{"id":24693,"date":"2026-09-15T17:17:06","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T17:17:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=24693"},"modified":"2026-09-15T17:17:06","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T17:17:06","slug":"in-1998-pittsburghs-last-operating-steel-mill-closed-leaving-178-riverfront-acres-vacant-28-years-later-700000-sq-ft-has-been-built-or-is-underway-for-robotics-biotech-housing-and-parks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=24693","title":{"rendered":"In 1998, Pittsburgh&#8217;s last operating steel mill closed, leaving 178 riverfront acres vacant; 28 years later, 700,000 sq ft has been built or is underway for robotics, biotech, housing and parks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-134260671,imgsize-257002,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/the-new-cmu-robotics-innovation-center-sits-in-the-foreground-with-new-housing-development-under-construction-behind-it-and-the-us-steel-community-football-field-visible-in-the-background.jpg\" alt=\"In 1998, Pittsburgh's last operating steel mill closed, leaving 178 riverfront acres vacant; 28 years later, 700,000 sq ft has been built or is underway for robotics, biotech, housing and parks\" title=\"The new CMU Robotics Innovation Center sits in the foreground, with new housing development under construction behind it and the U.S. Steel Community football field visible in the background.\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"The new CMU Robotics Innovation Center sits in the foreground, with new housing development under construction behind it and the U.S. Steel Community football field visible in the background.\">The new CMU Robotics Innovation Center sits in the foreground, with new housing development under construction behind it and the U.S. Steel Community football field visible in the background.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>For decades, 178 acres along the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh remained largely vacant after the collapse of the steel industry. The site was once home to the Jones &amp; Laughlin Steel Pittsburgh Works, one of the city&#8217;s major steel-making sites.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"2\"\/>The steel works closed in the 1980s as the steel industry declined, leaving the Hazelwood Green property unused for decades, according to Axios. Most of the old industrial structures were demolished in the 2000s, while preparations for a new development began in the 2010s.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"4\"\/>The redevelopment has taken time to gather pace. One of the first major projects was Mill 19, which was renovated and opened in 2019 as a tech-flex office space. <!-- -->However, development slowed for several years after that.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"9\"\/>Now, Hazelwood Green is seeing a new wave of construction, with robotics, life sciences, housing, sports and public spaces becoming part of the former industrial site. Developers say around 700,000 square feet has been developed or is currently being built since 2022.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"11\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>Robotics and biotech projects<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"13\"\/>Carnegie Mellon University&#8217;s Robotics Innovation Center opened at Hazelwood Green this year. The facility is now one of the main features of the developing neighbourhood and is located next to a public plaza and park.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"17\"\/>Pitt&#8217;s BioForge facility is also set to open this autumn. It will join the growing group of technology and life science projects at the site, including Mill 19.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"19\"\/>Several technology companies already have offices in Hazelwood Green. These include life science company ElevateBio, artificial intelligence company Hellbender and autonomous vehicle company Motional.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"22\"\/>The development is also moving beyond offices and research facilities. Woodlawn Lofts, the first apartment complex at Hazelwood Green, is under construction, with its first phase expected to open in December.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"24\"\/>The complex will have 160 residential units. These will include market-rate homes, affordable homes for low-income residents and units reserved for single parents who are working towards their degrees.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"27\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>700,000 square feet developed<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"29\"\/>The scale of the recent construction is considerably larger than the development seen during the first phase of the project.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"31\"\/>According to Tishman Speyer managing director Austin Gelbard, around 250,000 square feet was developed at Hazelwood Green between 2010 and 2022. Since 2022, around 700,000 square feet has been developed or is in the process of being built.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"33\"\/>The change is also visible in the site&#8217;s public spaces. The Hazelwood Green park hosted movie nights this summer, bringing visitors to an area that was previously known mainly for its industrial past.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"36\"\/><\/p>\n<div data-pos=\"0\" class=\"id-r-component iIpbx undefined  &#10;        \">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Hazelwood Green park hosted movie nights this summer\" msid=\"134260698\" imgsize=\"206680\" resizemode=\"4\" width=\"\" title=\"The Hazelwood Green park hosted movie nights this summer\" placeholdersrc=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/83033472.cms\" offsetvertical=\"0\" placeholdermsid=\"47529300\" type=\"thumb\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/imgsize-206680,msid-134260698\/the-hazelwood-green-park-hosted-movie-nights-this-summer.jpg\" data-api-prerender=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The Hazelwood Green park hosted movie nights this summer<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"38\"\/>The U.S. Steel Community Field has also started being used. It hosted its first high school football game recently, giving thousands of people a look at the developing neighbourhood.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"40\"\/>Gelbard said the public plaza and park next to the Robotics Innovation Center are expected to help shape Lytle Street as Hazelwood Green&#8217;s main street as more retail and housing are added.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"42\"\/>&#8220;We want to bring folks down to the site for something fun. There hasn&#8217;t always been a reason to visit Hazelwood Green.&#8221;<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"45\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>More housing, technology and retail planned<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>Despite the recent construction, a large part of Hazelwood Green is still waiting to be developed.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"49\"\/>There are 58 acres of mixed-use space available at the southern end of the site. Gelbard said this area could eventually include more technology companies, light-industrial businesses and retail.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"52\"\/>The northern end has space for around 1,200 multifamily housing units, adding significantly to the residential development already under construction.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"55\"\/>The project has received support from several philanthropic groups. Gelbard said hundreds of millions of dollars have been donated by organisations including the Richard King Mellon Foundation, U.S. Steel and the Heinz Endowments to help drive development in the neighbourhood.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"57\"\/>Another small park is expected to open next month near the entrance to the U.S. Steel Community Field. According to Gelbard, it will act as an entrance to Hazelwood Green and help connect the development with Second Avenue in Hazelwood.<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/world\/us\/in-1998-pittsburghs-last-operating-steel-mill-closed-leaving-178-riverfront-acres-vacant-28-years-later-700000-sq-ft-has-been-built-or-is-underway-for-robotics-biotech-housing-and-parks\/articleshow\/134259729.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The new CMU Robotics Innovation Center sits in the foreground, with new housing development under construction behind it and the U.S. Steel Community football field visible in the background. For decades, 178 acres along the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh remained largely vacant after the collapse of the steel industry. The site was once home to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24694,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/the-new-cmu-robotics-innovation-center-sits-in-the-foreground-with-new-housing-development-under-con-150x150.avif","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/the-new-cmu-robotics-innovation-center-sits-in-the-foreground-with-new-housing-development-under-con-300x169.avif","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/the-new-cmu-robotics-innovation-center-sits-in-the-foreground-with-new-housing-development-under-con.avif","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/the-new-cmu-robotics-innovation-center-sits-in-the-foreground-with-new-housing-development-under-con.avif","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/the-new-cmu-robotics-innovation-center-sits-in-the-foreground-with-new-housing-development-under-con.avif","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/the-new-cmu-robotics-innovation-center-sits-in-the-foreground-with-new-housing-development-under-con.avif","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/the-new-cmu-robotics-innovation-center-sits-in-the-foreground-with-new-housing-development-under-con.avif","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/the-new-cmu-robotics-innovation-center-sits-in-the-foreground-with-new-housing-development-under-con.avif","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/the-new-cmu-robotics-innovation-center-sits-in-the-foreground-with-new-housing-development-under-con.avif","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/the-new-cmu-robotics-innovation-center-sits-in-the-foreground-with-new-housing-development-under-con.avif","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/the-new-cmu-robotics-innovation-center-sits-in-the-foreground-with-new-housing-development-under-con.avif","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/the-new-cmu-robotics-innovation-center-sits-in-the-foreground-with-new-housing-development-under-con.avif","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/the-new-cmu-robotics-innovation-center-sits-in-the-foreground-with-new-housing-development-under-con.avif","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/the-new-cmu-robotics-innovation-center-sits-in-the-foreground-with-new-housing-development-under-con.avif"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"The new CMU Robotics Innovation Center sits in the foreground, with new housing development under construction behind it and the U.S. Steel Community football field visible in the background. For decades, 178 acres along the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh remained largely vacant after the collapse of the steel industry. 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