University Times

Hundreds of new housing units could become available to Oakland residents, including graduate students and other members of the Pitt community, by the end of the century.

The apartments and townhouses will replace the Allequippa Terrace public housing project near Trees Hall.

Realtors Beacon/Corcoran Jennison Partners will be the developers, working with the Pittsburgh Housing Authority. Beacon/Corcoran specializes in revitalizing and redeveloping public housing projects.

Built in 1941, Allequippa Terrace is the oldest public housing project in the city. It contains 1,749 apartments; about 40 percent normally are vacant. Approximately 65 percent of the residents receive some public assistance; the remainder are senior citizens.

According to a discussion of the project by Michael Polite, area redevelopment director for Beacon/Corcoran, at Senate Council's plant utilization and planning committee's (PUP) Oct. 16 meeting, a review of the plan is being conducted and construction is expected to begin next summer.

All but eight of the project's 77 buildings will be demolished and replaced over the next four years. The eight buildings are being saved because they were already being refurbished when the new plan was developed. As was the case when Allequippa Terrace opened in the 1940s, the new apartments and townhouses will be a mixture of public and market-based housing. The goal is to create an economically balanced, mixed income community while providing for the needs of existing low-income households, Polite said.

Construction will occur in two stages. In Phase I, 850 units will be built, including 500 on-site public housing units, 300 on-site market-based units and 50 off-site units for current residents who wish to move. Phase II will involve construction of 525 units, including 225 on-site market-based units, 200 on-site public housing units and 100 off-site units. No timetable was given for the start of Phase II, but Polite said the project is expected to be completed within four years.

Units built under the plan will offer rental housing and provide opportunities for home ownership, Polite said. Unlike the massive apartment buildings of Allequippa Terrace, the new housing will be a mix of townhouses and four-story apartment buildings, with a town center containing shops and a park.

According to Polite, the project will start with the construction of 40 townhouses and two larger buildings at the end of Allequippa Street. The new units will be operated by a private management company, but the Pittsburgh Housing Authority will retain control of the ground.

While residents of Allequippa Terrace and the surrounding neighborhoods have made it clear that they do not want undergraduate students moving into the new units, Polite told PUP, they would welcome graduate students and other members of the Pitt community.

Polite estimated that a one-bedroom apartment will rent for about $625 per month, two-bedrooms for $750 to $800 per month and three-bedrooms for about $925. He did not provide figures on the townhouses.

–Mike Sajna