The Allegheny County Housing Authority’s loss could be the borough of McKees Rocks’ gain.
At least that’s the way borough Council President Archie Brinza sees it.
Brinza said the Housing Authority’s decision to abandon plans to redevelop the Hays Manor public housing project could open the door to development that generates badly needed tax revenue – and jobs — in McKees Rocks.
“I think commercial would be the best way to go, but that’s just me speaking,” Brinza said Monday of the potential reuse of the property. “I have to speak with the council, but I think that would be the best direction to go for our town and our residents.”
Brinza and his cohorts learned last week that the county Housing Authority officially had pulled the plug on partnering with developers to build a 50-unit rental community on what once held 138 units spread out over 14 buildings constructed in the early 1940s.
The Housing Authority received approval from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development in February 2024 to relocate residents from the Locust Street complex. The buildings later were demolished and the land was elevated above the flood plain.
Rich Stevenson, the Housing Authority’s executive director, said last week his agency notified the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency that the Housing Authority would not move forward with the development. He also said that the Housing Authority was finalizing an agreement with Pennrose, one of the erstwhile partners in the controversial project.
A spokesperson for Pennrose would not comment other than to say, “We continue to have ongoing conversations with our partners and stakeholders about how to best serve the community.”
Stephenson said the plan to redevelop Hays Manor made sense when it was part of a larger effort known as the McKees Rocks Choice Neighborhoods initiative. That competitive grant program could have resulted in tens of millions of dollars coming to the area, but the grant application never was submitted because stakeholders could not agree on how many affordable housing units to include in the project.
Stephenson said that once that effort did not come together, the Hays Manor project on its own “became way too expensive,” and that’s why the Housing Authority opted not to proceed. Stephenson said delays in the project caused a funding gap to increase to the point where it became unrealistic to continue pursuing it.
“We would fill one (funding) gap and another obstacle would be put in front of us that would increase the cost,” he said. “We ran out of resources to fill those gaps.”
Brinza said it’s unfortunate for the Housing Authority that the Hays Manor project fell through but that it has presented a great opportunity for the borough to replace it with something that generates tax revenue and jobs – rather than replacing it with another housing development.
“I don’t think residential would be the best thing to do,” he said. “We need to create a tax base.
“We had a housing project for (many) years – now it’s time to do something different, and (the Housing Authority) is giving us that opportunity. Some people say that the Housing Authority doesn’t care about us, but I think they really do care.
“They’ve become a friend instead of a foe. Instead of battling with them, we’re working with them.”
Stephenson said the Housing Authority will need to be compensated for the Hays Manor property, just as it will the Uansa Village property in the McKees Rocks Bottoms.
“We need to get fair market value for the land,” he said. “If (the borough) is able to secure some type of larger development, we won’t stand in their way. But we would have to be paid for the property if and when they’re ready to do that.”
Stephenson said HUD would require any proceeds that the Housing Authority obtains from the sale of the Hays Manor property to be put back into the authority’s mission – to prove safe and sanitary housing for low-income families and senior citizens in the county.
The McKees Rocks/Stowe area already is home to several other ACHA properties, including Meyers Ridge in McKees Rocks and Pleasant Ridge in Stowe. Stephenson said he hopes the borough and the Housing Authority can work together to rehabilitate vacant properties in and around the McKees Rocks/Stowe area rather than the Housing Authority pursuing another large development. Rehabilitating individual homes would benefit the municipalities because those properties would go on the tax rolls and it also could open the door to home ownership through the use of Section 8 vouchers.
Stephenson said such an approach is not a “substitute” for a large complex like Hays Manor “but that’s something we’re committed to working with (the municipalities) on going forward.”
“Hays Manor is done,” Stephenson said. “But we’re not done working in McKees Rocks.”
Brinza said he’s already heard from people asking about the Hays Manor property since news broke late last week that the Housing Authority decided not to pursue the redevelopment project.
“The last five days have been awesome,” he said. “So many people have reached out and asking if we’re able to develop.”
Brinza said the borough will prioritize developments that generate tax revenue. “We’re not going after anything that doesn’t pay taxes,” he said. “And we’re not going to give any tax deals.”
Brinza said the borough is an attractive location, given its proximity to downtown and other destinations as well as lower land costs.
“We are five minutes away from everything,” he said.
Thats bull shit very inconsiderate for the ones that lost there homes