Jewish Federation to move HQ to South Oakland site

The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh is poised to move its headquarters to the Pittsburgh Technology Center.

Federation officials are in “final negotiations” to take about 17,000 square feet of space at 2000 Technology Drive in the South Oakland complex, said Adam Hertzman, director of marketing.

The federation’s board of directors already has approved a lease for the firstfloor space, Mr. Hertzman said. Part of the space currently is occupied by the Pittsburgh Technology Council, which will be moving to Nova Place on the North Side this fall.

“This is a great space to enable us to welcome the community better and also provides a modern work environment for our staff in their work to help the community,” Mr. Hertzman said.

Should a final deal be reached, about 60 employees will be moving to the Pittsburgh Technology Center off Second Avenue.

The federation has been looking for a new home since selling its current Oakland headquarters — two separate buildings at 234 and 242 McKee Place totaling 14,000 square feet — to Shadyside developer Walnut Capital last year.

Under its agreement with the developer, the federation had at least three years to find another place.

Mr. Hertzman said a volunteer committee looked at a variety of locations around Pittsburgh before settling on the Pittsburgh Technology Center site. It considered a number of factors in making the decision.

It wanted a space that was accessible to the Jewish community as a whole; one that suited its needs with sufficient meeting space, a modern productive work environment with a place for a kosher kitchen; and one that had parking for volunteers.

David E. Koch and Jamie S. Pivarnik of the CBRE real estate firm worked with the Jewish Federation to help it find the new space.

Mr. Hertzman said no timetable for the move can be set until the lease has been signed.

The Pittsburgh Technology Council plans to move out of its space in South Oakland sometime this fall, said Jack Donahue, president and CEO of Donahue Real Estate Advisors, which represented the organization.

The council will be taking about 9,000 square feet of space at Nova Place, about the same amount it is vacating at Pittsburgh Technology Center.

Walnut Capital, meanwhile, envisions another Bakery Square-like office complex at the Jewish Federation’s current headquarters. It believes the property could be attractive to tech companies and others that want to be close to Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh.