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I'm not sure that commercial is needed at that corner honestly. Looking at the old, pre-urban-renewal maps, that area was residential before it was trashed. And the retail along N Highland is having a hard time filling in as it is. the core of East Liberty needs more residents first and foremost, not more retail space.
On the other hand, retail located there would be much more walkable to the existing residential portion of East Liberty, and thus improve the walkability/desirability of that area.
The vacant properties on Highland aren't vacant because nobody wants to lease them. It is because the landlords aren't very easy to work with and are asking too much rent.
The vacant properties on Highland aren't vacant because nobody wants to lease them. It is because the landlords aren't very easy to work with and are asking too much rent.
I will never, ever understand commercial property rentals. From what I've read, there are even tons of vacant commercial storefronts in upscale Manhattan neighborhoods, because the owners of the spaces would rather keep the spaces vacant for years in hopes of snagging an ultra-high rent tenant than have someone fill in the space in the shorter term for a lower rent. I mean, I know commercial leases are typically at least five years, but getting 70% of your desired rent level locked in for five years is better than leaving a property vacant for three years in hopes the desired rent level will eventually come along. Particularly because even a more downscale tenant helps improve desirability of all the other commercial spaces, which in turn will ensure that the next time the lease is up you have the option of attracting a more attractive tenant.
I truly don't understand why the City is so focused on the East End. Yes, ok - it is where the majority of people live. But the rest of the City is just left to rot. If market forces are already drawing private investment to the East End, why throw public money that way too? Why not invest public money in areas where private money has not yet been invested? To me, that seems wiser (more cost-effective short-term and by improving such areas - it may help with subsequently attracting more private investment/development).
Thanks!
You don't see focusing public-financed affordable housing in non East End locales as the economic segregation of the city? It would seem to me that picking up the Penn Plaza residents and plopping them on the other side of the river would just accelerate the reverse-migratory yuppification of the region.
I'm not actually convinced the Northside and Southside are "left to rot", I think Nova Place, former Allegheny Center, has some potential, and while the southside works had some issues, there's been no shortage of projects in that general direction. I think the Station Square one is stalled, but that happens.
The two biggest issues specific to affordable/subsidized housing are 1. "Market forces" will never generate affordable housing, particularly as market rate units are still filling up. 2. Transit access and walkability are of utmost concern to those who require public assistance.
If there were a way to use public funds to improve transit, I think there might be additional geographic diversity in projects. Until then, my bet is you will see more of this and not less.
"Market forces" will never generate affordable housing?
I thought that was one of the key arguments that many on here espouse in favor of all of the tax breaks for the new luxury apartment buildings that are popping up like locusts?
Doesn't the argument go something like - as more and more overpriced boxes go up for our newly transplanted tecchie Ubermenschen, then all of the crappy apartments (that are currently over-priced and unrenovated since the Ford administration) will have to drop in price to remain rentable given that we have a stagnant total population?
Quote:
Originally Posted by PghYinzer
When I read this post, the first thing I thought of was transit access. What's the point of putting low income housing in Brookline if the buses don't run past 9, once an hour on Saturdays, and not at all on Sundays. Most low income residents need access to transit and walkable shopping.
Hmmmm... an alternative solution would be to perhaps improve the Port Authority instead of allowing it to go the way of PWSA-style management? Instead of spending through the nose to give a select few preferential housing that is well-served by our notoriously atrocious public transit system - perhaps, just perhaps, we could work to improve the overall efficiency of our public transit to benefit everyone?
Crazy ideas, I know.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sealie
You don't see focusing public-financed affordable housing in non East End locales as the economic segregation of the city? It would seem to me that picking up the Penn Plaza residents and plopping them on the other side of the river would just accelerate the reverse-migratory yuppification of the region.
I'm not actually convinced the Northside and Southside are "left to rot", I think Nova Place, former Allegheny Center, has some potential, and while the southside works had some issues, there's been no shortage of projects in that general direction. I think the Station Square one is stalled, but that happens.
LMAO - even Stevie Wonder could see that the City is already economically segregated. Why keep throwing larger piles, of limited cash, at maintaining a charade?
The yuppies have taken over the Strip, Lower and Central Lawrenceville, and East Liberty. And are in the process of taking over Downtown and Polish Hill.
Old money is still living the dream in Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, Point Breeze, Regent Square, and Highland Park.
The Bluff is reserved for Peduto and Fitzgerald's science fair project - the Bus Rapid Transit system.
Oakland is reserved for the eds and meds. And that is gentrifying too - look at the new buildings there. It's no longer the enclave of student ghetto wedged against old school Italians.
Money is being thrown hand-over-fist at the yuppie colony neighborhoods. And its also thrown hand-over-fist at the Hill and at those displaced from East Liberty. Keep the rich happy, and keep the poor from complaining too loudly.
But what's left?
Where are the working-class neighborhoods anymore?
Upper Lawrenceville, Stanton Heights, Morningside, Greenfield?
People in those neighborhoods who don't own their homes must be getting squeezed tighter and tighter every year. And when will the gentrification spill over into their neighborhoods?
Why, oh why, oh why, - why does everyone sneer at SCR when he complains about being priced out of Polish Hill, but everyone sees such great injustices when someone else is priced out of East Liberty? Why is SCR struggling in Polish Hill, while the "affordable housing" townhouses a mile or two away at Skyline Terrace cost $400k?! (https://newsinteractive.post-gazette...rofit/?pgapp=1)
I'm sure most people would like to be within walking distance of shopping and decent public transit links.
The rich get it. Look at the obscene prices they pay at Eastside Bond. The poor get it too. Look at how much attention the Hill and the poor of East Liberty get. Look at the obscene prices that are charged to public coffers to subsidize the poor with "affordable housing". It certainly ain't affordable to the public who's paying for it!
What bothers me is that you have folks like me and SCR who try to live within our means, and our taxes go to subsidize those who live better than we ourselves do. But when we complain about it, we're just dismissed as rascally racists.
Why are the upper class and middle class being subsidized on the back of the working class? Why is everyone ok with the working class being displaced, but Heaven and Earth are moved to pander to the non-working class??
Where are the working-class neighborhoods anymore?
Upper Lawrenceville, Stanton Heights, Morningside, Greenfield?
All of those neighborhoods are gentrifying to varying degrees now.
Upper Lawrenceville still has lots of cheap houses, but $400,000+ new construction homes and rehabs as well. There's a new-construction townhouse development going in right across from the Shop & Save soon which will add 50+ additional expensive units. And of course, there's lots of activity along Butler Street in Upper Lawrenceville now - frankly it's more interesting to me than Central/Lower, which has gotten too bougie. It's just a matter of time until the cheap houses get bought and fixed up. It's way, way different from when I first moved to Lawrenceville in 2007 already. The neighborhood went through a brief period after the towers came down in East Liberty when it had a large influx of black renters, but they're almost entirely gone now.
Morningside, where I live - when I first moved here, we cashed out of our home in Lawrenceville and bought a house at the top end of the neighborhood market ($240,000). Homes are selling for more than $400,000 than that only three years later. There's clearly a lot of yinzers still in the neighborhood, but there's also a lot of generic 30something professionals who are out walking their dogs/small children. As I've said in the past, it's becoming the "poor man's Highland Park." Hasn't helped the business district much unfortunately.
House prices are much higher in Stanton Heights than they used to be - the high end of the market is $200,000-$250,000 now, despite the lack of walkability and the "meh" housing stock. It's still the East End after all. I've heard anecdotally from people I know in the neighborhood that all of the new homeowners are basically young people who lived somewhere else in the city and wanted a yard for their dog and/or toddler.
I know less about Greenfield because it's way on the other side of the East End, but it's functioned as a "poor man's Squirrel Hill" for well over a decade now. There's certainly a strong middle class professional group who lives in Greenfield these days.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tyovan4
Why are the upper class and middle class being subsidized on the back of the working class? Why is everyone ok with the working class being displaced, but Heaven and Earth are moved to pander to the non-working class??
You do realize that one of the four projects given the green light is in Lawrenceville, and is specifically meant to help long-term (presumably mostly white) Lawrenceville residents find affordable rental housing in their neighborhood, right?
"Market forces" will never generate affordable housing?
I thought that was one of the key arguments that many on here espouse in favor of all of the tax breaks for the new luxury apartment buildings that are popping up like locusts?
Doesn't the argument go something like - as more and more overpriced boxes go up for our newly transplanted tecchie Ubermenschen, then all of the crappy apartments (that are currently over-priced and unrenovated since the Ford administration) will have to drop in price to remain rentable given that we have a stagnant total population?
Hmmmm... an alternative solution would be to perhaps improve the Port Authority instead of allowing it to go the way of PWSA-style management? Instead of spending through the nose to give a select few preferential housing that is well-served by our notoriously atrocious public transit system - perhaps, just perhaps, we could work to improve the overall efficiency of our public transit to benefit everyone?
Crazy ideas, I know.
LMAO - even Stevie Wonder could see that the City is already economically segregated. Why keep throwing larger piles, of limited cash, at maintaining a charade?
The yuppies have taken over the Strip, Lower and Central Lawrenceville, and East Liberty. And are in the process of taking over Downtown and Polish Hill.
Old money is still living the dream in Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, Point Breeze, Regent Square, and Highland Park.
The Bluff is reserved for Peduto and Fitzgerald's science fair project - the Bus Rapid Transit system.
Oakland is reserved for the eds and meds. And that is gentrifying too - look at the new buildings there. It's no longer the enclave of student ghetto wedged against old school Italians.
Money is being thrown hand-over-fist at the yuppie colony neighborhoods. And its also thrown hand-over-fist at the Hill and at those displaced from East Liberty. Keep the rich happy, and keep the poor from complaining too loudly.
But what's left?
Where are the working-class neighborhoods anymore?
Upper Lawrenceville, Stanton Heights, Morningside, Greenfield?
People in those neighborhoods who don't own their homes must be getting squeezed tighter and tighter every year. And when will the gentrification spill over into their neighborhoods?
Why, oh why, oh why, - why does everyone sneer at SCR when he complains about being priced out of Polish Hill, but everyone sees such great injustices when someone else is priced out of East Liberty? Why is SCR struggling in Polish Hill, while the "affordable housing" townhouses a mile or two away at Skyline Terrace cost $400k?! (https://newsinteractive.post-gazette...rofit/?pgapp=1)
I'm sure most people would like to be within walking distance of shopping and decent public transit links.
The rich get it. Look at the obscene prices they pay at Eastside Bond. The poor get it too. Look at how much attention the Hill and the poor of East Liberty get. Look at the obscene prices that are charged to public coffers to subsidize the poor with "affordable housing". It certainly ain't affordable to the public who's paying for it!
What bothers me is that you have folks like me and SCR who try to live within our means, and our taxes go to subsidize those who live better than we ourselves do. But when we complain about it, we're just dismissed as rascally racists.
Why are the upper class and middle class being subsidized on the back of the working class? Why is everyone ok with the working class being displaced, but Heaven and Earth are moved to pander to the non-working class??
i agree with you here. but that is why people like you choose to live outside of the city. the upper class people in the city aren't going to argue against the appreciation of their property values and can hide behind "helping the unfortunate" when 500 middle class dwellings are replaced by 100 "affordable units" and the rest market rate apartments. this makes their property values go up. it is pretty clear by now who the city is catering to, and what gets them media attention. if it is for the best is worth arguing but somebody is going to lose out in every situation.
I would really appreciate some clarity around what people think is poor, working class, middle class, and upper class.
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