Harrisburg, July 16, 2013 – State Sen. Jim Brewster (D-Allegheny/Westmoreland) announced the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency’s (PHFA) approval of two new affordable housing project sites in Allegheny County.
“Access to affordable, safe housing is essential to the success of a community,” Brewster said. “I’m pleased that families in McKeesport and Duquesne will have more housing options and a chance for a better quality of life.”
The Yester Square development is located on 5.5 acres in McKeesport, and it is the first phase of the McKeesport Housing Authority’s plan to revitalize the Crawford public housing site, an area with poor conditions and an uncomfortable high unit density. Yester Square will include 10 two-story buildings containing 58 housing units. Developers requested $1.2 million in tax credits from the PHFA to build the low-income housing.
In Duquesne, the Orchard Park development is located on the 5.1 acre site of the former Burns Heights public housing, which was demolished in 2009. The new site will include 44 units in 22 buildings. The development will meet Energy Star requirements, which will decrease utility rates for residents. Developers requested $1.5 million in tax credits from the PHFA to construct Orchard Park.
“There is an immense need to revitalize the outdated and densely developed public housing in certain areas of the county,” Brewster said. “These projects are a step in the right direction.”
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