Race Street20/20 Vision

Prepared for:The Save Race Street CommitteeAnd Race Street Residents

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Executive Summary

On November 9, 2011, the Save Race Street Committee hosted a community meeting for residents of Race Street in the Baptist Temple Church. The meeting was attended by approximately 30 people, including residents, members of Baptist Temple, Urban Redevelopment Authority staff, and Jerome Jackson, executive director of Operation Better Block, Inc.

The structure of the meeting was simple. After opening remarks, I asked attendees to form themselves into groups of 3-4 people, supplied each groupwith sheets of 16.5"x19.5" drawing paper and felt pens, and asked them to discuss, write, and/or draw their responses to the question, "In the year 2020, what does Race Street look like?"

I encouraged people to be childlike in their imaginings; to put down anything they thought of, that they would like to see.

After a period of time, each group was asked to report on what they had written or drawn. The things that people said they want to see on Race Street ranged from relatively small items (e.g., establishing a 15 mphspeed limit on the street) to much larger ones (e.g., redeveloping the vacant commercial structure at the southwest corner of Race Street and Homewood Avenue).

Community Meeting

DRAFTIn January, 2012, URA executive director Rob Stephany offered to have his staff study the "Race Street 2020" vision and to help SRSC turn that vision into a workable plan. This document is the first draft of URA staff members' work. It is not "the URA plan for Race Street." It's them feeding back to us their understanding of what we said we want, and their insights about how we might go about getting it.

This document will undergo revision as we respond to it and work with it. But it gives us some starting points.

Race Street is our street, and this is our document. Let's make good use of it in planning our future.

Elwin Green, chairSave Race Street Committee

Community Input

Common Themes:• Infrastructure Improvements

•Clean Streets• Sidewalk Improvements• New Street Lights• Street Trees

• Plan for Vacant and Abandoned Property• Community Gardens• Side Lots• Playgrounds | Places for Children to Play

• Housing Rehabilitation and Maintenance•Acquire and Demolish Bad Homes• Enforce Home Maintenance

• Social Streets• Encourage front yard social activities• Recreation Center Playgrounds• Book Clubs/Neighborhood Newsletter

• Safe Streets/Secure Neighborhood• Neighborhood Speed Restrictions

• Employment + Business Opportunities• Schools and School System Improvements• Connection to Main Street

• Corner Store, Supermarket, Ice Cream Shop• Improve Regional Perception

• I Love Homewood T-Shirts

Community Meeting

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Triage Unstable Homes

Infrastructure Improvements

•Clean Streets Neighborhood Volunteers

•Improved Sidewalks Work with Councilman Burgess

• New Street Lights • Street Trees

Work with Treevitalize

Community Priorities

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Existing Conditions

Race Street, currently lacks street trees (with the exception of the Collier to Braddock Block).

A Los Angeles studies shows that trees offer $2.80 return on each dollar spent in energy savings, pollution reduction, stormwater management, and increased property values. (http://www.nextgreatcity.com/actions/trees)

According to a Wharton School Study, “Planting a tree within 50 feet of a house can increase its value by about 9%.” (http://www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org/phlgreen/seeinggreen.htm)

Missing and damaged sidewalks are found along Race Street.

Street lights were a common theme in the November community meeting.

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Infrastructure Improvements

Street Trees

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KEY City Owned Vacant Lots Privately Owned Vacant Lots

Plan for Vacant And Abandoned Property

• Community Gardens Open Space Neighborhood

Advisory Panel (OSNAP) Greenup GTECH Grow Pittsburgh

• Side Lots City of Pittsburgh Real Estate

Division

• Places for Children to Play

Community Priorities

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Vacant Lots

According to a Wharton School Study, “Cleaning and greening of vacant lots can increase adjacent property values by as much as 30%.” (http://www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org/phlgreen/seeinggreen.htm)

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Plan for Vacant And Abandoned Property

Community Gardens

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Plan for Vacant And Abandoned Property

Side Lots

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With the minimal investment of a properly placed fence, a hedge row, and a street tree a vacant property can be transformed from a negative to a positive.

• Stabilization of Vacant/Condemned Structures Work with BBI Vinyl Door and Window Coverings PreservePGH Grants Benchmark Best Practices (ELDI)

• Seniors in Place Work with Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh

Sustainable Home Improvement Partnership (SHIP)

•Homeowner Support “Residents sharing methods of home remodeling.” URA Home Loan Programs – Genevieve Kohnfelder

Housing Rehabilitation and Maintenance

Community Priorities

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KEY Vacant Structures Condemned Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh

Vacant Structures

Existing Conditions

Race Street 20/20 Vision

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KEY Occupied Structures Vacant Structures Condemned Structures Vacant Lots

Vacant Housing

Vacant and Abandoned Property

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Poor Street Infrastructure

Overall Vision

Race Street 20/20 Vision

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KEY Occupied Structures Stabilized Structures Vacant Lots Side Lots Community Gardens

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Street Infrastructure

Plan for Vacant and Abandoned Property

Stabilized Housing