Oakland townhouse project aims for high end

With its universities and hospitals, Oakland has been one of the hottest real estate markets in the Pittsburgh region. And now one developer is betting there will be demand for half-a-million dollar townhouses.

New York-based Pere Holdings has broken ground on Burrows Street Townhouses, featuring 14 units, with prices starting at $549,000.

Located at 112-134 Burrows Street, the $5.5 million development is situated a few blocks from Fifth Avenue and Carlow University in west Oakland.

Pere hopes to have the first of the three-story units, all featuring three bedrooms and three bathrooms, ready by the end of the year.

In a statement, George Hackett, president of Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services, which is marketing the residences, believes there will be plenty of demand.

“Burrows Street Townhouses represent a new category of urban living that has never been available in such close proximity to Downtown Pittsburgh,” he said.

Mr. Hackett said, “We’re excited to offer the chance to live in brand new and beautifully designed modern homes in an area where that simply hasn’t been possible.”

Each of the townhouses, described as “sophisticated modernist,” covers 2,245 square feet and features a den and an attached garage accessible through the back of the residence.

Other features include 8-foot entry doors, 9½-foot ceiling heights, wide plank white oak flooring, white lacquer kitchen cabinets, marble countertops, stainless steel appliances and electric car charging outlets.

While Oakland is teeming with single-family housing and condominiums, there hasn’t been a lot of new residential construction as of late.

That could be a selling point for the townhouses, said Kathy Wallace, a Keller Williams Realty agent and president of New City, a consulting company for residential developers.

“It’s certainly market making in that area, but, again, against what? There hasn’t been anything for people to purchase like that,” she said. “It’s not as big of a challenge as it sounds.”

Philadelphia-based Interface Studio Architects designed the townhouses. James Mohn Design, with offices in Sewickley and New York, did the interiors.

The townhouse project will be Pere’s first in Pittsburgh. According to Pere’s website, its portfolio includes residential projects in Miami and Jersey City, New Jersey, and a boutique hotel in West Palm Beach, Florida.