The Lexington Technology Park is a 16.5-acre site in the Point Breeze North neighborhood adjacent to Homewood Station on the Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway.
The URA issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for redevelopment of the Lexington Technology Park in March 2018. The URA received seven proposals in May 2018. A Review Committee, consisting of representatives from community organizations, elected officials, the Department of City Planning, and URA staff was established to evaluate the proposals in order to make a recommendation to the URA Board of Directors. By consensus, the Review committee recommended the Lexington Partners of Pittsburgh, LLC proposal.
Lexington Partners of Pittsburgh, LLC is a newly formed MBE-led corporation comprised of Icon Development and KBK Enterprises. Lexington Partners of Pittsburgh proposes to redevelop both the N. Homewood and N. Lexington Parcels into a mixed use, mixed income development.
At its October 11, 2018 meeting, the URA Board authorized a period of Exclusive Negotiations with Lexington Partners of Pittsburgh, LLC for the entire site. Exclusive Negotiations is the first of 3 (three) board actions in the URA’s disposition process that occur prior to the sale of the property.
N. Lexington Parcel
Lexington Technology Park is divided by N. Lexington St. The area to the east of N. Lexington street is known as the N. Lexington Parcel. The N. Lexington Parcel
is approximately 12.1 acres and is adjacent to Point Breeze North’s light industrial area.
At its March 14, 2019 meeting, the URA Board voted to accept a redevelopment proposal package and gave authorization to enter into a disposition contract with ICON Development PGH, LLC or a related entity to be formed for the sale of the N. Lexington Parcel (commercial portion) of the Lexington Technology Park. The redeveloper proposes an adaptive reuse of two existing buildings into a mix of affordable workspaces to support the creation of an integrated, innovative employment district. Both buildings will be upgraded and the existing parking on the site will be improved.
Acceptance of a proposal package and authorization to enter into a disposition contract is the second of 3 (three) URA board actions. Following this board action, URA staff will work to draft a disposition contract for the property. The developer will begin to finalize their plans and financing for the project.
Prior to the sale of the N. Lexington Parcel, the proposed development will again be presented to the URA Board for approval of final working drawings and evidence of financing and for authorization to execute the deed. Such final approvals will not include authorization to begin construction on Building Two, or authorization to begin construction on infrastructure improvements, unless designs have been sufficiently vetted with community stakeholders and URA staff.
On June 24, 2020, the URA sold the N. Lexington Parcel to ICON Lexington Partners, LLC, an related entity to Lexington Partners of Pittsburgh. ICON plans to adaptively reuse the two existing buildings into a mix of affordable workspaces to support the creation of an integrated, innovative employment district. Both buildings will be upgraded and the existing parking on the site will be improved. The work will be done in phases, starting with Building 1. Uses in the renovated buildings will range from offices geared toward technology, healthcare, and professional services, to light manufacturing, maker, artist, and studio space. The existing shell of Building 1 will be improved with new windows and the addition of a new entry and bridge on the east side of the building. Interior renovations will include improvements to the original west lobby and the addition of a new lobby and publicly accessible café space at the east end of the building. Accessibility improvements will be made to both the western and eastern building lobbies. Total project costs for all phases are estimated at $21.6 million.
The site will be connected to a larger district with flexible leasing of commercial spaces at a range of price points designed for a broad mix of tenant types and sizes.
N. Homewood Parcel
The western portion of Lexington Technology Park, between N. Homewood Ave and N. Lexington St., is known as the N. Homewood Parcel. The N. Homewood Parcel is
approximately 4.44 acres and is adjacent to Point Breeze North’s residential area. Mixed-income residential development is proposed on the N. Homewood Parcel.
Lexington Partners of Pittsburgh is continuing community outreach for the N. Homewood Parcel. Lexington Technology Park Residential Design Charrettes will be held to discuss the housing development and overall site design on April 17, May 1, and May 15, 2019 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Construction Junction.