Nearly 100 apartments will add to the city’s affordable housing stock, the latest in a string of conversion projects Downtown
A former boiler plant in Downtown will join a growing list of historic properties preparing for major transformations.
The Pittsburgh Planning Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved plans to convert the old Phipps Power Plant at 120 Cecil Place into a new residential tower, with the majority of units designated affordable.
Developers will maintain an existing smokestack atop the structure that once generated steam heat and energy for other Downtown properties. But new stainless steel tiles will adorn the facade, while inside the building, 97 apartments will add to the city’s affordable housing stock — the latest in a string of conversion projects in Downtown.
“[We’re] trying to have the memory of the old, but making it expressly new,” said Perfido Weiskopf Wagstaff + Goettel’s Senior Associate Jennifer Szczesniak.
lso on Tuesday, the commission backed the demolition of a three-story structure in Uptown, heard updates on the Heinz History Center’s planned expansion and approved the historic status of iconic Pittsburgh landmarks.
The approval of the boiler plant’s conversion came after the commission initially delayed a vote on the project last month after members raised questions about the building’s structure and design.
The project was referred to the city’s contextual design and advisory panel, a board that hears design plans for high-profile projects and provides recommendations to the Planning Commission.
With a sign-off from the panel, the commission on Tuesday officially backed the project.
Led by developer Beacon Communities, plans for the new building include reserving at least 40% of units for the Pittsburgh Scholar House, a nonprofit that helps single parents access higher education.
The Scholar House has raised over $3 million for the project, set to contain a mix of studios and one- to three-bedroom apartments. Most units will be large enough to accommodate families, and affordable to residents earning between 20% and 80% of the area’s median income.
Other amenities include an office for the Pittsburgh Scholar House, a community room, fitness center and a fenced-in playground for children.