Dontae Comans pushed his two youngsters in a shopping cart down the tidy aisles of Wilkinsburg’s new Aldi supermarket the latest success story in the tattered borough’s ongoing revival had presided over a grand-opening ceremony before joining scores of his eager constituents inside the community’s first new big-box retailer in nearly two decades a 72-year-old grandmother bundled in a puffy waiting for hours in freezing temperatures to score one of the gift cards being given away to the first 100 customers “They were here fixing up these shelves early,” Plowden said with approval as she placed apple sauce and a sleeve of bacon into her cart “It is just rare to see them opening a store in Wilkinsburg.” • A talk with Mayor Dontae Comans Wilkinsburg has begun to shrug off its hapless image and transform itself into a magnet for investment Private-sector development money is pouring like never before into this postage-stamp sized community that sits on Pittsburgh’s eastern border State and federal politicians are steering six- and seven-figure grants into projects that are remaking the landscape And demolition crews are razing vacant buildings and I don’t think anyone can make that kind of statement now — all the wind is in our sails,” said Councilman Mike McMullen a technology worker and first-term councilman who moved to Wilkinsburg in 2013 “Now is beyond the time for people to look back at Wilkinsburg,” McMullen added “If you want to get in on the ground floor of our revival you might actually even be a little late.” Wilkinsburg still has a long way to go to fight considerable blight And despite violent crime trending downward over the past seven years guns and drugs that proliferated in Wilkinsburg in the 1990s forged a notoriety that’s been hard for the borough to shake the $7 million Aldi project marks a major victory for a place whose reputation in recent decades has revolved less around post-war industrial-boom heights than blighted-neighborhood lows “This has been a long time coming,” the mayor said Wilkinsburg enjoyed its heyday in the 1950s With 37,000 people living in its 2 square miles it once was the most densely populated borough in the nation But after the collapse of the steel industry Wilkinsburg’s population dwindled to the 13,000 residents of today Consumer spending shifted toward indoor malls and shopping centers like Monroeville’s Miracle Mile just 1 in 3 residents own their own home instead of renting there were signs that a reversal of fortune might be possible Developers built a Sav-A-Lot supermarket and a GetGo gas station What might be minor news in bigger cities resonated strongly in a place with Wilkinsburg’s riches-to-rags history businesses are keen to extend the success stories of Pittsburgh’s East End as redevelopment marches down Penn Avenue from East Liberty and Bakery Square straight into the heart of Wilkinsburg Twenty different commercial projects are in the works bringing an estimated $175 million investment — more than 10 times Wilkinsburg’s 2025 budget Wilkinsburg also is managing nearly $13 million in grants and other state funds to upgrade infrastructure and spur revitalization The borough may be small — roughly half the size of Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood — but it’s well-trafficked About 20,000 motorists drive through Wilkinsburg and its business district every day An additional 30,000 people — about 7.5 million people a year — ride public transit weekdays on the Martin Luther King Jr where passenger numbers are consistently the highest at Wilkinsburg’s stop said the borough’s revival is no longer hypothetical The Aspinwall Democrat last year helped funnel nearly $1.7 million to a mixed-use construction project there I think you see the ambition to revitalize,” Deluzio told TribLive The revitalization talk in Wilkinsburg — and residents’ efforts to push back against a sour reputation — is not new Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation worked to acquire and restore four roughly century-old structures in the borough’s Hamnett Historic District “There’s a perception of what Wilkinsburg is,” Michael Sriprasert then the foundation’s director of real estate development … That’s why we’re saving these buildings.” The borough tried to jump-start its lagging business district in 2010 launching what it called “The Wilkinsburg Plan.” Officials formed the borough’s community development corporation voters overturned an 80-year-old alcohol ban the revitalization kicked into a new gear as attention turned to a group of the borough’s former grand dame buildings nonprofit groups launched a $6.5 million renovation of the Wilkinsburg Train Station clock tower and what the Wilkinsburg Community Development Corp describes as “delicately patterned terrazzo and mosaic tile floors.” The station had sat vacant and vandalized since it stopped handling passenger rail traffic in the mid-1970s the corporation rehabbed the blighted Lohr Building into offices and an art gallery in the heart of the business district the 1893 red-brick building has been home to a church according to the community development group A nonprofit is raising $8.9 million to restore the Hunter Building a circa-1899 structure on Penn Avenue that a borough historian called the first apartment building constructed in town shared its $6 million plans to renovate a now-empty Wilkinsburg building into its new headquarters a separate group announced plans to build a 10,000-square-foot performance space inside a shuttered elementary school a $2.5 million redevelopment is planned for a Christian church And in the borough’s Regent Square section ground is set to break next month on six single-family homes it doesn’t always look like there’s a lot happening — but there really is a lot happening,” said Anne Elise Morris a longtime resident who heads the Wilkinsburg Historical Society “It has taken us a long time to get to where we are now “But when you see things like the train-station project work people really are investing in Wilkinsburg.’” A key part of this renewal is rooted in a vacant Penn Avenue lot that once housed a six-story tower billed as “Pittsburgh’s Most Modern Suburban Hotel.” a bustling travelers’ stop on both the Pennsylvania Railroad line and the Lincoln Highway It later became an apartment complex before falling into disrepair efforts are underway to erect a $25 million four-story building there with 41 affordable apartments and 12,000 square feet of street-level retail space low-income tax credits and federal funds secured through Deluzio and fellow Democrat Bob Casey developers are working with ACTION-Housing Inc “We really want something that will draw people to Wilkinsburg,” said Steve Hellner-Burris ‘How do we make this a destination?’ The train station (renovation) happened Developer Al Lardo helped shepherd the Aldi project to completion He previously had invested in nearby Rockwell Park an ambitious plan to transform a 24-acre industrial plot near Wilkinsburg’s border with Pittsburgh’s North Point Breeze neighborhood into what Lardo envisions as “a full live-work-play environment.” When Lardo talks about a “new Wilkinsburg,” he underscores this critical link between the communities Lardo believes the revitalization of East Liberty and the continuing expansion of the Bakery Square mixed-use development in Larimer are helping spur what goes on across the invisible border separating Pittsburgh and Wilkinsburg “There’s going to continue to be a momentum down Penn Avenue,” Lardo “Rockwell Park is the next domino in that progression With nearly 2,500 locations in 40 states — only Florida Illinois and Ohio have more than Pennsylvania’s 165 — Aldi evaluates potential sites for residents’ demographics “This one kind of hit the mark on all of those things,” Kevin Ely which hugs the Pittsburgh Regional Transit busway and a park-and-ride lot with more than 700 spaces Several officials said it isn’t hyperbole to talk about the Aldi project as a kind of spark for what they hope will be future projects in Wilkinsburg “This is the first new construction project of its kind in a long time,” said Tracey Evans who heads the Wilkinsburg Community Development Corp There’s a flip side to the new life springing up in old buildings one that is impossible to ignore: the blight that for so long had brought Wilkinsburg down Though stately homes fill the borough’s more affluent Regent Square and Blackridge neighborhoods more than 500 abandoned or deteriorated homes pepper Wilkinsburg’s streets many of them radiating off the Penn Avenue corridor Wilkinsburg started spending $300,000 annually to demolish these buildings have landed grants totaling just over $1 million to super-charge efforts said she understands the obstacles faced by towns like Wilkinsburg She helped Wilkinsburg’s land bank secure nearly $240,000 to acquire borough properties that went vacant when homeowners died and renovate them for moderate- to low-income families “The reality is that people aren’t coming back to live in a lot of those blighted houses they’re not fit to live in,” Salisbury told TribLive “I think we really have to adjust these communities to what the future looks like nearly one-third of Wilkinsburg’s blighted homes have met the wrecking ball I love to save everything,” said the local historical society’s Morris “When you can look into a house’s front window He has watched Wilkinsburg’s business district fade during the 38 years he has worked in — and owned — a paint and hardware shop on Wood Street as he stood recently near a rainbow of Benjamin Moore paint samples inside Pennwood Paint and Supply Co Diano doesn’t want developers pushing out those who called Wilkinsburg home during tougher times He said he has seen that unfold in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty and Lawrenceville neighborhoods Wilkinsburg remains cheaper to rent or buy a home in than Pittsburgh But rising interest in the borough’s real estate could impact that Last year saw a “significant increase” in people applying for permits for new housing construction The shift is small — the number increased by fewer than 10 applications — but Antinori feels it’s powerful we weren’t getting those kinds of inquiries,” he said Antinori and others stress that the borough can encourage redevelopment without displacing longtime residents “The borough’s view is that gentrification is not inevitable,” Antinori said “The choice isn’t blight or gentrification You can have affordable and sustainable prosperity.” Affordability drew James and Eric Youngblood to Wilkinsburg The cousins grew a catering business and ran a food truck for a decade before opening Perfection At Its Best Catering on Penn Avenue as the pandemic waned regulars come to their take-out shop for a signature deep-fried cornish hen seasonal treats like fried green tomatoes or the shop’s line of fresh lemonades several nights a week to keep up with demand The cousins also tend to a once-abandoned garden two doors down growing what they need to cook — everything from cucumbers and peppers to okra and 24 different varieties of tomatoes an estimated 30,000 bees yielded 55 pounds of honey last year “It was affordable to open here — and Wilkinsburg is coming up,” said James Youngblood “They’re doing a lot of building around here Eric Youngblood said he has seen Wilkinsburg change in subtle he started sweeping the sidewalk in front of Perfection At Its Finest The Youngbloods then started shining their windows they like taking breaks after the lunch rush to hand out free food samples to those walking past the shop The cousins have bought in to the promise of Wilkinsburg a borough councilman who has lived there since 1991 The 66-year-old retired union carpenter said it’s time to believe the hype “We’re just getting started,” Smith told TribLive But it’s good to actually start seeing the work start that we planned a long time ago.” Justin Vellucci is a Tribune-Review staff writer You can contact Justin at jvellucci@triblive.com or via X @JVTheTrib A host of local elected officials and housing advocates celebrated Friday in Wilkinsburg near the site of what will soon be 41 new affordable apartments on Penn Avenue Nonprofit developer ACTION Housing has begun excavation at the site of the former Penn-Lincoln Hotel a once-historic building that had fallen into disrepair The vacant site has long been a priority for redevelopment for the borough the $30 million project will include ground-floor commercial space This is inspiring,” said Wilkinsburg Mayor Dontae Comans director of the Allegheny County Department of Economic Development hailed ACTION Housing and its partner Hosanna House for their “incredible partnership that has transformed challenges into opportunities and now into a space where residents and businesses will once again thrive.” She and several other speakers referenced other development in long-struggling Wilkinsburg, such as a new Aldi store “There’s a lot of exciting things going on in Wilkinsburg,” said State Sen The project incorporated funds from a number of sources Apartments will be for people earning at or below 60% of the area median income and will also include supportive services for tenants The project is scheduled to be completed in 2026 Have a tip for the WESA newsroom? Email news@wesa.fm This website is unavailable in your location It appears you are attempting to access this website from a country outside of the United States therefore access cannot be granted at this time TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need Here are some of the latest news items from this morning A woman was shot in Wilkinsburg Sunday evening Allegheny County 911 was alerted to shots fired in the 1500 block of Park Avenue First responders found a woman with a gunshot wound to her hand The woman was taken to a hospital in stable condition Anyone with information concerning the incident is asked to call the county police tip line at 1-833-255-8477 (ALL-TIPS) Nonprofit says dogs were left tied to pole outside Dollar General A nonprofit group is caring for two dogs that were abandoned at a Pittsburgh area Dollar General an organization that helps at-risk animals said in a social media post that it is working with animal control to find and press charges against a man who left them tied to a pole The Homestead-based organization said the female dog appears to have had many litters The organization is seeking donations to help care for the animals Julia Burdelski is a TribLive reporter covering Pittsburgh City Hall and other news in and around Pittsburgh. A La Roche University graduate, she joined the Trib in 2020. She can be reached at jburdelski@triblive.com Stay up-to-date on important news from TribLIVE 1-800-909-8742 © 2025 Trib Total Media | All Rights Reserved About Us Advertise Career Opportunities Contact Advertising Contact Circulation Contact Newsroom Contact Us Feedback Request Correction Resource Center Scholarship Opportunities Send Letter to the Editor Send News Tip Subscribe Subscriber Services Blog eFeatures Email Newsletters eTrib Facebook Home Delivery Instagram LinkedIn Marketing Minute Store Locations TribLIVE App - App Store TribLIVE App - Google Play X (formerly Twitter) Arts & Entertainment Best of the Best Business Directory Circulars Contests Coronavirus Lifestyles Local News YaJagOff Obituaries Opinion Our Publications Photos Real Estate Sports Video Weather Cookie Settings Privacy Policy Terms of Service by KRISTINA WATROBSKI | Crisis in the Classroom (CITC) — A Pennsylvania school board last week passed a "sanctuary resolution" aimed at providing all students with a "safe and supportive" school environment regardless of immigration status The board representing the Wilkinsburg School District unanimously approved the document on Dec any requests for information made by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials to the district must be processed by both the superintendent's office and the "district solicitor." The resolution prohibits schools from providing ICE officials with access to students on school grounds without first contacting the two parties and processing requests District staff are also instructed under the resolution not to inquire about a student's immigration status or the status of their parents "The Board of School Directors will do everything in its power to afford equal protection of all members of our community from attempts to criminalize or target them based on race or national origin," the resolution reads The move by the Wilkinsburg school board comes just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump takes the White House Trump said via Truth Social last month his incoming administration will declare a national state of emergency over illegal immigration and "use military assets" to carry out a mass deportation program has also threatened to send more ICE agents to sanctuary cities to remove immigrants residing there illegally Have something for the Crisis in the Classroom team to investigate Call or text the national tip line at 202-417-7273 A woman woke up in her Pennsylvania home to a man wearing all black according to multiple reports citing police The man did not leave the residence until the woman began screaming and kicking him The man was last seen walking around nearby surrounding areas near South Trenton Avenue in Wilkinsburg on the morning of the incident "I kinda thought it could be just some scared old people I'm a little bit more worried," Alex Demand Wilkinsburg is just 7 miles outside of Downtown Pittsburgh and is a borough in Allegheny County USA TODAY contacted the Wilkinsburg Police Department on Friday but did not receive a response News: 2 Palm Beach County, Florida deputies dead, 1 'fighting for his life' following SUV crash police said they received a call about a random individual attempting to open another resident's door but we've never had anything unusual happen Police have asked the public to remain "vigilant" as they investigate these suspicious incidents Jonathan Limehouse covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY Allegheny County Police arrested two men Friday who they say helped escalate a social media beef into a homicide last March when they fired multiple shots at a group of women fighting in Wilkinsburg and instead struck and killed a teenage bystander of Pittsburgh’s North Side both were charged with criminal homicide in the death of Kevin Wilson Police also charged Camp with recklessly endangering another person and a firearms count The two men were awaiting a preliminary hearing Friday A county police spokesman confirmed both are in custody Kira Jackson, a Pittsburgh woman arrested last spring in connection with the shooting told police she drove March 31 to pick up Camp and Campbell after agreeing to fight people who insulted her children on Facebook Jackson said she knew at the time both men carried guns Camp and Campbell talked about “doing a drive-by shooting” as Jackson drove to Wilkinsburg “We’re ready for whatever,” the men said according to Jackson’s account in the criminal complaint seven or eight people jumping out of a dark vehicle Some reportedly were armed with baseball bats driving away from what had just become a homicide scene Police said at least one bullet struck Wilson in the chest Wilson had been standing outside on Hill Avenue and wasn’t involved in the melee Officers dispatched to the scene found at least 15 spent bullet casings from multiple guns of Pittsburgh also surrendered to authorities Jackson and Johnson remained Friday in the Allegheny County Jail did not return calls Friday seeking comment A pre-trial hearing for Johnson is set for March 4 Justin Vellucci is a TribLive reporter covering crime and public safety in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. A longtime freelance journalist and former reporter for the Asbury Park (N.J.) Press, he worked as a general assignment reporter at the Trib from 2006 to 2009 and returned in 2022. He can be reached at jvellucci@triblive.com Pittsburgh Union Progress Since he founded the Hosanna House community center in Wilkinsburg more than 30 years ago Leon Haynes has had an office overlooking the blighted corner of Center Street and Penn Avenue once site of the iconic Penn-Lincoln Hotel that became apartments before the building deteriorated and was torn down for green space that will all begin to change with the expected construction of the Penn-Lincoln Apartments a 41-unit complex that will include retail space on the first floor delivered a federal check for $1.7 million Monday as the final piece of funding for the project that will be built through a partnership of Hosanna House and Action Housing Inc “When the block became grass a few years ago it was better than having economic depression in your face,” Haynes said after the news conference “To have the opportunity to see this project come through is pretty humbling and special.” Haynes told the news conference the federal funding will allow the project to begin after about five years of development Groundbreaking could be in the next two months followed by about 18 months of construction “All the funding is in place,” Haynes said The building design will pay homage to the original hotel with red bricks on the surface and the skyline stepping down from five stories fronting on Penn Avenue to three stories Penn-Lincoln opened in 1927 billed as “Pittsburgh’s Most Modern Suburban Hotel,” a six-story structure with 70,000 square feet The 41 apartments will include 20 with one bedroom 12 with two bedrooms and nine with three bedrooms with an emphasis on housing for families with children which Haynes said is a key need in the community All units will be affordable housing for people with 20% to 60% of the borough’s median income and will be accessible for people with disabilities It also will have 12,000 square feet of commercial space Haynes said he hopes to have a food retailer taking part of the space Social service agencies also will have space available in the complex Deluzio said the apartments are among $15.5 million he secured this year for 15 projects across his district “[Housing] is fundamental to the American dream,” he said Providing affordable housing is particularly important now because of the growing number of investment companies that are buying nearly 25% of homes and apartments when they go on sale He said he would support legislation that failed to pass the last session of Congress that would regulate rent gouging by corporate owners Haynes said he considers the apartment complex “a cornerstone project” in Wilkinsburg where the train station on Hay Street is being redeveloped and an Aldi grocery is under construction on Penn Avenue Revitalizing the small borough has been a goal since Hosanna House began there has been more movement recently than there has been in the last 30 years,” he said Ed covers transportation at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Step one in the replacement of the Commercial Street Bridge on the side of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel on the Parkway East has been completed The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced Friday that the inbound Wilkinsburg ramp has been reopened The ramp had been closed since July 22 so crews could lower the ramp and create more space for taller trucks to pass under the highway The ramp work is just the beginning of the $95 million project by Fay S&B USA to replace the bridge That ramp will serve as a primary detour route for trucks when the bridge is closed for 25 days in July 2026 Plans call for building the new bridge on temporary piers in Frick Park just south of the existing structure crews will demolish the old bridge and slide the new one into place A new assistance program is now available for low-income customers of the Wilkinsburg Penn Joint Water Authority The program is administered by the nonprofit Dollar Energy Fund which also administers other utility assistance programs “We recognize that some of our customers are facing economic challenges and it is important to us that they continue to have access to clean safe water,” water authority board Chairman Denny Simon said in a statement we are expanding our efforts to provide meaningful support to those who need it most," Simon said The authority serves roughly 40,000 customers in more than a dozen eastern suburbs including Wilkinsburg Households must have paid at least $50 on their account in the past three months and they must owe at least $100 to be eligible The maximum grant an applicant can receive is $250 Applicants must have a household income at or below 150% of the federal poverty level are not required to have assistance programs The program marks “a significant step toward ensuring that every ratepayer in their service area has access to the safe and affordable water they deserve,” said Gabriel Gray lead organizer of Pittsburgh United’s Our Water campaign Income guidelines and more information about the program can be found here The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office Wednesday identified the man authorities found dead last weekend on a Wilkinsburg sidewalk as Dorrel Ferguson had suffered a single gunshot to his upper torso A county police spokesman Wednesday declined to make additional comment The family is holding funeral services from 5 to 8 p.m. Jan. 21 at Coston Funeral Homes in Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood, according to obituary information posted online 22 at Kings of Kings Baptist Ministries in Garfield No additional details about Ferguson were available Wednesday Anyone with information is asked to call the Allegheny County Police Tip Line 1-833-ALL-TIPS Allegheny County police are investigating a shooting early Sunday morning in Wilkinsburg that left one man hospitalized Authorities said the unidentified man was found inside a residence on the 500 block of North Avenue at 2:40 a.m He was listed in critical but stable condition Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact the agency’s tip line at 1-833-ALL-TIPS Rich Cholodofsky is a TribLive reporter covering Westmoreland County government, politics and courts. He can be reached at rcholodofsky@triblive.com A Beltzhoover man is facing charges of aggravated assault in connection with injuries to a Wilkinsburg police officer on Saturday CJ Jackson, 52, is charged with assault and resisting arrest after police said he attempted to flee from police, according to TribLive news partner WTAE The extent of the officer’s injuries was not released Police said they encountered Jackson after he was accused of forcing his way into a home along Collins Road Jackson ran to his car and attempted to get away An officer was thrown several feet while holding onto the driver’s side door of the vehicle Jackson was taken into custody near his home Tawnya Panizzi is a TribLive reporter. She joined the Trib in 1997. She can be reached at tpanizzi@triblive.com Work will begin Monday on the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s project to replace the Commercial Street Bridge on the Parkway East But the first step doesn’t involve the bridge itself crews will close the inbound Wilkinsburg exit ramp so they can lower the roadway which will be a major detour route when the highway is closed for five weeks in 2026 while the new bridge is moved into place there is not enough clearance on the ramp for tall trucks to pass under the highway will make more space so it can be a safe alternative That work is expected to take about 36 days Other work scheduled for this year includes constructing an access road from the right side of the highway down the hill to Commercial Street below crews will clear trees and brush in Frick Park so they can temporarily relocate the street and the trail next to it The parking lot for Nine Mile Run will remain open Fay submitted the low bid of $95 million for the complicated project that will involve building the new bridge beside the old one so that more than 100,000 vehicles a day can continue using the old one the highway will close for 25 days while crews demolish the old bridge clean up the debris and slide the new bridge into place Fay will hire a subcontractor that specializes in developing computerized protocols for using hydraulic jacks to move the new 861-foot bridge into place and attach it to piers at each end Fay’s contract includes bonuses for finishing work early and penalties if it misses deadlines along the way PennDOT scheduled the highway closure for July because typically that is the month the highway has the least amount of traffic.  WILKINSBURG, PA — A man is in critical condition after being shot multiple times inside a Wilkinsburg residence early Sunday morning, prompting an investigation by Allegheny County police Allegheny County’s 9-1-1 center received a call at 2:40 a.m reporting a shooting on the 500 block of North Avenue First responders arrived at the scene and located an adult male suffering from gunshot wounds inside a residence where officials say he remains in critical but stable condition County police detectives have launched an investigation into the incident but no suspect information has been released at this time The Allegheny County Police Department’s Homicide Unit is handling the case. Authorities have not confirmed whether the shooting occurred during a home invasion or was targeted Officials are asking anyone with information about the shooting to contact the County Police Tip Line at 1-833-ALL-TIPS “The initial information contained herein is subject to change,” the department said in a statement noting that any updates will be shared on social media Police have not released the victim’s identity © 2008-2025 - Shore News Media & Marketing Ltd