Vacant Land Off Whited Street Could Become Mixed Housing Plan

The vacant land that runs from the corner of Jacob Avenue along Whited Street could someday be a multigenerational 187-unit mixed housing plan that might include a mix of single-family, townhome and apartment housing.

Dan Rothschild, president of Rothschild Doyno Collaborative, an architect and urban design firm in the Strip District, presented the possibilities of developing the land at the monthly meeting of South Pittsburgh Development Corp. on Monday night. He said he hoped to get feedback early in the game to help developers make the right decisions for the parcel.

"We're at the very beginning of the process," Rothschild told those in attendance. "This is a chance to put a very broad concept out to you. We need the community to come together to propose a vision."

The 33.56-acre site, owned by Anthony Ruscitto/Three M Real Estate Associates LP, has a market value of $78,200, according to the Allegheny County assessment website. Rothschild said the acreage is roughly the same length as the Brookline Boulevard business district.

He said the proposal could bring new residents to Brookline, or enable current residents to upsize or downsize within the neighborhood and attract new residents to the homes they sell. And that could bring in new tax revenue, he said.

Rothschild is proposing mini neighborhoods within the plan, with sidewalks running the length of the development and detached garages behind the structures.

From Jacob Avenue, "The Village" might contain apartment buildings or higher-density housing that would look out onto a park. Following the roadway into the plan, a grouping of single-family homes tenatively labeled "Neighborhood West" would be constructed.

Next, proceeding inward, "The Commons" neighborhood would be constructed with townhomes organized around two central, fenced-in park areas of about 60-by-90 feet. "Neighborhood Central" would offer single-family homes or other market-driven dwellings, such as duplexes or cluster homes.

Townhomes organized in a semi-circle, opening onto a grand green space where children would not have to cross a street to play in the park, would be in the next neighborhood, "The Crescent." The area would served by a rear alley.

"Neighborhood East" would consist of single-family homes with front porches. There would also be a community building to serve the entire plan.

"This type of housing is not in the South Hills region," Rothschild said.

He said the best example of what is being proposed is Summerset at Frick Park, which was built atop slag piles on the eastern end of the Squirrel Hill Tunnels. That plan features front porches, street lights, tighter density than the suburbs and places for children to play.

However SPDC Vice President Keith Knecht, who works in development, pointed out how expensive such niceties are, noting that "to make it work it might not look so nice. SPDC President Jeremiah Dugan said when he puts housing prices into Zillow, most homes in his desired price range hit in the suburbs.

"That drives me out of my mind," Dugan said. "This is where I want to live."

"The Whited connection to the Route 51 corridor is a gateway to Brookline," he said. "It's an underutilized gateway."

Though Pittsburgh doesn't have the mass transit opportunites that some other cities do, Rothschild pointed out that the residents would have transit options with buses and the "T" both nearby.

Pittsburgh Councilwoman Natalia Rudiak noted the lack of senior housing available. Amy Fisher, who has worked in real estate, agreed, adding that people looking in Brookline couldn't find bigger houses, couldn't step down in size, and found ranch houses but only with steps for access.

Bob Beiler, SPDC member, said that the land was formerly a strip mine and once had an 80-foot ravine before it was filled in. He said when the city proposed building a high-rise on the parcel about two decades ago, the soil wouldn't meet the compaction test.

"The soil was so bad they couldn't even build the high-rise on it," Beiler said. "You might not be able to build on it."

Rothschild said building single-family homes on pads is different than constructing a high-rise structure. He said one of the next steps is to have a civil engineer look at the site, adding there are zoning, structural soil, utility and financial hurdles to overcome before the development could even start.

He only 17 acres are usable, with about 50 percent of the land undevelopable because of the slope. With grading and keeping a buffer, Rothschild said the usable land could be kept at a 5-percent slope.

Jason Kambitsis, Pittsburgh city planner, said the proposal might require a zoning change from the current single-family zoning district. He said a planned-unit development zoning might be required.

Keith Knecht noted the SPDC owns a parcel at the corner of Jacob Avenue that is a parklet. Rothschild said maybe the developer could work with the corporation to see if a better park could be cooperatively built.

Beiler said Ruscitto had offered the land to the SPDC for about $800,000 back then, but he upped the price to more than $2 million when the Port Authority of Allegheny County showed interest in construction a Park and Ride lot on the site.

"I think that there's been a fair amount of 'stuff' between what the current land owner says and what he does," Knecht said.

Beiler agreed.

"I'm not sure Mr. Ruscitto is really interested in doing this," Beiler said, adding that he and the property owner have been at odds "for some time" over use of the parcel.

"Perhaps the third time is the charm," Rothschild offered.