Arlington Heights
Youngstown, Ohio

Contact Information

Description

Hope VI multi-phase development that includes

• First Rental phase of 46 units under construction
• Second Rental phase projected to close by July 2007
• Single Family homeownership phase under construction with 8 homes occupied and 3 more of 30 homes under agreement
• Affordable for families
• Blend of senior residence, rental townhouses and for-sale single-family homes

Developer
Pennrose Properties
Ralph A. Falbo, Inc.

Architect
Perkins Eastman
Pittsburgh, PA

General Contractor
Testa Builders, Inc.
Cuyahoga Falls, OH

Management
Pennrose Management Company

The Challenge

Built in 1940, Westlake Terrace Homes in Youngstown, Ohio was one of the first two public housing communities built in The United States.   Built during World War II to house Department of Defense workers imported for wartime production in the city's then-booming steel mills, it eventually became with the demise of the steel industry a part of the 1990s public housing crisis.   To add to its woes, when in the 1960s the Madison Avenue Expressway (I-680 connector) had been constructed,   it bisected Westlake Terrace physically and socially,   severing the community into two distinct sprawling, dilapidated, crime-ridden public housing projects .   In 1999 The Youngstown Metropolitan Housing Authority (YMHA) received a HOPE VI grant that facilitated the demolition of the 289 units of Westlake Terrace North. Having received a second HOPE VI grant awarded in April 2003, YMHA chose Pennrose Falbo through a competitive RFP process to implement their revitalization plan.

The Solution

The Pennrose Falbo Development Team secured YMHA funds, City of Youngstown CDBG and HOME funds, OHFA Bridge Loan/HDAP funds and LIHTC equity to facilitate the multi-phase redevelopment of the former housing project.   Appropriately, the revitalization plan called for a significant decrease in unit density implement in phases:   Phase I Rental , Phase II Rental and Single Family Homeownership of 75 units, 75 units and 30 units respectively.   The new infrastructure supporting the new homes included all utilities, water, sewer, storm water management, sidewalks, street lighting, landscaping and new streets that continue the street pattern found in the surrounding community. The former "super blocks" upon which the public housing units rested, were dissected into smaller blocks.    In addition, a neighborhood Community Development Corporation completed a 40 unit senior building on a portion of the property, in partnership with the Youngstown Metropolitan Housing Authority.   Another 30 public housing replacement units will be constructed on scattered sites in the surrounding neighborhood.   A neighborhood commercial mall is also planned.   Community supportive services are available on site and include programs to enable families to move toward self sufficiency. A new park area will be completed by Summer 2007 and a new recreational center will begin construction in the Fall 2007.  

Arlington Heights HOPE VI underscores the Pennrose Falbo expertise in navigating all facets of massive, multi-phase transformative initiatives, which create sustainable affordable-housing opportunities within a mixed-tenure, mixed-income community.   When completed in 2007, Pennrose Falbo will continue to own, manage, and maintains Arlington Heights.

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