The East End has seen major changes with Bakery Square 2.0, the residential extension of the office and retail complex located just across Penn Avenue. With the recent completion of Bakery Living Blue, the second of two apartment rental complexes, developers are ready to work on the final stage of the project, Bakery Village.
Yesterday, Walnut Capital and Laurel Communities hosted a kick-off event for Bakery Village, a planned development offering 52 luxury for-sale townhouses. Ranging in price from $530,000 to over $800,000, each three-story unit will boast between 2,500 and 3,000 square feet of space and a two-car garage, as well as patio and deck areas. Construction will begin next month, with the first units scheduled for completion next spring.
The townhouses will rise behind Bakery Living Blue, the apartment complex that officially opened on June 1. After just a few weeks, 60 percent of the 175 micro, studio and one- and two-bedroom units—priced at $1,100 a month and up—are leased.
Bakery Village adds to what Walnut Capital CEO Gregg Perelman views as a growing, viable community.
“We created Bakery Square as a brand, but it’s a neighborhood now,” says Perelman.
Bakery Living Blue and its sister building, Bakery Living Orange, reflect the effort to cultivate a communal feel in an urban environment. To create what Perelman calls a “collaborative living situation,” the nearly 600 residents in Blue and Orange—many who are young professionals and graduate students—have access to both buildings. They enjoy shared amenities such as a swimming pool, a new two-story fitness center, and various spaces for work or socialization. Perelman says they also added a large grilling area and firepit for get-togethers or cookouts.
Walnut also hosts a free summer concert series outside on the lawn in front of Bakery Square, where residents and the public are welcome to enjoy food truck fare and live music.
“We’re constantly trying to raise the standard of development in Pittsburgh, and always finding ways for people to want to live in the city and have a city experience,” says Perelman.