east liberty station: realizing the potential - City of Pittsburgh

Complementing New Pennley Place, Penn
Manor Apartments was the first housing to
replace the former East Mall Apartments
demolished in 2005. Penn Manor features
55 attractive one and two bedroom
apartments, with fully equipped kitchens,
wall-to-wall carpeting, and energy-efficient
heating and cooling systems. Additional
amenities include on-premises laundry,
storage spaces, and community room.
With units leased at both income-based
and market-rate rents, Penn Manor creates
an economically diverse new address and
complements the adjacent development
providing a cornerstone of quality new
mixed-income rental housing in East
Liberty. The project provided space for 23
former East Mall residents while the other
32 units went from construction completion
to fully leased status within 60 days.
The next wave of redevelopment focused
on the former Liberty Park high-rise
apartment site at Broad Street and Collins
Avenue. The initial phase of the $20
million Fairfield mixed-income complex
consisted of 124 garden, townhouse and
low units. Over 80 units were reserved for
low income individuals including 48 former
residents of Liberty Park Apartments, East
Mall Apartments and Penn Circle Tower
were placed into new apartments. The
development includes a management office,
community room, fitness room, and three
tot lots. The apartments include individually
controlled heating and air conditioning,
carpeting, fully equipped kitchens, washers
and dryers and digital accessibility among
other features. An additional $15.7 million
phase, Liberty Park II, broke ground in 2011
and will add another 71 units.
Commencing in 2007, Negley Neighbors
brought an additional 49 new low income
rental units to East Liberty. Let by ELDI, the
$8.3 million scattered site housing initiative
features a combination of new construction
and property renovations on Jackson Street,
Mellon Street and North Negley Avenue.
The project offers units with central air
conditioning, digital access, dishwashers,
disposals and mini-blinds. Onsite community
buildings house a management office,
computer learning lab and community room.
Individual case management, supportive
services and activities are available to
help families achieve stability and prepare
to become homeowners. This additional
New Pennley Place Apartments - Photo: The Community Builders
housing ensures that long-term affordable
housing remains available as East Liberty
and the southwest quadrant of Highland
Park is revitalized.
More recently, redevelopment of the East
Mall continued with the mixed-use, mixed
income East Liberty Place North. The $12.3
million project provided 54 apartments
above 11,000 square feet of retail space.
Amenities in each apartment home include
central heating and air conditioning, plush
carpeting and tile floors, an all electric
kitchen, washer/dryer and some paid
utilities. The building achieved LEED Gold
certification and is the region’s first LEED
for HOMES multifamily certified project.
Constructed in scale with the Penn Avenue
streetscape, the building provides an
anchor to the western gateway of the
central business district.
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