$1M Tax Credits Awarded to Larimer Housing Plan from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency has awarded $1 million in low-income housing tax credits for a plan to redevelop Pittsburgh’s Larimer community.  The Housing Authority of The City Of Pittsburgh and the Urban Redevelopment Authority applied for the funding in September after selecting Keith B. Key as the developer for the first phase of the plan. As a result, construction of 40 new mixed-income housing units can begin this summer."

$1M Tax Credits Awarded to Larimer Housing Plan from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency has awarded $1 million in low-income housing tax credits for a plan to redevelop Pittsburgh’s Larimer community.  The Housing Authority of The City Of Pittsburgh and the Urban Redevelopment Authority applied for the funding in September after selecting Keith B. Key as the developer for the first phase of the plan. As a result, construction of 40 new mixed-income housing units can begin this summer."

Keith Key and Ricky Burgess

PERSPECTIVE!!

Walkabout: Blighted Properties are a Pox on Our City (Diana Nelson Jones) from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"In two decades, Pittsburgh has become a city that deserves accolades, one that can boast of another "renaissance." We're cleaner, greener and more progressive. We're getting younger, and investment is growing. But of the many feathers in our cap, the "most livable" boast would be easy to ridicule if you have to look at 502 Chester Ave. every day. In Perry South, it's one among thousands of city properties that are not only unlivable but destructive.

Shovels in the Ground for Another Round: Bakery Square 2.0 from Imagine Pittsburgh Now
"A twice-baked opportunity for Pittsburgh’s resurgent East Liberty neighborhood is being readied for the oven with the recent groundbreaking for Bakery Square 2.0 – a “world-class development … offer[ing] amazing office and housing opportunities that will attract new businesses and residents,” according Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl."

Pittsburgh Housing Authority Names COO as New Executive Director from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Caster Binion, who has served the Pittsburgh Housing Authority since 2006 as its chief operating officer, was named its new executive director after a vote of the agency's board today. ... Mr. Binion, 59, is a former paratrooper, said Mr. Burgess. He has been in public housing for around 20 years, including a stint as deputy executive director of Kansas City's agency."

Zoning Changes Prepare Homewood for Long-term Redevelopment (Noah Brode) from WESA Essential Public Radio
"Now that construction has begun on a low-rise apartment building for seniors in Homewood, the Pittsburgh City Councilman who represents the neighborhood has rezoned the community's business district to accommodate three or four additional apartment buildings."

Despite Indictment, Pittsburgh Landlord Expands his Business from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"He continues to buy and rent out low-end properties -- often tangling with his tenants -- while shifting ownership of the houses overseas."

City Upon a Hill from WESA's program, Essential Pittsburgh
"We’ll learn about development plans underway to revitalize the Hill District and make it a thriving neighborhood. Also, city councilman Bruce Kraus on the whether the South Side Blitz is restoring order to Carson Street."

Pittsburgh's Homeless Sought, Counted, Helped from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The first goal is finding housing for Pittsburgh's homeless; the rest will follow, local human services workers say. "It's a complex problem with an easy solution," said Breanna Jay, coordinator for Operation Save-A-Life, which is part of Community Human Services. Operation Save-A-Life conducted its annual Point-In-Time survey of the North Side's homeless Tuesday night to provide proof of the individuals it serves."

Renovated Grange Ready for Occupancy from the Beaver Times
"A local couple is breathing new life into the former North Sewickley Grange building on Mercer Road across from the volunteer fire department. “It has been fascinating to see the building come to life,” said Karen Trozzo, who with her husband, John, bought the building in 2003. “It has been a lot of work, but there is also a lot of satisfaction.”"

Pittsburgh Zoning Board of Adjustment Approves 57 Apartments at Former Lawrenceville Church from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"A proposed residential reuse of the former Holy Family Roman Catholic Church, school and parish house on 44th Street in Lawrenceville has gotten the go-ahead from the Pittsburgh Zoning Board of Adjustment. The decision allows a 57-unit apartment complex with 88 on-site parking spaces."

OPINION!!

Pittsburgh’s “Brain Gain:” A Model for San Antonio? from Imagine Pittsburgh 
"A recent article published on Texas CEO Magazine’s website talked about the “brain gain” in San Antonio, citing a rise in the number of talented young people with college educations choosing to move to that medium-sized city – particularly to its more urban neighborhoods — to live and build their careers. Sound familiar? It should, as we’re seeing those same trends in the Pittsburgh region, as I’ve noted here before."

More Apartments In, Houses Out at Bakery Square 2.0 Project in East Liberty from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"Plans to develop 20 single-family houses have been dropped in favor of a second apartment building at the $100 million Bakery Square 2.0 project in East Liberty that is being developed by Walnut Capital Partners. But residents who attended a community meeting on Wednesday at the Calvary Episcopal Church in Shadyside questioned the decision and had other concerns about what they see as a lack of parking planned for the project."

Covering Rent is a Little Easier in Pittsburgh from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The average cost of an apartment in the city runs about $838 a month -- and those rental dollars go further here, according to experts."

Garfield Project a Landmark in City Hiring Practices from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Garfield Commons is the latest transformation of outmoded public housing into privately managed, mixed-income units, but it is not just another upgrade. It represents possibly the most ambitious adherence to minority and low-income hiring standards in the city's history."

Groundbreaking for $11.5M Homewood Senior Homes from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"During the groundbreaking for the $11.5 million Homewood Station Senior Apartments development in Homewood, City Councilman Rev. Ricky Burgess recalled how his late mother asked him to work to rebuild the neighborhood. With this project, he said, he has started to honor her request."

Housing Sales Up Big in Pittsburgh Region from the Pittsburgh Business Time
"Home sales in the Pittsburgh region rose 18 percent and dollar volume rose 21.2 percent in November, according to data released Wednesday by real estate analysis firm RealSTATs."

$250,000 Grant Awarded to Lawrenceville Retail-Residential Project from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Allegheny County Redevelopment Authority members voted unanimously awarded for the $7 million, 48,000-square-foot Shops at Doughboy."

To Build, Renew, Preserve, and Sustain from the WESA program, Essential Pittsburgh
"What is the difference between renovation and preservation? Are older buildings green buildings? How can we use the past to move forward? We’re posing this question to renovation and restoration architect Peter Margittai, president of Preservation Pittsburgh, Sean Luther, Pittsburgh 2030 District Director; who works at the Green Building Alliance, and John Martine, lead design partner at Strada Architecture and author of the book Storefront to Streetfront: A Planning and Program Guide for East Carson Street."

The Cork Factory.

Expansion of Mexican War Streets Historic District Approved: City Historic Panel Approves New Limits from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Pittsburgh's Historic Review Commission on Wednesday approved an expansion of the Mexican War Streets' historic boundaries to reflect those designated by the National Park Service in 2008. The change would more than double the roughly nine square blocks designated by the city in 1972 -- North Avenue, Sherman Avenue, Sampsonia Way and Drovers Way."