Proposed $500M Bakery Square expansion on track for council vote

A $500 million proposal to expand the Bakery Square development in Pittsburgh’s East End is inching forward nearly a year after it earned approval from the Planning Commission.

City Council on Tuesday held a public hearing on the matter, a required step before council can vote on the legislation that would expand the special zoning district to allow Bakery Square to grow.

Now, council will be able to move ahead with scheduling an initial vote on the measure.

“This is a project that’s truly transformational,” said Councilman Khari Mosley, D-Point Breeze, whose district includes Bakery Square.

Pittsburgh-based developer Walnut Capital in 2009 opened the first phase of Bakery Square, which currently spans 20 acres in Pittsburgh’s Larimer and Shadyside neighborhoods. Walnut Capital is looking to extend office, residential and retail development to another 14 acres it owns in Larimer and East Liberty adjacent to the existing development.

Situated on the site of a former Nabisco plant, Bakery Square is home to a Google office, restaurants, shops and other amenities.

The Planning Commission in early September recommended council approve legislation to allow the sprawling development to expand.

Walnut Capital wants to prioritize pedestrian access and install new bus shelters as it grows its flagship development, said Jonathan Kamin, an attorney for the developer.

“This is not just about bricks and mortar,” said Donna Jackson, executive director of Larimer Consensus Group, a grassroots organization representing neighborhood interests. “This is about creating jobs, improving public spaces, reconnecting our communities to opportunities.”

The community, she said, has worked with Walnut Capital to ensure the project would prioritize what residents wanted to see in their community, which has historically seen disinvestment.

“Larimer’s ready to move forward,” she said.

Jackson said the community didn’t “rubber stamp” the development but carefully negotiated a deal that ensured residents would benefit.

Walnut Capital has pledged to help fund a $25 million effort to build or rehabilitate 100 affordable homes in the city’s East End — with a focus on Larimer — as part of a community benefits deal tied to the expansion.

Some have criticized the development, arguing it could displace current residents.

But no one offered negative feedback during Tuesday’s hearing.

“Larimer has carried the weight of blight for decades,” said Deanna Davis, vice chair of the Larimer Consensus Group.

The development and benefits agreement proposed by Walnut Capital, she said, “is not perfect, but it’s real.”

“It’s about setting a new precedent for what community development can look like,” Davis said.