The Esplanade is a mixed-use, sustainable development project that will reinvigorate nearly 15-acres of post-industrial sites in Pittsburgh’s North Side into an inclusive riverfront community to live, work, and play. Meaning “promenade over water,” Esplanade will create connectivity to our neighbors, environment, rivers, amenities, and new economic and job opportunities for our region.
The total project will include over 1.7 million square feet of space and be designed with these community and development goals:
The beating heart of the Esplanade site, the Current represents the intersection that connects three priority components of the project: connecting the community to the natural splendor and current of the Ohio River; providing current and exciting amenities; and the current produced by our sustainability goal for net positivity, energy efficiency, and connecting with green and natural spaces.
The Current will be the multidimensional centerpiece hub that connects all aspects of the site by providing a space for everyone that blends between the natural and built environment from the river and green space to the family-friendly Ferris wheel, museum, and splash park to the retail and restaurants to the entertainment and hotel.
In the Current, you’ll be able to find amenities like:
We are continuing to move Esplanade forward! Below are our goal dates for achieving each part of the project.
As we begin the design phase, we will continue to engage with our neighbors and community!
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If the Transit Revitalization Investment District (TRID) is approved, the Esplanade will be kicking off with a groundbreaking in 2025.
The Esplanade sits along the Ohio River and the Three Rivers Heritage Trail in Chateau. It is bordered by the Ohio River, Kroll Drive, Beaver Avenue and West North Avenue, just north of the West End Bridge. Here’s a map that shows in purple where Esplanade will be: Click for full map
Right now, the Esplanade project can be reached by Beaver Ave or by taking the Three Rivers Heritage Trail – just north of the West End Bridge and the historic Cardello Building.
Once Esplanade is completed with all planned improvements, you’ll be able to walk, roll, drive, rideshare, or bus there safely and easily!
Construction is expected to begin in the summer of 2025.
2025 – 2026: Site Work
The first segment of construction is called “Site Work,” where existing buildings will be removed, underground utilities will be relocated and installed, dirt will be filled in to raise the site above the 100-year flood plain, sidewalks and roads will be built, and the site will be ready to start constructing buildings and landscaping on. Site work will take approximately one year to complete.
2026 – 2028: Phase 1 Construction
Following that, phase 1’s buildings will begin to be constructed, which includes the Ferris wheel and the building it will sit on top of, the apartment building, the parking garage, and the Current. Phase 1 construction should last 18-24 months. Construction of the condominium building will follow close behind the construction of the first phase.
Expected Opening: 2028
2027 – 2029 : Phase 2 Construction
Phase 2’s construction is expected to begin in 2027 and will take approximately 24 months.
Expected Opening: 2029
Phase 1 Includes:
There will be a Phase 1A that will be the construction of a condominium building (in light green).
Phase 2 Includes:
Please fill out and submit this form and click on “I am Interested in Offering Professional Services” with a short message about your services and business website. Your business information will be routed to the appropriate team.
Providing opportunities to support and grow Minority- and Women-Owned businesses (MWBEs) is vital to the Esplanade and the economic health of our region. Esplanade will exceed the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh’s MWBE participation goals. If your company is a certified MWBE, we encourage you to learn more about partnership opportunities.
The phonetic spelling of Esplanade is: /ˈes.plə.nɑːd/
An alternative pronunciation is: ess-pluh-nod
Although many cities have Ferris wheels, Pittsburgh has a special claim to it! The inventor of the Ferris wheel, George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr., was not just a resident of Pittsburgh, but was a North Sider!
Ferris, who lived in the Mexican War Streets, was the engineer who invented the giant revolving wheel. The original that was created for the 1893 World Columbian Exposition in Chicago was 250-feet in diameter. Ferris wheels have delighted people all over the world for over 130 years. His hometown, which has one of the most beautiful views in the country, will now celebrate his legacy with our own wheel.
Esplanade’s Ferris wheel will be approximately 60-meters (approximately 200-feet) in diameter and sit on top of a two-story building, setting riders over 250-feet over the Ohio River to offer views of the beautiful Downtown nestled among the mountains at the confluence of our three rivers. The Ferris wheel will have enclosed, climate-controlled closed cabs that will hold groups of people and operate year-round.
Yes! A significant portion the Esplanade will be public space. Green and public space will also include the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, the four-seasons garden at the Current, amphitheater, spray park/ice skating ribbon, green infrastructure, and the riverfront.
The Three Rivers Heritage Trail is an important feature of the Esplanade!
The part of the trail that goes through the Esplanade currently sees daily traffic year-round including families, visitors, neighbors, and commuters. Right now, trail users can’t see the river at Esplanade’s part of the trail. The trail enhancements will relocate it closer to the river on a boardwalk-style track with space for cyclists and pedestrians. The invasive vegetation along the riverbank will be replaced with native vegetation that won’t block your view. The trail will also be widened with designated areas to safely accommodate cyclists and pedestrians.
Of course, there will be spaces for trail users to stop and visit the Esplanade. Enhancements will ensure that all trail users have a safe, clear, and fun recreation experience whether they choose to bike, walk, or run. While trail improvements are scheduled to happen early in construction to minimize disruption to users, there will be some temporary re-routing for safety reasons, which will be posted and clearly marked.
The Three Rivers Heritage Trail is an amazing amenity, connecting riverfronts throughout Pittsburgh for bicyclists, runners, hikers, and pedestrians. It links to the Great Allegheny Passage, a trail going from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Maryland through Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands.
Esplanade is a destination for everyone! Families can enjoy the open, public green space throughout the project. Together you can enjoy the riverfront, explore native plantings, learn more about the green stormwater ponds, have a picnic, or ride bikes along the Three Rivers Heritage Trail.
There will be more family-friendly experiences throughout the Esplanade, like taking in the view of our beautiful city on the Ferris wheel or enjoying the splash park in warm months that becomes an ice skating ribbon in the cold months. The whole family can go shopping, grab a bite, see a show at the amphitheater, and experience state-of-the-art interactive family entertainment together.
When we say that this is a project where everyone can thrive together, we mean everyone!
Esplanade is guided on the principle of promoting holistic sustainability for businesses, residents, neighbors, and the greater region. So, the design thoughtfully considers the effects of energy and carbon, transportation and mobility, economic health, health and wellness, and water. Esplanade is expected to be LEED certified.
For example, the stormwater will be treated on site, rather than going into the regional treatment system. Green infrastructure such as natural pools throughout the green space are a design feature that can be interactive and educational. Other sustainability features will be incorporated into the buildings.
Esplanade will have a state-of-the-art, full-service marina with a public pier, houseboats, river safety facility, and both annual and visitor slips for docking boats. Fill out this form to learn more when the marina is further along!
Please send your ideas in a message on this form. Your idea will be routed to the appropriate team for consideration!
Looking to wake up over the tides of the Ohio River? Esplanade will have different living opportunities with two apartment buildings, one condominium building, and houseboats.
The first apartment building will be built in Phase 1 and could have up to 300 units. These apartments will have varying rents from affordable to families making 80% of the area median income to high-end luxury. The houseboats are expected in Phase 1 as well and could potentially be for sale, lease, or short-term lease.
The condominium building will be built in Phase 1a and will have approximately 100 units.
The second apartment building will be built in Phase 2 and is expected to have approximately 300 units. If you are interested in living at Esplanade, fill out this form.
Example of houseboats from The Cove, a houseboat community in Wilmington, NC.
Pre-leasing for the first apartment building is expected to begin in 2027, several months before the building is completed. If you are interested in living in the apartments, sign up for our emails to be notified when applications will be open.
Pre-sale for condominiums are expected to begin in 2026. If you are interested in purchasing a condo, sign up for our emails to be notified when pre-sale will begin.
All kinds! Esplanade will have a mix of businesses and attractions to be a destination for visitors and neighbors alike.
While the businesses haven’t yet been determined, there will be a blend of local and national retail, food and beverage, and entertainment businesses. It will be a mix of the fun that makes Pittsburgh great, reliable favorites, and concepts that haven’t even been invented yet!
There will be community retail that you’d see in other neighborhoods such as a grocery store, bank, pharmacy and other shops or services that can be used by residents, neighbors, and visitors.
Other businesses could include world-class dining, recreation retailers, event spaces, retail, health and wellness practitioners, family-friendly restaurants, and experience-based entertainment. There will also be business incubator spaces for local entrepreneurs to try out new retail or culinary concepts. If you’re interested in learning more about leasing opportunities, fill out this form.
Yes! Esplanade is seeking a diverse group of businesses to contribute to the vibrancy of the project. If you’re interested in leasing space, please fill out this form.
Esplanade’s cost is estimated at $740 million total for both phases. Esplanade will be a place where everyone can get together, grow together, work together, experience together, and thrive together! So, $740 million is an investment in both the physical space and the community and regional economic benefits that Esplanade will create.
The investment in physical space will bring housing, entertainment, retail, dining, and more. It will also include investing in services to the site like architecture, permits, engineers, buildings, landscaping, hiring talent for diverse levels of jobs, new utilities, restoring the riverbank, enhancing the Three Rivers Heritage trail, taxes, workforce training programs, and more.
This investment will result in supporting jobs on- and off-site, creating new jobs, paying taxes to support local government and schools, and other economic impacts like $997.5 million in annual spending in the greater Pittsburgh region.
If you want to learn more about Esplanade’s economic impact, check out the Pennsylvania Economy League of Greater Pittsburgh’s economic impact study.
The Pennsylvania Economy League of Greater Pittsburgh, an affiliate of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, has produced a third-party economic impact study to calculate how the project will impact the region. They used the nationally-recognized IMPLAN model to predict the impact Esplanade will have on jobs, industries, spending, and contributions to the gross regional product and economies.
The figure featured in the previous question is a small snapshot of the information generated by the Economy League. Click here to read the study.
According to the Pennsylvania Economy League of Greater Pittsburgh, Esplanade will support around 9,300 regional jobs during the six-year construction and 4,500 permanent jobs both on- and off-site.
Esplanade will pay new tax revenues that will significantly increase the tax base for the City of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Public Schools, Allegheny County, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. For Real Estate Taxes alone, Esplanade will increase the tax generation from $80,000 to $8 million annually. When Esplanade’s taxes are paid to the respective governments, they can be reinvested in public services and infrastructure.
Within the Transit Revitalization Investment District, or TRID, a percentage of the new tax revenues will be pledged to funding critical infrastructure, affordable housing, public space improvements, and community investments in the TRID District and the adjacent Manchester neighborhood. In addition to the percentage of real estate taxes immediately going to the taxing bodies, the taxing bodies will enjoy all of the payroll taxes, real estate transfer taxes, and hotel taxes.
Although the TRID is a complex process, it does not take any existing taxpayer money from the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, or Pittsburgh Public Schools to be used on the Esplanade site. Esplanade will only create and add new tax revenues.
The Transit Revitalization Investment District (TRID) is an economic development tool that provides investment of new future tax revenue to the local government, the local neighborhood, and the development project. The TRID will provide funding for the neighboring community to help fund affordable housing, infrastructure, transit improvements, and more community investments.
The TRID will be managed and administered by the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (URA). It will be funded by pledging a portion of new tax revenue generated by Esplanade to be reinvested in both the Esplanade project and the Manchester neighborhood.
There are other taxes that Esplanade will pay in full including payroll taxes, real estate transfer taxes, and hotel taxes.
The greater District is eligible to accept projects within its boundaries to participate for forty years.
In addition to the commitments to responsible development through inclusion, equity, physical reconnection, MWBE participation, community amenities, green space, sustainability, and more, the TRID will help deliver additional community priorities.
A portion of the TRID will help fund critical improvements to take the Esplanade from a constrained industrial space to a beautiful riverfront community that will be enjoyed by all. Another portion of the TRID will help fund priorities that Esplanade shares with the community like developing affordable housing in both Esplanade and Manchester, studying transit network improvements, updating safer pedestrian access between Manchester and Chateau, and more.
Although the TRID is a complex process, it does not take any existing taxpayer money from the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, or Pittsburgh Public Schools to be used on the Esplanade site. Esplanade will only create and add new tax revenues for local taxing bodies.
No residential displacement is expected since there are no permanent residents on the Esplanade site. In the 2020 U.S. Census, there were 19 residents reported in the entire Chateau neighborhood.
There are some businesses currently operating on the site of Esplanade, but the Piatt Companies team has been working with them, and is available, to assist with relocation.
No. Any tax millage increases in the surrounding communities are not directly related to the Esplanade. In fact, Esplanade will generate only new tax revenue for the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, and Pittsburgh Public Schools.
Yes, there are programs available to homeowners through local governments and nonprofits. The City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County offer real estate tax relief programs for those who qualify in owner-occupied homes, including the Homestead Exemption and the Senior Tax Relief program.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (URA) has various resources for owners and renters to help them stay in their homes through the Housing Opportunity Fund and additional housing resources as well.
If neighbors have more immediate needs, they can contact the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania online or by calling 211 to be connected with organizations that provide needed resources.
The Esplanade project is committed to generating community benefits that encompass a significant number of potential development sites beyond the project boundary as well as our TRID. The project will generate additional regional benefits through tax revenues and job creation, which will bolster industries as well as public and household revenues.
The Pennsylvania Economy League , an affiliate of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, used the latest IMPLAN Economic Impact Model to determine the impact the project will have on the Southwestern Pennsylvania Economy.
380 Southpointe Blvd
Ste 400
Canonsburg, PA 15317
724-229-8800
260 Forbes Avenue
Ste 1550
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
412-471-1604
