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Group wants more affordable housing at former Pens site

2 min read
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PITTSBURGH – The redevelopment plan at the Pittsburgh Penguins’ former arena site disproportionately excludes low-income, black and voucher-holding residents, according to a community group that filed a formal complaint.

The team and the city agreed last year to redevelop the site of the demolished Civic Arena. The team has exclusive rights to develop the 28-acre arena site and plans to build about 1,200 apartments. A fifth of the units are designated as low-income housing.

The Penguins said setting aside more affordable housing units is not economically viable. They declined to comment Monday.

The Hill District Consensus Group filed a complaint last month with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development against the city and several development agencies. The agency could penalize the city or prevent the development from progressing.

A lawyer for the group said even the low-income units are too costly. The complaint states residents would need to make nearly $40,000 a year to afford a one-bedroom apartment at the development – about twice as much as the median income for African-American households.

Before last year’s agreement, some community leaders called for 30 percent of the site to feature affordable housing to align with the district’s master plan.

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