More apartments approved for the Strip

Users of parking lots along the Allegheny River in the Strip District are in for a change of routine, after Pittsburgh’s planning commission on Tuesday approved a plan to building apartments on the sites.

Representatives of NRP Group LLC, a Clevelandbased developer, presented final plans for 443 residential units to the nine-member board. The $52.5 million development will be built on land owned by the Buncher Co., and is the second phase of a larger project.

The first phase, located to the west of 21st Street and now known as Edge 1909, already has some tenants, said Chris Dirr of NRP Group.

The additional development approved Tuesday includes two separate buildings connected by a publicly accessible plaza. The smaller eastern building, known as the “Middle Building,” will have 179 residential units.

“[It] is designed for young professionals and tends to have a more modern facade,” said Jack Baraccia, one of the project’s architects.

The western building, known as the “Bridge Building” because of its proximity to the 16th Street bridge, will serve slightly different clientele, said Mr. Baraccia. “The Bridge Building is designed for larger units and what we’ll call a more refined palate on the facade,” he said.

The Bridge Building also will include a parking garage, which brings the total number of planned parking spaces available on the site to 546. The complex will feature parking for 148 bikes.

Before the commission voted, several members of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, a construction union, spoke in opposition to the implementation of construction plans.

The union’s complaints focused on the practice of hiring subcontractors, who they claimed tend to pay workers in cash. Member Joel Niecgorski claimed, “We are a fan of construction ... but it’s not being done on a fair legal basis right now.”

In response to a question from Commissioner Sabina Deitrick, Mr. Dirr said NRP does hire subcontractors and is not directly responsible for payment to workers.

Nevertheless, the commission unanimously approved the motion to recommend the project to the City Council for approval, subject to a few technical requirements.