Pittsburgh Magazine - the next hot hoods (Allentown, Penn Hills: real estate, 2014)

[Paul2421]

Originally Posted by eschaton

My thoughts on the suggestions in the article:

Hazlewood - The city clearly wants it to gentrify now, similar to what has been done with East Liberty. Whether it will work remains to be seen. I think there will be pressures to make the residential components mixed income, which may result in Hazlewood becoming the new dumping ground for people displaced from the Hill District. We'll have to wait and see.

Larimer - No. East Liberty not withstanding, mixed-income infill and gentrification do not go together. The most I could see happening is more active usage of the Hamilton/Frankstown corridors through the commercial parts of Larimer. I do not think residential Larimer will gentrify. it will continue to fill in - as people displaced from East Liberty have to go somewhere.

Polish Hill - The only reason it hasn't gentrified as rapidly as Lawrenceville is a lot of old-timers aren't cashing out and leaving. This is a neighborhood where 5-10 years ago, it was nearly impossible to get any house on the market. Now there are $400,000 flips. It's already there - it's just time for it to make the gutter punk to yuppie transition.

Uptown - A 74-unit market-rate apartment building is under construction there right now. Uptown only has a few hundred residents who aren't in Duquense dorms or the county jail, so honestly a few more of these projects will make a massive difference in terms of the neighborhood. There's a lot of blight left to deal with however.

Allegheny Center - It's already changed considerably with the new management of the towers. I don't think it will ever be a "hot" area though as long as the existing built form continues.

Wilkinsburg - Has over a dozen neighborhoods, which range from gentrified to gentrifying to stone-cold ghetto. I don't think one can generalize, but at this point the slow improvement of neighborhoods like Peebles Square, Greater Park Place, Kelly West, and Hamnett Place is canceled out by the continued decline of areas like Princeton Park and Laketon.

Millvale - The place has two breweries now - it's hard to not claim it's gentrifying. It's also where all the 20somethings who can't afford houses in Lawrenceville seem to be moving to buy a place.

I'd add Troy Hill to such a list for sure. It's seeing a lot of the same people move to it that have been moving to Millvale. Better housing stock, and worse business district, but otherwise they're pretty analogous.

I agree wholeheartedly with your analysis. I really think "mixed-income" developments are the death knell of revitalization in today's Pittsburgh.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by theta_sigma

I will grant you that the housing stock is really terrible over there. I've never found anything around the business district for sale that isn't just a horrid ugly characterless wreck.

Occasionally some nice homes go on sale in Millvale. They're usually further up on Evergreen however. See this, this, this, this, and this.

Sharpsburg, however, literally seems to be a borough with not a single good house in it.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by theta_sigma

What about Garfield? That's one that I found to be glaringly missing from the list.

They referred to Garfield as an "already hot hood" this year.

I don't really think Garfield is gentrifying, so much as the first few blocks of it are slowly being annexed by Bloomfield/Friendship. The change will be very slow though - there's a lot of very low quality infill rental housing that Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation has had constructed in the neighborhood over the last 25 years after all.

[Merge]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Occasionally some nice homes go on sale in Millvale. They're usually further up on Evergreen however. See this, this, this, this, and this.

Sharpsburg, however, literally seems to be a borough with not a single good house in it.

How much have you actually walked around Sharpsburg? I'd have to assume by your post that you've done nothing but drive through via Main Street. Your contention here is (literally) ridiculous.
If you do want to actually explore and have a validated opinion, start with Heinz Terrace and then tell me again there is "not a single good house in it".

[tyovan4]

Originally Posted by eschaton

It's already there - it's just time for it to make the gutter punk to yuppie transition.

I'm hoping that Gooski's stays the same though

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Merge

How much have you actually walked around Sharpsburg? I'd have to assume by your post that you've done nothing but drive through via Main Street. Your contention here is (literally) ridiculous.
If you do want to actually explore and have a validated opinion, start with Heinz Terrace and then tell me again there is "not a single good house in it".

I've walked around a lot of Sharpsburg, but I guess I did miss that area. Portions of Middle Street are nice too. Still, I think the housing stock overall is of lower quality than Sharpsburg or Etna. I keep on hoping I'll find cool old Italianate homes, or a stand of intact 19th century brick rowhouses, but 90% of the housing stock Bloomfield-style dreck.

[Merge]

Originally Posted by eschaton

I've walked around a lot of Sharpsburg, but I guess I did miss that area. Still, I think the housing stock overall is of lower quality than Sharpsburg or Etna. I keep on hoping I'll find cool old Italianate homes, or a stand of intact brick rowhouses, but 90% of the housing stock Bloomfield-style dreck.

There are free-standing brick houses right on Middle Street that are in excellent condition. Really... I can't believe you'd make the claim you did having actually walked around Sharpsburg. Just looking at the links you provided for "good" Millvale houses... there are lots of properties in Sharpsburg at least as nice as those. Sure, there's not a lot for sale... but that's because so few are moving out.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Merge

There are free-standing brick houses right on Middle Street that are in excellent condition. Really... I can't believe you'd make the claim you did having actually walked around Sharpsburg. Just looking at the links you provided for "good" Millvale houses... there are lots of properties in Sharpsburg at least as nice as those. Sure, there's not a lot for sale... but that's because so few are moving out.

I've mostly explored the areas to the north and west of the business district on foot honestly. Walking around dense urban areas is more interesting to me, and it seemed like the borough thinned out a lot east of there.

Alright, I retract my statement - are you happy?

[robrobrob]

Originally Posted by Merge

How much have you actually walked around Sharpsburg? I'd have to assume by your post that you've done nothing but drive through via Main Street. Your contention here is (literally) ridiculous.
If you do want to actually explore and have a validated opinion, start with Heinz Terrace and then tell me again there is "not a single good house in it".

Years ago a friend lived in Sharspburg. He lived on the bottom floor of a pretty nice duplex. From memory the houses were nicer north of the business district.

Heinz Terrance is a pretty nice street. There are also some newish houses and townhouses in the back.

This isn't bad.

209 21st St, Pittsburgh, PA 15215 | MLS #1075012 | Zillow

[Merge]

Originally Posted by eschaton

I've mostly explored the areas to the north and west of the business district on foot honestly. Walking around dense urban areas is more interesting to me, and it seemed like the borough thinned out a lot east of there.

Alright, I retract my statement - are you happy?

It's not about my happiness.. but rather that information here on City Data about specific neighborhoods should avoid the kind of hyperbole you included in your post. In my opinion you are an excellent poster here... and provide tons of valuable info. You have a lot of credibility, so I was surprised to see you attach yourself to an extreme position like that.


I understand how you arrived at the impression you did, given the limited area you've explored. And I agree that dense, urban sections are much more interesting to explore.