Centennial Place
and Legacy Commons
Farrell, Pennsylvania
Leasing Information

Description

• HOPE VI multi-phase, mixed-finance redevelopment of inadequate 100 unit Steel City 1950's public housing
• 128 multi-family and single family homes in a traditional neighborhood plan within an urban setting
• Phase I 53 rental units placed in service in 2003
• Phase II 34 rental units placed in service in 2004
• Phase III 12 homeownership
• Legacy Commons 29 off-site rental unit redevelopment               
• Placed in service in 2004

Developer
Pennrose Properties
Ralph A. Falbo, Inc.

Architect
Perfido Weiskopf Wagstaff + Goettel
Pittsburgh, PA

General Contractor
Rien Construction
Brookfield, Ohio

The Challenge

In 2002, The Mercer County Housing Authority (MCHA) received a $9 million HOPE VI Revitalization Grant for the redevelopment of the Steel City Terrace Extension.   All 100 units of the severely dilapidated 1950s public housing were to be demolished and replaced with new rental and homeownership units that would support today's families.   Steel City had been designated a Pennsylvania Keystone Opportunity Zone (KOZ) to promote the redevelopment of underutilized commercial land and to facilitate improvements to the nearby primary thoroughfare of Legacy Commons Industrial Park. The Community and Social Services Plan component of the grant sought to work in tandem with the KOZ to provide education, job training, leadership development training, homeownership counseling and other desired services. The Architectural Master Plan sought stylistic unity between the brick-paved streets and century-old homes in existence and the proposed new replacement housing, which was to be interspersed therein and constructed as a stand-alone community.   A seamless amalgamation was desired.

The Solution

The Phase I demolition of the 100 public housing units facilitated the construction of 53 affordable rental units.   A unique design approach incorporated triplexes on corners and duplexes on block faces.   This enabled the design team to address the site's severe, crossing slope conditions while allowing for visibility in as many units as possible. The Phase II rental phase and the Legacy Commons phase continued the redevelopment efforts off site from the original public housing community and on scattered sites integrated in the surrounding neighborhood. Blighted and vacant properties in the neighborhood surrounding the HOPE VI were purchased and 63 new units were constructed on an infill basis.  The result was a new community that blended into its surrounding neighborhood, minimizing the appearance of public housing versus non-subsidized housing. The 12 homeownership units   sold to first time homebuyers enhanced the new community's stability. A strong social services program lent the promise of a sustainable vibrant community that residents would be proud to call home.

This $15.5 million revitalization HOPE VI effort underscores the Pennrose Development Team's expertise in   delivering on-time and on-budget complex multi-phase, mixed-finance projects.  

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