Volume 28 No. 2 February 2012
Property reassessments rock the Northside By Kelsey Shea News regarding property assessments gave homeowners throughout the city of Pittsburgh whiplash last month, when like other City residents, Northsiders were told their property value had at least doubled. Property assessments for 2012, which dictate the official value of homes and land, were announced last month, and the numbers shocked residents. The average home had more than doubled in value according to Allegheny County’s consultant’s new numbers. “My first advice to people is that they need to relax,” said Joe Lawrence, lawyer and chair of the Northside Community Development Fund, who noted that just because the assessment of a home goes up, does not mean that taxes will go up. “The relevant information is to focus on is [if] the sales in your neighborhood are comparable to your property.” Homeowners who do not believe their reassessments were fair or comparable to similar properties in their neighborhoods can schedule formal appeals until Feb. 24. Lawrence advised those filing appeals come prepared with comparable properties near the one you’re appealing. Across the City and in most Northside neighborhoods, the average property values rose by 58 percent. Owners whose property rose less than the average will see decreased taxes, while those whose
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property rose beyond the average will see increased taxes. Though the current average is 58 percent, the number is likely to go down after appeals are processed. According to community leaders throughout the Northside, most neighborhood property values fall around the 58 percent increase, meaning their taxes would not be significantly increased if at all. The Northside exception to this was found in the Mexican War Streets where home owners saw increases that soared as high as 500 percent. The Mexican War Streets, Lawrenceville and East Liberty were the neighborhoods in the city that saw the highest increases for the 2012 property assessments. RealSTATs, a Pittsburgh-based real estate data company, declared “winners” and “losers” in the 2012 reassessments by wards. Ward 27, which includes Brighton Heights and Brightwood, will see some of the greatest tax relief in the city with 1,296 parcels tax bills dropping $500 or more and only 310 with tax bills rising by $500 or more, according to RealSTATs. Ward 23, which includes Historic Deutschtown, is estimated to have 601 parcels see a tax bills raise by $500 or more. Outside of the Mexican War Streets, areas of Manchester, East Deutschtown and other properties scattered throughout the Northside saw significant increases of more
See Reassessments, page 13
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Photo by Kelsey Shea Mayor Luke Ravenstahl speaks on the second floor of Masonic Hall in the Garden Theater Block about the project’s progress. Check out page 3 for the full story.
Fineview and Manchester will face dire transit cuts By Kelsey Shea Though the North Shore will receive enhanced public transportation next month, by September, two other Northside neighborhoods are facing complete service elimination. The 2,122 other weekday bus riders of the 15 Manchester and the 604 weekday riders of the 11 Fineview will fall victim to the 35 percent service cut announced by the Port Authority last month. While the latest slew of Port Authority transit cuts will largely affect suburban routes and express buses, Manchester and Fineview are
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facing complete service elimination, which will leave close to 3,000 Northside riders stranded. On Jan. 18, Port Authority announced that its latest 35 percent transit cut will eliminate bus service to Fineview and Manchester, as well 100 other neighborhoods throughout the region if the service reduction passes. Riders throughout the City will also see a 25-cent increase for Zone 1 rides and a 50-cent increase for Zone 2 rides. “These proposed cuts are a direct result of the shortfall in
See Bus cuts, page 15
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