High Technology Moving To Pittsburgh's North Shore

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- When you think North Shore, you think sports at PNC Park or Heinz Field, or maybe a great concert and some good restaurants, but do you think high tech?

"The North Shore is the new frontier," says Audrey Russo, CEO of the Pittsburgh Technology Council.

Russo says you will soon see high-tech companies on the North Shore, thanks to Faros Properties which recently purchased and has ambitious plans for what was once Allegheny Center Mall, renamed Nova Place.

"They see the vision," Russo told KDKA money editor Jon Delano. "They've been around the world, understanding how innovation and these little eco-centers actually cropped up. And they took a look at that whole neighborhood and said, 'This is perfect, perfect for the new frontier.'"

The old Allegheny Center Mall was once one of Pittsburgh's great retail malls, but now under new ownership there's a transformation coming and through these doors the hope is this becomes another one of Pittsburgh's high-tech centers.

Right now, it's an empty 50,000 square foot space, once an old Woolworth's, a five-and-dime store of yesteryear.

Now it will be called Alloy 26 and bring together Pittsburgh's newest high tech start-ups.

"In the space that we're in it's going to be brand new with state of the art features, great Internet connectivity," said Mike Woycheck, operations director for Alloy 26. "Actually, Nova Place sits on one of the densest, if not the densest, bundles of connectivity in the city so you get fast Internet, fast wireless access."

Woycheck, a veteran of Google and Alpha Lab, says for some lucky start-ups the space is free.

"We'll also have a fellowship program that specifically targets technology companies that they can apply for," added Woycheck. "They would receive six months room and board so to speak here and be able to enjoy all the amenities of the complex for free."

Woycheck is betting Alloy 26 can take the North Shore into the high tech world by early 2016.

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