I wanted to feature the Strip District because it’s one of Pittsburgh’s most fascinating neighborhoods, but…
Most places for sale there are at least a million dollars.
So, we’ll just look at places to rent this week. There are some astronomical rents here too (like $5,000+), but there are some units that are more reasonable.
Of course, those prices seem insane and borderline-inconceivable to some of us who have lived in Pittsburgh for more than a decade. A million dollars used to get you a mansion in Sewickley that probably saw a Stanley Cup or two floating in its pool. When people complain about Pittsburgh being unaffordable, this is what they’re talking about. Most American cities that people want to live in are dealing with this now. Welcome to the party, Pittsburgh. (This party sucks).
Yet, in the grand scheme of things, the Strip filling up with expensive apartments is actually a good thing. We’re not going to have the GENTRIFICATION debate here (another time!), because this isn’t it. The Strip has been mostly industrial for decades, with very few residents (266 in 2000) until very recently. What the Strip did have was a lot of abandoned factories, empty parking lots, and one-story metal sheds full of bootleg Stillers gear. Now, it has thousands of new people who pay city taxes, help keep the Strip’s beloved shops and restaurants in business, and pay exorbitant rents. That’s fine!
Keeping Pittsburgh affordable requires building new housing, lots of it, at all price points. More new housing options means less competition for existing houses.
Yes, it's always going to be weird to see $3,000+ rents and million-dollar condos in Pittsburgh. But it’s still a pretty isolated phenomenon, happening in a handful of neighborhoods. If this was happening in the West End, the Hilltop, the far reaches of the North Side, the whole Mon Valley — it would be a problem. When every neighborhood becomes unaffordable (like Boston, L.A., San Francisco, take your pick), then it’s time to panic.
STRIP DISTRICT
For rent: The Yards at 3 Crossings, 2645 Railroad St. E. $1,486/month
Yes, rents go up to $3,415 in this same development. But you could instead pay a comparative fraction for a very small studio apartment (472 square feet), and any time you feel cramped, walk to like 100 different bars, restaurants, coffee shops, the region’s best grocers, etc. Or go jump in that pool. Yes, the orange metal siding on these apartments is certainly a choice, one that probably won’t age well. But it’s got amenities galore and is the rare development that actually faces the river. The Allegheny River is pretty nice, now that it’s no longer strictly an industrial sewer.
People tend to associate the Strip with these 100+-year-old, red brick factory buildings, but there are actually only a handful. George Westinghouse’s fortune first came from the invention of the air brake (which revolutionized train transport) right around here in the Strip. This particular example abuts Liberty Ave., which most drivers unfortunately treat like a drag race. However, these brick walls are thick and will likely last centuries. What’s a little traffic noise against the full weight of history
For rent: Helm on the Allegheny, 2239 Railroad St., $1,046+/month
Next to the towering Cork Factory apartments — a superb redevelopment of a towering industrial ruin, and one the Strip’s most iconic buildings — everything is going to look a bit underwhelming. However, this new development is trying out a concept called “co-living,” which features 16 small apartment units arranged around a two-story structure that shares a roof deck, a “chef's kitchen,” a spacious dining area, and a game room, among other things. This sounds a bit like dorms, but honestly, as long as you get your own bedroom and bathroom, dorms are kind of fun for a while (and actual college dorms are no cheaper). Prices do go up to $3,093 a month in this very building, should you prefer more space and privacy.
For rent: 1627 Penn Ave., $1,550-1,600/month
When we’re at the end of our lives, we look back and wish we had spent more time at work, and more time sitting in traffic, right? But what if that was not the point of life at all — and you could just do something else? Like what if you lived in the Strip and only drove if you wanted to? What if when you stare into the abyss of an empty refrigerator, the new Novo Asian Food Hall was your backup plan, your extra kitchen? I’m not saying it’s better than spending another week of your life waiting to enter a tunnel, but it’s worth considering.
