It was right around this time last year that the Pittsburgh Planning Commission approved the master plan for the Pittsburgh Esplanade project and on Monday, it was all systems go and shovels in the ground.
With hundreds of people looking on in a soon-to-be-demolished warehouse in Pittsburgh’s Chateau/Manchester neighborhood, state and local officials as well as developers and other local leaders broke ground on the Pittsburgh Esplanade project.
This project has been years in the making and will span some 15 acres of waterfront property along the Ohio River, bringing with it housing, shopping and entertainment to the city.
Current Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey says that this project has come a long way since developer Piatt Companies proposed it to the Urban Redevelopment Authority over a decade ago.
“It’s a great development and it gives a lot of opportunity to bring a lot of people together. I’m excited about it,” Gainey said.
The project is estimated to cost over $740 million and will provide hundreds of union construction jobs in town.
Piatt has released new renderings of the ‘Esplanade’ development that’s in the works for Pittsburgh’s North Shore.
Piatt Companies
Back in August, KDKA reported on a group of Manchester Neighbors who raised concerns and found documentation linking industrial pollution to this site. But Piatt Companies told KDKA that the state had approved the redevelopment and cleared the site from an environmental risk perspective.
Pittsburgh Mayor-elect Corey O’Connor says that things like the proposed Ferris wheel at the Esplanade will be a draw for visitors to the city from all over, but he says this development will provide huge opportunities for everyday Pittsburghers.
“The investment in small business, in neighborhoods, in opportunities for those residents that haven’t seen it in a long time is something that makes this very responsible,” O’Connor said. “But also, now it provides opportunities, and it allows people to create generational wealth and growth in Pittsburgh that haven’t seen it in a long time.”
Phase one of the Esplanade project is set to be completed sometime between 2027 and 2028.
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