Pittsburgh’s Zoning Board of Adjustment denied a proposed 14-story condo complex in the Strip District last week, in part over concerns its height would be inconsistent with that of surrounding buildings.
Jonathan Moritz, head of Moritz Development, brought the project before the board in October, seeking permission to bend the zoning code in several ways. Moritz and his business partner Francois Bitz are operating under 1700 Penn LP.
The development would have created 64 condo units near the intersection of Penn Avenue and 17th Street, razing and replacing what is currently a Helltown Brewing taproom.
In their 13-page decision, zoning officials granted a request for 1700 Penn LP to build housing in an urban-industrial district, but said the structure couldn’t bypass the area’s 10-story limit or setback requirements.
The developers aren’t giving up, though. Moritz views the board’s actions as “predetermined” and hopes new Mayor Corey O’Connor appoints more favorable zoning officials in the coming months.
“The new administration is going to have their own people, and I expect they’ll be much more development friendly here,” Moritz said. “From what I’ve seen, at least, they have a different mindset (from the Gainey administration).”
City spokeswoman Molly Onufer did not immediately return a request for comment.
In fact, Moritz said he’ll be removing concessions previously made in an effort to get the condos approved. For one, he plans to reintroduce a parking garage facing Penn Avenue, which was tucked further back in the lot in the latest proposal.
Several community members spoke against the project at the October hearing, including the owners of iconic fishmonger Wholey’s, which sits across from the site.
Jim Wholey compared the proposal to cramming “10 pounds of ice into a 3-pound bag” according to the board’s decision. He submitted a letter in opposition on behalf of the Strip District Business Association.
Every building “along this stretch of Penn Avenue is four stories or fewer for good reason: to preserve the very character that makes the Strip unique,” the association said in its letter.
Community group Strip District Neighbors offered limited support. In its letter to the board, the organization vouched for the proposal, but did not take a stance on the request for additional stories.
Many of its members were hesitant about the building’s scale and proximity to the neighborhood’s historic core, according to the letter.
