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.