Burgess urges no vote on East Liberty housing study

An agreement to study affordable housing funds stemming from the displacement of Penn Plaza residents received a negative recommendation from Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday, and some community groups say the legislative body is not supporting the spirit of promises made.

The issue surrounds a proposed study of expanding the boundaries of the East Liberty Transit Revitalization Investment District, which currently extends a half-mile radius around the East Liberty transit station.

As part of a consent decree between the developers of the former Penn Plaza site — Pennley Park South — the city and community groups, a study was proposed to examine how affordable housing funds dedicated by the developer could be used in a three-quarter-mile radius zone.

Roughly $2.8 million is at stake, according to the community organizations.

Councilman Ricky Burgess, who represents the city’s 9th district — including East Liberty — told fellow members during Wednesday’s standing committee meeting he is against a study that could take “12 to 18 months at minimum” and urged them to vote against it.

“We promised to bring residents of Penn Plaza back to East

Liberty. We did not promise to bring them back to Garfield; we did not promise to bring them back to Shadyside. We promised to bring them back to the core of East Liberty,” he said, referring to surrounding neighborhoods. “... There are enough shovelready projects right in that area in order for this to be utilized.”

Respecting his wishes for his district, the council voted 5-2

against the study in a tentative committee vote that could signal what happens during Tuesday’s final action. Council members Bruce Kraus and Deb Gross voted in favor of the study, citing community concerns.

Mr. Burgess said some community concerns are “not accurate.”

Representatives of community groups that entered into a consent decree with the city following litigation over the Penn Plaza development say that not studying an expansion of the district means the city is not upholding its end of the bargain.

“Opening up the district a little further would allow additional sites for affordable housing to be financed within the TRID [boundaries],” said Rick Swartz, executive director of the Bloomfield-Garfield Corp., one of the parties to the consent decree.

Mr. Swartz said that the “impact of evictions of over 200 tenants from Penn Plaza was felt way beyond East Liberty.”

“All we’re asking is give us a chance to use some of those funds in an adjoining neighborhood. We’re only separated by Negley Avenue,” he said.

The Friendship Community Group, Enright Park Neighborhood Association and East Liberty Development Inc. are also parties in the consent decree.

“We all sat there in good faith . ... And now City Council looks as if it doesn’t intend to do its part,” Mr. Swartz said.

Mr. Swartz also expressed concern that despite the mayor’s office resubmitting the bill that Mr. Burgess tabled, Mayor Bill Peduto would not try to sway the council vote.

The administration maintains that “as per the consent order, which the administration signed with several neighborhood groups, we submitted to council a proposed expansion of the TRID district. The administration followed through on what we committed to do,” said Timothy McNulty, mayoral spokesman.

The Penn Plaza evictions became a rallying cry about the dearth of affordable housing units in the city.

Attorneys for Pennley Park South did not respond for comment.