Stake in the Ground Ceremony to mark Reed-Roberts Choice Neighborhoods Initiative in the Hill District

Ready? Let’s Go!

Developers and community partners will join the HACP, TREK Development Group, and the HACP’s development arm, Allies & Ross Management and Development Corporation (ARMDC) on Oct. 28 to mark the Reed-Roberts phase of the Bedford Dwellings Choice Neighborhoods Initiative in the Hill District.

A Stake in the Ground Ceremony will be held at 11:30 a.m. Monday, Oct. 28, at the site located at the intersection of Reed and Roberts streets to mark this portion of the multi-phase, seven-year HUD Choice Neighborhoods Initiative (CNI) that will help bring revitalization to the historic neighborhood.

Cynthia McCleod, HACP’s Choice Neighborhoods Initiative Manager, said the Reed-Roberts Choice Initiative will comprise 123 units in the mixed-use development, including 90 replacement units for Bedford Dwellings residents. 

She noted relocation and mobility counseling will be provided to Bedford Dwellings residents before they are moved into new units to keep the transition running smoothly and to make sure all of their needs are met.

Reed-Roberts will include 24 townhomes, a 46-unit family building, and a 53-unit senior high rise for residents ages 55 and older. Ninety-nine of the 123 units will be affordable housing units, with 24 market-rate units.

Sixteen townhomes are slated for completion by January 2025, with the remainder of the Reed-Roberts phase to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2025.

This historic site at Reed and Roberts was once home to Passavant Hospital (now UPMC Passavant), which was housed in the Hill District from 1899 to 1964 when it moved to the North Hills.

“The stake in the ground defines the collaboration between residents, community organizations, and public entities involved in this project,” McCleod added. “It’s an expression that assists everybody involved to be vested in the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative.”

In July 2023, the HACP was the proud recipient of a $50 million Choice Neighborhoods Initiative Grant, provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The CNI funding award makes a significant step toward the transformation of Bedford Dwellings. The 411-unit development is the oldest occupied public housing community in Pennsylvania and in the City of Pittsburgh. Bedford Dwellings was one of seven New Deal Era public housing communities built in Pittsburgh between 1939 and 1944.

Upon completion, the site will have more than 800 units of new housing in the next seven years, consisting of: 411 replacement units (Project-Based Voucher, affordable housing), 210 additional affordable housing units, and 202 market-rate units for a grand total of 823 housing units.

“We are extremely happy for the residents of Bedford Dwellings. They have been patient and engaged throughout the planning process and we’re at this point due to their persistent efforts. Additionally, there are a host of partner organizations that have dedicated significant resources toward preparing for this moment,” said HACP Executive Director Caster D. Binion. “The time is now for Bedford Dwellings and the Greater Hill District community. This effort is going to produce generational change, serving as a catalyst for neighborhood revitalization.”

HUD’s Choice Neighborhoods Initiative plays a vital role in community transformation by revitalizing distressed public and assisted housing while also igniting essential improvements. Their primary objective is to facilitate the creation of favorable conditions that attract public and private reinvestment in distressed neighborhoods by concentrating on the core focal points of: Housing, Neighborhood, and People.

Mayor Ed Gainey and Pittsburgh City Council have pledged $30 million in city funds over time to ensure the positive outcome of the redevelopment. The entire investment for the transformation will amount to more than $400 million over the next seven years with an anticipated completion by 2031. Additionally, the project is expected to generate more than 200 new employment opportunities, with the bulk of the jobs hopefully to be filled by residents of the surrounding neighborhoods.

“I’m thankful for the collaboration between the Housing Authority, community leaders, and residents in making the new Bedford Dwellings a reality,” said Mayor Ed Gainey. “When you have a safe place to call home, you’re able to concentrate on other aspects of living and not just surviving. This goes to show how everyone working together can truly make Pittsburgh America’s most livable city for all.”

Representatives from HUD, Choice Neighborhoods, the City of Pittsburgh, the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA), Mistick Construction, First National Bank, the Urban Redevelopment Corporation of Pittsburgh, Gateway Engineers, LBA Landscape Architecture, WRT Design, RBC Bank, Citizens Bank, BNY Mellon, and the Hill District community organizations – Hill Community Development Corporation, Hill District Consensus Group, and The Hill District Collaborative – will join the HACP, TREK Development Group, and the ARMDC at the Oct. 28 celebration.

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For more information, contact Michelle Sandidge, HACP’s Chief Community Affairs Officer, at: michelle.sandidge@hacp.org.