URA approves Humphries’ housing plan on North Side

Though best known as a jazz drummer and teacher, Roger Humphries is getting into the housing business, and thanks to the Urban Redevelopment Authority, he will shortly begin building six market-rate townhouses on the North Side.
Of all the items on the board’s June 11 agenda, the sale of one authority-owned lot on Carrington Street for $1,500 took the least amount of time to approve. The lot adjoins properties Humphries’ RH Factor LLC. had already assembled for the project. The total development costs are projected at $1.7 million.
Humphries said his older sister had been interested in real estate and that he had earlier lived across from the properties. So when the opportunity presented itself he and his wife Regina began acquiring the land.
“It was always in the back of my mind,” said Humphries. “We’ve been at this for a while, and now we’re ready to start.”
Four of the townhouses will face Carrington Street and the other two face Jefferson Street, all will have garages and rooftop decks. The homes are modular units and will be built by New Era Homes. Construction should begin in mid-July and should only take about 90 days.
Given the area market, and other modulars going up nearby, Humphries estimates the sale price in the $350,000 range.
“I’m just grateful to have this project to do, and to finally see it come to fruition,” he said.
The board also approved $1.2 million in loans for the second phase of the Garfield Glen scattered site affordable housing project. The two- three- and four-bedroom homes will be designated for those with incomes under 60 percent of the Area Median Income and will be available for purchase by the residents after 15 years.
For the Hill District, the board approved an exclusive  six-month negotiating term for ACH Clear Pathways to purchase a lot on Centre Avenue for the construction of a recreation center which will serve as their permanent location for their organization. ACH Clear Pathways provides after school and summer programming for neighborhood youth.
It also approved a similar arrangement for the Hill Community Development Corporation to purchase 17 properties along Centre and Wylie Avenues and Erin Street for a “comprehensive redevelopment of the New Granada Theater block.
Plans call for the properties to be developed for a variety of purposes. Hill CDC president Marimba Milliones said she would be issuing a request for proposals within 30 days to identify a development partner for the project, which includes retail and housing space and refurbishing the New Granada.
“We’ve finalized all our market analyses and feasibility studies, and even have some interested tenants. But securing a developer is our first priority,” she said. “We’ll also be unveiling the community’s Centre Avenue comprehensive redevelopment plan on June 20 at our State of The Hill District event.”
The board also approved entering into a $500,000 loan arrangement with the PNC Foundation for projects in the 28-acre former Civic Arena site. Authority Housing Director Tom Cummings explained that the funds would be used in lieu of monies that will be collected via the LERTA district tax abatement reinvestment fund for development in and around the lower Hill.
“Because the reinvestment fund will not have any money in it immediately, we would use the loan for financing,” he said. “Loan funds would only be drawn down for specific projects, which would come before us for approval anyway, and would later be repaid from the reinvestment fund when it is funded.”
The board also agreed to sell the lot adjoining Nigel Parkinson’s Indigo Hotel on Board Street in East Liberty to the hotel’s ownership group for a tree garden, which would be used for occasional outdoor hotel events but would remain a public space.
The most contentious agenda item was the approval of a $50,000 grant to offset the costs associated with the “Tiny House” project in Garfield. The idea is to make use of some of the city’s small vacant lots by building very small houses—essentially stand-alone studio apartments—on the sites.
Eve Picker, told the board that this first attempt ran into problems with the site—and with the dictates of the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, which required trenching water lines under the sidewalk and street to connect to mains on the opposite side, and then returning everything to its previous condition.
“So we’re left with a sales price of about $100,000,” she said. “We don’t even really know who the market is for this.”
Rick Swartz, executive director of the Bloomfield Garfield Corp., told the board efforts to build any “affordable housing” in the city run into similar cost brought on by environmental and city code requirements.
“Site costs are running $50,000 regardless of what size of structure you’re putting up,” he said.
Prior to the meeting board Chair Kevin Acklin announced that the authority had adopted environmental strictures proposed by the Heinz Endowments during its P4 meetings in May. He also applauded several authority staffers for completing LEED green building certification.
 
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