Join Us in Making it Known –
We are a #NeighborhoodforAll #EastLibertyforAll
Thank you
to everyone who came out to the community meeting on Monday, December 12 and
the Planning Commission on Tuesday, December 13. We know it has been whiplash
for many people who are just now becoming aware of the full scope of the developer’s
proposals for East Liberty.
What we
all heard loud and clear was that East Liberty needs affordable housing ON THIS
SITE, and that East Liberty needs public open spaces that serve ALL community
members.
We can and
we will have both of these. Affordable housing, public parks, and new
development are not mutually exclusive.
Our
message to the City, to the Planning Commission, and to the developers is this:
- Commit to affordable housing on Phase Two of the Pennley Place South development, at a minimum level of 20% of units for long-term affordability.*
- Deliver on the Council-conditioned Enright Park, which will “be of equivalent size and function of the existing park” and for which “there will be sufficient building setback along the eastern border of the park to protect and preserve the existing trees”.
Why Here?
Concentrations of wealth can be just as
detrimental to the community fabric as concentrations of poverty. Creating
residential enclaves that isolate residents from their neighbors through either
physical design or social structure reduces interaction and our ability to
empathize with those who are different than us. It is our intention to break down
the barriers that were created by the 1960s “renewal”, not to create new ones
in the gloss of 2016 design trends.
The value of the Penn Plaza and Enright Park
sites to the community is that they have the potential to provide access to
resources, including transit, economic opportunity, groceries, social
amenities, and, yes, public open space, to our community members who are most
in need of connection and stability, including seniors and those living with
disabilities. Affordable housing on this site can make this vision of an #EastLibertyforAll
a reality, and the public park can provide the platform for all community members
to come together, regardless of age, race, gender, or social status.
The redevelopment of East Liberty in the 1960s that created the Penn Plaza and Enright Park sites took many years of planning and study, and still it created more problems than it addressed. Together, we need to take the steps necessary to ensure that we are not faced with a similar set of missteps in this redevelopment process.
Next Steps
Help us get the message out! We are stronger together
and we must stand together to fight for #AffordableHousing and #PublicParks.
Submit your letters supporting #AffordableHousing
and #PublicParks in an #EastLibertyforAll to your elected officials and Planning
Commission. ED: Please send your letters and comments to: dolores.hanna@pittsburghpa.gov prior to 12 pm Tuesday, January 10, 2017 to get them in the record of the hearing!
Most importantly, plan to attend upcoming community meetings, to be announced shortly, and attend the City’s Planning Commission meeting
on Tuesday, January 10, 2017 at 2 pm.
Please share this post to your social network and
follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
*ED 1/8/2017: Some ask "why a developer should be required to have affordable housing on their property?" Outside of the obvious, the reality is that this developer is using public land (the park) to benefit their development. They should therefore be providing benefit to the community at large. The bigger question is, why should WE, the tax paying public, allow a private developer to take apart a public park, destroy its environmental assets, and reconfigure it to their purposes without receiving significant benefit to our community.
*ED 1/8/2017: Some ask "why a developer should be required to have affordable housing on their property?" Outside of the obvious, the reality is that this developer is using public land (the park) to benefit their development. They should therefore be providing benefit to the community at large. The bigger question is, why should WE, the tax paying public, allow a private developer to take apart a public park, destroy its environmental assets, and reconfigure it to their purposes without receiving significant benefit to our community.
