Neighborhood Allies has partnered with the Amani CDC on this project since 2019, investing $365,000 into the $8,000,000 development. On May 16th, Amani CDC finally broke ground on The African Queens Apartments on Centre Ave!

Once completed, the new development will include 1,700 SF of commercial space on the ground floor and 12 apartments on the second, third, and fourth floors. Each of the 12 apartments will be offered at or below 30% Area Median Income (AMI), with 6 of the units reserved for people with special needs or those experiencing homelessness. The project will also meet the minimum Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Woman Business Enterprise (WBE) participation rates per the Greater Hill District Master Plan of 30% and 15%, respectively. Additionally, an estimated 6 full-time jobs will be created upon stabilization of the project, as well as an estimated 50 direct and indirect jobs during construction.

As a long-time partner of the Amani CDC, Neighborhood Allies is thrilled to have supported this development from the outset. In addition to a $350,000 investment and $15,000 grant to cover predevelopment costs and pay for early architectural drawings, we also provided many hours of technical assistance and advisory services over these past 5 years. Our participation began when we helped Amani respond to a 2019 Urban Redevelopment Authority Request for Quotes (RFQ) for Centre Avenue revitalization projects, which led to the organization being granted site control for the parcel. Amani CDC was also a member of the Schenley Heights Organized Revitalization Effort (SHORE) – a coalition of community-based organizations working on non-displacement strategies in the Upper Hill, for which Neighborhood Allies served as fiscal sponsor and convener.

“Neighborhood Allies has been supporting Reverend Lee Walls’ vision for the African Queens project since 2019. We provided technical and sometimes moral support. And we provided financial support through our Neighborhood Capital program. Community development projects take time. But more importantly, projects like this take commitment. They take trust. And they take a belief that you can make your community better.”

Matt Madia, Vice President of Real Estate Services at Neighborhood Allies.

Amani is a Black-led organization, founded in 1998 by longtime Hill District resident Reverend Lee Walls. This project is part of Amani’s goal to provide affordable housing for low-to-moderate income (LMI)households across the Hill District. We can’t wait to see this vision fully come to fruition!