More apartments planned at former Allegheny County health building site in Oakland

A major redevelopment of the former Allegheny County Health Department building in Oakland has undergone big changes, with nearly all office space eliminated in favor of more apartments.

MWK Forbes LLC, the team behind the redevelopment, has ditched plans for 50,000 square feet of office space as part of the Forbes Avenue development and will add another 59 apartments instead, bringing the total number of units to 389.

Gary Wilson, one of the partners in MWK Forbes, said the team decided to drop the office space when it was unable to find anyone willing to sign on in advance of construction despite the tight Oakland office market. MWK wanted such a commitment before it got started on the work.

Tenants wont lease before the space is completed. We werent willing to be speculative on the office space, he said.

With the extra space, MWK decided to increase the number of apartments to be built as part of the project. It is partnering with Ambling University Development Group a Valdosta, Ga., firm that specializes in student housing to construct the units.

Mr. Wilson said the demand for apartments appears to be strong. Market studies indicated that the biggest audience for the units could be graduate students and others in the 22- to 30-year-old age group.

MWK is leaning toward luxury with the apartments. Plans call for a sky lounge and a terrace deck with grass, trees and planters. There also will be a fitness center, but plans for a swimming pool were dropped. Rental rates have yet to be established.

The overall redevelopment, expected to cost in excess of $50 million, also will feature a 138-room limited service hotel and a 363-space parking garage, with another 131 spaces dedicated to bicycles. Mr. Wilson said MWK is looking at an extended stay hotel, particularly given the nearby hospitals and universities in Oakland.

City planning commission members will be briefed on the project at their meeting next week.

The development they will review differs markedly from the one presented at a community meeting in Oakland last spring. At that time, MWK was proposing a 330-unit apartment building, a 50,000-square-foot office building, and a 125- to 150-room hotel, plus 5,000 square feet of retail space and parking for 400 cars.

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More apartments planned at former Allegheny County health building site in Oakland