Matzie: Nearly $237,000 secured to improve Aliquippa’s West End Franklin Avenue Gateway
Will fund blight remediation, improvements
Rep. Robert Matzie May 25, 2021 | 11:37 AM
AMBRIDGE, May 25 – A $236,480 grant from the Commonwealth Financing Authority will fund a project to clear blight and improve the West End Franklin Avenue Gateway, state Rep. Rob Matzie, D-Beaver/Allegheny, announced today.
Matzie said the grant to the Aliquippa Economic Development Corporation will fund demolition and construction work that will reshape the area by creating new green areas and residential spaces.
“Securing this funding will allow the city to purchase and demolish seven to eight properties in the West End Franklin Avenue Gateway, with the land being offered to adjoining property owners for use as side yards or to prospective builders, in accordance with residential property resale guidelines,” Matzie said. “The grant will also fund rehabilitation of the sidewalk along the 1000 and 1100 blocks of Franklin Avenue, including replacement of access ramps and adjacent lawn restoration.
“The project is going to give this section of the city a new face while generating jobs, increasing property values, and creating new living spaces that attract new residents. It’s also going to allow the city to build on other recent progress it has made on the path to renewal.”
Matzie said the total project cost is $312,564, with the Aliquippa Economic Development Corporation providing $24,044 of matching funds.
In December, Matzie secured a $1 million grant from the state Redevelopment and Capital Assistance Program for redevelopment of a 40-acre brownfield and construction of a 250,000-square-foot high-tech manufacturing building located along the Ohio River in Aliquippa.