Garfield Commons replaces housing fallen into social decay

William Marshall Sr. sat on his bed Monday afternoon putting away trinkets in the top drawer of his bedroom dresser.

Marshall, a retired Pittsburgh Public Works employee who lived his entire life in Garfield, moved into his new three-bedroom townhome in Garfield Commons on Sunday.

"We're pleased with it," Marshall, 80, said of the city Housing Authority's newest development. "I just don't want to have to move again."

The $28 million development replaces Garfield Heights, a 326-unit public housing project built in the mid-1960s that recently became a haven for crime and drugs.

It had "grown to be a very difficult and untenable place to live," said Richard Swartz, executive director of the Bloomfield-Garfield Corp. "The conditions in the public housing project, from a social standpoint, had deteriorated significantly by the time this project was announced. This development will be a major step up from what existed previously."

Phase 1 of Garfield Commons is 90 mixed-income units, including 10 that are handicap accessible. About half are leased. The townhomes are available to anyone; special rent rates are available for those who qualify for public housing or earn 50 percent to 60 percent below the median area income. The development features a 6,300-square-foot community center equipped with a gym, conference rooms and a computer lab.

"It's a less-dense, more community-oriented environment," said Mike McCroskey, director of development and CFO for the project's developer, KBK Enterprises. "It works better to provide housing for ... different income levels. It's been shown that these work much better than simply just replacing housing authority buildings."

About $10 million came from the Housing Authority for the first phase of Garfield Commons. KBK raised most of the remaining money needed from federal and state funds. The second phase of the project broke ground in November. When all four phases are complete, the development is expected to include 265 units and cost about $60 million, McCroskey said.

"It's all right so far," said Jay Jones, 35, who moved into a two-story unit Jan. 2 with his girlfriend. "Hopefully, it stays quiet."

Garfield Commons is the Housing Authority's third mixed-income development following Oak Hill and Bedford Hill which each include a mix of 600 apartments, townhouses and homes.

Michelle Jackson-Washington, chief community affairs officer for the Housing Authority, said it hopes the development will change lives for residents.

"New living opportunities, all new amenities tend to make everybody feel like new," Jackson-Washington said. "A mix of income, race and age is what makes up a community."