Developers striving to create 'traditional neighborhood' in Oakmont

John F. Thompson Jr. says one of the best parts of the River's Edge area in Oakmont is something it is lacking.

“You have land along the river and no railroad tracks,” the developer says. “Where do you find that in Pittsburgh?”

The co-owner of Brooks and Blair Homes from Butler County is so certain of the site's appeal that he is putting the most expensive homes in the development right where the tracks would be.

“We're calling it Million-Dollar Row, because that is what the houses might be,” Thompson says of the strip of 12 sites.

That stretch is a small part of River's Edge, 28 acres that Brooks and Blair is developing into 180 homes with apartments, condos, single-family homes and, of course, Million-Dollar Row.

Thompson says the project could total $90 million.

Even though River's Edge is where an industrial plant used to be, the train tracks run behind it, making frontage on the Allegheny River surprisingly clear.

Thompson, who owns the firm with Dan Mancosh, says River's Edge is being constructed as a “traditional neighborhood development,” where homes are built in an urban setting that might have developed over decades a century ago.

Its nearness to the heart of Oakmont makes it even more attractive, he says.

“You can walk into town in the morning to get a little exercise and have a cup of coffee,” he says.

Ray Rogers, president of the Oakmont Chamber of Commerce, agrees. He says the borough is “definitely a walking community” and having new residents is an “asset to the community.”

He says he sees new faces in town all the time and believes it is because of the newly built Edgewater development next to River's Edge. It was developed by Kacin Cos. of Murrysville.

Both are on brownfield property that once was Edgewater Steel, which closed in 2001.

Working from that “traditional neighborhood” idea, architect Ken Doyno says he found great cooperation from Kacin in his plan to continue three avenues from their project through River's Edge.

That continuity will add to the development of the larger area as a neighborhood, Doyno says.

Thompson and Doyno, a principal at the Rothschild Doyno Collaborative in the Strip District, are equally complimentary of each other.

Thompson is excited about Doyno's layout of the homes to take advantage of sight lines and natural lighting.

Doyno, meanwhile, says Thompson and Mancosh were dedicated to “meaningful place-making and not just dropping down homes on some land.”

As an example of Doyno's approach to design, Thompson thumbs through three variants on the placement of a gym-pool area. Each one moves the sites around in various ways, but all are built around positions that take different advantages of light and elevation.

Doyno says he has been working with Thompson and Mancosh on projects for 15 years and has been “continually impressed” with their openness to plans.

River's Edge has been in the minds of the two developers since 2005 when they bought the land but didn't move ahead until grading and construction work began in 2013.

“Thank goodness we didn't do anything before 2008,” he says, referring to the economic collapse of that year.

A ceremonial ground-breaking took place Wednesday, but two sites are well on their way. One is a duplex and the other is a 35-unit apartment complex.

Thompson hopes to have the duplex done by November and believes the apartment building will be finished by April.

There are seven sub-neighborhoods in River's Edge, each featuring one of the types of homes. So the Boulevard area will have two duplex designs starting in the low-$500,000 level. The Grand Allee, meanwhile, will have single-family homes in the high-$500,000 level.

Rental rates for apartments will range from $1,800 to $2,400, he says. Condo prices are not established yet, but he estimated they could be about $300,000.

Bob Karlovits is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at bkarlovits@tribweb.com or 412-320-7852.