Harrison housing development not yet under way
A Maronda homes official said he doesn't expect any houses to be built this year on about 90 acres behind Mount Airy Cemetery in Natrona Heights, Harrison.
The Harrison development is one several construction projects proposed but not yet under way in the Allegheny County portion of the Valley.
Robert Mihok, land development manager for Maronda Homes, said he still has to acquire another permit for the development and hopes to begin clearing the land by June.
Maronda wants to build about 260 units, a mix of single-family homes and townhouses, on land off Freeport Road behind the cemetery. The project is expected to take about 10 years to complete.
One project expected to make progress this year is a 120-unit senior citizen center being built by Allegheny County on a 4.7-acre plot mostly in Tarentum and partially in Brackenridge.
Demolition on the former Dayspring Church and another apartment building on the site could begin in May, with construction scheduled to start in August, said John Ginocchi, senior project manager for Trek Development Group in Pittsburgh, the company contracted to do the planning.
The first phase calls for 48 units in a three-story building, followed by two other lowrise buildings, with 72 additional units to be built later.
A fourth building would house a medical center that would tend to the needs of senior citizens in the region who qualify economically, not just those living in the new complex.
The housing authority bought the land for $530,000.
Ginocchi said it will take a year to 16 months to complete the project. The housing will be open to residents 62 and older who qualify, and first preference will be given to those who live in the three highrises in Tarentum and Brackenridge.
The fate of the highrises is still unclear.
Ground also is expected to be broken this spring on another Tarentum project. Praxis Resources has an agreement to purchase land from Brian Clark that sits along East 10th Avenue.
Council agreed in July 2003 to rezone the 1.25-acre tract to R-2a zoning, which allows for offices and service businesses.
Clark initially proposed to build a one-story, 8,000-square-foot building to house professional offices and service businesses. Jerry Sukenick, a partner with Praxis Resources, said the company hopes to break ground in June on a similar building. He said the size of the building will be dictated by demand as well as the contours of the land. Sukenick said one business he did not want to name committed to the site. He said officials are in the process of working with engineers and several agencies, including PennDOT, to obtain permits for the building.
The status of another Tarentum project remains unclear. Tarentum officials in February granted developer Scott Rittman a six-month conditional use extension for a proposed riverfront apartment complex.
Rittman could not be reached for comment. He has proposed a three-story complex along First Avenue between Adams and Wood streets, near the Tarentum Bridge that could include as many as 40 upscale apartments.
