Sources:  Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Pittsburgh Business Times

Pittsburgh’s East End, home to major universities like the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, Carlow University and Chatham University, as well as several well-known cultural institutions, including The Carnegie Institute’s Museums of Art and Natural History, Frick Art & Historical Center, Phipps Conservatory, Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall, and the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium, are welcoming new business and retail neighbors to the area, as commercial development in the East End becomes increasingly popular.

East End neighborhoods are known for their own unique niches.  Shadyside and Squirrel Hill feature large shopping and business districts.  Oakland, home to most of the universities, is heavily populated by undergraduate and graduate students.  Bloomfield, recognized as Pittsburgh’s Little Italy, and the Strip District, are known for their local restaurants, grocers and open-air marketplaces. And Lawrenceville, a revitalizing rowhouse neighborhood, popular with artists and designers, is expected to benefit from the recent construction of a new Children’s Hospital. But not until recently, has the East End neighborhood of East Liberty garnered the same attention its neighboring communities have received.

Beginning with the introduction of popular retailers, like Starbucks, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Giant Eagle Marketplace, then growing in popularity with the development of Bakery Square, the former Nabisco factory, and now home to Google’s local office, East Liberty is gaining momentum.  With Target recently opening a new store location on the site of a former housing high-rise on Penn Avenue, commercial and office development opportunities are becoming more attractive.  As reported by the Pittsburgh Business Times, Councilman Ricky Burgess, whose district the Target store is located, expects the store will prove to be a catalyst for other East End communities that have yet to see the kind of revitalization experienced by East Liberty.

“We are very excited to be a part of the revitalization of the East Liberty area,” said Anthony Pantoni, Associate at Colliers International | Pittsburgh.   “Many companies, especially CMU Start-ups are moving into the area.  I foresee that quality office and retail space will be at a premium in the upcoming year.”

“Personally, I am biased towards the East End, having recently moved from Pine Township to Highland Park,” adds Gregg Broujos, Managing Director & Founding Principal at Colliers International | Pittsburgh.  “The new developments, combined with the East End’s old world charm, provide a quality of life like no other place in Western Pennsylvania.”