CHATEAU — A run-down and rusting warehouse filled with graffiti might not be the most scenic location to break ground on a multi-million dollar development, but that’s exactly what took place on Dec. 1 as Piatt Companies kicked off construction of their long-awaited Esplanade project.
Initially announced in 2017, Esplanade is a redevelopment of 15 acres of former industrial land along the Ohio River estimated to cost $740 million. The project will include retail space, a splash park/ice skating area, up to 300-unit apartment buildings, a marina, a hotel, and notably a Ferris wheel.
The groundbreaking was the beginning of phase one of the project’s construction, which is anticipated to span until 2028. Much of the amenities will be completed during this first phase and the area will be opened in 2028 under Piatt’s plans.
The second and final phase of construction is set to begin in 2027 and run through 2029. It will involve the construction of a hotel, entertainment space, apartments and an “office, life sciences, medical or research facility,” according to Piatt’s website.
The groundbreaking was attended by various Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania officials, including Gov. Josh Shapiro, both outgoing and incoming mayors Ed Gainey and Corey O’Connor, Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato, Pittsburgh City Councilman Daniel Lavelle, and Pennsylvania state House Rep. Aerion Abney, among others.
A major factor in the Esplanade project is the establishment of the Manchester-Chateau Transit Revitalization Investment District (TRID). The TRID takes 75% of new property tax revenue generated by improvements to the Esplanade project and invests it back into public infrastructure.
The remaining 25% goes to the taxing bodies that would normally receive the full value of any new property tax revenue, namely Pittsburgh City Council, Pittsburgh Public Schools and Allegheny County Council, all three of which have approved the TRID.
According to the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) of Pittsburgh, which is helping facilitate the TRID, the property on which Esplanade will be built currently generates only around $84,000 in tax revenue a year. Once the project is complete, that revenue is expected to rise to $8 million a year.
“(The TRID) will benefit the project’s infrastructure, but also significantly benefit the Manchester community not just today, but as development continues in this district,” said Lucas Piatt, CEO of Piatt Companies, during the groundbreaking ceremony. “It’s a huge blueprint for collaboration and how to do redevelopment the right way.”
One of those who spoke during the groundbreaking was Manchester Citizens Corporation Executive Director LaShawn Burton-Faulk, who called the Esplanade project “equal parts preservation, restoration and shared prosperity.”
“The Esplanade project reminds us that many truths can live together at once,” she said. “We can honor our history while ensuring that the people of this community remain at the heart and center, and we can respond to regional economic opportunities in ways that uplift, not erase, the neighborhoods they touch.”
Burton-Faulk also said it was “our chance to reconnect Manchester and Chateau to the river, to each other and to the region’s economic energy.” Part of the plan for Esplanade is changes to Route 65, including an underpass at Juniata Street and a longer term goal of changing the road from an elevated highway to an “active boulevard,” according to a master development plan presented to the city.
She said Manchester Citizens Corporation was “proud” to support the project, though acknowledged it was not “perfect” and “will require continued vigilance and partnership.”
Speaking with The Chronicle after the ceremony, Burton-Faulk said such vigilance would involve ensuring Piatt Companies continues partnership and communication with the community.
For more information about Esplanade, visit piatt.com/esplanade/
