Pittsburgh’s former steel mill site is transforming into hub for robotics, biotech, housing & parks

The new CMU Robotics Innovation Center sits in the foreground, with new housing development under construction behind it and the U.S. Steel Community football field visible in the background. For decades, 178 acres along the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh remained largely vacant after the collapse of the steel industry. The site was once home to the Jones & Laughlin Steel Pittsburgh Works, one of the city's major steel-making sites.The steel works closed in the 1980s as the steel industry declined, leaving the Hazelwood Green property unused for decades, according to Axios. Most of the old industrial structures were demolished in the 2000s, while preparations for a new development began in the 2010s.The redevelopment has taken time to gather pace. One of the first major projects was Mill 19, which was renovated and opened in 2019 as a tech-flex office space. However, development slowed for several years after that.Now, Hazelwood Green is seeing a new wave of construction, with robotics, life sciences, housing, sports and public spaces becoming part of the former industrial site. Developers say around 700,000 square feet has been developed or is currently being built since 2022...