Part of former Troutman store sold; apartments planned

Jun. 2—An Arizona-based real estate investment firm bought part of the vacant seven-story building in downtown Greensburg that formerly housed A.E. Troutman Co. department store with plans to convert it into 57 apartments.

Urban Communities Steel Valley LLC of Phoenix told city officials it wants to create "multi-family workforce apartments" in the building at 225 S. Pennsylvania Ave. Urban Communities Steel Valley, one of seven funds Urban Communities formed to acquire real estate across the nation, bought the building from Downtown Commons LLC of East Pittsburgh on April 22 for $460,000, according to the Westmoreland County Recorder of Deeds.

The 7,140-square-foot building remains linked to the original Troutman's building on South Main Street, which was converted into apartments for senior citizens by the Westmoreland County Housing Authority more than 20 years ago. The department store closed in 1985, but the two buildings remain connected by a bridge over an alley, as well as a tunnel. Seton Hill University had used the first floor of the building from 2008 to 2015, for visual arts classes, said Jennifer Reeger, Seton Hill spokeswoman.

Neither Daniel Berkowitz, president of Urban Communities Steel Valley, nor Ben Samson, vice-president, local partners for Urban Communities, could be reached for comment. They also are executives of Atlas Development Co. of Pittsburgh's Beechview neighborhood.

Greensburg's zoning hearing board in November granted Urban Communities a variance from requirements that it would need to provide close to 200 parking spaces for tenants at the former Troutman's building and the former Royer's department store at 114 S. Main St., which Urban Communities is considering buying to create 42 apartments. The former Royer's building is owned by Marcams Management Co. of Greensburg, which purchased it in 2005 for $525,000. A Marcams spokesman could not be reached for comment.

Instead of building a parking facility, Urban Communities plans to lease spaces at the Buncher Co. parking lot across South Pennsylvania Avenue from the former department store. Tenants then lease spaces from Urban Communities for overnight parking but would have to move their vehicles in the morning because the spaces are leased to commuters during the day. The parking lot had been the site of a city-owned garage that was razed about 20 years ago.

The city is not a party to any agreement permitting Urban Communities to use overnight parking at the Buncher parking lot, said Zachary Kansler, Greensburg solicitor. The city has been approached to discuss the use of the parking lot, but " those discussions have not gotten to the level of being specific, nor has any agreement been approved by city council," Kansler stated.

There has been a need for more apartments in downtown Greensburg, said Ashley Kertes, executive director of the Greensburg Community Development Corp.

Marilyn Davis, a longtime local Realtor, agreed there is a demand for living downtown, saying people want to be able to walk to amenities such as coffee shops, the Greensburg Hempfield Area Library, retail stores and the U.S. Post Office.

Urban Communities states on its website that it offers rental prices that are at or below 30% of area median income, which is about $24,700, based on the county's median income of $82,300, according to data from the Federal National Mortgage Association, or Fannie Mae.

Urban Communities contacted Kertes in March 2020 and talked with city officials about the project, but the covid pandemic delayed it, Kertes said.

"The post pandemic is an opportunity for Greensburg," Kertes said, with more people who may be working from home and do not need to commute into Pittsburgh for their jobs. She said there will be more for people to do who live in downtown Greensburg, with about 20 new businesses opened.

Urban Communities Steel Valley's website says it is targeting four or five properties in Pittsburgh and Greensburg, which it characterizes as the "capital cities" in the Steel Valley region. It has a goal of raising $20 million for the Steel Valley fund. The company says on its website it has a typical three-year hold on property, then seeks to sell it to a real estate investment trust at market price.

Joe Napsha is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joe at 724-836-5252, jnapsha@triblive.com or via Twitter .