A former Hazelwood steel mill that already houses tech and robotics soon will shelter biomanufacturing. And it will now be a true home to some people as well.
A 50-unit apartment building will mark the first residential development to be built at Hazelwood Green, the site of the former LTV Coke Works and Jones & Laughlin steel mill.
Developers Tishman Speyer and Trek Development Group announced plans for the new five-story complex Tuesday, to be built on the east end of the site near Mill 19 and the 2-acre Plaza Park public space.
Of the 50 units, 40 will be designated as affordable. Overall, the project will feature 33 one-bedroom units, with 26 of them designated affordable, and 17 two-bedroom units, with 14 affordable.
Many of the designated affordable units will be subsidized by project-based Section 8 housing vouchers under which households will pay no more than 30% of their income for rent and utilities. The other 10 units will be market rate.
Tishman, the Hazelwood Green master developer, and Trek will be partnering on the project with Pittsburgh Scholar House, a nonprofit dedicated to helping single parents and their children through post-secondary education and housing support.
In conjunction with that, 13 of the two-bedroom units will be set aside for single parents pursuing college degrees.
“This project will have a transformational impact in the lives of PSH families,” Diamonte Walker, the CEO of Pittsburgh Scholar House and former city Urban Redevelopment Authority deputy executive director, said in a statement.
Toward that end, the apartment building’s first floor will provide supportive services for parents participating in the PSH initiatives and their children. Such services include library and classroom spaces and a children’s playroom.
Ms. Walker said her goal is to develop 100 units of affordable housing for Pittsburgh Scholar House participants by 2028.
Other partners in the venture include the URA, the city, the Pittsburgh Housing Authority, the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, and the Almono partnership that owns the 178-acre Hazelwood Green site.
In a statement, Todd Stern, Almono’s asset manager, said the new complex will be the first of “multiple phases of mixed-use, mixed-income housing projects at Hazelwood Green.”
“Establishing Hazelwood Green’s first residential development project in partnership with Pittsburgh Scholar House is a wonderful reflection of the vision that the Almono foundations and our many city, state, and community partners have had since the site was purchased more than two decades ago from the steel mills,” he said.
Bill Gatti, Trek president and CEO, said another 80 to 100 units are planned in the same area. Additional phases are expected in the years ahead, he added. The Hazelwood Green master plan calls for a total of 3,000 to 4,000 units on the 178-acre site.
Mr. Gatti said he is thrilled to be part of the development. It not only introduces affordable housing to a brand new site, but also provides a shot at employment for those who move in as well as neighborhood residents at the various tech-, robotic-, and medical-related ventures in place or in progress at the site, he added.
“It’s a great opportunity,” he said.
Construction is expected to start next year with completion set for early 2027. The project, designed by the Perfido Weiskopf Wagstaff + Goettel architectural firm, will seek an environmentally friendly LEED Gold certification as part of the site requirements.
In addition to the Pittsburgh Scholar House spaces, the building’s first floor will provide a spot for neighborhood retail, community and fitness rooms, and bike storage. There will be parking for residents at the rear of the building.
Mr. Gatti estimated the total cost of the development, including infrastructure, at $24 million. One of the primary funding sources will be low-income tax credits. The URA also is contributing a $1.25 million loan.
So far, much of the development at the site has been concentrated at or near Mill 19. The Regional Industrial Development Corporation has erected three buildings at Mill 19.
Construction of the University of Pittsburgh’s BioForge biomanufacturing facility also is underway, backed by a $100 million grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation, one of the Hazelwood Green owners.
In addition, Carnegie Mellon University is developing a 150,000-square-foot Robotics Innovation Center adjacent to Mill 19, aided by a $45 million grant from the same foundation.
Almono also has been involved in the restoration of the old mill’s roundhouse. In addition to the Richard King Mellon Foundation, the Almono partnership is made up of the Heinz Endowments and the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation.
“I’m thrilled to be collaborating with the Almono partnership, Tishman Speyer, and Pittsburgh Scholar House,” Mr. Gatti said. “It’s a unique combination of partners and it will pay dividends for years to come.”
First Published: September 24, 2024, 5:39 p.m.
Updated: September 25, 2024, 4:10 p.m.
