Upper Lawrenceville development would renovate old fire house, bring mixed-rate housing and retail

A proposed development in Pittsburgh’s Upper Lawrenceville would revitalize an old fire house and include mixed-income housing and a dog park.

Illinois-based Albion Residential is looking to develop a Butler Street property by bringing the former fire house into reuse and constructing a new 354,000-square-foot apartment complex at a site that’s sat largely empty for decades, according to a presentation given to the city’s Planning Commission on Tuesday.

The existing fire house would be redeveloped to house about 1,900 square feet of retail space, the development team told commissioners.

The two-story fire house — which previously housed Pittsburgh’s Engine Company No. 9 — dates to 1890. Work would include masonry repairs, new windows and interior renovations, the plans show.

A new building to be constructed next door would include 265 residential units, 10% of which are slated to be affordable housing for people making no more than half of the area median income. The affordable housing element is mandated because of an inclusionary zoning requirement in effect in several city neighborhoods, including Lawrenceville.

The development team said the affordable units would be a mix of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units.

Two percent of units would be fully accessible for people with disabilities, and an additional 10% would be adaptable units that could be converted to various levels of accessibility, according to the plans.

The plans call for 3,700 square feet of retail space in the new apartment building, as well as public lobby space where community members could gather. The project also would include a new bus shelter, pedestrian safety improvements and outdoor seating, the developer said.

A free public dog park would be built behind the fire house, with the developer maintaining and cleaning the park space, according to the plans. The proposal also includes 200 off-street parking spaces and 100 bicycle parking spots.

“Overall, Albion Development’s plans have been received quite positively by the community,” Sarah Trbovic, executive director of the Lawrenceville Corporation, and Dave Breingan, executive director of Lawrenceville United, wrote in a letter supporting the project.

“Community members were pleased to see redevelopment on mostly vacant land that will help connect the Upper Lawrenceville business district, which continues to be the section of Lawrenceville experiencing the highest rates of commercial vacancy,” Trbovic and Breingan added.

People also were pleased by the additional affordable housing and public amenities, the pair wrote.

The Planning Commission is expected to vote on the proposal during its next meeting in September.