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Massive riverfront project in Pittsburgh coming soon — Ferris wheel and all | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette { resolve = res, reject = rej }); sophi.demeter.actions.push([arguments, resolve, reject]); return s; } ]]> { // The IIFE starts here let _sophi_userinfo = JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem(“pgpiano__userinfo”)) || {loggedIn:false, paid:false, stock:true}; console.log(_sophi_userinfo); let _sophi_user_status = (_sophi_userinfo.paid) ? “subscriber” : (_sophi_userinfo.loggedIn) ? “registered” : “anonymous”; if(_sophi_user_status == “subscriber”){ console.log(“**** SP IS SUB****”); return; } try{ let _sophi_decision = await demeter(“getDecision”, { args: { visitor: _sophi_user_status }, }); window.tp = window.tp || []; const wallContext = await demeter(“getWallContext”); const sophiContext = await demeter(“getSophiContext”); let assignedGroup = sophiContext.assignedGroup; console.log(“** SP CONTEXT **”,sophiContext) tp.push([“setCustomVariable”, “sophi_bucket”,sophiContext.assignedGroup]); let testGroup = sophiContext.experimentsCode; if (_sophi_decision.outcome.wallVisibility === “always”) { console.log(“WALL DECISION”, _sophi_decision); console.log(“WALL CONTEXT “, wallContext); let wall_types = [“hard”,”meter”]; let wall_type = wall_types[0]; console.log(“WALL TYPE”,wall_type); dataLayer.push({ “sophi_trace_id”: wallContext.trace }); dataLayer.push({ “sophi_context”: wallContext.context }); dataLayer.push({ “sophi_inputs”: wallContext.inputs }); dataLayer.push({ “decision_source”: “sophi” }); dataLayer.push({ “sophi_group”: testGroup }); tp.push([“setCustomVariable”, “sophi_wall_visibility”,”always”]); tp.push([“setCustomVariable”, “sophi_decision”, _sophi_decision.outcome.wallType]); tp.push([“setCustomVariable”, “wall_type”,wall_type]); }else{ dataLayer.push({ “sophi_trace_id”: wallContext.trace }); dataLayer.push({ “sophi_context”: wallContext.context }); dataLayer.push({ “sophi_inputs”: wallContext.inputs }); dataLayer.push({ “decision_source”: “sophi” }); dataLayer.push({ “sophi_group”: testGroup }); tp.push([“setCustomVariable”, “sophi_wall_visibility”,”never”]); } }catch(e){ dataLayer.push({ “sophi_trace_id”: “false”}); dataLayer.push({ “sophi_context”: “false” }); dataLayer.push({ “sophi_inputs”: “false” }); dataLayer.push({ “decision_source”: “error” }); tp.push([“setCustomVariable”, “sophi_wall_visibility”,”always”]); tp.push([“setCustomVariable”, “sophi_decision”,”paywall”]); tp.push([“setCustomVariable”, “wall_type”,”meter”]); tp.push([“setCustomVariable”, “sophi_bucket”,”error”]); console.log(“THERE IS AN ERROR WITH SOPHI”) } })(); // The IIFE ends and is immediately executed here window.demeterPageview = function(data){ console.log(“Demeter PV Args “,data); (async () => { await demeter(“pageview”, { args: data, }); })(); } window.demeterWallTrace = function(data){ console.log(“Demeter WT Args “,data); (async () => { await demeter(“wall”, { args: data, }); })(); } ]]> >> 0; var thisArg = arguments.length >= 2 ? arguments[1] : void 0; for (var i = 0; i this.length) { return false; } else { return this.indexOf(search, start) !== -1; } }; }else{ console.log(“DON’T POLYFILL INCLUDES”); } ]]> After nearly a decade of planning and extensive back-and-forth with North Side residents, developers are just “weeks away” from breaking ground on a massive riverfront complex set to transform acres of land in the Chateau neighborhood.n

With the purchase of two additional land parcels, Canonsburg-based Piatt Companies now fully owns the 15-acre plot earmarked for the “Esplanade” project — an ambitious riverfront development that will include a Ferris wheel, high-rise apartments, a marina and possible floating homes on the Ohio River.n

For nearly $4.5 million, the developer has purchased more than 3 acres of land from Pittsburgh-based manufacturer Detroit Switch Inc. and the city’s Urban Redevelopment Authority, respectively. Piatt Companies spokeswoman Molly Onufer on Tuesday confirmed the transactions.n

“We’re really excited that this work and intentional planning we’ve done with the community, local leaders, city and state is really coming together, and we’re actually going to see a project within the next few years,” Ms. Onufer said.n

Following heavy debate, the city in the past two years approved plans for the Esplanade development. But the project continues to divide the North Side, pitting residents who say it will create thousands of permanent jobs in the neighborhood against others who maintain that the complex will drive up rents, displacing those who can’t keep up.n

The development has recently sparked environmental concerns. The site is a brownfield, largely empty today but used for upward of a century by industrial companies.n

Redevelopment of such sites — including SouthSide Works, once a steel mill — is common across Western Pennsylvania, a longtime industrial hub. State law mandates that developers clean up sites before building to avoid future environmental and health issues.n

Still, the site’s history is cause for concern amongst some residents. In a letter sent to the URA in September and obtained by the Post-Gazette, one nonprofit that represents North Siders denounced the sale of property, referencing contaminated soil and groundwater beneath the site.n

Manchester Friends and Colleagues — previously known as the Manchester Neighbors — based the letter on a report the group released this summer, which claims previous soil and water tests at the Esplanade site revealed “hazardous compounds” including arsenic, mercury and other substances known to cause cancer.n

That report drew from assessments of the land between 2002 and 2018, obtained through public records requests filed with the state and the URA. Manchester Friends and Colleagues claims residents were never made aware of the site’s condition during a winding approval process and is demanding more transparency, according to the group’s letter to the URA.n

Local officials “have not adequately addressed community concerns,” the group claims in the letter — sent as a public comment submission ahead of a September meeting at which the URA approved the property sale.n

“This situation requires environmental justice,” the letter continues. Manchester Friends and Colleagues has called for a “community impact study” and community benefits plan — or a commitment by developers to specific gains for the surrounding neighborhood.n

URA officials could not immediately be reached for comment, but they previously confirmed they received the letter, according to Manchester Friends and Colleagues.n

A spokesperson for Piatt Companies previously told the Post-Gazette the company had “met and exceeded” all local and state environmental standards since it began working on the project in 2016.n

The state’s Department of Environmental Protection also has received an assessment of the site and approved a clean-up plan, DEP Southwest Regional Communication Manager Laina Aquiline said.n

The DEP has also issued a permit that includes a plan to “properly handle any contaminated materials encountered during construction activities,” Ms. Aquiline said.n

Located downriver of the West End Bridge, plans for the “Esplanade” development include:n

• A Ferris wheel angled to face the Downtown skylinen

• A 408-unit apartment building up to 19 storiesn

• A 64,000-square-foot mixed-use development with a garden and restaurants connected to an outdoor amphitheater, as well as several parking garagesn

• A marina and houseboat-like floating homes, along with a “destination aquarium”n

• Two more high-rise apartment buildingsn

Piatt has promised to designate 20% of the units affordable to households at 80% of the area’s median income.n

The project is expected to cost $740 million as of a 2024 reassessment — an increase of about 23% since 2023 due to the fluctuating cost of building and materials, Ms. Onufer said.n

Construction will begin with a site work phase expected to last 12 to 14 months, Ms. Onufer added. During that stage, Piatt Companies will replace utilities underground and prepare the property for construction.n

The developer has secured $25 million in state grants and additional funding from Dollar Bank to finance the site work phase and will raise money for remaining phases in the project as work progresses, according to Ms. Onufer said.n

Also included in plans are major infrastructure investments, including the conversion of Beaver Avenue from a one-way to two-way traffic road and the construction of a public street that will run through the development, Ms. Onufer said.n

The first phase of the Esplanade project is not slated for completion until 2027 or 2028.”,”status”:”9″,”link”:”https://www.post-gazette.com/business/development/2025/11/11/esplanade-north-side-ferris-wheel/stories/202511110084″,”standout”:false,”layout”:”wideheadline”,”paid”:”1″,”paidUsersOnly”:”0″,”storyGroup”:””,”noIndex”:false,”seoTitle”:”Massive riverfront project in Pittsburgh coming soon — Ferris wheel and all”,”seoTitle2″:””,”specialStoryTag”:”none”,”section”:”business”,”subSection”:”development”,”sectionLabel”:”Business”,”sectionSEOKey”:”business”,”subSectionSEOKey”:”development”,”subSectionSEOKeys”:[“development”,”city”,”mustread-frontpage”],”subSections”:{“business”:[“Building PGH”],”frontpage”:[],”local”:[“City”],”breaking”:[],”mustread”:[“Must Read – Frontpage”]},”active”:”1″,”images”:[{“id”:”2660f625-a1b9-4050-8d6f-0ceaf21b005c”,”attachedID”:”202511110084″,”title”:”Esplanade Rendering”,”caption”:”A rendering of the $600 million Esplanade development in Chateau. “,”status”:23,”seoKey”:”esplanade-rendering”,”linkText”:null,”photoCredit”:”Piatt Companies”,”mediaType”:”image/jpeg”,”cropInfo”:{},”orientation”:”0″,”displayOrder”:”1″,”expirationDate”:”Sat, 14 Nov 2026 20:38:48 “,”pubDate”:20241008,”rights”:1,”url”:”https://www.post-gazette.com/image/2024/10/08/700x700_cMC/esplanade-rendering”,”url_hero”:”https://www.post-gazette.com/image/2024/10/08/1140x_a10-7_cTC/esplanade-rendering”,”url_global”:”https://www.post-gazette.com/image/2024/10/08/1140x_a10-7_cTC/esplanade-rendering”,”cdn”:{“sizes”:[“600x_a4-3_cTC”,”300x_a1-1_cTC”,”1140x_a10-7_cTC”,”1200x”,”100x_a1-1_cTC”,”460x_a4-5_cTC”],”host”:”73f3e7d5672db1849e6c-6434aaf008a29447cc424990bc6a54a7.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/stories/202511110084″,”fileName”:”esplanade-rendering_1762925584.jpg”}},{“id”:”c70a6ac5-67ca-4817-af81-1dd85641b7ca”,”attachedID”:”202511110084″,”title”:”Esplanade Vision Aerial 2″,”caption”:”The first phase of developer Millcraft Investments’ Esplanade project on the North Side would include a giant Ferris wheel, a marina, a pavilion featuring a restaurant, a fresh food market and other amenities, and a 300-unit apartment building.”,”status”:9,”seoKey”:”Esplanade-Vision-Aerial-2″,”linkText”:null,”photoCredit”:”AE7 architects”,”mediaType”:”image/jpeg”,”cropInfo”:{},”orientation”:”0″,”displayOrder”:”1″,”expirationDate”:”Sat, 14 Nov 2026 20:38:48 “,”pubDate”:20211214,”rights”:1,”url”:”https://www.post-gazette.com/image/2021/12/14/700x700_cMC/Esplanade-Vision-Aerial-2″,”url_hero”:”https://www.post-gazette.com/image/2021/12/14/1140x_a10-7_cTC/Esplanade-Vision-Aerial-2″,”url_global”:”https://www.post-gazette.com/image/2021/12/14/1140x_a10-7_cTC/Esplanade-Vision-Aerial-2″,”cdn”:{“sizes”:[“600x_a4-3_cTC”,”300x_a1-1_cTC”,”1140x_a10-7_cTC”,”1200x”,”100x_a1-1_cTC”,”460x_a4-5_cTC”],”host”:”73f3e7d5672db1849e6c-6434aaf008a29447cc424990bc6a54a7.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/stories/202511110084″,”fileName”:”Esplanade-Vision-Aerial-2_1762904884.jpg”}}],”tags”:[],”related”:{“attachments”:[],”links”:[{“url”:”https://www.post-gazette.com/business/development/2025/08/09/north-side-residential-development-downtown-pittsburgh/stories/202508010041″,”storyID”:”202508010041″,”author”:”By Madaleine Rubin / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette”,”pubDate”:”2025-08-09T00:00:00″,”title”:”Century-old North Side warehouse could get new life as residential building”,”image”:”https://73f3e7d5672db1849e6c-6434aaf008a29447cc424990bc6a54a7.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/stories/202508010041/300x_a1-1_cTC/northside081025_1759351422.jpg”,”imagecaption”:”North Side-based developer Allegheny City Realty and their partners hope to convert a historic, six-story warehouse near Manchester into a new apartment building with a rooftop deck, gym and ground-floor retail — one of six warehouses in the neighborhood that the group plans to redevelop in the near future.”,”imagecdn”:{“host”:”https://73f3e7d5672db1849e6c-6434aaf008a29447cc424990bc6a54a7.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/stories/202508010041″,”fileName”:”northside081025_1759351422.jpg”,”sizes”:[“600x_a4-3_cTC”,”300x_a1-1_cTC”,”1140x_a10-7_cTC”,”1200x”,”100x_a1-1_cTC”,”460x_a4-5_cTC”]}},{“url”:”https://www.post-gazette.com/business/development/2025/08/28/north-side-esplanade-development-manchester/stories/202508280103″,”storyID”:”202508280103″,”author”:”Madaleine Rubin / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette”,”pubDate”:”2025-08-28T00:00:00″,”title”:”North Side group demands more transparency for ‘Esplanade’ project, a site it says is contaminated”,”image”:”https://73f3e7d5672db1849e6c-6434aaf008a29447cc424990bc6a54a7.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/stories/202508280103/300x_a1-1_cTC/esplanade082825-04_1759345810.jpg”,”imagecaption”:”Stanley Lowe, founder of the Manchester Neighbors group. At an event Thursday, he said a new study “finds contaminated soil and water” which was never disclosed to residents at the site of a controversial and massive development project along the Ohio Rive in Manchester. The developer maintains that all environmental concerns have been addressed.”,”imagecdn”:{“host”:”https://73f3e7d5672db1849e6c-6434aaf008a29447cc424990bc6a54a7.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/stories/202508280103″,”fileName”:”esplanade082825-04_1759345810.jpg”,”sizes”:[“600x_a4-3_cTC”,”300x_a1-1_cTC”,”1140x_a10-7_cTC”,”1200x”,”100x_a1-1_cTC”,”460x_a4-5_cTC”]}}]}}]}; PGPAGEDATA = {“authorvalues”:{“apiorg”:”pittsburghpostgazette”,”apiauthor”:”madaleinerubin”},”authorapi”:{“status”:”ok”,”author”:{“fullName”:”Madaleine Rubin”,”firstName”:”Madaleine”,”lastName”:”Rubin”,”email”:”[email protected]”,”authorSlug”:”madaleinerubin”,”twitter”:”maddyjrubin”,”bluesky”:”madaleinerubin.bsky.social”,”org”:”Pittsburgh Post-Gazette”,”orgSlug”:”pittsburghpostgazette”,”verified”:true,”customTitle”:””,”image”:null,”ignoreImage”:false,”imageCacheBuster”:””,”orgimage”:”https://www.post-gazette.com/assets-1y/images/misc/pg-logo-100px-green-byline.png”,”blurb”:”is a Post-Gazette business reporter with a focus on development and commercial real estate. Sheu2019s a graduate of Northwesternu2019s Medill School of Journalism.”},”apiorg”:”pittsburghpostgazette”,”apiauthor”:”madaleinerubin”}}; ]]>

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