Most Blighted Blocks in Allegheny County (Pittsburgh, Washington: condo, homes, new construction)

[guy2073]

Originally Posted by sky329

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.4545...8i6656!6m1!1e1


Formosa Way Homewood

Thanks for putting this on here, it looks like alot of the houses have been torn down. It still looks bad even after the cleanup

[wpipkins2]

Originally Posted by guy2073

Fermosa way in homewood, i have not been by there in sometime but i hope the city tore it down.

Fermosa Way was the scariest place I ever ventured into in the 1990s. Prior to demolition the entire alley had rowhouses on both sides of the street running the entire length of the alley. The alley had tiny sidewalks and the rowhouses had zero setbacks. Homewood South was heavy on rowhouses but most have been demolished. It feels less urban and hollowed out now. Fluery Way, Cora Street and several other rowhouse alley's are in danger as well.

Tioga was the second worse. The intersection of Rosedale and Tioga was the epicenter of the East Ends crack epidemic. Rosedale is part of the 9 Mile run water shed and now has suburban split levels. Tioga has affordable housing units under construction near the MLK East Busway.

[sky329]

Originally Posted by eschaton

It doesn't look too different to me than parts of Lawrenceville before they gentrified. Everyone agrees that Uptown is underinvested considering the location, but knocking down the existing buildings absolutely doesn't make neighborhoods revive quicker. The neighborhoods which gentrify quickly tend to be the ones with intact urban fabric.

Uptown is starting to change though. I heard just last week about a new 35-unit apartment building going up soon on the corner of Fifth and Pride. I think the section closer to Oakland will take a bit longer, but I think the surviving 19th century rowhouses are an asset, not a liability.

Pittsburgh should only knock down houses in two areas, IMHO.

1. Houses which are structurally unsound.

2. isolated houses on steep slopes or at the end of otherwise empty streets in areas where everything else is now gone.

In general, the more a block and neighborhood are intact, the more important it is to try to save the local integrity. I wouldn't fight hard to save the last rowhouse on a block full of empty lots, but I would fight like hell to stop one house in the middle of an otherwise intact row from being condemned.

I don't think those beautiful rows should be bulldozed but great article...

[guy2073]

Originally Posted by wpipkins2

Fermosa Way was the scariest place I ever ventured into in the 1990s. Prior to demolition the entire alley had rowhouses on both sides of the street running the entire length of the alley. The alley had tiny sidewalks and the rowhouses had zero setbacks. Homewood South was heavy on rowhouses but most have been demolished. It feels less urban and hollowed out now. Fluery Way, Cora Street and several other rowhouse alley's are in danger as well.

Tioga was the second worse. The intersection of Rosedale and Tioga was the epicenter of the East Ends crack epidemic. Rosedale is part of the 9 Mile run water shed and now has suburban split levels. Tioga has affordable housing units under construction near the MLK East Busway.

When the city concrete blocked the windows and doors to the row houses it made the area depressing. Before that it was not safe at all.

[wpipkins2]

Originally Posted by guy2073

When the city concrete blocked the windows and doors to the row houses it made the area depressing. Before that it was not safe at all.

If drug task force pulled up on the "spot" you could run in one house and appear 5 houses down. They actually drilled through the units in order to make their escape easier. I am from the hood but this was something different. I was terrified.

[svband76]

Was is Mayor Peduto and the city's position on demolition? Do they have one? Manchester is like Swiss cheese over there.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by zalewskimm

Was is Mayor Peduto and the city's position on demolition? Do they have one? Manchester is like Swiss cheese over there.

I don't know if there's an official policy, but demolitions have slowed down a bit since he became mayor.

The Pittsburgh Land Bank is supposed to help cut down on demolitions as well. Formerly, the City could only acquire houses once the owners hadn't paid property taxes for three years, and often had to spend a lot of time and money clearing title. By the time the abandoned houses were ready for sale, they had often deteriorated so much they had to be condemned or demolished by the city. The process is supposed to be a little smoother now, with the Land Bank using its own funds and staffing to obtain title to abandoned properties.

[SteelCityRising]

The grand old (yet long-vacant) Victorian at the corner of Grandview & McArdle is about to be torn down for a new "modern" boxy house. Not sure how I feel about that.

[svband76]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

The grand old (yet long-vacant) Victorian at the corner of Grandview & McArdle is about to be torn down for a new "modern" boxy house. Not sure how I feel about that.

I knew this was coming when that house was put up for sale. Those new urban concrete houses are ridiculously ugly. Why anyone would throw good money at cheap cinder blocks instead of a Victorian that needs work is beyond me. The cinder block "disease" has struck East Liberty, The Strip and too many other classic neighborhoods. Sad.

[sky329]

Originally Posted by zalewskimm

I knew this was coming when that house was put up for sale. Those new urban concrete houses are ridiculously ugly. Why anyone would throw good money at cheap cinder blocks instead of a Victorian that needs work is beyond me. The cinder block "disease" has struck East Liberty, The Strip and too many other classic neighborhoods. Sad.

that house was rotting and falling down and I am ecstatic that its getting torn down.. that may be the best lot in the city and that house was an eyesore.. I loved the turret and stuff but sometimes stuff has to go if we want to be looked at as a "nicer" city and not rusty


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