Developers eye potential of Oakland-area building

With potential tenants continuing to show interest in locating in or near Pittsburgh's already cramped Oakland neighborhood, developers are eyeing properties in the fringe areas of Oakland as well as nearby areas such as Shadyside and East Liberty.

The latest evidence comes with the recent purchase of the Charles Building complex at 4709 Baum Blvd. in the city's 8th Ward.

Baum Boulevard Associates, a unit of McKnight Development of Pittsburgh, paid $2 million to acquire the two-building, 112,000-square-foot complex from Richard J. Halpern and Irving J. Halpern (Halpern Family CBI Shareholders).

The McKnight company is headed by members of the Rudolph family, who have been prominent in local real estate development. Their projects have included a partnership with the members of the Perlow family in purchase and rehabilitation of the former Gimbels Department Store building in the city's Downtown, where the Heinz North America is relocating its headquarters.

Plans for the Charles Building complex include renovation to market the space to office tenants, said William Rudolph, who is partner in McKnight Development with his brother, Jim Rudolph.

The larger of the two adjoining buildings, a three-level, 66,000-square-foot structure with frontage on Baum Boulevard, is vacant, according to Edward P. Doran, senior vice president with the Grubb & Ellis Co., a city-based commercial real estate firm. The smaller building, a 46,000-square-foot building with an entrance off Maripoe Street, is occupied by two tenants, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board and West Penn Hospital, which uses the lower level for storage space.

Doran, who handled negotiations for the sale with fellow Grubb & Ellis broker Michelle Keane Domeisen, said the property has attracted significant interest from tenants looking for office space, studio space or laboratory space. He believes the location would be attractive for technology companies looking to be close to the universities in Oakland or tenants connected to the hospital and medical facilities centered in that section of the city.

'This site has good accessibility to both Oakland and downtown, and what has made it attractive is that it has a lot of parking, with 136 spaces,' he said.

Tenant sought in Penn Township

Separately, Grubb & Ellis is marketing space for sublease at the Beacon Auto Parts distribution center in Westmoreland County Industrial Park III in Penn Township.

Doran and John C. Bilyak, Grubb & Ellis industrial specialist, are in charge of finding new tenants for the 66,000-square-foot Beacon-Carquest Building at 6013 Enterprise Drive.

Beacon plans to move its distribution operation to Buffalo, N.Y., sometime this month, according to Doran. The building, which is on a 6.67-acre site, includes 50,000 square feet of warehouse space, 12,000 square feet of office/showroom space, and 4,000 square feet of flammable storage space.

The property also has room for a 25,000 square feet of potential expansion for the existing building.

Showroom construction under way

Kacin Contractors has begun construction of a new facility for Langston Subaru (formerly Bianchi Subaru) at 4916 William Penn Highway in Murrysville, the intersection of McClure and Cavitt roads.

The 17,000-square-foot showroom is planned to be finished by late November. Adjacent will be a 300-car lot, all built on a nine-acre parcel.

Hanna acquires Vandergrift firm

Howard Hanna Real Estate Services recently acquired E.T. Petrosky Inc. at 152 Washington Ave. in Vandergrift. The acquisition will merge sales agents at the two companies into Howard Hanna's Apollo and Allegheny Valley offices.

E.T. Petrosky broker/owner/realtor Elaine T. Petrosky, a 40-year industry veteran, has operated E.T. Petrosky for the past seven years.

This latest deal marks Howard Hanna's ninth acquisition since 2000. Those acquired were: EMM Realty in Canfield, Ohio; Century 21 Scharf Realty and Kay Sauers Realtors, both in Erie; Apollo Realty in Armstrong County; Coldwell Banker Smith Realty in Butler County; ELM Realty in Washington County; the Seven Fields development; and Hawthorne Homes in Butler County.

Howard W. Hanna III, company president and chief executive officer, said he expects to announce two more acquisitions by the end of the summer.

Office park being built

Construction is under way on the Copperleaf Corporate Centre, an office park at the intersection of Route 19 and Wallace Road in Pine Township.

The center will consist of seven to 10 buildings, each three stories tall and offering about 36,000 to 40,000 square feet of office space. Building exteriors will be brick with glass atrium entrances. Well-lit parking lots with crosswalks will surround the buildings.

Copperleaf is owned by Stonewood East Partners II, a North Hills-based investment group that also developed the Stonewood East complex at Route 19 and Cloverdale Road in Wexford.

Ehrman Farms begins new phase

Coldwell Banker Real Estate Pittsburgh announced the start of construction at Ehrman Farms Phase V in Cranberry Township.

Home packages for the 46 lots start at $290,000. Ten qualified builders have been selected by the property's developers, Ehrman Farms Ltd.

When the development is finished, Ehrman Farms will consist of nine phases, 263 homes sites and 91 acres of natural, open space. The plan includes a lake with a fountain, sidewalks in the common areas, picnic areas, playgrounds, walking trails and an athletic field.

Zambrano building for Fay

Zambrano Corp. recently broke ground for construction of the headquarters of the Joseph B. Fay Co. at Rockpointe Business Airpark in West Deer Township. The project entails construction of two buildings on a six-acre parcel.

The Joseph B. Fay Co., which has offices in Pittsburgh and Maryland, performs construction-related utility, highway and bridge work.

Franklin Park building available

Howard Hanna Real Estate Services' Hanna Commercial unit is offering space for lease in the final building at the Franklin Park Corporate Center on Brandt School Road, half a mile from the Wexford exit of Interstate 79 north in the North Hills.

The 48,000-square-foot structure was designed by Indovina Associates Architects and built by Landau Building Co. The building can accommodate single or multiple tenants and the site features indoor parking.

The center's first building was finished in 1989. Two more followed, one in 1995 and the third in 2000. All three are fully occupied.

Bruce McClellan of Hanna Commercial is the center's exclusive leasing agent.

Northwood holding career seminars

Northwood Realty Co./Better Homes & Gardens will host career breakfast seminars from 10 to 11 a.m. on Aug. 11 at various Northwood offices in the region.

Those interested in locations and other information should call 800-837-3906.

Bank building being converted

The West End Bank building is being converted into a three-story office building with modern features.

The property is located at the corner of Wabash and Main streets in Pittsburgh's West End. Each floor consists of about 6,000 square feet and the parking lot, set to be resurfaced, provides space for about 80 cars.

Included in the structure's renovation is a new heating and air conditioning unit, a new elevator, and new plumbing, electrical systems and windows.

National City Bank has already committed to a long-term lease to occupy space in the building.

Ron DaParma is the Tribune-Review's real estate writer.