A new year brings new ownership to two key sites at Hazelwood Green.

After more than 20 years, the foundation ownership working together as Almono LLC has Pittsburgh's two major universities moving forward on what are expected to be catalytic development projects for brownfield redevelopment in Hazelwood.

Both the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University recently closed on buying their respective parcels at Hazelwood Green in the final weeks of 2023.

An affiliate of the University of Pittsburgh bought its approximately 3.5-acre site at 46 Beehive Street from Almono LLC for $3.6 million, according to public transaction records, which translates to a little more than $1 million per acre.

The university provided a prepared statement about the key property buy just before the new year.

“The University of Pittsburgh is excitedly moving forward with the Pitt BioForge project," said a university spokesman. "Mobilization on site has begun and plans are underway for a groundbreaking celebration after the new year."

CMU confirmed that the site it closed on buying at Hazelwood Green from Almono LLC is the parcel for which it recently held a groundbreaking for its new Robotics Innovation Center, known as the RIC.

Public transactions records show a recent sale from Almono to Carnegie Mellon of more than $1.3 million at Hazelwood Green. Previous reporting indicated the RIC will be built on a parcel of more than three acres.

It's a site for which Almono LLC revised its master plan to enable the RIC project, including eliminating a road to pass through the site and combining parcels, to enable a new facility by Carnegie Mellon which will include a 1.5-acre outdoor "running room" on which to test various kinds of robots.

Key Almono LLC partner the Richard King Mellon Foundation has provided historic seed funding to both the University of Pittsburgh and CMU for both projects.

That includes a $100 million to Pitt for what was approved in September for the 185,000-square-foot BioForge, a bio-manufacturing facility originally expected to cost $250 million to build.

RK Mellon Foundation announced a $150 million gift to Carnegie Mellon University a portion of which will go to the $100 million RIC project, set to total 150,000 square feet.

Carnegie Mellon University celebrated a groundbreaking for the RIC in mid-December for a project now under construction on a parcel that neighbors the established Mill 19 facility at Hazelwood Green as well as completed plaza at the master plan redevelopment.

The companion projects are expected to complement one another and help to spur other private investment at the larger 178-acre site.

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TIM SCHOOLEY

Construction on both BioForge and the RIC are projected to be completed in 2025.

Author: Tom Schooley

Publication: Pittsburgh Business Times

Link: Pitt and Carnegie Mellon University close on sites for major development plans at Hazelwood Green - Pittsburgh Business Times (bizjournals.com)