• Two science labs on the University of Pittsburgh campus have received preliminary approval for renovation by the Pitt Trustee Property and Facilities Committee. One lab is the Chevron Science Center, involving about 7,500 square feet of the first floor, where a new general chemistry lab will be added and modernization of the first-floor instructional lab will be included. Estimated cost is $3.9 million. The other lab is the Starzl Biomedical Science Tower 10th-floor east laboratory, where about 25,000 square feet will be renovated to consolidate and expand research activities of the Department of Immunology in the School of Medicine. The $9.7 million project will create a modern, open laboratory space with associated support spaces, including modernizing utility distribution systems.
• Damon Weiss will seek approval on Thursday from the Pittsburgh Zoning Board of Adjustment for an 11,000-square-foot, three-story addition to a structure at 2600 Morange Road, East Carnegie, owned by the Catholic Institute of Pittsburgh, for use as housing for the elderly. Pittsburgh Rugby Association LLC will continue its request to expand a restaurant at 40 S. 22nd St., South Side, with a two-story addition at the rear, while Robert Polk wants to use 3,000 square feet of a building at 6101 Broad St., East Liberty, as a club. Carlysle Associates LP will seek approval to use a two-story structure at 2715 Sarah St., South Side, as a real estate office.
• The former Kuhn Office building in Indigo Square along Broad Street in East Liberty now has two tenants — Alphalab Gear, which leased 10,000 square feet, and Repair the World, with 5,000 square feet. The three-story building at 6024 Broad St. has 30,341 square feet. Paul Horan and Mark Anderson of Colliers International/Pittsburgh represented the tenants. The Wedgewood Group is the owner.
• Following the opening of a new Penn Station East Coast Subs restaurant at 808 Liberty Ave., Downtown, the franchise owners — Jon Keidel, his son, Denny, and John Adams — are planning five to seven more in this area by 2016. They would like to expand into Fox Chapel, Carnegie, Mt. Lebanon, Whitehall and Forest Hills if someone expresses interest in becoming a franchise owner. The Downtown location is the third for the restaurant; the others are at 4815 Centre Ave., Oakland, and 4203 William Penn Highway, Monroeville.
• Trader Joe's has made it official. It will open its third store in the Pittsburgh region in 2014 in the McCandless Crossing complex, McCandless, at the intersection of McKnight Road and Duncan Avenue. It has leased about 11,500 square feet. Other Trader Joe's stores are in East Liberty and Mt. Lebanon.
• Marshall's has joined the retailers at Washington Crown Center, in Washington County, which contains more than 60 specialty retailers, including American Eagle Outfitters, Bath & Body Works, Finish Line, GameStop, Kay Jewelers, Victoria's Secret and Hot Topic. It joins Macy's, Sears, Bon-Ton, Gander Mountain and Hollywood Theaters. The center is owned, managed and leased by Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust, with Michael Joyce as general manager.
• Dallas Airmotive Inc., headquartered in Dallas, which has had one of its turbine engine centers at the Washington County Airport since 2008, is expanding its space there from 5,500 to 8,800 square feet. The local center has five employees, but service manager Jason Chambers said additional workers are expected to be added. Work done at the closed Millvale, N.J., center has been transferred to Washington County, but no personnel from there have relocated to the area, he said.
•All-Clad Metalcrafters' B3 Cockware line has been included in many Bed Bath & Beyond stores, with the local store in the Waterfront, Homestead, handling the product.
• Construction of a Goodwill store in Heidelberg is under way, with a January 2014 opening by Burns and Scalo Real Estate. It will contain sustainable products that will be measured and managed through Class-G to determine its substainability. The store will represent the new look of Goodwill, said Robert Stape, vice president of retail. It will be a modern, energy-efficient facility, he said. The 14,500-square-foot store, employing 20 to 30, will have about 9,000 square feet of sales floor space and a drive-through, canopy-covered donation drop-off center.
• Colonial Modern Furniture is closing its outlet store at 4921 Clairton Blvd. in the Baldwin-Whitehall area, following the sale of the building, but keeping open its flagship store at 2810 Washington Road, McMurray.
— Sam Spatter
