Lexington Technology Park is a 16-acre, city-owned site in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that has housed government and other offices for years.
But with many of those offices moving out, the Pittsburgh Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) will soon release a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the property to facilitate its redevelopment. Lexington is located less than 200 yards from the Homewood station of the East Busway, which provides frequent and fast bus access to Downtown, Oakland, the East End, and beyond.
When it comes to building affordable housing, there is no better place to do so than near public transportation. Since low-income people are less likely to own cars than higher-income individuals, good access to public transit is necessary for affordable-housing dwellers to travel to work, visit family and just get around.
At a August 10, 2017 meeting, a group of affordable-housing advocates requested that the Urban Redevelopment Authority include affordable-housing measures in its redevelopment RFP for the Lexington Technology Park in North Point Breeze.
“Publicly held land should benefit the public first,” said Laura Wiens at the meeting.
The 2014 Homewood Station Transit Oriented Development Study by the Urban Redevelopment Authority states: “TOD should expand housing choices and opportunities encouraging and allowing more people to ride transit. New housing should accommodate a variety of household types at a range of price points, including long-term strategies for including and maintaining affordable housing options. Complementary public uses, jobs, retail and services should be located in close proximity.”
Photo courtesy of Commercial Cafe.
See Pittsburgh City Paper article by Ryan Deto.
See Homewood Station Transit Oriented Development Study (PDF).