California developer to rebuild Monroeville public-housing apartments gutted by fire

A California developer is looking to expand its public housing portfolio in Allegheny County with the acquisition of a Monroeville apartment complex that caught fire in March.

Community Preservation Partners, based in Irvine, Calif., purchased the Cambridge Square Apartments for $16.6 million, part of $47.2 million investment that will include renovating more than 176 housing units and rebuilding the 28 units lost in the blaze.

All units will receive interior upgrades with installation of new kitchen countertops, appliances and flooring, as well as bathroom updates including new vanities, fixtures, tub reglazing and new shower surrounds, as needed. New windows and roofs will be installed throughout the property.

“We see a lot of growth in western Pennsylvania, specifically the greater Pittsburgh area, with a lot of redevelopment and job growth,” said Tom Gibson, CPP’s special projects director. “And with that comes the need for affordable housing, which a lot of times is an afterthought.”

CPP also owns another public-housing complex, Allegheny Commons, on Pittsburgh’s North Side.

Following the fire, which occurred in Cambridge Square’s Building 7, Gibson said residents in 17 of 27 apartments were quickly relocated to vacant units.

“That left 10 tenants who were displaced to other housing near the site,” Gibson said. “We have all their contact information, and we’ll be reaching back out to see if they want to return after construction is complete.”

In addition to rebuilding Building 7 and rehabbing 176 units, Gibson said CPP also plans to construct a new building with a leasing center and a community area.

“Right now, those residents don’t have a shared space to meet, so that’s part of the rebuild as well,” he said.

All of the apartments at Cambridge Square are leased as part of the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, and 198 of the 204 units are also under a federal housing assistance program, or HAP, contract, where renters pay a portion of rent and utilities, and the local public housing authority provides the remainder.

“After the fire, the immediate need was to rehouse people who were displaced,” Gibson said. “But some residents were moved into smaller or larger units than they need according to (federal Housing and Urban Development) requirements, so we have to work through those kinks.”

Gibson said Cambridge Square’s property manager would meet with residents to undertake that process.

“They’ll work with them on things like the income qualification process, whether they need special accommodation, a different-sized unit, if they need to live on the ground floor — all those things are taken into account,” he said.

CPP officials would like to have all of the rehab work and new construction complete by December 2024.