After nearly a decade of plans, community meetings and local government go-ahead, construction has begun on transforming 15-acres of brownfield and former industrial buildings in Pittsburgh’s Chateau neighborhood into the Esplanade — a $740 million mix of housing, retail space and riverside parks along the Ohio River.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro joined other local elected officials, community leaders along with the developer, Piatt Companies, to toss a ceremonial scoop of dirt in a soon-to-be demolished warehouse on the site.
”This is not just going to be a destination for visitors,” said Austin Davis, Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania. “It’s gonna be a gathering place for our community. And with projects like this, we’re continuing to reclaim one of Pittsburgh’s greatest assets — our rivers and our riverfronts.”
Demolition and other site work is underway to lay the groundwork for the Esplanade’s first phase which includes an apartment building with views of the Ohio River with 20% of the units set aside for affordable housing, along with a restaurant and retail complex that opens up into an outdoor amphitheater next to the river and a public parking garage. An outdoor plaza featuring a giant Ferris wheel is also set for the project’s opening phase.
Future plans for the site could include an office tower, more apartments or condos and a hotel featuring a ground-floor aquarium.
The Esplanade is part of a broader vision to connect the long-industrial Chateau with the historic Manchester neighborhood on the other side of State Route 65. This effort included a neighborhood master plan and a public financing tool — the Manchester-Chateau TRID — that would leverage tax revenue from the Esplanade development to fund infrastructure in the nearby community.
Potential projects could include turning Beaver Avenue into a two-way street and adding additional bike or pedestrian paths through the underpass at Juniata Avenue, according to past briefings.
“This is what equitable development looks like,” said LaShawn Burton-Faulk, executive director of the Manchester Citizens Council. “It may not be perfect and it will require continued vigilance and partnership, but it’s intentional. It’s forward looking, and it’s grounded in the belief that growth can be shared.”
If all goes to plan, the Ferris wheel should be spinning and the first phase completed by 2028.