PITTSBURGH \u2014 A new housing initiative is bringing 26 affordable homes to Pittsburgh\u2019s Larimer neighborhood through the Mayflower Street Affordable Homeownership Program. <\/p>\n
The project is a joint effort between the City of Pittsburgh, the Larimer Consensus Group, East Liberty Development, Inc. and the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n
The Mayflower Street program expands local revitalization efforts from rental housing to homeownership. The initiative builds on previous housing investments in Larimer, including a $30 million Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant awarded to the city by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in June 2014.<\/p>\n
Funding for the project combines public, private and philanthropic sources. The URA contributed $3.3 million, alongside $1.8 million in Federal Home Loan Bank grants, $625,000 in Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement grants and $350,000 in Community and Economic Assistance Program grants secured by Pennsylvania Sen. Lindsey Williams. Prospective homeowner mortgage financing accounts for $5.5 million of the project total.<\/p>\n
Mayor Corey O\u2019Connor highlighted the involvement of neighborhood organizations in guiding the development process. <\/p>\n
\u201cI want to thank the Larimer Consensus Group and all of our partners for their leadership, vision and continued commitment to the Larimer community,\u201d O\u2019Connor said. \u201cThis is what meaningful neighborhood investment looks like. It starts with listening to residents and working alongside the organizations that know their communities best. Our goal is not simply to build more housing, but to create real opportunities for homeownership, strengthen neighborhoods and ensure that the investments we make today deliver lasting benefits for the people who call Pittsburgh home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Community advocacy for the neighborhood spans more than two decades. <\/p>\n
K. Chase Patterson serves as chairman of the Larimer Consensus Group, an organization working to advance neighborhood revitalization while honoring the legacy of Ora Lee Carol. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe Larimer community, like many other neighborhoods in our city, is long overdue for a renaissance and the Larimer Consensus Group, with the legacy of Carol at our back, has been working for more than two decades to advance Larimer revitalization,\u201d Patterson said. \u201cWe have every intention of continuing this work with fervor, an equity lens and the vision of building a neighborhood where everyone can live.\u201d<\/p>\n
Resident input helped shape the focus on homeownership during planning sessions. <\/p>\n
East Liberty Development, Inc. also partnered on the initiative alongside local officials, including City Councilman Khari Mosley and State Rep. La\u2019Tasha Mayes. <\/p>\n
Several of the planned homes have already been completed, while additional units are under construction. All 26 homes are expected to be finished over the next two years.<\/p>\n
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