Pitt buys up land to improve neighborhood

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The University of Pittsburgh has been buying land to improve the appearance of a retail hub in front of the school, amid concerns that prospective students could be turned off by eyesore properties at the campus' doorstep.
In the past 15 months, Pitt has spent nearly $4 million to buy a former Burger King, a three-story building and a parking lot.
"If something becomes available and there's no interest on anyone else's part to buy and improve it, we certainly don't want to see it become an eyesore," said Jerome Cochran, executive vice chancellor of Pitt.
Over time, Pitt has purchased land and constructed buildings for classrooms, university offices, laboratories and student housing. However, the recent land deals are aimed at improving the appearance of the university's gateway and ensuring a mix of stores there.
"We just want to be a good community partner," Cochran said.
Pitt opened its Sennott Square classroom and office building last year along one of the Oakland neighborhood's main thoroughfares, Forbes Avenue. The building houses a scooter shop, bakery, video store and athletic footwear shop on the street level.
Pitt hired Streetworks, a Bethesda, Md., consulting firm, to guide the development of Sennott Square and plans additional mix-use buildings. Streetworks is currently planing a $5 million town square on the site of a 238-space parking lot between two libraries at Schenley Plaza.
For its more recent acquisitions, Pitt plans to move university offices to the second and third floors of the Loeffler building while keeping a bookstore and a clothing shop on the first floor.