Hill Residents won't quit (Pittsburgh, Hampton Township: 2015, apartments, condos)

[Rocket88]

I understand that there should be some affordable housing. The Hill is already getting by far the best package given to a neighborhood in the history of Pittsburgh. Nary a soul has lived on the property to be developed in nearly sixty years. It is not like any of those still alive who have lived on that property in the 1950s would get much use of it. My grandfather's leather shop had to be to be moved from this property. I am not down there making demands because my ancestors had a stake in the area first. How do people's minds work? Is the Hill the only neighborhood in Pittsburgh where residents were displaced? Hardly. Make sure you read some interesting comments at the end. I guess there is a fine line between common sense and racial overtones.Penguins, Hill District clash over appeal in Civic Arena site development | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

[SteelCityRising]

So rich white people can price out poor white people in places like Lawrenceville and Polish Hill without anyone batting an eye, but now rich white people are going to move into the Lower Hill District, displacing nobody who has lived on that land in generations, and it's "racist"? I don't get it.

[UKyank]

I thought the Hill District was already full of affordable housing? Did I miss something?

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

So rich white people can price out poor white people in places like Lawrenceville and Polish Hill without anyone batting an eye, but now rich white people are going to move into the Lower Hill District, displacing nobody who has lived on that land in generations, and it's "racist"? I don't get it.

When a 28 acre parcel is in play you're going to have the local neighborhood group heavily interested no matter what their race. I don't even see race mentioned in the article though...

Originally Posted by UKyank

I thought the Hill District was already full of affordable housing? Did I miss something?

Yeah. What exactly is the purpose of putting subsidized housing in such a prime location when the area is already dirt cheap?

[Rocket88]

[quote=ferraris;37909182]When a 28 acre parcel is in play you're going to have the local neighborhood group heavily interested no matter what their race. I don't even see race mentioned in the article though...


True. Race was not mentioned. However, anybody that thinks that there are not racial overtones or even undertones in play here is not being realistic. Nobody is going to come out and say it, but it is there, just like it was with the August Wilson Center. Let's not try to pretend otherwise. It should not be that way, but it is. I just say common sense should take precedent over caving in.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by ferraris

Yeah. What exactly is the purpose of putting subsidized housing in such a prime location when the area is already dirt cheap?

I've said this elsewhere, but generally speaking, urban communities of color in the U.S. have suburban aspirations much more than the modern generation of white people. They are far more likely to want to have brand-spanking new construction, off-street parking - the whole nine yards. And far less likely to see any value in "historic charm." At the same time, they often cannot afford the Cranberry-like communities they desire. Or if they can afford them, they don't want to move away from the neighborhood they grew up in.

Hence, what we would have historically called "urban renewal" remains actually a very popular thing in most black communities - provided the residents aren't displaced. The majority of Hill District residents might be quite ducky with the leveling of virtually anything historic remaining in the area, and the replacement of modern construction detached single-family housing and townhouses. It brings Hampton Township to them, rather than having to move to Hampton Township.

Thus, I'd guess to the extent that anyone is actually arguing from a self-interested perspective (rather than just taking an ideological stance) the people who want to move into these apartments are people who live in houses like this.

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by Rocket88

True. Race was not mentioned. However, anybody that thinks that there are not racial overtones or even undertones in play here is not being realistic. Nobody is going to come out and say it, but it is there, just like it was with the August Wilson Center. Let's not try to pretend otherwise. It should not be that way, but it is. I just say common sense should take precedent over caving in.

I just don't see what purpose it serves to immediately make the discussion racial. What racial overtones are in the article? Am I supposed to infer that "affordable" means housing for black people? Because I don't infer that.

[ferraris]

Eschaton, I understand what you're saying, but why should that sort of housing be subsidized? (not to mention how incongruous it is with such an urban location)

EDIT: Really I mean why should housing in a prime and already cheap location be subsidized at all? Regardless of the style and density.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by ferraris

Eschaton, I understand what you're saying, but why should that sort of housing be subsidized? (not to mention how incongruous it is with such an urban location)

EDIT: Really I mean why should housing in a prime and already cheap location be subsidized at all? Regardless of the style and density.

I'm not assigning moral value (positive or negative) to the intentions. I'm just saying that the community feels not only that it's entitled to affordable housing, but that if new units of housing are built, one of the core purposes should be to replace the remaining dilapidated (albeit historic) housing in the Hill District. And surely from a livability perspective, those subsidized new units will be far superior in terms of amenities and simple upkeep than 100+ year old rowhomes owned by absentee slumlords.

[Goodjules]

I believe that the reasoning is that when the luxury condos are built it will drive prices up in the surrounding areas. Including affordable housing in the project is to help people who may be forced out due to rising prices. The other thing is the developer may be getting subsidies that require they provide a percentage of affordable units. Typically the developer wants to provide as few as possible and the community wants as many as possible.