Wilkinsburg Abandoned House Tour (Pittsburgh, Penn Hills: house prices, neighborhoods, school district)

[PennHillsNative80]

I got this in my email and thought this sounded interesting.

https://vacanthometour.wordpress.com/

The house pictured is 831 Rebecca Avenue - one of my favorites that I hope someone would restore.

[Chaindrive]

Wish I was there to take the tour, it looks amazing.

[I_Like_Spam]

The problem with restoring homes in Wilkinsburg is that usually they aren't worth the money it takes, once the work is done.

[PreservationPioneer]

This tour is a fabulous idea. I am giving friends abandoned home tours in McKeesport constantly. My issue with Wilkinsburg is the insane taxes.

[gg]

Originally Posted by PreservationPioneer

This tour is a fabulous idea. I am giving friends abandoned home tours in McKeesport constantly. My issue with Wilkinsburg is the insane taxes.

If they had true leadership, they would do everything they can to merge or fix that issue. As someone who invests in property now and again, I just don't even look at a home in Wilkinsburg. They are so hard to resell and you can't put any money in them. Wilkinsburg needs to be sucked up with Pittsburgh and it would grow into what its potential is. Until then, it will slowly be torn down into vacant land. No stopping it.

[SteelCityRising]

I'm not so sure annexation is the only solution. Wilkinsburg officials should meet with officials in Dormont, which seems to be booming as a fellow densely-populated independent jurisdiction with relatively high taxes adjacent to the city, in order to see what they're doing right that Wilkinsburg is doing wrong.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

I'm not so sure annexation is the only solution. Wilkinsburg officials should meet with officials in Dormont, which seems to be booming as a fellow densely-populated independent jurisdiction with relatively high taxes adjacent to the city, in order to see what they're doing right that Wilkinsburg is doing wrong.

Come on, you can't be that naive.

Dormont is 96% white and 1% black. Wilkinsburg is 66% black and 29% white. Study after study has shown that all things considered, gentrification preferentially flows according to the existing racial dynamics of neighborhoods. Urban pioneers are much, much more likely to give working-class white neighborhoods a chance.

This is before even considering all the other differences - levels of crime, blight, that Dormont doesn't have its own school district (it shares one with Greentree and Castle Shannon) and that while municipal taxes are pretty high, school taxes are not, so the overall taxation level isn't too bad (certainly much better than Wilkinsburg).

Edit: FWIW, I don't think Wilkinsburg needs to be annexed by the city. But I do think Wilkinsburg School District should just fold into PPS. That would solve most of the high tax issue by itself.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by gg

If they had true leadership, they would do everything they can to merge or fix that issue. As someone who invests in property now and again, I just don't even look at a home in Wilkinsburg. They are so hard to resell and you can't put any money in them. Wilkinsburg needs to be sucked up with Pittsburgh and it would grow into what its potential is. Until then, it will slowly be torn down into vacant land. No stopping it.

I figured I'd bump this thread to post this. Heard about it unofficially from a coworker, but now the local papers are discussing it.

Wilkinsburg is in talks to scrap its junior high/high school entirely. Although Penn Hills and Woodland Hills have turned them down, Pittsburgh is still in talks.

Under the agreement, Wilkinsburg would pay for its 241 7th-12th graders to go to PPS - presumably at a higher rate than it costs PPS to educate students right now, to give them an incentive to do it. Wilkinsburg students in PPS would also continue to have their standardized test scores broken out, so that the influx of poor black students doesn't throw off Pittsburgh district averages. Wilkinsburg will continue to run its two K-6 schools.

It's unclear yet if as part of a deal Wilkinsburg students will be eligible for PPS magnet/charter enrollment, or the Pittsburgh Promise. Regardless, it will be a huge step up for students, and presumably be a big cost savings for Wilkinsburg, allowing them to scrap their middle/high school and lay off the remaining staff.

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by eschaton

It's unclear yet if as part of a deal Wilkinsburg students will be eligible for PPS magnet/charter enrollment, or the Pittsburgh Promise. Regardless, it will be a huge step up for students, and presumably be a big cost savings for Wilkinsburg, allowing them to scrap their Middle/High School and lay off the remaining staff.

Depending on how it works out (especially in the area of property taxes), it should probably boost house prices in Wilkinsburg and result in fewer houses being abandoned.

[Goodjules]

Link to Tour invitation: https://www.facebook.com/events/1570435649895966/

This may address concerns about acquiring vacant properties in Wilkinsburg:
As a part of the event, there will be a Tools and Resource Workshop, where tour participants can learn more about the options, tools, and resources available to help them acquire a vacant and abandoned property. There will be two sessions, seating is limited, and advance registration for the workshop is recommended. To register for the Tools and Resource Workshop, follow these links:

Session 1 (1pm)
https://heinzcollege.wufoo.com/forms...-1-pm-session/

Session 2 (3pm)
https://heinzcollege.wufoo.com/forms...-3-pm-session/