DEVELOP PGH

Who is ‘the community?’ Penn Plaza group challenges early stages of East Liberty URA project

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The Urban Redevelopment Authority [URA] presented three potential designs Thursday night for an East Liberty development meant in part to bring some former residents of the demolished Penn Plaza back to their neighborhood. But some attendees raised pointed questions about the community input process, which they felt excluded them. “The problem is ‘the community’ is the Village Collaborative,” said Celeste Scott, housing organizer at Pittsburgh United, referring to a community group that has had early involvement in the URA’s vetting process. “That is the problem that they’re not giving an answer to.”

A group of former Penn Plaza residents and community activists questioned why the URA had chosen Village Collaborative, a community group unveiled last year by the HELP Initiative. The collaborative is made up of faith leaders in the East End.

DATA

Pittsburgh’s streak of gaining residents has come to an end

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Pittsburgh’s population decreased by an estimated 1,374 people to 304,391 people from July 1, 2014, to July 1, 2015, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

It was the second consecutive year of population decreases for the city after three rare years of population increases.

Those three years from 2011 to 2013 were the city’s only recent yearly population increases.

On the beat

Millennials saving for extensive retirement funds

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The latest studies say Millennials looking to retire someday will need anywhere from $1.8 million to $2.5 million saved to maintain a standard of living, and the nation’s largest generation is taking notice.

As the price of retirement skyrockets, Millennials have adapted their financial habits to account for this growth.