It’s well established that Pittsburgh maintains a competitive edge over the coasts when it comes to cost of living and property prices. With the development of new spaces and old spaces being repurposed, there are more opportunities for growth than ever before in the city, with more spaces focused on R&D.

Notable recent real estate developments include:

• a former Sears in Lawrenceville being transformed into a 30,000 square foot R&D center
• a new development by the Pittsburgh Airport, called Neighborhood 91 in homage to Pittsburgh’s 90 existing neighborhoods, will house new space for collaboration and innovation
• a former steel mill in Hazelwood housing robotics powerhouses and PRN Members Carnegie Mellon University and ARM (Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing) with Aptiv set to move in later in 2020. In that same area known as Hazelwood Green, a former roundhouse is being developed into tech and co-working space.
• the city’s Strip District is also continuing to grow in terms of tech investment

Not only are new developments on the way, but PRN Members with existing facilities are increasing their footprint. IAM Robotics has announced an expansion to a new 30,000 sq ft headquarters in Lawrenceville with a showcase innovation center. Gecko Robotics is leveraging state funding through the Job Creation Tax Credit (JCTC) program to increase their presence in Pittsburgh, helping them to add 120 employees to their team. Uber also recently increased its investment in the region with 600 new acres in Findlay. Astrobotic is renovating a 47,000 sq ft space on Pittsburgh’s Northside that is poised to become an epicenter for lunar logistics.

But with so many new opportunities, it can be tough to navigate the real estate scene and even tougher to go through the administrative burden of finding the right space and signing a lease. Join us on February 17 to learn more about commercial real estate opportunities, specifically as they apply to robotics, during our first PRN Member Event of 2020. Learn more and register here. NOTE: this event is free to attend, but open only to PRN Member organizations.