"For years, Oakland residents have expressed a desire for more housing options, as well as a grocery store — and now that wish is being granted. 

The University of Pittsburgh recently announced plans to redevelop the former Quality Inn & Suites along the Boulevard of the Allies into non-student housing. The hotel closed last year during the COVID-19 pandemic, and there are no plans to reopen it. There also are plans to incorporate a grocery store into the site, which currently houses a Panera Bread. It is undecided if the restaurant will remain open. 

University officials say they made the decision based on community feedback gathered in its Institutional Master Plan, a 444-page document dedicated to improving the Pitt community for students and residents.

Following what the university says was a competitive search process, Pitt is collaborating with Shadyside developer Walnut Capital on the hotel-to-apartment conversion. The developer is also partnering with the university for the redevelopment of the rowhouses bounded by Bates Street, Boulevard of the Allies and Zulema Street. More details regarding plans for the rowhouses, including a construction date, have not been revealed."

Read the full article here. 
Pittsburgh Magazine | Haley Daugherty