When it comes to buying that first home, many young professionals lean toward the city. And why not? Urban dwellings tend to be closer to work (an essential factor when you're climbing the corporate ladder) but also offer all the excitement of the city, including nightlife, restaurants and shopping.

Martha Rial, Post-Gazette Above: This Roma Lofts unit overlooking Mercy Hospital has already been sold. The spiral staircase leads to a small second-floor bedroom. Below: Architect Yoko Tai says she tried to preserve the raw industrial feel of the original structure. Most of the windows stretch nearly to the ceiling, and there are few interior walls. More information An open house will be held at the Roma Lofts, 1536 Colwell St., Uptown, from 1 to 4 p.m. today. For more information or to schedule a private viewing, contact Ted Knowlton of Coldwell Banker at 412-521-2222, ext. 252. For more photos, go to www.pittsburghmoves.com (quick search Colwell to see all available units). Click photos for larger image.

Loft-style apartments and condos, which offer the industrial chic of exposed beams and open floor plans, are especially popular with young buyers. But they often come with a lofty price tag plus steep parking and condo fees and taxes.

For something a little less pricey, check out the new Roma Lofts at the corner of Colwell and Vine streets, Uptown. Located in a turn-of-the-century bottling plant, these loft-style condos range in price from $188,000 for a 1,163-square-foot unit to $199,000 for 1,074 square feet and an option for a roof-top deck, with a $150 monthly condo fee.

But the real money-saver is in the tax abatements. Since the building is in one of the state's Keystone Opportunity Zones, all qualified buyers receive an abatement through 2010 of nearly all city, county, school district and state taxes, says Realtor Ted Knowlton, who is marketing the properties for Coldwell Banker Real Estate's Squirrel Hill office.

Provided they meet certain eligibility requirements, owners pay no property taxes, state personal income tax or local wage tax for the next five years. Bearing in mind that Pittsburgh's wage tax is currently 3 percent, that's a big chunk of change in your pocket. Someone with an annual income of $80,000 would save $10,700 each of the next five years, Knowlton said.

Completed last year, the $1.79 million loft project was developed by Pittsburgh Housing Development Corp. with funds provided by both the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh and private lending institutions.

The building originally served as Roma Bottling Works, makers of seltzer, "Skipper" beverages and other "soda-licious" flavored pops. Four units were created in the original structure; the second story, which holds four additional units with rooftop access, is brand new.

So far, three of the building's eight units have been sold, including the largest, a two-story, 1,400-square-foot loft on the first floor that includes a spiral staircase to a small second-floor bedroom.

They were designed by TAI + LEE architects, a Strip District-based firm that does a lot of historic rehab throughout the city. Architect Yoko Tai says she tried to preserve the raw industrial feel of the original structure. Most of the windows stretch nearly to the ceiling, bouncing daylight off the exposed brick and ceramic tile walls and polished concrete floors on the first level. The architects used few interior walls -- in true New York loft fashion -- for one large, continuous space.

	Martha Rial, Post-Gazette Above: A balcony at Roma Lofts overlooks Downtown. Below: An unfinished unit's high ceilings, city views and open floor plan await a buyer's creativity. Click photos for larger image.

As a result, each unit features soaring ceilings (16 feet on the first floor, 10 feet on the second) and an open, flexible floor plan. It's up to the owner to configure separate living, eating and working "zones" with movable freestanding furniture, partitions or fixed walls.

The owner of one unit created an office space behind a three-quarters-height wall. A large sofa marks off the living area, while an island counter delineates the kitchen.

All of the lofts have one full bath and large covered patios, some with a city view; each also comes with one parking space in the integral garage and a storage locker in the basement. There's a laundry hookup in the furnace room, hookup for a gas stove and an intercom to the building's front door. An elevator carries residents from the garage level to each of the apartment floors.

Full asking price gets you a standard kitchen with IKEA cabinetry and Formica counter tops. But the tax benefits might allow you to splurge on something a little more spectacular. A two-story, first-floor loft owned by a university professor features a gourmet kitchen by Excel Kitchen Center, complete with sleek black granite counter tops and stainless-steel appliances.

All second-floor units come with plywood floors and a $1,500 floor allowance to do hardwood, tile or whatever surface the buyer prefers. The roof-top deck option adds $24,000 to the purchase price.

If the tax abatement doesn't quite pay for that deck, consider how much you'll be saving on the commute: Roma Lofts are just three blocks from Duquesne University and Mercy Hospital and within six blocks of Downtown. And the bus to Oakland (it's one block to the bus line) takes just 10 minutes.