A RENDITION OF THE NEW AFFORDABLE HOUSING ALONG FIFTH AVENUE IN UPTOWN, COMING IN 2026. (Courtesy of LGA Partners)
Bethlehem Haven, part of Pittsburgh Mercy’s award-winning homeless services continuum of care, and ACTION-Housing on Wednesday, Oct. 2, broke ground on Uptown Flats, a new $22.8 million low-income affordable housing development in the 1400 block of Fifth Avenue in Uptown, the New Pittsburgh Courier has learned.
Abatement is under way with demolition scheduled to begin in mid-October. Construction is scheduled to begin in January 2025. When completed in 2026, the new development located at Fifth Avenue and Stevenson Street will house up to 34 households whose residents are exiting homelessness, have accessibility needs, and are on the path to self-sufficiency.
Uptown Flats is the result of an innovative partnership between Bethlehem Haven, a nonprofit that serves individuals at risk of homelessness, and ACTION-Housing, Pittsburgh’s largest nonprofit affordable housing developer that specializes in quality, affordable supportive housing. Together, the two nonprofit community partners share over 100 years of combined experience providing housing and supportive services to vulnerable Pittsburgh and Allegheny County residents.
Uptown Flats will be a 36,000 square-foot, four-story building featuring low-income affordable housing and wrap-around supportive services provided on site by Bethlehem Haven for households at or below 30 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI). All units will have project-based vouchers through the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh. Residents will not pay more than 30 percent of their income in rent. Utilities are included.
Four of the units will be designed for individuals with mobility accessibility needs. Two of the units will be designed for individuals with hearing and/or vision accessibility needs.
“When completed, Uptown Flats will create affordable permanent housing in Uptown and help Bethlehem Haven create a housing continuum that will allow vulnerable residents to find stability and success in life,” said Annette M. Fetchko, RN, MHA, executive director of Bethlehem Haven, in a statement to the Courier. “By integrating housing with health care and extensive supportive services, this project will improve lives by empowering residents on the path to self-sufficiency.”
To make way for the Uptown Flats development, Bethlehem Haven purchased four vacant, neighboring properties at 1400-1408 Fifth Avenue. “By reclaiming and removing blighted, dilapidated buildings and replacing them with new residential development with on-site wrap-around services, Uptown Flats will be a catalyst for hope and change as well as a vibrant partner and contributor to the Uptown EcoInnovation District,” Fetchko added.
“When Bethlehem Haven joined the Pittsburgh Mercy Family of Care in 2016, we made a promise to the community that we would be better together. We promised to use our 70 years of combined strengths and experience to expand our award-winning homeless services continuum to serve even more of the most vulnerable,” Tony Beltran, president and CEO of Pittsburgh Mercy, said in a statement to the Courier. “We know how important safe, affordable housing and access to wrap-around supportive services are to a person’s health and well-being. Uptown Flats is another innovative example of how Pittsburgh Mercy and Bethlehem Haven are honoring our legacy, living our mission, and fulfilling our promise to the most vulnerable in the Uptown community and Allegheny County,” Beltran added.
“We are thrilled to be a part of the development team for Uptown Flats,” stated Lena Andrews, CEO of ACTION-Housing. “Given the increasing need for affordable and supportive housing in Pittsburgh, this is exactly the type of project we should be building to support residents in a holistic way.”
Amenities on the first floor will include a community room for residents, an outdoor courtyard, and offices for Bethlehem Haven and Pittsburgh Mercy colleagues to provide supportive services to residents. Uptown Flats will also offer residents convenient access to Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s Bus Rapid Transit lines and new protected bike lanes along Fifth and Forbes avenues, secure bicycle parking, storage, and laundry.
The $22.8 million Uptown Flats development was made possible by an award of 9 percent Low-Income Housing Tax Credits from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency. Major funders include the National Equity Fund, BNY, Trinity Health, the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County Economic Development, FHLBank Pittsburgh, McAuley Ministries Foundation, Irene C. Shea Charitable Foundation, and the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh.
Bethlehem Haven and ACTION-Housing are the developers of Uptown Flats. LGA Partners is the project architect. Mosites Construction is the general contractor. Fahringer, McCarty, and Grey is the civil engineer. Iams Consulting is the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineer. The project will seek Enterprise Green Communities Certification.
The planned development has received overwhelming community support from the City of Pittsburgh, Uptown Partners of Pittsburgh, the Hill Community Development Corporation (Hill CDC), the Hill District Consensus Group (HDCG), the Hill District Collaborative (HDC), and neighboring Uptown nonprofit organizations, such as Duquesne University, Jubilee Kitchen, and UPMC Mercy.
Phase 1, which included the year-long, $4.2 million preservation and renovation of Bethlehem Haven’s 1410 Fifth Avenue location, a permanent supportive housing program for 26 women and gender non-conforming individuals, was completed in March of 2024.
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