The former railroad roundhouse on Hazelwood Green has been converted into a tech incubator, in what area foundations tout as just an early example of the development to come. (Photo by Rich Lord/PublicSource)
Developers tweak their plans amid emergence of potential BioForge on Hazelwood Green.
by Rich Lord, PublicSource
News of a planned $100 million biotech investment on Hazelwood Green comes as the site’s development team prepares for a potentially pivotal Tuesday hearing before the City Planning Commission. Advisors to the site told PublicSource that they have revised their site plans in response to concerns about parking and potential warehouses.
A proposal for a foundation-backed University of Pittsburgh BioForge life sciences facility on Hazelwood Green is “very exciting,” said Austin Gelbard, a senior director at Tishman Speyer, a New York-based developer that is advising the site’s owners. “It’s a tremendous anchor for the site. It’s a whole vector of growth and use that expands on the possibilities for the site, and is perfectly in keeping with the vision for the site.”
Most of the 178-acre site is owned by Almono LP, which is controlled by the Richard King Mellon Foundation, the Heinz Endowments and the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation. Because it is in a specially planned district, its development must be in accord with plans approved by the City Planning Commission.
On Nov. 9, commission members heard a briefing on a proposed revised zoning and development plan and expressed concerns that it allowed too much warehouse space and temporary surface parking. Hazelwood residents had also raised concerns about the potential for long-term surface parking at an Oct. 12 community meeting.
The development team has amended its proposal to limit the number of warehouses to four, and to clarify plans for surface parking, according to Gelbard and Todd Stern, managing director of U3 Advisors, which is coordinating the development process. Both said the team and the site’s owners remained committed to equity, sustainability and design excellence but needed flexibility as they work to attract tenants.
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