As workers scramble to finish upscale student high-rise in Pittsburgh, college students scattered in temporary housing

Hailey Garza, a Carnegie Mellon University sophomore, envisioned herself this fall in luxury high-rise student housing just off campus on Forbes Avenue — a complex with a 24-hour fitness center, coffee bar and hot tub.

Instead, she’s in Shadyside — in a basement Airbnb that sometimes has a subterranean smell — not exactly sure when she must pack up her belongings and move again.

The privately owned complex where she and others signed a lease to live, Here Pittsburgh, still plans to offer the high-end amenities that caught the eye of the 19-year-old from Buckeye, Ariz.

But the 10-story complex’s completion is now weeks behind schedule. Her move-in date on the seventh floor has been pushed back to sometime in mid-to-late October.

Garza learned in late July by email that the building wouldn’t be ready to occupy — weeks before she and her parents planned to be in Pittsburgh to move her in Aug. 25. Classes at Carnegie Mellon began Monday, three days later.

“I was definitely bummed a lot because I’m the kind of person who has an entire Pinterest board full of apartment ideas. And I was so ready to get into my own place,” she said.

It was to be “my first adult move,” Garza said.

“For my parents, I’m their oldest daughter, so it’s their first time being able to move one of their kids into their first apartment,” she said. “It was to be a big milestone for them as well.”

It’s not clear exactly how many students from local universities are waiting to move in to Here Pittsburgh, though the building with large windows overlooking Forbes between McKee Place and Semple Street appears capable of housing hundreds.

The structure is still largely fenced off, and workers Friday were busy finishing the sidewalk and doing other work with construction equipment stationed nearby.

Property manager Morgan Cotner referred an inquiry from the Tribune-Review to the communications team for developer CA Ventures, and the firm’s regional director, Sara Glenn. Neither immediately responded. Its website indicates business addresses in Chicago and abroad.

Asked in a follow-up email about the building’s occupancy, Cotner replied, “I apologize but I’ve been instructed by my corporate team to refrain from responding to any media inquiries.”

A person answering the phone at Here Pittsburgh said the building in the 3500 block of Forbes was developed by CA Ventures and its student housing unit. The company’s website showcases upscale student housing in a number of cities, among them State College, Minneapolis, Chicago, Iowa City, Reno, Nev., among others.

On Friday, Garza shared correspondence from the company, which acknowledged the delay and offered options.

“Regrettably, there were unforeseen and unavoidable delays that impacted the delivery schedule of the building,” one correspondence stated. “However, the development team and construction are working tirelessly and have assured us they are doing everything they can to get the remaining construction completed as quickly as possible.”

The company offered students two options:

Seek their own accommodations, receive a $150 gift card per day provided until move-in, and a rent abatement until move-in.

Or, they could accept alternate housing in the city provided by Here Pittsburgh until move-in, pay rent as spelled out in their lease, and receive a $40 gift card per day.

Here Pittsburgh advertises everything from three-bedroom to studios, and on its website says they are “Classic, cool, and edgy. Here Pittsburgh reimagines off-campus apartment living with modern amenities and premium living spaces. Coming Fall 2023.”

Garza chose a studio apartment for $1,650 a month.

“It’s got a full-size bed, flat screen TV, and a fully equipped kitchen,” she said. “New hardwood floors, very nice countertops. It’s all brand new.”

Garza bought a bike so she can travel to and from campus. She is coping with a basement smell at times, but she remains optimistic. She said that if she can get into the apartment, she’ll be happy, noting that her family’s home is 1950s construction, a far cry from the brand new construction and amenities of Here Pittsburgh.

“On the patio, there’s a fire pit, there’s a TV, there’s couches, there’s a hot tub. And then inside, there’s a coffee bar,” said Garza, who plans to study lighting design. “They also do dog grooming in there for some reason. I don’t know why, but that’s a thing.”

Officials at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon, the two largest campuses in the Oakland area, said they had limited information about the situation as neither is involved in the off-campus project. Neither could say how many of their students are affected.

“We are here to support our students who may be impacted by this situation,” said Pitt spokesman Jared Stonesifer. “Anyone wishing to contact the University about this matter is encouraged to email deanofstudents@pitt.edu to connect with staff.”

At Carnegie Mellon, spokesman Peter Kerwin said, “Our student housing officials had not heard about this and have not been contacted by any students impacted by the delays there. We don’t have a sanctioned off-campus housing list, but do offer a page on our website for off-campus housing resources.”

Dawn Wolford of Coopersburg, Lehigh County, said her son, Aidan, 20, a Pitt junior and pre-law student, was able to find accommodations at a Residence Inn in Oakland, but others are scattered in hotels elsewhere, including Downtown.

She had to make the 4½-hour drive from her home to Oakland because her son is too young to check himself into a hotel. She expects another trip back when her son and others finally move in, floor-by-floor, but that could be from late September to mid-October.

“We really don’t know,” she said.

“Having to chase down answers, and getting partial answers and incomplete answers and sometimes incorrect answers is wildly frustrating,” she said.