A crowd of people walks east on Penn Avenue between Negley and Euclid avenues on Monday, July 28, as part of a rally to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the evictions from Penn Plaza.

By Jamie Kelly, Bulletin editor
Two events in late July and August marked nearly a decade since residents were evicted from the Penn Plaza apartments, with no solid timeline for when redevelopment of the site will be finished.
The owner and the developer of the site submitted a preliminary plan for land use, proposing a mix of commercial and residential space. While there’s no timeline for when the developer will submit a final plan, a community meeting in early August at Enright Park highlighted the next steps for the development of a vacant lot between South Negley and South Euclid avenues.
The developer’s preliminary plan called for a maximum height of 10 to 14 floors and outlined the kinds of tenants that would be allowed under current zoning. If the developer’s final plan matches the preliminary plan, then it will go through the normal planning process.
If there are changes, the preliminary plan will have to be revised and approved before the rest of the planning process gets underway.
District 7 City Councilman Khari Mosley said there is uncertainty about the timeline for the site because of cost and the current state of the real estate market in the city.
The city’s goal was to keep the community informed and engaged about the redevelopment process, he said.
Several weeks before the community meeting, a rally and protest took place in the same park, marking 10 years since residents of Penn Plaza found out the building was shutting down and they would need to move.
More than 200 residents were affected by the closure, according to city figures, and 53 of those received Section 8 housing assistance.
In addition to commemorating the loss of housing residents faced a decade ago, the event also highlighted the need for more affordable housing in East Liberty.
O’Harold Hoots, a longtime resident of Penn Plaza who had to leave his home, spoke about the struggle the last 10 years have been.
“(It was) such an injustice that so many people were evicted from their homes, and it took us a long time to get back here,” Hoots said. “My family, my wife, myself, and our sons, we had to move three times just to get back to the place that we love. I’m so happy and elated to be back here.”
At the end of the rally, dozens of attendees walked along Negley, Penn and Euclid avenues, chanting for more affordable housing and protections from eviction for residents.