City's Edge project marks beginning of larger Bedford Dwellings redevelopment in Hill District

The first phase of work to redevelop the Bedford Dwellings section of Pittsburgh’s Hill District got underway Thursday with an event where community leaders said the project would be transformative in multiple ways.

The first phase includes construction of a seven-story building called City’s Edge, which will bring 110 new apartments to the area, with 92 of them designated as affordable for people making no more than 60% of the area median income.

The area median income ranges from $70,300 for an individual to $132,600 for a household of eight, according to the city’s Urban Redevelopment Authority.

Forty-three of the housing units will serve as replacement housing for existing Bedford Dwellings residents. City’s Edge is part of a larger project to replace all of the existing Bedford Dwellings units and revitalize the surrounding neighborhood, thanks in part to a $50 million federal grant that was announced in July.

The larger redevelopment project is expected to cost $62.5 million and bring a total of more than 800 housing units over about six years.

In addition to housing, City’s Edge also is slated to include a parking garage, community room, management office, fitness center, 13 units that are accessible for people with disabilities and 3,000 square feet of green space. The building will house nearly 40,000 square feet of commercial space and office space for minority- and women-owned businesses.

It also will include a health care facility and pharmacy, a business lounge and an ATM banking center, according to the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh.

“It serves an important need and it’s designed in a very context-sensitive way,” URA Executive Director Susheela Nemani-Stanger said.

Marimba Milliones, president and CEO of the Hill Community Development Corporation, said the development is meeting the needs and wants of Hill District residents. The community organization she leads joined other community stakeholders in launching a community engagement process, which saw a 90% favorable ranking for the project.

“Affordable housing is badly needed in the city of Pittsburgh,” said P. Nathaniel Boe, president and CEO of Pittsburgh-based MidPoint Group of Companies and one of the leaders of the City’s Edge project.

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said the project should serve as an example of how minority-led developments can succeed. He urged funders and other partners to help bolster diversity in development projects.

“There’s no reason we can’t have African American developers doing major developments,” he said. “There’s no reason at all.”