Wilkinsburg Merger

10/27/2022

Click the link below to register for today’s virtual meeting where HR&A will review the results of its anti-displacement study and toolkit. If you’re unable to attend, the full presentation will be available at wilkinsburgmerger.org.

The report discusses some of the major causes of displacement for residents and businesses in Wilkinsburg and highlights some of the best opportunities to begin to reverse these harmful trends.

By taking action now, and addressing causes of displacement upfront, we can give ourselves the best chance to chart a new course for a more vibrant Wilkinsburg in the future.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wilkinsburg-update-series-anti-displacement-study-toolkit-tickets-427233004417

10/21/2022

In just 10 years, Wilkinsburg’s vacant properties increased by 54%.

During that same time, 850 housing units were either demolished or deemed uninhabitable.

After decades of decline, we need something to change and we need it now!

10/17/2022

Click the link below to read an insightful letter from Jason Cohn -- a 25-year resident of Wilkinsburg, past president of Wilkinsburg Council, current chair of the Zoning Hearing Board, a former renter, a current homeowner and business owner in the borough.

"The case for annexation has been studied and proved what many of us who have been involved in local government have known for some time. WILKINSBURG IS FAILING. Despite many people’s best efforts (including mine), people are steadily leaving the borough and properties are steadily going vacant.

If the annexation does not go through, Wilkinsburg will continue to hollow out. For me, these two factors are the most critical. The borough has been steadily disappearing for 30 years. THE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE STRUGGLING ARE THE ONES BEING HIT THE HARDEST, so if we truly care about our residents something has to be done.

Annexation won’t fix everything, but it is the only large-scale change within our control that can affect the current dynamic. We should do it ASAP. It’s really just that simple.

Home Rule can be a useful tool, but it does not offer anything transformational. The only tool it offers to garner more resources is the ability to raise earned income tax and the property transfer tax. Most municipalities who become home-rule communities have raised their taxes."

Vote NO ❌ to Home Rule on Nov. 8
Vote YES ✅ to Annexation in May

I urge Wilkinsburg voters to vote no to the Wilkinsburg Home Rule Study so that they can have a chance to vote on the main issue at hand: to become part...

10/11/2022

Once again we're seeing smaller boroughs merging with surrounding townships due to crippling population loss and the resulting financial hardships. This is a necessary trend that won't be going away anytime soon.

We have waited long enough while the neighborhood we love has continued to decline. The time to act is now! :LET WILKINSBURG VOTE:.

This may become more common as many more communities lose population and their tax base.

10/06/2022

DDA recently presented a thorough analysis of Wilkinsburg’s Business District in 2022 compared to the last time they conducted a market analysis of the business district in 2015.

The presentation solidified what we all know - the business district is not serving our community as well as it should be. Something needs to be done!

If you missed the presentation, you can watch it now at wilkinsburgcdc.org/business-resources/

10/01/2022

The petition has been filed ✔️ and now the countdown to May begins! 📆

A petition filed Thursday in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court seeks to start annexation proceedings for Wilkinsburg to be incorporated into Pittsburgh. It could restart an annexation battle that effectively was paused in February, after Pittsburgh City Council voted down a petition request. The n...

09/26/2022

Join DiSalvo Development Advisors (DDA) for a presentation to review the recently updated Wilkinsburg Business District Market Analysis. The analysis was originally completed by DDA in 2015 and was updated in July 2022.

The presentation will cover key market changes over the past seven years as well as population and household trends, retail and residential updates, and market-supported recommendations.

Sign up now to join the virtual meeting: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wilkinsburg-update-series-business-district-market-analysis-tickets-415567301987

09/22/2022

Join the 1,200 Wilkinsburg residents who have signed the Annexation petition so far and let Pittsburgh City Council know that you believe Wilkinsburg residents should have the right to vote on the future of our borough!

09/08/2022

County Controller O’Connor will provide a series of town hall sessions on the property appeals process on September 22, 6-7:30 at Westinghouse Lodge in Forest Hill.

There will be another town hall on October 11, 6-7:30 at the Penn Hills Library.

07/12/2022

06/28/2022

Residents and business owners alike are fed up with ideas that go nowhere and empty promises. A REAL change is needed in Wilkinsburg to reverse the decades of decline that have plagued our community.

Source: https://newsinteractive.post-gazette.com/wilkinsburg-pittsburgh-history-annexation-independent-allegheny-county-pennsylvania/