New development is reflected in the windows of Cornerstone Village, on Larimer Avenue, which is part of the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Avenue’s of Hope Initiative, on Sept. 14, 2023, in Larimer. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg/PublicSource)
The board of Pittsburgh’s redevelopment authority also voted to lend $2 million to renovate a once-troubled Homewood housing complex.
by Eric Jankiewicz, PublicSource
A Pittsburgh initiative to develop seven mostly-Black business districts throughout the city is nearing its end as the Urban Redevelopment Authority [URA] board approved a third round of grants, bringing to nearly $7 million the total awarded to dozens of businesses.
In 2021, City Council earmarked $7 million from the city’s American Rescue Plan allocation for the URA to use in the Avenues of Hope initiative. Each grantee can get up to $200,000 for their business.
Last June the URA approved its first round of grants to 20 organizations totaling $2.4 million. A second round of funding totaling $1.2 million went out in September to 15 organizations. On Thursday 27 projects received board approval for a total of nearly $2.5 million. There is still some funding available for the Chartiers Avenue corridor.
Talia O’Brien, the URA’s neighborhood business district program analyst, said that the selection process included an extensive review of all applications and input from the targeted communities. The new awardees include the nonprofit Rising Tides in the South Perrysville Avenue corridor, 1:11 Juice Bar in Hazelwood’s Second Avenue corridor and food shop Farmer Girl Eb in Sheraden’s Chartiers Avenue corridor.
“It was a dream of mine to have my own space in Sheraden,” said Ebony Evans, owner of Farmer Girl Eb, “with food growing and education and to connect with the community. I’m super excited.”
Loans for troubled Homewood site
The board also addressed the redevelopment of Homewood by issuing two housing loans totaling $2 million to help a nonprofit corporation to acquire buildings in the neighborhood to be turned into 30 scattered site rentals. Once completed, the apartments would be rented to Housing Choice Voucher holders and people making 50% of the area median income or less. That requirement will be in place for 40 years.
With this funding approved, Homewood Redevelopment, owned by the nonprofit Pennsylvania Affordable Housing Corporation, will buy the properties from an absentee landlord for $6.25 million.
Shawn Taylor, president of the nonprofit, said these properties had fallen into disrepair and called the sites a source of blight.
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