This afternoon at 2:00p.m., ground will be broken on 5000 Penn Avenue, a new townhouse development being constructed in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield-Garfield neighborhood.
Situated at a highly visible lot located at the corner of Penn Ave. and Gross St., the $800,000 project represents a key development piece within the ongoing revitalization of the
Penn Avenue Arts corridor, which stretches from Friendship to East Liberty, and is home to numerous arts venues, restaurants, studios, and businesses.
Developed by
Friendship Development Associates (FDA), which purchased the lot in 1999, the project will feature three new loft-style townhouses. Units will include nine-foot ceilings, garages, washer/dryer hookups, and efficient heating and cooling systems. Buyer upgrades will be available. The market-rate lofts will range in price from $180,000 to $208,000.
"This site will be prime for new employees who will be working at Children’s Hospital and coming from all over the country. It will create more walkablity; you can walk from this development to Children's in twelve minutes,” says Dr. Howard Slaughter, Jr., with
Landmarks Community Capital Corporation, which contributed $462,000 in equity investment. "This continues the development and stabilization of that thoroughfare, where thousands of vehicles drive. You’re beginning to see more loft-style housing, which we can lofters, in urban markets. It's a
great prototype for others that will be built in the city.”
Project architect is
Hammer-Mann Designwerks; contractor is
TEAM Construction. The project’s façade was designed to be integrated within the neighborhood’s main street corridor. 5000 Penn Avenue is also supported by the
URA,
Pittsburgh Partnership for Neighborhood Development and the
Community Design Center of Pittsburgh.
Writer:
Jennifer BaronSource: Dr. Howard Slaughter, Jr. LCCC; Sarah Collins, FDA