Hill District's Centre Avenue YMCA To Get $7M Renovation
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The Centre Avenue YMCA in the Hill District will be playing a big role in providing new affordable housing to the community.
The YMCA has provided African Americans in the Hill District the opportunity for activities and affordable housing for nearly 100 years.
"It was in need of great repair and a lot of resources to bring it up to code, so they began to really think through what's the best way to do it," said Councilman R. Daniel Lavelle.
Through multiple partnerships, $7 million will be used to renovate the building from the inside out.
"There will be 17 permanent affordable units and about 70 overall that will be affordable units for the community and that means a lot as we continue to see market pressures around the community began to rise as the cost of housing continues to go up," Lavelle said.
On Friday, community members and elected officials gathered in the Hill District to kick off the project. A project they believe will continue to promote development.
"This investment really does help to continue the vision that the residents of the hill created to see a revitalized Centre Avenue," Mayor Bill Peduto said.
The renovation project is expected to last about ten months.