Morning Edition; Imagine Pittsburg 2020

It's morning edition on 89K RPS. I'm Fred Fletcher-Fierro. I'm Aging, Pittsburgh, 2030. A community conversation is set to take place later this month. On Thursday, February 27th, at Butler's Quarters, at 513 North Broadway here in Pittsburgh. The Advanced Arts at 6 p.m. The community conversation is a grassroots effort by the city to address the needs of Pittsburgh, both today and into the future. You can find the full IP-2030 report by searching for Imagine Pittsburgh 2030. The IP-2030 plan focuses on six specific needs, including economic development, infrastructure, public wellness, education, marketing, and housing. Recently, I spoke with the Director of Community Development for the City of Pittsburgh, Quentin Holmes, and I first asked what the broader goals of IP-2030 are. The broad goal of IP-2030 is a community action plan. It's not specifically a city plan or anything like that. There are many facets of public wellness, education, housing is obviously one, infrastructure, marketing.

And really, the goal for IP-2030 is to bring the community together and really move Pittsburgh forward together. And if the resident has it attended one of these IP-20 meetings or a city commissioner meeting, they can be pretty spirited. People speak their mind to these meetings. These are like library type of meetings. Absolutely, and that's what we need to do. As a community, we need voices. We need people to speak up on what they're feeling, what their thoughts are, what they see, maybe some suggestions, and just getting involved. And how can a resident get involved by attending this meeting specifically related to housing? Yeah, so they can come to the meeting, learn a little bit more about the plan for moving forward, and then just join in. And I was only back in 2014 that Darren set this or requested a report about housing. And you have some numbers, for instance, about the demolition of a house in Pittsburgh in recent years.

Yeah, I don't have specifics. The exact number, but definitely over the last five years has been over 200 homes and structures demoed in Pittsburgh. What is something or two things or three things that the city of Pittsburgh is doing that have been that maybe somebody suggested at one of these meetings that is in effect right now in the city of Pittsburgh, besides the demolition of housing. But focusing on a plan development plan subdivision, you know, that's something that Pittsburgh hasn't seen since the 70s, an actual plan subdivision. So Pittsburgh is now seeing that with a place called Silverback Landing. What about new places for the for the middle class or even a middle class husband and wife they make between 80 90,000 a year. Is there any plan for for something like that? Sure, we're working on that. We have we have some vacant property, you know, around the city of Pittsburgh, a small town like Pittsburgh. We have plenty of opportunity for growth, you know, as far as the housing and the range that you have spoke about.

There is not a definite plan or or anyone that is that has solidified plans for that type of development. We are working on that. We do have developers interested in that. Just no set plan. You know, Pittsburgh Pittsburgh is a unique place Crawford County's unique place and studies that we've seen show projected growth in Crawford County and specifically Pittsburgh over the next five to 10 years. And, you know, that's really, that's really part of the end goal of IP 20 30 is is where Pittsburgh is going to be in in the year 2030 population wise where we're going to be at with housing. Public wellness, you know, that's the, I guess that's the nature of IP 20 30 is growth. One thing that that we do have here that is unique to Pittsburgh, something that is available across the state, but is a land bank. We have a Pittsburgh land bank, which is really, it's an opportunity for the city to get a hold of property that is dilapidated, you know, absentee property owners, the link one on taxes, you know, to a point where it's it's not going to get caught up.

And so what the land bank can do is take that property and put it back into productive tax bank use through a marketing and selling and cleaning titles for another perspective buyer. The land bank currently has 51 pieces of property in it in the city of Pittsburgh. We have sold 25 properties and have 24 development agreements for new houses to be built. That's encouraging. Yeah. So so it's a great program that is is kind of making its own way. Director of Community Development for the city of Pittsburgh, Quinn Homes, speaking about housing and the Imagine Pittsburgh 2030 community conversation that is set to take place on Thursday, February 27 at Butler's quarters at 513 North Broadway in Pittsburgh. The event starts at 6 p.m. For more information, search Imagine Pittsburgh 2030 or visit our news blog at krpsnews.com