Squirrel Hill is in the preliminary stages of getting its first condo development in almost 10 years.
Landmark Properties is sending out feelers to see if “there is enough interest in the market to support a new building,” says David Landman, the director of acquisitions and development at the Allison Park-based developer.
The four-story new construction will house 23 one-three bedroom condos that start in the $300,000s. Called “The Q,” the building will be located at the site of the former Burton Hirsch’s Funeral Home, which burned in a fire in 2009 and was later razed. The lot sits across the street from the Morrowfield Apartments and up the street from the old Poli’s, which closed in 2005 and has been in a state of building purgatory since—with promises of development only to be met by stalls and stops. Currrently? It’s in another state of stall.
This section of Murray Avenue, which Landman calls “the gateway of Squirrel Hill,” sits just above the I-376 corridor. “We love the location,” says Landman. “It’s close to everything—the hospitals, the universities, downtown and, of course, the shopping in Squirrel Hill.” According to the website, 350,000 people live within a five-mile radius of the site.
If you know the area of lower Murray, you know the space is tight—just 1/3 of an acre. And accordingly, the building will “definitely be long and narrow.”
Designed by Dunn & Associates, The Q has all the touchstones of a modern condo complex: stainless appliances, open floor plan, ceramic and stone bath, indoor parking and a fitness center. Keller Williams Realty is marketing and selling the units.
If the project goes forth, look for the first tenants to take occupancy in 2016.
