Developers are planning a complex of 51 townhomes at the current site of an industrial building on Washington’s Landing, the Pittsburgh island between the Strip District and Troy Hill in the Allegheny River.
About a third of the island is already occupied by townhomes, while the rest consists of light industrial and office space. The overhead 31st Street Bridge serves as the rough dividing line for the two zones.
The proposal at 700 Waterfront Drive — a 4-acre lot — would significantly expand the island’s residential footprint.
Documents submitted to Pittsburgh’s Zoning Hearing Board show Upper St. Clair-based developer Laurel Communities is planning a complex of 12 four-story buildings with three to five townhomes each.
Laurel Communities is the firm behind several prominent recent developments, including the Strip District Brownstones and Bakery Village townhome complexes.
The plans would require the demolition of a 53,000-square-foot building currently occupying the site.
It’s listed for sale at $7 million. A flyer from commercial real estate firm Newmark said the building was constructed in 1998 for McKesson Automated Healthcare but has been occupied by aerospace and defense company Acutronic USA since 2010.
The plot is currently owned by Judraks LLC, which purchased it in 2013 for $5.1 million.
Dan Prunzik, who co-owns Judraks with his brother, Jeff, said he has an agreement to sell the property to Laurel Communities, which he hopes will be complete by the end of the year.
He declined to specify the sale price.
“(Laurel Communities) builds a great product,” Prunzik said. “We’re excited; we think it’s a great thing.”
As for Acutronic, Prunzik said the company would move to another of the Judraks’ buildings in the area. Acutronic did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Geoff Campbell, a principal architect at Strip District-based Rothschild Doyno Collaborative, said his firm is handling the architecture and site planning at Washington’s Landing. He’s hoping for approval from Pittsburgh’s Planning Commission by the end of the year.
The townhomes will average around 2,500 square feet in addition to garage space. Some of the properties will also come equipped with rooftop terraces and decks, Campbell said.
Prices for the homes will range from $900,000 to $2 million, he said.
“Washington’s Landing has this great character to it and has really established itself over the last 30 years,” Campbell said.
He said the new project will bring “continued vibrancy” to the island.
The 88 residential units currently on Washington’s Landing — formerly known as Herr’s Island — were completed in 1997 after a push by the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh.
The island, technically part of Pittsburgh’s Troy Hill neighborhood, was formerly home to cattle stockyards, meatpacking plants, and other industrial sites, according to the URA.
Also located on the island are offices for the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, law firm Berger and Green and the Three Rivers Rowing Association. A public park at the northern end of the island has pickleball and tennis courts, along with scenic river overlooks and trails.
Popular seafood restaurant Redfin Blues is located at the Washington’s Landing Marina.