Date: May 8 – 13, 2016

Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Sponsor: East Liberty Development Inc. (ELDI) and Councilmember Ricky Burgess from the City of Pittsburgh

Subject Area: Revitalization of the East End Communities

Panel Chair: Alan Razak, AthenianRazak LLC

Background and Panel Assignment

The City of Pittsburgh continues to demonstrate a successful transformation from an older rust-belt city to a city of the new economy.  The city receives high marks for addressing the needs of millennials and leveraging the educational and technological opportunities associated with the myriad of universities and techy businesses . However, even with all of its recent success, many neighborhoods continue to struggle.  The East End communities: East Liberty, Larimer, Homewood, Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar and East Hills suffer from high crime, low homeownership, neglected infrastructure and minimal economic development.  East Liberty, with the guidance ELDI has seen the most positive transformation over the past twenty years in its the commercial core and adjacent residential areas; the other neighborhoods less so.  ELDI and the city council member representing these neighborhoods asked an ULI panel to convene and provide strategic advice regarding a host of issues, including homeownership, economic development, crime and community engagement.

The Urban Land Institute used its time-honored Advisory Panel process to: 1) interview stakeholders, 2) review the neighborhood’s and city’s existing plans and policies, 3) review best practices from other municipalities regarding corridor redevelopment and 4) provide recommendations to the city.

Summary of Recommendations

• Recognize that the five East End neighborhoods are different from one another and so require different responses.
• Complete a citywide comprehensive land use plan to make neighborhood planning easier across the city.
• Provide some property tax relief to existing homeowners through programs like Philadelphia’s homestead exemption and LOOP program.
• Engage and coordinate with anchor institutions and the philanthropic community.
• Combat perceptions and transcend boundaries between neighborhoods, which are often arbitrary and not meaningful to newcomers.
• Take a long-term view and work west to east in tackling neighborhood revitalization.
• Limit additional low-income units throughout the East End to achieve the target of one-third affordable, one-third workforce, and one-third market-rate housing and to avoid further concentrating lower-income populations.
• Engage current residents by extending the excellent planning and community participation efforts already used in Homewood.
• Establish the HELP Initiative as a cross-neighborhood community development corporation, separate from East Liberty Development Inc., but engaging ELDI as a technical adviser. Provide financial stability and wherewithal through the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh.