Riverfront Site at S 18th Street & S Riverside Mews

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Riverfront Site at S 18th Street & S Riverside Mews - South
Side Flats
9 - 15 S 18th Street and 1806 - 1830 S Riverside Mews
Pittsburgh, PA 15203
Issue Date: May 18, 2026
Site Tour and Q&A Sessions:
May 29, 2026, at noon
June 12, 2026, at noon
June 26, 2026, at noon
Proposal Due Date: July 10, 2026, at 5:00 PM EST
RFP - Riverfront Site at S 18th & S Riverside Mews
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URBAN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF PITTSBURGH
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)
Riverfront Site at S 18th Street & S Riverside Mews in the South Side Flats
Neighborhood of the City of Pittsburgh
Issued on 5/18/2026
1. OBJECTIVE
The Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (the "URA") is seeking developers and/or
development teams (each a "Redeveloper" or "Respondent") to submit a proposal for the
purchase and redevelopment of the Riverside Mews site (the "Property") located at 9 - 15
S 18th Street and 1806 - 1830 S Riverside Mews (Block 12-A, Lots 7 and 11) in the South
Side Flats neighborhood of the City of Pittsburgh, as further depicted in Exhibit "A."
The goal of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to select a qualified and economically viable
development proposal for the redevelopment of the Property.
Development teams must demonstrate capacity and depth of expertise to raise sufficient
private capital and execute delivery of a complex real estate development project.
Development proposals consistent with allowable uses and development programs under
current zoning may be considered.
2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND BACKGROUND
The Property is located at S 18th Street and S Riverside Mews. The total land area is 0.795
acres, or 34,627 square feet, and the zoning is RIV-MU (Riverfront Mixed-Use District). Click
here for more information on the Property's zoning regulations.
The Property is part of a larger parcel that the URA purchased from the Pittsburgh
Federation of Teachers in 1995. Following a 2002 request for proposals, Riverside
Development Associates, Inc., entered into a disposition contract to develop a three-phased,
48-unit townhouse development known as Riverside Mews. The first two phases, comprising
32 units, were completed and sold between 2007 and 2017. The third phase, to be located
on the Property, was never completed. Development of the Property will not be the third
phase of Riverside Mews, and the Property will neither be a part of the Riverside Mews
Homeowners Association nor have access for use of its common areas.
The Redeveloper is responsible for gaining all necessary approvals and entitlements for
their development.
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3. SALES PRICE
Parcels Acreage Sales Price
12-A-7 and 12-A-11 0.795 $1,300,000
4. NEIGHBORHOOD MARKET CONDITIONS
The South Side Flats is a highly walkable community conveniently located directly across
the river from the major economic centers of Downtown and Oakland, on flat terrain below
the hills, ridges, and valleys of south Pittsburgh. It is east of South Shore, just north of
Arlington, South Side Slopes, Allentown and Mount Washington, and it borders the
Monongahela River. The area is served by multiple bus routes and is a short distance from
the Station Square "T" light rail stop. The neighborhood has undergone transformation
over time as the former home to glass and steel factories, and historically had a strong
Eastern European cultural influence, whose heritage continues to be visible in multiple
churches throughout the neighborhood.
The neighborhood's commercial spine and primary business district is East Carson Street,
a long stretch of mixed-use buildings with ground-floor retail and upper-floor offices and
housing. A roughly 21-block stretch of East Carson Street is within aCity-designated
historic district for its Victorian architectural heritage. Preserving the district's historic
character and supporting further storefront activation by local entrepreneurs has been an
important community economic priority. The street itself is owned by PennDOT, and
recently was renovated to improve pedestrian safety. Community, public, and philanthropic
leaders have taken steps in recent years to fund a business district manager position, and
multiple new businesses and restaurants have opened in 2026. East Carson Street's
Parking Enhancement District (PED) is key to managing the area's street parking supply
during night-time hours, given the nighttime entertainment activities of the area, and PED
revenues support local clean-up and beautification efforts. A 2018-era analysis and
strategic recommendations for East Carson Street Business District is available here.
The site occupies a location along the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, which is a designated
National Recreation Trail system. This 35-mile nonlinear trail has segments on both banks
of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers within Allegheny County with access
to Pittsburgh's neighborhoods, river town business districts, and local attractions. Part of
the trail segment in South Side Flats is within the Greater Allegheny Passage trail network
that ultimately connects to Washington, D.C. The Three Rivers Heritage Trail promotes a
healthy lifestyle, is popular for recreation, provides a safe route for non-motorized
transportation, and catalyzes area tourism. The site's location at S 18th Street is one of the
few physical connections across the railroad tracks linking the western part of the
neighborhood to the riverfront trails. A report on the economic, health, and community
impacts of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail is available here.
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The South Side Flats neighborhood is home to two major grocery stores, Pittsburgh
Phillips K-5 Elementary School, two public swimming pools (Ormsby - outdoor; and Oliver
Bath House - indoor), as well as artistic, craft, athletic, civic and entertainment amenities,
businesses, and neighborhood hubs, including the South Side Works district. Master
Planning work has laid a foundation for improvements at the Armstrong and Ormsby
Parks, as well as nearby South Side Park. Recent or ongoing large-scale development
project proposals in the area have included multi-unit housing complexes at 1900-2000
Mary Street, 2100 Jane Street and 2329 Wharton Street and townhomes at 215 S 21st
Street.
A strong tradition of community-organized events and neighborhood gatherings nourishes
an active civic culture. The South Side Community Council, which serves as the
neighborhood's Registered Community Organization (RCO), and other area organizations
that have formed part of the South Side Planning Forum have shown openness to
developments of varying densities that are sensitive to the surrounding context and
architectural, social and historical character. Other priorities include preserving and
improving access to available green space and riverfront amenities, advancing
transportation and mobility improvements for multiple travel modes, thoughtfully
addressing vehicle traffic and parking demand and catalyzing shopping and foot-traffic in
the East Carson Street business district. Housing developments that attract families and
offer options and price points affordable and desirable to a diverse array of residents may
also be valued. While it is 10 years old and not a formal City-adopted neighborhood plan,
the 2016-era South Side Neighborhood Plan identifies many of the area's longstanding
community organizations' preferences related to development in the community, which
would be important to confirm again.
5. PROPERTY TOUR
Join us for site tours on the following dates:
* May 29, 2026, noon - 1 PM
* June 12, 2026, noon - 1 PM
* June 26, 2026, noon - 1 PM
6. URA INFORMATION
Established and existing under the Pennsylvania Urban Redevelopment Law, 35 P.S.
1701, et seq., the URA is the City of Pittsburgh's economic development enterprise. The
URA is committed to building a prosperous and equitable economy for all of Pittsburgh. It
helps to bridge public and private interests to invest in meaningful equitable developments
that promote housing affordability, economic mobility, entrepreneurship, and neighborhood
revitalization. The URA's work creates and sustains quality jobs, thriving neighborhoods,
healthy communities and sustainable businesses for the benefit of all Pittsburghers.
Incorporated in 1946 as one of the first redevelopment authorities in the United States, the
URA achieves its mission by assembling, preparing, and conveying sites for major mixed-
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use developments and by providing a portfolio of programs that include financing for
business location, relocation, and expansion; housing construction and rehabilitation; and
home purchases and improvements. The URA conducts these activities using unique
powers granted by the Pennsylvania Urban Redevelopment Law to deploy and attach
conditions to the use of public subsidies and the disposition of publicly owned land.
The URA is a legal entity separate and distinct from the City of Pittsburgh. The URA works
closely with the city in fulfilling its redevelopment mission.
Additional information regarding the URA may be found on the URA's website at
www.ura.org.
7. TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
A tentative schedule for the selection process is below. This schedule is subject to change
at the URA's sole discretion. If there is a schedule change, it will be posted as an addendum
on Ion Wave Technologies, the URA's online bidding platform. Redevelopers must be able
to meet the deadlines in the schedule below:
URA to publicly announce the upcoming release
of the RFP at its March Board of Directors May 14, 2026
Meeting
RFP issue date May 18, 2026
May 29, 2026
Site tours June 12, 2026
June 26, 2026
Proposal due date July 10, 2026, 5:00 PM EST
Review Committee & URA to review proposals July & August 2026
Review Committee & URA to conduct interviews
August & September 2026
with finalists
URA Board of Directors authorization to select
Quarter 3 or 4 of 2026
Redeveloper and award Exclusive Negotiations
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8. STAKEHOLDER OVERVIEW
The Property is represented by City of Pittsburgh Council District 3. Please see the City of
Pittsburgh Council District map to determine current representatives. To see the map click
here.
Interested Redevelopers are encouraged to meet with the neighborhood's local Registered
Community Organization, the South Side Community Council, prior to submitting a proposal
package to discuss how the proposed project relates to community plans.
Interested Redevelopers are encouraged to understand the community and market context
of the site and may consider discussing their concepts with the relevant stakeholders and
market experts as part of proposal development. It should be assumed that the Redeveloper
will coordinate project design and construction in accordance with the URA's disposition
process and may be subject to community meetings to share their development proposals
with a larger audience.
9. PROJECT SCOPE AND SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Each Redeveloper submission should include the following:
A. RFP Summary Sheet: Fill out an RFP Summary Sheet, which is a form provided by
the URA included as Exhibit "B" to this RFP;
B. Table of Contents;
C. Firm or Company Profile:
i. Provide a brief narrative that explains why the Redeveloper's firm is well
qualified to work on this project;
ii. Provide a description of the relevant experience of key personnel and a
biography for each;
iii. Provide a list of public entities, including those similar to the URA, with which
your firm has recently worked, or is currently working, on projects similar to the
one described in this RFP;
D. Project Description: Provide a description of the proposed renovation and re-use of
the Property;
E. Drawings: Include schematic drawings, including a site plan with elevations;
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F. Project Sources and Uses: Provide proposed sources and uses, including the
Redeveloper's proposed acquisition price. The Redeveloper shall submit the same
on the URA's form, as provided in Exhibit "C";
G. Financing Plan: Provide a financing plan and statement on ability to obtain debt (e.g.,
bank letter of interest), along with a statement representing availability of equity;
H. Pro Forma: Provide a preliminary development pro forma, including proposed
acquisition price;
I. Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) Requirements:
i. The URA has a long history of diversity and inclusion within all of its programs
and other activities. The URA encourages the full participation of minority and
women business owners and professionals in this effort. The URA requires
that all applicants demonstrate a good faith effort to obtain minority- and
women-owned business participation in work performed in connection with
URA initiatives. The URA acknowledges and adheres to the City's goals of
eighteen (18%) percent minority and seven (7%) percent women participation.
ii. Provide an MWBE narrative. See Exhibit "D" for the URA's MWBE Narrative
Template. MWBE participation can be satisfied by:
i. Ownership/Partnership of firm;
ii. Employment level of minorities and/or women in the firm;
iii. Staffing of minorities and/or women on URA matters;
iv. Use of minority or women-owned businesses as vendors;
v. Subcontracting with firms owned and controlled by minorities and/or
women. If this is to be done, that fact, and the name of the proposed
subcontracting firms, must be clearly identified in the proposal.
iii. Any questions about MWBE requirements should be directed to Marcus
Robinson, Assistant Director of Grants, Compliance, and Quality Assurance,
at 412-255-6654 or MRobinson@ura.org.
J. Minority Workforce Inclusion ("MWI") Requirements:
i. The URA requires that all Respondents demonstrate and document a good
faith effort to meet or exceed the City's 12% minority workforce inclusion goal
for all URA projects with total project costs of $500,000 or more. As a matter
of policy, all proposal packages submitted to the URA must include an MWI
Narrative detailing how the Respondent plans to meet the URA's expressed
MWI goal of 12%. If awarded the project, the Respondent will be asked to
submit a MWI plan evidencing that 12% of the labor hours are fulfilled by
minority workers.
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ii. Provide an MWI narrative. See Exhibit "E" for the URA's MWI Narrative
Template.
K. References: Provide three (3) client references related to the applicable experience
described in Section 9(c) above. Where possible, provide references from public
entities, similar to the URA. Include the reference's name, title, address, and direct
telephone number; and
L. Other Information: Provide any other information you believe is pertinent to the
URA's consideration of your firm.
10. RESPONSE SUBMISSION
ALL RESPONSES MUST BE SUBMITTED VIA ION WAVE TECHNOLOGIES, THE URA'S
RFP RESPONSE SYSTEM, BY THE PROPOSAL DUE DATE STATED IN THE RFP
TIMELINE, AT 5:00 PM, FOR CONSIDERATION. Any late responses or responses
received outside of Ion Wave Technologies (including hard copies) will immediately be
disregarded and not considered for selection. The proposal should be combined into one
file in bookmarked PDF format.
ALL RESPONDENT QUESTIONS WILL ONLY BE ACCEPTED AND ANSWERED
THROUGH AN ION WAVE TECHNOLOGIES SUBMISSION. RESPONSES TO ALL
QUESTIONS WILL BE MADE PUBLIC.
The URA will not reimburse firms for any expenses incurred in preparing responses to this
RFP. If you have any technical issues with using Ion Wave Technologies, please contact:
Ivy Coleman 412-255-6691
icoleman@ura.org
11. SELECTION CRITERIA
A. Process: The selection of any responsive firm(s) will be made by the URA
Board of Directors after receiving recommendations from the URA's staff and/or any
applicable selection committee. Such selection will be based on the nature and quality of
the responding firm's responses to the Proposal Scope and Submission Requirements
described above. The URA reserves the right to request that any Respondent meet with
URA staff and/or a selection committee in a formal interview.
B. Conflicts of Interest: Responsive firms and their team members must have no
conflicts of interest with regard to any other work performed by the Respondent for the URA,
the City, or any related entity.
C. RFP Compliance: All responsive firms must adhere to the instructions
contained in this RFP in preparing the submitted proposal.
D. Waiver of Defects: The URA shall be the sole judge as to which Respondent(s)
best meet the selection criteria. The URA reserves the right to reject any or all proposals
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submitted. The URA reserves the right to reject any proposal for failure to comply with the
requirements of this RFP. The URA further reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to waive
any such defect(s) or failure(s). Submission of a response indicates acceptance by the firm
of the conditions contained in this RFP.
E. Nondiscrimination: Each responsive firm agrees not to discriminate, whether
in employment, contracting or otherwise, in violation of any federal, state, or local law and/or
on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and/or gender expression.
12. DISPOSITION PROCESS
A. URA Disposition Process: Should the URA Board of Directors select a
Redeveloper, such Redeveloper will be required to comply with the URA's Disposition
Process. As part of this process, the Redeveloper must show that all funds needed for the
fully realized project are available at the time of closing. In order to ensure that the Property
will be responsibly redeveloped, the URA will review the Opinion of Probable Cost and
construction plans against the evidence of financing to determine if the information
presented is reasonable and corresponds. The URA will not close on a property until all the
terms of the disposition process are fulfilled. See Exhibit "F" for the URA Disposition Process
Overview.
B. Disposition Contract: The Redeveloper must be willing to enter into a written
Disposition Contract with the URA, in a form prescribed by the URA. The Disposition
Contract is the binding document that details the Redeveloper's plan to design, finance,
purchase, and construct the redevelopment project. Taxes, liability insurance, Property
security, historic preservation, and all aspects of owning and redeveloping the Property shall
be the full responsibility of the Redeveloper at the time of sale, as specified in the Disposition
Contract. The Disposition Contract will include, but is not limited to, the following terms and
conditions:
i. Bonding: Per the Urban Redevelopment Law, projects involving the sale of
URA land must have a payment and performance bond for 100% of the
contract price. Redeveloper shall include the cost for the same in its project
sources and uses.
ii. Costs: The Redeveloper shall be responsible for all closing costs, including,
but not limited to, realty transfer taxes and recordation fees, as well as a non-
refundable carrying cost payment due to the URA prior to Board approval of
Redeveloper's proposal and a closing fee paid to the URA.
iii. Reversion Right: per the Urban Redevelopment Law, the URA must retain a
reversion right in land that it sells for redevelopment projects, until completion
of the same and confirmation that the project was developed in accordance
with the stated project plans. This reversion right will not be subordinated to
any financer.
iv. Covenants: Per the Urban Redevelopment Law, the URA must attach certain
covenants to the land at the time of sale, including anti-discrimination
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provisions and a limitation restricting changes in use or major changes to the
building for twenty (20) years after sale.
v. Participation in Proceeds of Future Sales: The Disposition Contract and
Deed will entitle the URA to four percent (4%) of the net proceeds of the first
sale of the Property and to two percent (2%) of the net proceeds of any
subsequent sale, in perpetuity.
C. Board Approval: The URA Board must approve any and all Redevelopers who
purchase URA property. Upon URA Board approval, the Redeveloper's purchase of the
Property will occur after execution of a Disposition Contract, approval of the final
construction documents and issuance of a building permit. The Redeveloper shall be solely
responsible for obtaining all approvals necessary to move the project to a final board action,
including, without limitation, obtaining all financing, entitlements, and permits. The purchase
of the Property will occur simultaneously with the closing on the Redeveloper's construction
financing. The URA reserves the right to select, reject, and/or make no selection through
this RFP at its sole discretion.
13. LEGAL INFORMATION
A. The URA shall have the right to verify the accuracy of all information submitted and
to make such investigation as it deems necessary to determine the ability of each
Respondent to perform the obligations in their responses.
B. The URA, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to reject any proposal when the
available evidence or information does not satisfy the URA that the Respondent is
qualified to carry out properly the obligations of the response.
C. The selected Respondent shall be given an opportunity to inspect the Property. If the
Respondent is selected and elects to proceed after exercising its due diligence, it
shall acquire or take possession of the Property in "AS-IS" condition.
D. The sale of the Property in no way guarantees or warrants grading permits, building
permits, zoning variances or financial viability. The URA reserves the right to refuse
to sell the Property until the Respondent is able to obtain all necessary permits.
E. The selected Respondent will be required to demonstrate a good faith effort to
incorporate environmentally sustainable features and practices into their
development plan.
F. The URA reserves the right to accept an offer or proposal other than the highest offer
and will determine awards at its sole discretion.
G. The URA shall be the sole judge as to which, if any, Respondent best meets the
selection criteria. The URA reserves the right to reject any or all responses, to waive
any submission requirements contained within this response, and to waive any
irregularities in any submitted response.
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