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Community Development Committee
Update
The East Liberty Neighborhood Improvement District
Increasingly, communities around the
country are looking to the tool of the improvement district as way to
sustain the neighborhood effort without the worry of shifting
governmental priorities or over-drawn charitable foundation coffers. A
Neighborhood Improvement District (NID) is a resource development tool
whereby property owners are given the opportunity to take the
neighborhood revitalization effort into their own hands and ensure its
ongoing support.
In 2005, the East Liberty Neighborhood
Improvement District (ELNID), a Pennsylvania nonprofit organization, was
established to facilitate the formation of this special benefit district
in the historic East Liberty district of Pittsburgh. The ELNID received
funding from the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and the
Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (URA) to underwrite this
effort.
The ELNID Steering Committee—comprised of
members from various East Liberty property owners, including East
Liberty Presbyterian Church—has met twice with City Council this fall to
discuss the potential of the ELNID.
The purpose of the ELNID is to fund
special benefit services over and above those currently provided by the
local government, such as: sidewalk and gutter sweeping; security
services; periodic sidewalk steam cleaning; enhanced snow removal and
salting of the sidewalk; spot steam cleaning and disinfecting as
necessary; beautification; enhanced trash emptying in the public rights
of way; graffiti removal in a timely manner; equipment; supplies; tools;
insurance needs; and contracted maintenance costs.
The city of Pittsburgh already has three
active NIDs in Downtown, Oakland and the North Side. The privatization
of trash pickup and cleaning services seems to be proving worthwhile in
these areas.
ELPC’s Community Development Committee is
in favor of the ELNID because of the enhanced services it will bring to
the neighborhood, and the cost savings it will bring to the church. City
Council will vote at the end of December and the Mayor will sign in
early January.
Funding for the ELNID will come from
three sources: taxable parcels, tax-exempt parcels and nonprofit
organizations. Only taxable parcels will be required to contribute. In
order to encourage other nonprofit organziations to help fund the ELNID,
ELPC’s Community Development Committee will be hosting a morning
reception in January for local nonprofits to discuss the benefits of the
ELNID.
You can find out more about the ELNID by
going to
www.eastlibertypost.com.
Beth Hazlett, ELPC
Community Development Committee
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