First multifamily development on Hazelwood Green clears Planning Commission | The Homepage

The planned housing development at the corner of Lytle and Eliza streets will have 2,629 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. A main lobby and secondary lobby, fitness area and a study area will fill out the first floor. Architect Brent Houck said the first floor will have a “glassy” treatment to showcase the activity within. The building’s exterior, aside from windows, will use corrugated metal and brick, with cedar accents around the entrances. Rendering courtesy of Perfidio, Weiskopf, Wagstaff and Goettel

By Juliet Martinez, managing editor

The Planning Commission on Jan. 28 approved a five-story, mixed-use building planned at the corner of Lytle and Eliza streets on Hazelwood Green. The 50-unit building will have 40 affordable units. The developer plans to give current Hazelwood residents first choice once leasing begins.

The building will have 50 apartments on the four upper floors, of which 40 will be affordable units for tenants making 60% of the area median income. Of those 40, 25 will also carry project-based vouchers that will open the affordability to households with much lower income.

TREK Development Group is spearheading the project. Project Manager Janelle Kemerer said at the Jan. 28 hearing that the developer is working with the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the City of Pittsburgh Housing Authority to give current Hazelwood residents preference on the waiting list. Ms. Kemerer said at the Oct. 10, 2024, Greater Hazelwood community meeting that the preference would need approval from those entities.

Residency preferences like this can sometimes violate the Fair Housing Act, which bans discrimination on the basis of race or color, religion, national origin, sex, family status or disability, according to the website inclusionaryhousing.org.

The developer will also partner with a nonprofit called Pittsburgh Scholar House. The organization works to support the families of single parents pursuing higher education. In the development, 13 affordable units will be set aside for families in this program. They will have access to support services and perks tailored to their needs, like study areas and a playroom.

The building will have wheelchair accessible entrances and an elevator serving all floors, according to Brent Houck, an architect on the project from the firm Perfidio, Weiskopf, Wagstaff and Goettel. Six of the housing units will comply with both the Americans with Disabilities Act and the International Building Code accessibility requirements; two will be accessible specifically for those who are d/Deaf, hard-of-hearing, blind or low vision.

The ground-floor commercial space at the corner of Lytle and Eliza streets will cover 2,629 square feet, which is about what eight Pittsburgh Regional Transit buses parked side by side take up. A main lobby and secondary lobby, fitness area and a study area for Scholar House residents will fill out the first floor. Mr. Houck said the first floor will have a “glassy” treatment to showcase the activity within.

The rest of the building’s exterior, aside from windows, will use corrugated metal and brick, with cedar accents to distinguish the entrances.

The project received the support of all the commissioners except one who was recused. Once the developer receives its record of zoning approval it can file for a building permit.