New apartment tower will make you feel like you are living at PNC Park

No, you probably can’t watch the Pirates from the rooftop pool, but if you walk out the front door, you would be at a game in less time than it takes to tie your shoes.

That’s the draw for Ultra at PNC Park, a $77 million development planned for the surface parking lot across from the ballpark on West General Robinson Street. Construction is expected to begin  later this year. Not everybody wants to live next to a baseball stadium. But this is sports-mad Pittsburgh — so Bridgeville-based developer RDC is betting there will be enough fans to fill 280 rental units.

“The building right now is proposed to be 11 stories,” says Shawn Fox, president of RDC. “You’d have to get several stories higher to see inside (PNC Park). But you have great panoramic views, not only of the ballpark — but the way we are articulating the building — we’re pulling you towards the skyline, towards the convention center, and also Mt. Washington.”

Besides a rooftop pool and a “sky lounge,” there will be a gaming area with pool tables, a fitness center and dog washing stations. The first floor will have 105 parking spaces and street-facing retail, which Fox says would be ideal for a coffee shop or juice bar.

The site has long been a surface parking lot owned by Alco Parking. Nearby, Continental Real Estate is developing a project on North Shore Drive and Mazeroski Way that will replace another surface parking lot. The development is expected to include more than 100 apartments, retail and a public Pirates-themed outdoor plaza.

“The North Shore is just an unbelievable place for multifamily residential development,” says Fox. “And over the years, in my mind, it’s become an everyday destination, not just on game day. There’s the Clemente Bridge to Downtown and that great walkability. I think the riverfront trails and the trail connections on the North Shore are the best in the city.”

RDC is aiming for a LEED Silver designation for sustainability for Ultra at PNC Park. AE7 is the architect. Prices have not been determined yet, but Fox says the units should have a “wide range of affordability levels.”

It’s taken a long time, but the North Shore’s attractions have started to add up, as its vast acreage of surface lots has gradually diminished. There’s Stage AE, The Andy Warhol Museum, Rivers Casino, Shorty’s Pins x Pints, Southern Tier Brewing and more.