Group to invest $50 million in Homewood

[szug-bot]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Well said. I'm a white guy. I make deliveries often to residents of Homewood, Larimer, East Hills, and Lincoln-Lemington, and I've never felt uncomfortable. Most recipients seem happy that they are able to order delivery through our service when many other food delivery companies (looking at you, Wheel Deliver) won't deliver there because it's "too dangerous".

OK, but there is a difference between the day time and the evening climate, in any neighborhood.

I've delivered (a few years ago) to those neighborhoods, and hated 1/2 the people I delivered to because they had a stick up you know where. I think it is a learned thing, based on class and not necessarily race. I see the same correlations in whites of lower economic classes, or based on method of earning a living.

In Rankin, thought, I could never get the hell out of there fast enough, since I was using the stingy, employee-hating boss' vehicle and was always anxious it would not be there when I returned.

[Merge]

Originally Posted by ferraris

So let me get this straight....$47.7M on 147 townhouses at an average cost of $324K per unit, and $1M on 20 rehabilitated houses at an average cost of $50K per house.

Why are we choosing new construction over renovation for low income housing?

This is a good question. I'm hoping somone "in the know" will take this query on.

[sealie]

Originally Posted by Merge

This is a good question. I'm hoping somone "in the know" will take this query on.

I'm not "in the know" but I seem to recall reading somewhere - Pittsburgh Courier, maybe, or Homewood Nation - that the plan was to improve a centrally located part of HW and then move outward, rather than randomly picking buildings. Along Hamilton near the library and music center I believe. If you do that you have to take the lots in whatever condition they're in, and some places are beyond rehab. Some because they got knocked over some years back, whatever alley that was, Uptown Kid would know, used to be called the Killing Fields, they knocked over the whole block.

So basically if you're trying to improve one block at a time, and some homes are rehabbable and some aren't, seems like you don't get to rehab some of them, you have to start over. Some elderly people probably need handicap facilities you can't retrofit for cheaply.

Wild guesses on my part. I don't know any more than anybody else.

[wpipkins2]

Originally Posted by sealie

I'm not "in the know" but I seem to recall reading somewhere - Pittsburgh Courier, maybe, or Homewood Nation - that the plan was to improve a centrally located part of HW and then move outward, rather than randomly picking buildings. Along Hamilton near the library and music center I believe. If you do that you have to take the lots in whatever condition they're in, and some places are beyond rehab. Some because they got knocked over some years back, whatever alley that was, Uptown Kid would know, used to be called the Killing Fields, they knocked over the whole block.

So basically if you're trying to improve one block at a time, and some homes are rehabbable and some aren't, seems like you don't get to rehab some of them, you have to start over. Some elderly people probably need handicap facilities you can't retrofit for cheaply.

Wild guesses on my part. I don't know any more than anybody else.

You are exactly right. The killing fields are located on Formosa Way and several other narrow alleys behind hamilton. That section of Homewood was dense at one time. The row house alleys stretched from Homewood Avenue to Oakwood. The rowhomes were basic workforce rows but still had alot of character. I miss the density but not the violence associated with it. I wish the Hamilton Ave rows can be included in the masterplan.

[Bobjefferson]

Nice to see the areas closest to the busway/Point Breeze getting some investment lately. Back in the days of intelligent discussion, BrianTH used to argue that Wilkinsburg and Homewood stood to benefit greatly as prices rose in E Liberty and people began to look for the next town along the busway.

It will be a long time, if ever, before Homewood is the new hip haven. But it can succeed in other ways than the traditional gentrification. These projects can bring in senior citizens and responsible people who want to own a home but don't have the means to consider the types of neighborhoods regularly discussed on this forum.

This is a nice sum of money, clearly the developers believe there is a market there despite these locations not being as close to the busway stop as the previous round of construction mentioned upthread. I like the idea and the logic behind it, but if it were my $50 million I admit I would not be brave enough to invest in Homewood right now. Kudos to them.

[Herodotus]

Originally Posted by wpipkins2

GG please tell me where all this racial tension exists? You make it seam like black people are sitting around a fire planning some type of revolt against white people. I'm not sure if you are a victim of paranoia or over hyped media. Attend a middle class black function. Jazz is the perfect atmosphere to calm your fears. You will notice that black people could care less about you or what you do. We are to busy living life to care about all this BS. There are white professionals and service workers that work in Homewood daily. The Y, Carnegie Museum, schools, CCAC to name a few. Homewood is a very safe neighborhood for white people.

Your irrational fear of black people is clouding your judgement. The fear that you are experiencing can become dangerous. There was a hip hop song by the Geto Boyz titled "My mind playing tricks on me" GG I think your mind is playing tricks on you.

For the most part, the bad folks in Homewood aren't sitting around plotting against white folks. It's more likely they're sitting around plotting against people who are virtually identical to themselves with regard to race, age, and economic and social status.

[Goodjules]

Originally Posted by ferraris

Why are we choosing new construction over renovation for low income housing?

Generally speaking, that's where the funding is.

[Uptown kid]

Homewood North (which has been in the news recently with the charges made against the suspects of the Wilkinsburg backyard massacre) now has slightly more violence and is in a bit more dispair than Homewood South. For the longest it was slightly the other way around.

Fiance St, 500 North Homewood Ave & Nadir Way, 7500 Susquehanna Ave, Parkdale St, & Rosedale St have been redeveloped. The row houses on Cora St, Inglenook Pl, Bennett St, El Court, Felicia Way, Fleury Way, Panke Way, Hamilton Ave, Kelly St & 7600 Tioga still need a miracle. Yet the reinvestment groups, churches & redevelopment founded groups are really cleaning up the area on Felicia Way to Hamilton Ave from North Lang Ave to Sterrett St.

Now there are mainly 3 mini sections of Homewood South. (A) The area from Dallas Ave to North Lang Ave. (B) The area from North Homewood to Brushton Ave. (C) The area from Brushton to Oakwood St. The largest residential population decline is from North Homewood Ave to Brushton. Many rowhomes and old dilapidated buildings that were around in the 90's are gone. Hence many people from Formosa Way & area B moved throughout Bennett Street, area A, area C, and out of the neighborhood into parts of: (the non gang rival section) Lowermost Lincoln, part of East Hills (non Blood territory), 1000 Brushton Ave, East Pittsburgh, South Swissvale, various parts of Penn Hills, Turtle Creek, Wilmerding, North Versailles, Stowe Rocks & Carrick. Areas A & C, blocks of Kelly from Sterrett to Brushton and blocks of Hamilton Ave from Sterrett to North Braddock Ave are now the worst parts.

In terms of roughness it goes:
Homewood North
Wilkinsburg north of Penn Ave
Homewood South
Wilkinsburg south of Penn Ave
Dallas-Inwood Streets (Homewood West)
Lower Lincoln (inc. Tiden-Vann Street Homes)
Larimer
Upper Lincoln
East Hills - the toughest non-project streets [ie. Karl St, Seagirt St, Singer Pl, etc.]
Parkhill Drive (East Hills)
what's left of Garfield
East Liberty near Larimer Ave
---
lesser exent
Brushton-Hilltop (back streets east of Blackadore)
East Hills near Penn Hills
improving parts of Garfield
what's left of East Liberty
Hays/Black St "Eastfield"

Today the streets are not as bad as they once were, although youth violence is an uphill battle. As these places have gotten better Penn Hills & the Eastern Suburbs have gotten worse. The three Pennly Park Hi-rise Towers, Garfield Heights, Larimer-Aurburn Hi-rise Tower are gone & soon Penn Plaza, Hamilton-Larimer @ 6200 Auburn St & East Liberty Gardens will be redeveloped too. Homewood North off Brushton, Lemington Heights, Phase II East Hills/1800 Maple Ridge Apts & Wilkinsburg's Paul Courts/Princeton Park Apts are the only "projects" left...

[gg]

Originally Posted by Uptown kid

Today the streets are not as bad as they once were..

Yep, it is just a matter of time before Homewood will really be doing pretty well. This is great news and with that grant, there is no stopping it. Go Homewood.