City Living

I’m sure we all sit in wonder, watching the morning news as those people from the East, South and West crawl toward the city with those extended drive times. And, no doubt, we probably allow a little superior thought to cross our minds as we congratulate ourselves for making the astute decision to live in the North Hills. This morning as I write this, it is taking us half the time as those unfortunates in the West, to reach our city destination. But imagine a scenario, if you will, where the commute isn’t even a consideration. A life where thoughts of traffic, delays and late arrivals, and explanations to the Boss (spelled backwards, double SOB) aren’t taking up any space in our gray matter. Imagine a life in which your car, if you even own one, only comes out on weekends. And, with the price of gasoline today, hooray, what a great way to stick it to the oil companies (that I think should be nationalized, but that’s another article).

Well snap out, of it and stop imagining. The option exists– city living. Alright now, I can almost hear your minds shutting down, “who wants to live in downtown” and “where would you live anyway?” Well, that’s what we are about to explore, granted city living isn’t for everyone. I’m about as suburban as anyone can get. A drive down Liberty Avenue makes me breakout in a cold sweat. I’m the guy, who when accepting the position as head of mortgage production for a local downtown based bank, made an office on McKnight Road a stipulation, just so I didn’t have to face the city on a daily basis. Think of that a minute, I preferred McKnightmare Road to the city– that’s suburban! But, even I harbor a small thought that living in town could be cool. Walk to work everyday… dinner at Morton’s (yum)… run over to Macy’s (got a spot on my tie), a night at the symphony just steps away. Yep, it could be very cool! It makes us more cosmopolitan, like our friends in New York and Chicago. And, in a city where you can walk from The Point to the Convention Center or from the banks of the Allegheny to the Courthouse, in under 15 minutes, it really is a great option.

Now, all during the Murphy Administration, while the Mayor was trying desperately to lure giant retailers to “Fifth and Forbes,” I could be heard yelling from the roof tops that you can not support retail without residential.

Yes sir, you need residential to make retail work. Some say it is a chicken and egg proposition, but it is very clear to me, a resident can go anywhere to shop, but Mr. Retailer can’t sell a widget if there are no buyers handy. And, I have enough faith in capitalism to understand that where there is a demand, some entrepreneur will step up and meet it.

So, enough about that. Where are you going to live once you have decided that city dwelling is your thing? First, understand that if you are opposed to the condominium form of ownership then you’re out of luck, as that’s the way this works. There is no room in the inner city for single-family detached homes. As recently as a couple of years ago, you would have had very few options within the Golden Triangle. Today, there are numerous possibilities. On May 22, downtown realtors held an open house for their peers to showcase all these choices. One caveat, if you need affordability and your definition of affordable is under $150,000, your choices are severely limited. Although, you can still be accommodated in buildings like the Gateway Towers or the Condos at Chatham Center, where studio units can be purchased at resale for about $90,000.

The newer developments seem to be looking for the upscale buyer, with luxury being the most common adjective in the brochures.

There were 10 properties on the tour. The two I’ve mentioned, another just underway, and seven others. Allow me to give you a thumbnail of these seven and you can take it from there.
• Piatt Place. Built as rooftop condos on the Lazarus Department store.
• 151 First Side. Located at 151 Fort Pitt Blvd.
• The Carlyle. Located at 4th and Wood Streets.
• The Granite Building. Located next to the Duquesne Club on 6th Avenue.
• 5 Lofts. Located at 806 Penn Avenue.
• Keystone Lofts. Located at 951 Liberty Avenue.
• 17 units located at 941 Penn Avenue.
As you can see, lots of activity, lots of interest, and I’m sure this is just the start.