Craig Street Base Conditions Study

CRAIG STREET BASE CONDITIONS STUDY

SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE | REMAKING CITIES INSTITUTE OCTOBER 2012

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I NT R O D U C T I O N

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A

INTRODUCTION

C R A IG S TR E E T B A S E C ON D ITION S S TU D Y

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UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH

UPMC

CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY

CARLOW UNIVERSITY SCHENLEY PARK

ABOVE: Study area location amongst institutions in Oakland

I NT R O D U C T I O N

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SOUTH CRAIG STREET AND CARNEGIE MELLON

CRAIG STREET CORRIDOR FIFTH AVENUE

FORBES AVENUE

Once recognized as the Western border of the Carnegie Mellon University, South Craig Street, between Fifth and Forbes Avenues, has become a major commercial corridor in North Oakland.

Located between CMU’s main campus, Fifth Avenue, and newly acquired properties along Craig Street and Forbes Avenues, the Craig Street Business District is a hub of commercial vibrancy and mixed uses amongst the University’s academic, administrative, research, and business facilities.

One of the main goals of the CMU comprehensive campus master plan is to determine the future of Craig Street and its relationship to the CMU community. While the University has recently acquired new properties in the area, it will be important to preserve the unique, local character of the business district. This study, in conjunction with the Carnegie Mellon University School of Architecture and the Remaking Cities Institute, seeks to document the base conditions of South Craig Street Business District to serve as a benchmark for future construction, building additions, and improvements to the public realm.

ABOVE: Craig Street Corridor is critical to the Carnegie Mellon University Campus Master Plan

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SOUTH CRAIG STREET CHARACTER Located in the heart of North Oakland, South Craig Street is a quintessential example of an urban commercial district. Strong commercial activity, easy accessibility, and safe pedestrian conditions make this a highly traveled corridor and a shopping and dining destination in Pittsburgh.

The character of South Craig Street adds to the uniqueness of the business district. Large sidewalks, outdoor seating, and street trees that shade sidewalks and on-street parking makes South Craig Street a comfortable place to shop, dine, and people watch. In addition, sixteen local and regional bus routes, bicycle friendly roads, and bicycle storage facilities make South Craig Street highly accessible by multiple modes of transportation.

LEFT: Outdoor dining options along S. Craig Street TOP RIGHT: Bike racks located at S. Craig Street and Wintrhop Street BOTTOM RIGHT: Typical sidewalk condition along S. Craig Street

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LOCAL BUSINESSES South Craig Street is perhaps one of the most unique commercial areas in Pittsburgh. At the intersection between two major universities in the heart of North Oakland, South Craig Street stands out from other commercial districts in the city because of it’s diverse shops and restaurants, local character, and commercial activity.

Only four of the more than forty documented commercial services located on Craig Street and adjacent cross streets are national chains which showcases the neighborhoods commitment to preserving the shopping and dining experience in the business district. While a number of coffee shops and restaurants located on South Craig Street are local and regional chains and have other locations in nearby neighborhoods, customer loyalty and a strong student and professional clientele supports these successful businesses.

TOP LEFT, BOTTOM LEFT, TOP RIGHT: Local S. Craig Street commercial businesses

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X -R AY S A N D A N A LY SIS

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X-RAYS AND ANALYSIS

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ILLUSTRATIVE PLAN The Craig Street Business District is a four block commercial district in the heart of North Oakland. Bordered by the major east west corridors of Fifth and Forbes Avenue to the north and south and bounded by South Dithridge and South Neville Streets, the shopping and dining street is easily accessible by car, foot, bicycle, and Pittsburgh public transportation.

Fifth Avenue

Henry Street

S. Craig Street

S. Dithridge Street

Filmore Street

Forbes Avenue

X -R AY S A N D A N A LY SIS

t Stree ville S. Ne

Winthrop Street

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BLOCK STRUCTURE The block structure in the South Craig Street study area is relatively regular, with blocks elongated east to west. Because the short ends of the Filmore, Winthrop, and Henry Streets blocks are located along Craig Street, distance between intersections are kept to a minimum.

This allows for a highly walkable, vibrant business district where long stretches of blank street walls are prevented by small commercial storefronts and slower moving traffic.

Fifth Avenue

Henry Street

S. Craig Street

S. Dithridge Street

t Stree ville S. Ne

Winthrop Street

Filmore Street

Forbes Avenue

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FIGURE GROUND The figure ground map of the Craig Street Business District shows that high density and continuous building frontages are located along the major North-South and East-West axes in the district.

X -R AY S A N D A N A LY SIS

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REVERSE FIGURE GROUND While higher density is concentrated along the major thoroughfares in the district, large pockets of open space exist at mid-block and along adjacent side streets. This can be attributed to surface parking lots or vacant parcels.

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PARKING Parking is readily available along Craig Street and its cross streets. This is accommodated by on-street parking as well as surface lots and parking garages both publicly and privately owned.

Fifth Avenue

S. Craig Street

In August of 2012, on-street parking along Craig Street and adjacent cross streets was changed from metered parking spots to automatic parking stanchions.

Henry Street

S. Dithridge Street

t Stree ville S. Ne

Winthrop Street

Filmore Street

Forbes Avenue On- Street Parking Parking Stanchion Surface Parking Lot Structured Parking Garage

X -R AY S A N D A N A LY SIS

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CIRCULATION Fifth Avenue

Henry Street t Stree ville S. Ne

S. Craig Street

S. Dithridge Street

Winthrop Street

Due to its central location between Fifth and Forbes Avenue and position between CMU’s main campus and research and administrative facilities, Craig Street is a major vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle corridor. Major northsouth traffic is directed along S. Craig Street while minor vehicular traffic, both one-way and two-way, is facilitated along Filmore, Winthrop, and Henry Streets and mid-block alley ways that provide direct access to off-street parking.

Major pedestrian traffic is also located along S, Craig Street, accommodated by generous sidewalks, tree canopy shading, and vibrant commercial uses. Pedestrian only passage ways provide off-street access through the Craig Street blocks, utilized by student and local residents traveling to and from Oakland.

Filmore Street

Forbes Avenue

Major Thoroughfares Minor Thoroughfares Pedestrian Circulation

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GROUND FLOOR USES The Craig Street Business District is a vibrant mix of commercial, retail and residential uses.

The majority of ground floor uses along South Craig Street between Forbes Avenue and Winthrop Street are occupied by local and regional eating establishments as well as neighborhood shopping destinations.

Fifth Avenue

S. Craig Street

Henry Street

S. Dithridge Street

t Stree ville S. Ne

Winthrop Street

The northern portion of South Craig Street, closet to Fifth Avenue, is predominantly office and residential at ground floor, largely associated with the institutional buildings of Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh.

Filmore Street

Forbes Avenue

Restaurant Retail Office Vacant/ Other

X -R AY S A N D A N A LY SIS

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BUILDING HEIGHT Fifth Avenue

Henry Street

Building heights in the Craig Street Business District average between 2 and 3 storeys tall. Larger building massing and subsequent building heights are associated with institutional buildings of Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh and are located near that blocks that are adjacent to Fifth and Forbes Avenues. Large changes between building heights along northern Craig Street blocks can create disparate streetscapes and pedestrian experiences.

Winthrop Street

S. Craig Street

S. Dithridge Street

Filmore Street

Forbes Avenue

1 Storey 2 Storeys 3 Storeys 4 Storeys 5 Storeys

6 Storeys 7 Storeys 8 Storeys 9 Storeys

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OWNERSHIP Fifth Avenue

S. Craig Street

Henry Street

S. Dithridge Street

t Stree ville S. Ne

Winthrop Street

In addition to being a major connection between Carnegie Mellon’s main campus and the University’s properties located along Fifth and Forbes Avenues, South Craig Street is home to many of CMU’s academic, administrative, research, and business facilities.

While Carnegie Mellon has had a presence within the Craig Street Business District for some time, the majority of properties owned by the University have been acquired after 2002. This strategic move has helped better integrate the University into the surrounding community as well as support Carnegie Mellon’s long range masterplan goals.

Filmore Street

Forbes Avenue

CMU Properties CMU Properties Acquired Since 2002

X -R AY S A N D A N A LY SIS

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C R A IG S TR E E T B A S E C ON D ITION S S TU D Y

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X -R AY S A N D A N A LY SIS

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C

BLOCK ANALYSIS

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CRAIG STREET AND FORBES AVENUE TYPICAL SECTION

P

11’-8” Sidewalk

P

36’ Drive

59’- 4” ROW BLO C K A N A LY S I S

11’-8” Sidewalk

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ACCESS

Flossie Way

S. Craig Street

Forbes Avenue Primary Entrance Secondary Entrance/ Access to Upper Floors ADA Accessible Entrance

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OCCUPANTS- GROUND FLOOR

11 Flossie Way

10 12 9 8

5 4 3

S. Craig Street

6

13

Bagel Factory

3.

Subway

4.

Rose Tea Cafe (Future)

5.

Yuva Indian

6.

Caliban Book Shop

7.

Mario Czonstowsky, DMD Malvin Dental Associates

8.

Culture Shop

9.

Ali Baba

11. Lucca Restaurant

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12. Kohu’s Indian Grocery 13. CMU Campus Design and Facility Development (1-2)

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14. Top Notch Art Centre 15. Union Grill

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16. Pizza Express 17. Dozen Bake Shop

17 18

19

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18. Starbucks 19. Jewish University Center (1-3) 20. Orient Express

1

21. Panther Hollow Inn (1-2)

Forbes Avenue

BLO C K A N A LY S I S

2.

10. Lulu Noodles

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University of Pittsburgh Forbes Craig Hall (1-5)

Coffee Tree Roasters

Filmore Street

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1.

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OCCUPANTS- UPPER FLOORS 1.

Idea Foundry (2) Astrobotic Tech, Inc (3)

2.

Filmore Street

Phantom of the Attic Games (2) Black Cat Tattoo (2) Space for Rent (3)

Flossie Way

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3.

CMU Human Resources Department Compensation and Benefits (2)

4.

Phantom of the Attic Comics

5.

MSIT eBusiness Technology (2) HCII (3)

2 S. Craig Street

4

5 1

Forbes Avenue

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SIDEWALK MATERIALS

Filmore Street

Flossie Way

S. Craig Street

Forbes Avenue

Cement Aggregate Brick Asphalt

BLO C K A N A LY S I S

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OUTDOOR EATING

Filmore Street

Flossie Way

S. Craig Street

Forbes Avenue

Existing Outdoor Eating Proposed Outdoor Eating

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CRAIG STREET FACADES 3

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5 6

2 1

1

Forbes Avenue north facade at S. Craig Street

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Forbes Avenue north facade at S. Craig Street

3

Filmore Street south facade at S. Craig Street

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Filmore Street south facade at S. Craig Street

BLO C K A N A LY S I S

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5

S. Craig Street west facade between Forbes Avenue and Filmore Street

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S. Craig Street east facade between Filmore Street and Forbes Avenue

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CRAIG STREET AND FILMORE STREET TYPICAL SECTION

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12’-0” Sidewalk

P

36’ Drive

60’-0” ROW Typical BLO C K A N A LY S I S

12’-0” Sidewalk

12’-0” Setback

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ACCESS

Winthrop Street

S. Craig Street Filmore Street

Primary Entrance Secondary Entrance/ Access to Upper Floors ADA Accessible Entrance

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OCCUPANTS- GROUND FLOOR

Winthrop Street

5

7

4 S. Craig Street

Spring Way

6

3

9 10

11

12

2 1 Filmore Street

1.

CMU University Police

9.

2.

Quiznos

10. Oakland Fashion Optical

3.

CMU, 300 S. Craig Street (1-4)

11. Howard Hannah Real Estate Services

4.

Razzy Fresh

12. CMU Computing Services (1-3)

5.

Irish Design Center

6.

Little Asia

7.

Veraldi Salon/ Residential

8.

Kosak Design/ Residential

BLO C K A N A LY S I S

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Eat Unique

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OCCUPANTS- UPPER FLOORS

Winthrop Street

1

2

S. Craig Street

3

4

Filmore Street

1.

Residential

4.

Space for Rent

2.

Residential

Urban Elite Art Gallery

3.

Allegheny County Forensic Association

SightSound Technologies, Inc

Pittsburgh Arts and Culture

Pense Productions

Transitions Counseling Services

SAIC Group for Psychotherapy Margot Feintuch, M.D. Nancy L. Lavelle PhD.

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SIDEWALK MATERIALS

Winthrop Street

S. Craig Street Filmore Street

Cement Aggregate Brick Asphalt

BLO C K A N A LY S I S

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OUTDOOR EATING

Winthrop Street

S. Craig Street Filmore Street

Existing Outdoor Eating Proposed Outdoor Eating

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CRAIG STREET FACADES

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3 5 6

1

1

Filmore Street north facade at S. Craig Street

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Filmore Street north facade at S. Craig Street

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Wintrhop Street south facade at S. Craig Street

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Withrop Street south facade at S. Craig Street

BLO C K A N A LY S I S

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S. Craig Street west facade between Filmore Street and Winthrop Street

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S. Craig Street east facade between Filmore Street and Winthrop Street

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OCCUPANTS- GROUND FLOOR

CRAIG STREET AND WINTRHOP STREET TYPICAL SECTION

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10’-6” Sidewalk

P

36’ Drive

58’-6” ROW

BLO C K A N A LY S I S

12’-0” Sidewalk

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ACCESS

Henry Street

S. Craig Street Winthrop Street

Primary Entrance Secondary Entrance/ Access to Upper Floors ADA Accessible Entrance

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OCCUPANTS- GROUND FLOOR

Henry Street

6

5

4

7

8

9

10 S. Craig Street

3

11 12 16

13

1

14

2

15

Winthrop Street

1.

C.G. Jung Institute Analysis and Training Program Pittsburgh Irish Design Center (1-2)

2.

XBOX Karaoke House (1-2)

3.

University of Pittsburgh Craig Hall (1-5)

4.

People’s Travel Agency Snow Lion (Ground Floor) Sherpa Gear (Ground Floor)

5.

Anti-Aging Vitality Centers

BLO C K A N A LY S I S

6.

Oliverio Hair and Nails

13. Mark Anthony Hair Salon (1-2)

Three Rivers Dharma Center (Ground Floor)

14. Dr. Horning and Associates Dentistry

7.

Townsend Booksellers

15. Dr. Henschke (101)

8.

Project Olympus

Dr. Barbour (101)

9.

FlashGroup

CMU Dynamic Decision Making Laboratory (102)

10. Residential 11. Vacant 12. Crepes Parisiennes Restaurant

Dr. Cleotilde Gonzalez (102) 16. CMU Information Networking Institute (1-3)

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OCCUPANTS- UPPER LEVELS

Henry Street

2

1

3

S. Craig Street

4

5 7 6 Winthrop Street

1.

2.

3.

Pellegrini Associates (2)

4.

Residential

7.

Dr. Perelman (201)

Case Personnel (2)

5.

Residential

Dr. Elman (202)

Liken Health Care (2)

6.

Residential

Dr. Gonzalez (203)

Residential (3)

Dr. Weiss (204)

Project Olympus (2)

Studio Amici Hair Salon (205)

Wombat Security Technologies, Inc. (3)

Dr. Blazick (207)

GGidea Lab (2) Tandent (2)

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SIDEWALK MATERIALS

Henry Street

S. Craig Street Winthrop Street

Cement Aggregate Brick Asphalt

BLO C K A N A LY S I S

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OUTDOOR EATING

Henry Street

S. Craig Street Winthrop Street

Existing Outdoor Eating Proposed Outdoor Eating

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CRAIG STREET FACADES

4

3 5 6

1

1

Wintrhop Street north facade at S. Craig Street

2

Wintrhop Street north facade at S. Craig Street

3

Henry Street south facade at S. Craig Street

4

Henry Street south facade at S. Craig Street

BLO C K A N A LY S I S

2

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5

S. Craig Street west facade between Wintrhop Street and Henry Street

6

S. Craig Street east facade between Henry Street and Winthrop Street

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OCCUPANTS- GROUND FLOOR

12’-0” Sidewalk

CRAIG STREET AND HENRY STREET TYPICAL SECTION

40’ Drive

72’-0” ROW Typical BLO C K A N A LY S I S

20’-0” Sidewalk

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ACCESS Fifth Avenue

S. Craig Street Henry Street

Primary Entrance Secondary Entrance/ Access to Upper Floors ADA Accessible Entrance

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OCCUPANTS- GROUND FLOOR Fifth Avenue

3 S. Craig Street

1

2

Henry Street

1.

SEI Citizens Bank (1-5)

2.

PNC Bank

3.

Fairfax Apartments (1-9)

4.

Fairfax Apartments (1-3)

BLO C K A N A LY S I S

4

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SIDEWALK MATERIALS Fifth Avenue

S. Craig Street Henry Street

Existing Outdoor Eating Proposed Outdoor Eating

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CRAIG STREET FACADES

4

3 5 6

1

1

Henry Street north facade at S. Craig Street

4

Fifth Avenue south facade at S. Craig Street

BLO C K A N A LY S I S

2

Henry Street north facade at S. Craig Street

3

Fifth Avenue south facade at S. Craig Street

2

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5

S. Craig Street west facade between Henry Street and Fifth Avenue

6

S. Craig Street east facade between Fifth Avenue and Henry Street

C R A IG S TR E E T B A S E C ON D ITION S S TU D Y