ONE Homestead fills in the “missing teeth” along a key commercial corridor with much-needed affordable housing in Homestead, Pa.

The ambitious scattered-site project involves six buildings on five parcels of land that are in close proximity. The infill development brings 51 affordable homes to the area and adds new life to a community working to rebound.

Located just outside of Pittsburgh, the borough was once home to Homestead Steel Works, one of the world’s largest steel mills. When the mill closed about 30 years ago, Homestead suffered as people and businesses left.

Victor Rodriguez, president of a.m. RODRIGUEZ ASSOCIATES, recognized the area’s charm and knew he wanted to help revitalize the neighborhood.

His family-owned firm acquired the necessary parcels using a variety of site-control methods, including land obtained through Allegheny County’s redevelopment authority, tax sale purchases, and traditional sales negotiations.

The team then developed the project using three different building types—elevator apartments with ground-floor retail, lofts in a renovated historic post office, and townhouses. ONE Homestead is designed by Victor’s brother, architect Paul Rodriguez.

“This is the first affordable housing developed in Homestead in over 50 years,” Rodriguez says. “The community was lacking quality rental housing. The new buildings have injected an energy in to the area, which has spurred more redevelopment.”

The $14.2 million development has a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom units and 6,080 square feet of retail. The apartments serve residents earning no more than 20%, 50%, and 60% of the area median income.

ONE Homestead is financed largely with low-income housing tax credits awarded by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency and syndicated by RBC Capital Markets.

The project continues to be a family affair. A younger brother, David, is working to develop a brewpub a few blocks away, another step in Homestead’s renewal.