Volume 27 No. 6 June 2011
Two neighborhoods see housing revamps; One plans a change to community landscape Cal-Bride must decide on its future
Woodland Avenue construction begins
But even something as simple and easy as filling those lots with Neighborhood planning firm sunflowers would make a dramatic CZB gave California-Kirkbride two improvement. options to improve their community: Buki suggested creating a Aggressively take over properties and six acre park in the center of the demolish most of them to create open neighborhood that would close spaces and urban forests, off a few streets and or wait until properties expose the underlying Construction of are vacated to take them cobblestone on others. Columbus Square over and allow areas to He would also underway, “return to nature.” like to see a section Page 18 CZB Principal by Kunkle Way that Charles Buki presented borders Manchester his recommendations become an urban forest. to a “pretty relaxed” small group Right now, it looks like a “dark, of Cal-Bride and Central Northside dismal hollow” with overgrown lots residents May 25. and abandoned houses. The biggest challenges Cal-Bride If the community chooses the face are a general weak housing slower approach, it would wait until a market in the region, city and that house became vacant, gain site control, particular neighborhood, as well as demolish it and then plant native community capacity, Buki said. species on the lot in order to turn the “There’s just so many really good area into a welcoming green space. houses at really reasonable prices Another area that needs to be anywhere else in the city,” Buki said addressed is the city steps throughout in a phone interview. the neighborhood. Currently, they are And even if CZB or another overgrown, littered with trash and company invested millions in debris and falling apart. the community tomorrow, there “We think the steps … look aren’t enough engaged residents to pretty scary,” Buki said. maintain the improvements. His plan calls for replacing them One of his recommendations is with a new, more welcoming design to create 4,000 square feet gardens that would fit into the neighborhood’s on 70 parcels throughout the new, open aesthetic. neighborhood, but again, capacity is a Despite the challenges, CZB’s major concern, he said. in-depth study of the neighborhood “The community garden fairy turned up some positives. doesn’t come dead head your tomato plants. You guys have to do it.” See Cal-Bride, page 18
By Ashley Goodsell
By Kelly Thomas
INSIDE
-News briefs 2 STORIES, COLUMNS, -Coffee bean prices on rise 6 FEATURES & MORE -Outside Guide 13
Two major revitalization projects by the Brightwood Civic Group in Brightwood will make significant progress this summer. Construction on the first house in the Woodland Avenue revitalization project began on May 18, and the completion of a park behind the three-unit Washburn Square housing development should be finished by the end of June, weather permitting, according to former BCG president Ed Brandt.
For the past few years, BCG has been purchasing properties on Woodland Avenue in order to renovate and re-sell them to revitalize the troubled street. The Northside Leadership Conference is project manager for the revitalization efforts. The BCG met with the Urban Redevelopment Authority on May 12 to negotiate funding and expand the Woodland Avenue project onto other under-developed Northside streets.
See Brightwood, page 18
A run, a stop and a gulp
Photo courtesy Robin Rosemary Miller
Volunteers hand out water to marathon runners at a fluid station along East Ohio Street on May 15. The Pittsburgh Marathon’s course highlighted 13 different neighborhoods, including a few on the Northside.
ONLINE
-The Chronicle’s Daily Blog -Weekly real estate transfers WWW.THENORTHSIDE CHRONICLE.COM -In-depth election results