New Residential Units Open In Oak Hill Development

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The newest phase of a redevelopment project between the Hill District and Oakland is now open.

It represents a transformation years in the making.

The 86 newly-constructed units are located in what's now called Oak Hill. It wasn't long ago this area was part of the Allequippa Terrace in the old Terrace Village.

Decades ago, Terrace Village was hailed as the new wave of urban housing, but deteriorated by the 70s and 80s.

The latest phase is a $37 million element of the project that includes about 40 low-income units and about 50 market rate units.

The mixed income concept is an effort to maintain a sustainable community.

That's why this phase of the Wadsworth section of the development was celebrated.

"I'm just happy. I'm happy," Diane Thomas, a member of the Oak Hill Resident Council, said. "I'm one of the old ones back when Burrows Street was Burrows Street and now to see us going forward – we're living now."

"What makes this renaissance different is that it's touching everybody in Pittsburgh," Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said. "It's not just a renaissance about downtown Pittsburgh. It's connecting areas that need a little extra work with areas that are thriving."

"We've seen that recently in East Liberty and in Larimer and we're continuing that growth in the Hill District and Oak Hill today and connecting it with the economic opportunities that exist in nearby Oakland," he added.

The next phase includes a complex that will also include space for the University of Pittsburgh and a convenience store.

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