to housing, parks and small business, Hazelwood Green will build dense office structures to supply thousands of permanent jobs across sectors including tech, advanced manufacturing, retail and food service, among others. Plans call for a dense concentration of jobs on the site, more than 11,000 jobs within 178 acres.
Friday’s announcement also includes a partnership between Tishman Speyer and CMU, assisting the university in the design and construction of CMU’s Robotics Innovation Center, which is slated to open in 2024. Last November, the Richard King Mellon Foundation announced a $100 million grant to the University of Pittsburgh to build a highly specialized biomanufacturing facility called Pitt BioForge on the site.
Hazelwood Green is already home to the Manufacturing Futures Institute at Mill 19, which develops new automated manufacturing technology and has garnered visits from President Joe Biden.
Even with the future dense concentration of jobs, Hazelwood Green has faced criticism for supporting and successfully obtaining a zoning change to temporarily allow for more surface parking on the site. Hazelwood Green is a Complete Streets plan that is meant to encourage alternative transportation like walking, biking, and public transit.
Oliphant said Tishman Speyer has a commitment to alternative transportation, and that the zoning change is meant to encourage office development now, as the current public transit frequency to Hazelwood Green is inadequate.
Once momentum for development moves forward, said Oliphant, there will be more demand to increase public transit service for the site. He said the site’s vision of dense development will eventually support more public transit, and that all partners involved are committed to that vision.
“Everyone at the table is clear that surface parking is not the permanent option,” said Oliphant. “If you look at type of development Tishman Speyer has done, they don’t do massive surface parking lots.”
Ryan Deto is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Ryan by email at rdeto@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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