emerald gardens/westgate village (Pittsburgh, Ingram: section 8, salon, apartments)

[lunarcougar]

Hey I am thinking about moving here (to Emerald Gardens), and I'm supposed to sign the lease w/ my boyfriend tomorrow. BUT, we have been reading how this used to be Westgate, really scary/dangerous projects, etc. We need to know ASAP anything anyone knows about this area. We also know Fairywood is supposed to be bad. Does this area just look bad? OR is it still bad? What kind of people live in Emerald Gardens, and who lives in those run down houses around it? Does anyone live in Emerald Gardens right now that can tell us how it is to live at Emerald Gardens? And, does anyone know if scary Broadhead Manor is reopening? We would like to know what goes on in Fairywood and that run down neighborhood & all the abandoned buildings surrounding Emerald Gardens. Did anyone hear gunshots now or are all the bad people and crime out? Please helps us! Thanks!

[mister brewski]

Enjoy

//www.city-data.com/forum/pitts...hborhoods.html

[lunarcougar]

thanks for the link, all that information was very helpful. but does anybody have any more recent news about the area? we toured one of those apartments the other day and they are beautiful, 2 levels, granite countertops, nice tile, i mean the list goes on. we were unaware of the background of the area, so when we were driving there (at night) we were thinking to ourselves "where in the h#ll are we going"? it seems to me that the area is safe, i mean all the projects are abandoned. There are 2 streets with "interesting" houses. the one street was nice, while the other street was, well, not so nice. our main concern is, what if the old buildings that are still up are turned into section 8 housing, does anybody know if thats a possibility? if anybody has any additional, recent, information it would be GREATLY appreciate, especially if you are a current resident...

[Pghtebbie]

maybe send an email to the poster in the above thread?

I live in Ingram (right next to where you are talking about) and I love it here. But I never have a reason to wander over to that area, so don't know a lot about it. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing!?! It can't be that bad, as it's never on the news, unlike the Hill/Northside/Lincoln-Lemington, etc, kwim?

[BVH]

Originally Posted by mister brewski

Enjoy

//www.city-data.com/forum/pitts...hborhoods.html

LOL Thank you! I am not sure why anybody would be considering living in a former housing project in a neighborhood that is still "questionable" at best. There are FAR too many safe and nicer neighborhoods in Pittsburgh to choose from. Why move to the Ghetto?

[fleetiebelle]

The thought is probably that the neighborhood will never get any better unless decent people move in to the decent new housing. Someone has to be first.

[gonzalez27]

Yeah, i've seen the apartments, and they look REALLY nice, i was pleasantly surprised. The only thing that concerns me is that Fairywood is nearby. Like I said in another post, the area looks like its on the rise and hopefully the people of Fairywood embrace the change for the good!

[jfer]

My honest opinion is that you could find an apt or single family home for the same price in a much nicer area.

[dannythekid]

My g/f's friend just moved down there with her fiance... It looks nice but some of the housing plans are still boarded up, so you can still feel the ghetto beyond the white gate and secuity office.

I mean it epitomizes the feeling of being trapped and isolated... each way you look is basically up a hill and you're in the small area with a bunch of other people crammed in this housing plan.

I've lived near there my entire life and I can remember seeing the decay and poverty in the area before they closed them all up...

It isn't too bad looking but I don't think I could ever live down there, even though it's cleaned up it can't escape it's past as Westgate Village.

[lunarcougar]

Ok everyone, thanks for all the info. We actually got some more additional info and we did sign the lease. I spoke with various police departments from the area, the development builders, current residents and the leasing management. The company that started E. Gardens has bought all the old Westgate buildings, and they are also buying what used to be Broadhead Manor. There is NO CHANCE of any of the old projects being turned into section 8 housing ever again whatsoever, which is good. THey have not had any problems since they opened Em. Gardens. The police told me the area has drastically decreased crimewise, that it is VERY quiet now, and the houses that look bad are mostly closed or owned by old people who just don't maintain them. Even the police said the area is going to be totally different once all the buildings are completed. Extensive criminal and background checks are done also of each and every resident of the plan. The places ARE beautiful, and just need to escape the reputation of what they USED to be. A tanning salon and convenience store are also being built for the residents this spring. So, hopefully we made a good decision. I do agree with the last post about looking up a hill wherever you look, but hopefully once this is all done it will just look all nice altogether. The current residents I spoke with love living there and their new place, so we figured there's no harm in giving it a shot. Thanks again for all the info, though, very helpful.