Homewood Tells Us What It Wants in Responsible Transit-Oriented Development

November 1 was a cold rainy Saturday, but close to 40 residents and stakeholders from Homewood and N. Point Breeze joined us to help define what responsible development principles should guide revitalization along the MLK East Busway.

State Rep. Ed Gainey kicked us off with an impassioned speech to set the stage, with Operation Better Block’s Jerome Jackson connecting the discussion to their ground-breaking cluster planning process.  The East Busway Corridor Revitalization Project is run by GoBurgh, a program of PCRG.

The Busway Project takes a comprehensive look at the 9-mile-long corridor from Downtown to Swissvale, with the aim of creating inclusive transit-oriented communities, thereby spurring equitable redevelopment and growing ridership along the entire Busway’s length.  One major project goal is to bridge the socioeconomic divide that exists between one side the Busway and the other, where communities like Homewood that have not reaped the benefits of Pittsburgh’s nationally acclaimed rebirth and have been left behind for decades.Five breakout groups, facilitated by Fellows from the Coro Center for Civic Leadership, discussed issues related to displacement, neighborhood accessibility, preserving affordability, green space, access to transit, and ways to ensure that these principles lead to long-lasting policy and investment.   As part of the Busway project, PCRG is now reaching out to communities along the rest of the Busway for affirmation of these principles and resulting policies.  You too can weigh in!  Just visit goburgh.mindmixer.com, sign up, comment on the questions, and look for new ones soon.This isn’t the end of our time in Homewood, however.  As the Urban Redevelopment Authority advances its coming Homewood Station TOD study, PCRG will be working with the community to ensure that its priorities are accommodated in any investment plan.  Many thanks to everyone who participated last Saturday – and in our 1-on-1 meetings! – and we’ll be in touch soon!