The strong Pittsburgh economic performance is driving an upswing in spec office projects. While Oakland, the Strip and Second Avenue have received most of the publicity for spec commercial activity, the suburbs aren’t dead yet. Construction just got underway on a two-building spec office project called The Boardwalk in North Fayette Township. The $55 million, 220,000 square foot development is being built by Burns & Scalo Real Estate Services. It has landed a tenant for the first building and will follow through with the second building after that is completed. Burns & Scalo is looking at other land in the Airport Corridor for additional spec development.

Following up other commercial projects that have been bid, Franjo is doing pre-construction on the $20 million-plus conversion of the Commonwealth Building into apartments Downtown. Rycon Construction was awarded the $7 million addition to the Sunrise Assisted Living in McCandless.  C & C Contractors was awarded the $22 million expansion of the Cemetery of the Alleghenies, near Southpointe. Burchick Construction was awarded a $4.5 million contract by General Services Administration to renovate the Weis Courthouse on Grant Street. The MEP packages are out to bid for the new $150 million Children’s Hospital at WVU Medicine in Morgantown. Yates Construction is the CM for that project. Wildwood Country Club invited Burchick Construction, R. A. Glancy, GoGreen Construction and Wm. Miller’s Sons to submit design/build proposals on its $4 million renovation/expansion.