From the burbs to the city

From their elegant Parkview Boulevard home overlooking the Monongahela River, Frick Park, and the Homestead Grays Bridge, it’s easy to see why G. Reynolds “Renny” and Linda Clark wanted to trade their previous suburban surroundings for their new Squirrel Hill neighborhood.  

But the Clarks’ move to Pittsburgh was as much about pragmatism as it was their affection for the city, according to the couple. Both wanted to downsize after their two adult children had left home, Linda explained. “We just needed a little less property and upkeep from where we were.”

With Renny working in Oakland and Linda in Oakland and Shadyside, they decided they wanted to live in an East End neighborhood such as Squirrel Hill or Shadyside for an easy commute.

Renny, 68, is Vice Chancellor, Community Initiatives and Chief of Staff in the Office of the Chancellor at the University of Pittsburgh, a position he took after spending 34 years at Westinghouse Electric. Linda, also 68, is a substitute manager at non-profit Family House.

Additionally, they didn’t want to linger too long in a home that might have lots of maintenance or other concerns as they grew older, both said.

Renny explained, “One day, Linda calls me,‘Reynolds’- And I really pay attention when she calls me that. She said, ‘We are not doing this to our children. We are not going to stay in a house too long, where they are going to have to come and deal with the issues.’”

Linda added, “With what we saw our parents going through, it is just so much easier if we make that choice, we make that decision to go where we want to go, rather than having our children have to make that decision at some point in time.”

Before moving to their new home in Summerset at Frick Park in December 2008, the Clarks had spent three decades living in Franklin Park, a North Hills suburb. Renny had even served two terms as mayor and was also the borough's volunteer fire chief.

"It was a great community," Linda said. "But we had too much property, too much upkeep." Plus, over the years, the commute had gotten longer and longer, Renny added, as the area grew and developed.

Renny and Linda were able to design their own three-bedroom, three-bathroom home with a three car garage in Summerset, a new development with a look and feel similar to an older neighborhood such as Squirrel Hill, Regent Square or Point Breeze, with smaller lot sizes, and city features such as porches and alleyways.

While the Clarks say they know other couples that have transitioned to the city later in life, it’s not clear how many of their contemporaries are leaving the ‘burbs for urban living. “I don’t know how much of it is a trend, but it happens,” said Bob Gradeck, a research project manager at Pitt’s University Center for Social and Urban Research. The number of folks who might be making moves for reasons similar to the Clarks- empty nesters who are still young enough to enjoy the amenities of the city- is difficult to quantify, Gradeck said, though he’s familiar with the trend anecdotally in neighborhoods such as Squirrel Hill or downtown. 

Others say the Clarks aren’t typical at all. Earlier this year, urban thinker and blogger Aaron Renn, of the Urbanophile web site, wrote: “Gen-X and the Millennials have a much more optimistic and positive views of urban areas than baby boomers and previous generations. I think this results from the rupture that those earlier generations experienced when our urban cores declined. ….For people about my age or younger, it’s a very different story. None of us knew any of those things. Our experience is totally different.”

But even though they’re not starry-eyed youngsters, the Clarks say they’ve embraced their new home in the city.
"We love the street life," Linda explains, saying they often visit the Squirrel Hill business district for a walk or to enjoy an ice cream. "We enjoy a community where everybody's out walking around. You don't have that in the suburbs."

Renny and Linda have also become avid bike riders since the move, often cycling in Frick Park or the city's riverfront trails.
The Clarks have few complaints about their new home, save one- the loss of their Port Authority bus route, the 61D, in a round of service cuts.

“We miss the bus,” Renny said. “We hope the Port Authority will see the value of running the bus back here.” (A spokesperson for the Allegheny County Port Authority said the 61D Summerset was renamed 61D Murray and rerouted to serve the Waterfront in April 2010 due to low ridership. At this time there are no plans to reinstate service to Summerset. )
Overall, though both Renny and Linda say they’re thrilled with living in Pittsburgh.

“This is the right thing to do,” Renny said.
 
Read more by Kate Giammarise at www.rustwire.com.