Andy Starnes, Post-Gazette Above: Mr. Strahan's loft also sports a modern kitchen/dining area and plenty of natural light. Below: James Stranahan's loft in River City Flats, Uptown offers a view of the South Side. Click photos for larger image. RELATED COVERAGE Chart: Downtown Living: Condos Chart: Downtown Rental Units

James Stranahan had no doubt where he wanted to live when he boomeranged back to Pittsburgh last fall. Having lived in Miami and San Francisco, the 25-year-old commercial director wanted to be smack dab in the middle of all the action.

"I really wanted that urban, industrial feel," says Mr. Stranahan, who grew up in Mercer.

Last month, he found just that when he moved into a 3,000-square-foot loft in River City Flats, a new loft development on Forbes Avenue, Uptown. Located in a carefully restored turn-of-the-century linen factory, the 12 rental units offer exposed brick walls, extra-tall ceilings and huge windows with city views. There's also a rooftop deck and an outdoor courtyard for entertaining friends.

But what really sealed the deal, says Mr. Stranahan, was that he had a say in designing the loft space, which includes a sliding metal door between the two rooms and a kitchen bar made from plexiglass and metal. That, and the relatively "cheap" rent of $850 per month.

"It's urban living the way I always imagined it -- industrial but also modern," he says.

A decade ago, Mr. Stranahan's options would have been far more limited. Eve Picker, one of the city's best-known developers of lofts, didn't do her first urban housing -- the conversion of a paper warehouse on First Avenue into eight residential units -- until the late 1990s. But we've come a long way since then. Thanks to several new developments currently under way in the greater Downtown area and a few more in the planning stages, Pittsburghers who wish to live in the heart of Downtown have lots of choices.

But there is a catch: Whether you're looking to buy a home or simply to rent, living in or near the Golden Triangle is going to cost you.

Take The Carlyle, for instance, an upscale condo development in the old Union National Bank building at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Wood Street. A two-bedroom, 1,170-square-foot unit starts at about $196,000, while the 6,000-square-foot penthouse on the 21st floor goes for a cool $1.2 million. And that doesn't take into account maintenance fees and parking. Residents must pay at least $147 per month for parking along with a monthly condo fee of 21 cents per square foot, or an additional $245 to $986 per month, depending on the size of the unit.

Prices are even steeper at 151 First Side, a new luxury condo high-rise along Fort Pitt Boulevard near the Monongahela River. There, a one-bedroom, 1,000-square-foot cityside residence will set you back at least $290,000, along with a condo fee ranging from $278 to $986 a month. (Parking is included in the sales price.)

Developers argue that buyers are getting a lot for their money. Both of those new condo developments, for instance, include upgraded kitchens and baths, along with lifestyle amenities such as concierge or valet services, a community room or business center; 151 First Side also boasts a fitness center.

	Bill Wade, Post-Gazette Above: At the no wall productions' loft at 930 Penn Ave., the sixth-floor master bedroom looks out onto the buildings in the Cultural District. Below: A virtual-reality image of 151 First Side shows that the condos on Fort Pitt Boulevard side will have a view of the Monongahela River and Smithfield Street Bridge. Click photos for larger image.

But it's clearly an affluent crowd they're wooing. According to a recent market study by the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership (www.pghliving.com), three-quarters of new Downtown residents earned more than $50,000 a year. Forty-four percent of them had incomes of between $75,000 and $100,000.

Apparently, there are plenty of takers. The ultra-posh units at 151 First Side, the first of which won't be ready for occupancy until next spring, are being snapped up at a rapid pace. Forty of the 82 units have been sold, mostly to empty-nesters and young professionals. And the sales have all been sight unseen. The developer hasn't completed a model unit yet, but it has created some beautiful virtual views.

"Condos are really what people want today," says Carole Clifford, who is marketing the property for Coldwell Banker. Baby boomers, in particular, are often "done" with the suburbs and their long commutes and appreciate the cultural opportunities of the city as well as being close to its many medical centers. Young professionals, meanwhile, like being within walking distance of the office and restaurants.

Downtown, she says, has the added advantage of being something of a hub: "You can be anywhere in 15 minutes."

Sales at The Carlyle, which should be ready later this fall, are also proceeding well, says site coordinator Heather Miller. Thirteen of the 61 two-bedroom condos have sold, and another six are pending.

Roma Lofts, an eight-unit loft development on Colwell Street, Uptown, has also proved attractive to buyers. Three have sold.

A number of smaller condo projects are in the pipeline, including a redevelopment of the former Lazarus-Macy's department store at Fifth Avenue and Wood Street by Millcraft Industries. Plans for Piatt Place include 28 loft-style condominiums and 19 two-story rooftop townhouses with balconies.

	Andy Starnes, Post-Gazette Above: James Stranahan in the office area of his loft in River City Flats, Uptown, says he "really wanted that urban, industrial feel" when he selected his rental unit. Below: The main room and the kitchen at 930 Penn Ave. loft apartments by no wall productions has a wide open feel to it. Bill Wade, Post-Gazette Click photos for larger image.

In addition, PNC Financial Services Group has announced plans for construction of an office tower on Fifth Avenue that would include about 30 top-floor condos. Six luxury condos are planned for the Granite Building at Sixth and Wood, and 150 units, mostly rental, are slated for the old G.C. Murphy building on Forbes Avenue, developed by D.C.-based Madison Marquette. No prices or rents have been announced.

Bargains can be found Downtown, if you don't mind buying something a little older or smaller. A three-bedroom, 3,650-square-foot condominium in Chatham Towers is being sold at auction Tuesday to the highest bidder over $350,000. And Coldwell Banker's Shadyside office recently listed a one-bedroom, one-bath unit on the 14th floor for $59,000. Just don't forget to add in the $321 monthly maintenance fee, plus $162 per month for parking.

Condos at the 27-story Gateway Towers are also a bit kinder to the wallet. The average starting price for a 700-square-foot unit in this 27-story building, which sits between the Hilton Pittsburgh and the Allegheny River on Fort Duquesne Boulevard, is about $100,000, according to building manager Cynthia Ott. A one-bedroom, one-bath unit on the 10th floor is currently listed at $129,000 by Coldwell Banker while a two-bedroom unit is priced at $184,900. Both come with a monthly condo fee of 53 cents per square foot, plus $180 for parking.

Thinking you'll save a few bucks by paying a landlord instead of a mortgage? Well maybe, but not a whole lot. Prices at the Encore on 7th, a new 151-unit apartment building on Seventh Street, start at just under $1,100 a month for an 883-square-foot, one-bedroom unit and run as high as $3,275 for a 1,389-square-foot two-bedroom place. Parking adds another $125 per month to the bill.

The upscale amenities might soothe the pain a little. Every unit has a private balcony with river views and a kitchen with granite counter tops, and there's also a rooftop terrace and 24-hour fitness center.

Ms. Picker's latest rental project, a 20-unit loft development in a former warehouse at 930 Penn Ave., is in the same ballpark cost-wise. Each of the lofts, which measure between 1,580 and 1,725 square feet, costs $2,400 per month, with another $150-$250 per month for parking. All feature 12- to 17-foot ceilings and large balconies.

While many housing developments are subsidized in part by the city's Urban Redevelopment Authority, Ms. Picker says that money goes only so far. It's not cheap to buy land or buildings Downtown and developers typically can't borrow enough to cover the costs, even with tax credits.

In addition, she says, construction costs are "huge." So to cover that gap, developers have to charge the highest price they can get away with.

One way, Ms. Picker suggests, to reduce the cost is to share a place at 930 Penn Ave. Each comes with two bedrooms and two full baths. In fact, says Ms. Picker, the lofts were designed with that in mind.

Cost has done little to diminish the demand for Downtown living. Both the Penn-Garrison, where rents range from $850 for a studio to $2,500 for a two-bedroom apartment, and The Pennsylvanian, where a two-bedroom bi-level will set you back $2,000 a month, are nearly 100 percent occupied.

Crawford Square, a new 348-unit apartment complex Uptown, also has just a handful of unrented units.

And River City Flats, where Mr. Stranahan is happily ensconced? Eleven of the 12 units are already spoken for.