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Entrance into North Braddock Borough from Swissvale Borough on Hawkins Avenue.
Mon Valley Initiative began its extensive North Braddock housing redevelopment project earlier this year, acquiring 22 blighted parcels in the Hawkins Avenue corridor, a primary entry point into North Braddock Borough.
The first phase of the project will entail the demolition of existing structures as most of the buildings are in a state of disrepair due to years of lying vacant. The area’s housing vacancy rate is at 25%, more than twice as high as Allegheny County’s housing vacancy rate. Currently, two structures are slated to be renovated, and an additional four new construction homes are expected to be built in the project’s first phase.
Twenty of the parcels were obtained through Allegheny County’s Vacant Property Recovery Program (VPRP) which allows individuals and entities to acquire vacant, blighted properties if they provide a reuse plan and capacity to implement it. In addition to being vacant, the property must have at least three years of tax delinquency.
Properties acquired by MVI for the North Braddock Redevelopment Project are marked in blue above.
The need for new housing development in the residential hillsides of North Braddock and improving areas that are gateways into neighboring communities were identified in the BEN 2030 Futures joint comprehensive plan between Braddock, East Pittsburgh, and North Braddock, approved in 2021.
MVI’s North Braddock housing redevelopment project will be similar to the Holland Avenue Homes project in Braddock that MVI completed in 2021.
MVI has renovated and constructed over 340 for-sale homes in the Mon Valley by purchasing vacant or abandoned properties, renovating or building homes, and selling them to a low-income household. Affordable homeownership opportunities in communities like North Braddock, which has a homeownership rate of 53% compared to 65% county-wide, can encourage generational wealth-building and create vibrant communities. In addition to developing the projects, MVI provides HUD-certified homeownership counseling to potential buyers.
Demolitions are expected to begin later this year following environmental testing with renovation and construction of the homes expected to begin in 2025. Ultimately, the project expects to add nine to twelve single-family homes in the second and third wards of North Braddock.
Current funding for the project includes Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds administered by Allegheny County Economic Development and Act 152 demolition funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Economic Development.
