After more than five years of planning, the New Granada Square Apartments and Retail building broke ground this week in the Hill District.
The $16 million project is a key part of the larger New Granada Square development, which includes restoring the historic New Granada Theater, and is expected to catalyze revitalization of the Centre Avenue corridor, the neighborhood’s commercial and cultural heart.
The development features 5,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space for businesses and restaurants, with five stories of apartments above. The 40 affordable units will prioritize artists who have connections to the African-American community, according to a release from the Hill Community Development Corporation, which is leading the work.
In a pre-recorded groundbreaking ceremony, Hill CDC executive director Marimba Milliones thanked residents for their patience.
“It’s hard to wait for progress and to believe that we should aspire for better when people keep insisting to settle for anything,” she said, calling the moment truly groundbreaking.
Much of the financing for the project comes from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, with support from Key Bank, Pittsburgh’s Urban Redevelopment Authority, McAuley Ministries, Duquesne Light and First National Bank.
The Hill CDC is also moving forward on the first phase of renovating the New Granada Theater. Before the bid for the work is released, interested developers can tour the theater and see architectural drawings.
