by Kelsey Shea

The Fineview Citizen’s Council is continuing its efforts to build new homes in the hilltop neighborhood, which they hope will attract young families.

The FCC is in the preliminary phase for a development plan that will build eight to nine single family homes on Upper Lanark Street.

“We feel that Lanark is part of the core of Fineview,” said Mike Flaherty, housing committee chair for the FCC.

The homes will be on a lot that was given to the FCC by the television station WPXI when they moved their offices to Summer Hill. The land is near the television tower that gives the Fineview the name Television Hill and was previously a parking lot for employees.

The housing project is in the preliminary phase, and the FCC is currently reviewing design and project proposals from several firms.

The Lanark Street homes are not the first project of the FCC, but rather part of an ongoing neighborhood initiative to bring young families into the neighborhoods by building new, energy efficient homes.

“We’re hoping to attract more young people to Fineview, like the Federal Hill project did for the Central Northside,” explained Flaherty.

The FCC currently owns about 75 percent of the property on Lanark Street.  The neighborhood organization hopes to build more homes on lower Lanark Street in the future, but for now is focusing on the former WPXI lot.

Completed Fineview housing projects include homes on Nunnery Hill and Meadville Street, where Flaherty moved in 2010.

“We think it’s a great location,” said Flaherty, who noted that new, younger residents have sparked some life into the FCC’s organization. “The more recent residents have helped the charge that was begun by the founders of the Fineview Citizen’s Council.”

He also noted that the project would not be possible without the long-time members of the FCC, The Northside Leadership Conference and the Urban Redevelopment Authority who will help fund the project.

“Stay tuned for further developments,” said Flaherty.