FARRELL Rebuilt-housing project will try to engender pride

The architect said he hopes the Hope 6 renewal effort will spur nearby property owners to improve their properties.
By PETER H. MILLIKEN
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
FARRELL, Pa. -- Major steps are being taken toward providing the poorest city residents with new homes in a secure environment, designed to make them proud community stakeholders.
Development of the $28 million Hope 6 complex begins next year.
Under Hope 6, the 100 apartments in 17 barracks-style1950s-vintage buildings comprising Steel City Terrace will be demolished and replaced with a geographically expanded complex of 135 dwelling units to be built in stand-alone, duplex and triplex buildings.
The complex, which will include subsidized and market rate rental units and units for sale, will be built in two phases as a joint effort of the Mercer County Housing Authority and developer Ralph Falbo of Pittsburgh.
Zoning district: MCHA and Falbo, who made a presentation concerning the development to city council last week, are seeking council's approval of a waiver of $82,000 worth of sewer tap-in fees and creation of a new "overlay" zoning district.
That district would be a master planning tool that would be superimposed over the existing single and multifamily residential and light industrial districts now comprising the site. Council will consider those requests at its meeting at 7 p.m. Monday.
"It's quite an opportunity for us. The old things are going to be demolished, and brand-new structures built, and it won't be so limiting in its appearance," said Mayor William Morocco, a voting member of council. He added that he favors the "overlay" zoning without hesitation, but may propose waiving half, rather than all, of the tap-in fees as a compromise.
Timetable: Demolition of the existing structures is to begin next spring or summer, with phase one of new construction to begin later next year, said L. DeWitt Boosel, MCTA director. The construction schedule will be staged to enable some Steel City Terrace residents to remain while work is under way. Hope 6 is being funded by a combination of federal grants and loans and state tax credits, Boosel said.
"We wanted to go back to the traditional family concept of traditional neighborhood and blend in with the entire community," rather than renovate the barracks-style buildings, he explained. The goal is to give families "controllable space'' and "safe space," he added.
Phase one, to be built entirely within the current Steel City Terrace boundaries, will consist of 65 units, of which 53 will be for rent and 12 for sale. Financing is fully in place for phase one, Falbo said. Phase two, whose construction timetable is uncertain and which will go beyond those boundaries, will consist of 70 units, of which 56 will be for rent and 14 for sale.
Sense of ownership: "We're trying to give this community some definition of ownership, " Falbo said, characterizing the new development as family-friendly. "The quality of construction has to be good. We cannot afford for this not to be a success," he added.
The new development will provide each family with its own defined house and yard space, said Sheldon Goettel of Pittsburgh, project architect. Although residents will have their own readily identifiable private indoor and outdoor space, windows of the homes will have clear views of walkways to enhance security, he added. All units on the downhill side of the complex will be handicapped accessible, he said. The architect said he hopes the HOPE 6 renewal effort will spur nearby property owners to improve their properties.
Falbo said the outdoor basketball court will be eliminated because such courts invite undesirable activities, and replaced with other open areas and recreational facilities, such as a walking trail.
But Carol Gregory, a Steel City Terrace resident, said basketball is a popular area sport and she'd like to see the outdoor court replaced with an indoor basketball court to which access can be controlled.
The new development, featuring well-insulated, energy-efficient gas-heated housing, will have separate storm and sanitary sewers and utilities will be mostly underground.