Maybe not quite as good as having a Kennywood on Pittsburgh's North Side, but plans to convert an old industrial stretch of the Ohio riverfront into a first-class entertainment destination, that would add a very noticeable, if not iconic Ferris Wheel, might be pretty close.

This new plan will also add a marina, plentiful retail outlets, super hip apartments, and something for the kiddos with a splash park. The price tag for all that development comes in around 600 million, but the state of Pennsylvania just bucked up $10 million to give the project a good swift North Sidekick in the butt.

The grant was the largest awarded for a project in Allegheny County in the latest round of RACP funding. Developer Millcraft Investments has been awarded a $10 million state redevelopment assistance capital grant to help finance the proposed $600 million North Side development. 

Millcraft’s Esplanade project has been about four years in the making and already has undergone changes because of logistics and financing, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 

Molly Onufer, a Millcraft spokeswoman, said the overall project is still in the design phase. The developer further stated that they anticipate breaking ground in 2024. The first phase is aim to be complete in 2026. The development involves the former J. Allan Steel site in Chateau, just west of the West End Bridge, and the former Eles concrete plant. 

“Not only is this project important to connect the neighborhoods to the river and create an inclusive community for people to visit, live, work and play, it will also generate millions of dollars annually in taxes that can be used for additional community improvements,” Ms. Onufer said in a statement.

So exactly what is The Esplanade? According to its architects, AE7, The Esplanade promises to be a mixed-use destination situated on the Ohio riverfront of Pittsburgh’s North Side.

The architects describe the development as having the potential to transform several underutilized industrial brownfield sites into a transit-oriented district focused on sustainable and resilient development. Connecting the city to the riverfront, Esplanade proposes to enable an urban cosmopolitan lifestyle, replete with all the amenities representative of a world-class attraction. 

So what does that look like? The Esplanade aims to feature year-round amenities that promise to "energize the site 24-hours a day." To achieve that lofty goal, the Esplanade will create new streets, build plazas, and add open spaces that, all of which will serve to channel visitors through the development down to an "activated riverfront."

Once you get the visitors down to the river, they will enjoy an array of amenities, including a vibrant public destination with a four-season open space. This will include a pavilion, amphitheater, and a summer splash park that proposes to convert to an ice skating rink during the winter. There are plans for a full marina with watersport offerings and a revamped section of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail.

The signature feature will likely be a climate-controlled Ferris Wheel, which will be perched over the Ohio River, offering wheel riders dramatic views of Pittsburgh, including what should be a nice view of the fountain at the Point.

Esplanade: The North Shore Deserves A Ferris Wheel

Let's hold that thought on the Ferris Wheel. We wonder if the developers know that the Ferris wheel owes its famous design to George Washington Gale Ferris Jr., a structural engineer from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who introduced the ride in Chicago at the World’s Fair of 1893. Pretty sure there is a landmark sign somewhere on the North Side (send us a pick if you happen by it with your phone). 

As the story goes, Ferris brought the idea for an enormous metal wheel to Daniel Burnham, the fair’s lead architect, after Burnham requested an iconic structure. Burnham and his peers hoped that it could rival the Eiffel Tower, which had been built for the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris. 

That sounds like it would be pretty cool to us. So let's get down to the nitty-gritty on this new North Shore newfangled development.

Esplanade: More Features and Amenities

The development will drop 480 apartments, erect 105 residential condominiums, a 225 room full-service hotel, a number of boutique retail shops, and more restaurants, throw in community-oriented stores, fill up an aquarium, integrate a bunch of parking structures—and don't forget about a 265,000 square footg life science office tower. This building will be "strategically choreographed" to create a landmark waterfront development for the Pittsburgh area and region. Holy Smokes that's a lot of development! 

As we stated earlier, not quite Kennywood on Pittsburgh's North Side, but we at Across North Hills say it's about time the focus on North Pittsburgh moves from, perhaps, Ross Park Mall to something that offers a little fun in the sun and winter and fall and, well, keeps going round and round—just like that giant Ferris Wheel, they plan to put up at the Esplanade. 

(For more information, sources for this article are provided further below).