Another new apartment development could be coming to the Strip District: Twenty Third & Railroad on the Allegheny, known as 23RR, offers an innovative housing trend known as co-living, and includes river views and affordable units.
SteelStreet Capital Partners and Oxford Development Company are proposing to build 23RR on a narrow plot of land along the riverfront. The gravel and dirt lot at 2249 Railroad St. is a little more than an acre, situated between the Cork Factory Lofts and Consumer Fresh Produce building.
The project includes 220 apartments, 85 percent of which would be market rate and 15 percent priced as affordable housing, the developers reported in a presentation to the city’s Planning Commission this week.
23RR would house co-living units along with studio and one- and two-bedroom apartments. It would have integral parking and street-level corner retail space.
“Co-living is an innovative housing product that allows tenants to trade private space for highly-amenitized social space at price points that are lower than traditional apartments,” the proposal explains. “The project features two co-living neighborhoods, each of which is an interconnected two-story space servicing 16 apartment units with room for up to 32 tenants.”
WTW Architects designed the seven-story structure that maximizes riverfront views and connections. Tenant amenities would include a roof deck, clubroom, club-quality fitness center, concierge service, secure bike storage, a pet wash, Wi-Fi and a conference facility.
Each co-living “neighborhood” section in the complex would include a roof deck, chef’s kitchen, bar and game room, media lounge and conference rooms. The partially furnished units would start at $995 a month with shorter-term leases available. Oxford describes it as “the perfect housing for someone new to the area, or for those that would rather accumulate experiences than objects.”
To meet the city’s goals for including affordable housing in developments, 33 of the units would have discounted rents that include tenant utilities.
The building would connect residents to the river through a front door leading to the river trail. Secure bike storage also opens out onto the trail, where there would be bike racks, a bike repair stand and a pet-friendly water fountain. Improvements would be made to the trail in that area.
The developers engaged with Riverlife and Strip District Neighbors to ensure that the project meets development standards and community needs, Oxford says. The project is also designed to meet LEED v4 Silver goals, the newest version of the LEED green building.
More than 75 percent of the non-co-living units will have direct views of the river, all with balconies. Other sustainability features include natural ventilation, water-efficient plumbing fixtures, LED lighting throughout the building, recycled materials, white membrane roofing and eight electric car-charging parking spaces.