Garfield Commons (Pittsburgh, Washington, Cornwall: apartment complex, rentals, home)

[bloba1]

My wife and I have three little kids and we currently live north of Pittsburgh. We were considering moving to Garfield Commons. I know Garfield doesn't have the best reputation but I also thought that things were improving. Penny for anyone's thoughts? Good idea or bad idea?

[selltheburgh]

are you moving there because it is cheap / subsidized?

it is much better than years past when it was low rise projects. everything is relative. where are you coming from and what are you expecting?

[Herodotus]

Originally Posted by bloba1

My wife and I have three little kids and we currently live north of Pittsburgh. We were considering moving to Garfield Commons. I know Garfield doesn't have the best reputation but I also thought that things were improving. Penny for anyone's thoughts? Good idea or bad idea?

At this point, I wouldn't move there. I'd want it to be up for about 10 years, and have a good reputation before I'd chance it.

[Uptown kid]

My wife and I have three little kids and we currently live north of Pittsburgh. We were considering moving to Garfield Commons. I know Garfield doesn't have the best reputation but I also thought that things were improving. Penny for anyone's thoughts? Good idea or bad idea?

There was some type of feuding going down in the Garfield Commons Mixed-Income Apartment complex, yet I don't know over what or why... Specifically from late 2012 to February there were several homicides and many shootings. Plus as the warm weather months are approaching the violence will likely resurface.
BTW: that area is currently a stronghold for the violent Garfield Bloods sets that have largelyr relocated there due to the razing of their orginal turf, the Garfield Heights Housing Projects at Cornwall/Columbo St... So right now its not a good place to move to... However, it is still definitely safer than rest of the neighborhood from Broad Streer to those apartments. Perhaps eventually all the trouble makers will get evicted things will go back to getting better, but ever since the Cornwall/Columbo Street Projects were razed, those apartments have plummeted to almost (keyword almost, though not as bad as) housing project proportion!

[bloba1]

Thanks for your feedback everyone. We don't need subsidized rent, we just wanted to move somewhere in the city that's reasonably affordable and of course safe.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by bloba1

Thanks for your feedback everyone. We don't need subsidized rent, we just wanted to move somewhere in the city that's reasonably affordable and of course safe.

I'm not sure I would gladly recommend Garfield Commons to you. I know there are some pioneering young families with small children who live on Dearborn Street (first parallel street from Penn Avenue within Garfield), and I've delivered food to them before. I'm also friends with a stable lesbian couple that purchased a home on that street recently. Once you get higher up (past Broad Street) that becomes a dicier part of the neighborhood I wouldn't recommend, and it's an area we won't deliver to.

If you're looking for a rental large enough to suit your family (presumably at least 3 bedrooms) then anything that's not subsidized may be very expensive in the safe and family-friendly parts of the East End. I'd toss in a suggestion of my own Polish Hill as a very safe neighborhood convenient to Downtown and Oakland that also has a great playground and park for the kids, but there's a rental availability shortage here, which has also pushed prices here up steadily over the past few years. Forbes Management has some tiny units at the top of my street that are going for $700/month-$800/month+ to give you some perspective, and our own VERY outdated 1-BR unit is going for $700/month with a possible increase this summer.

Any ballpark estimate on rent? You may want to consider the "backside" (away from Grandview Avenue) side of Mt. Washington. It's not exactly hip or happenin', but it's cheaper than most of the East End while still being very conveniently-located. If you can wait a couple of years I'm also curious about what housing options the Penguins have planned for the site of the former Civic Arena in the Lower Hill District. That should be a safe neighborhood, diverse, and likely mixed-income with 3-BR rentals that shouldn't be as insanely-priced as most in the rest of the East End. I'd also recommend Brighton Heights to you. It's a safe neighborhood with a small business district. It's experiencing neither a boom nor bust---it's just stable. Troy Hill is another option to consider. Members steindle and Q-Tip Motha live there, and the latter has a child if I'm not mistaken. It's a safe neighborhood with a small business district very conveniently-located to Downtown (less so to Oakland).

[CaptainPittsburgh]

As everyone else is saying, Garfield is still rough. I would be comfortable moving there, banking on the prospect that it will steadily improve over the next decade and be a really cool place down the line. BUT, I'm a mid-twenties male with street smarts who can handle sketchiness, and I have no plans for children in the near future.

I think I'd look at alternatives to Garfield right now if I had a child, which is a shame because it's a darn cool area. Maybe in 5 or 6 more years...

[selltheburgh]

My take is that Garfield is livable if you:

-Get a rental deal that you couldn't find anywhere else.

-Are buying an inexpensive house. Values are going to rise there within the next 5 years. Sub-100k neighborhoods are running out in the East End.

-Also, that neighborhood is block by block. One might be stable or ok while another is horrible and the next is mostly vacant.