: : : Grounded GSI A-42 Homewood

Grounded GSI A-42 Homewood

Community Context

In Homewood, Grounded specifically partnered with a longstanding community partner, Operation Better Block, Cluster Association 8, Cluster Association 9. In addition to the Grounded GSI program, this project aligns with OBB’s Neighborhood Partnership Program. Beginning in 2014, Operation Better Block led a comprehensive community planning process, resulting in the Homewood Cluster Plan. The cluster plan identifies specific opportunities for community development, including optimal locations for stormwater infrastructure. The Grounded GSI project builds upon the Cluster Plan as well as ongoing green stormwater efforts in the neighborhood, primarily led by Nine Mile Run Watershed Association (NMRWA). This project expanded the sharing of knowledge around stormwater issues in Homewood and demonstrated how GSI can be seamlessly incorporated into open space assets.

Project Overview

The Grounded GSI demonstration project in southeast Homewood is located at the corner of Rosedale Street and Hill Street across from a large park and ride. Homewood stakeholders envision the project as a passive green space serving as a neighborhood gateway welcoming visitors into the community from its neighbor, Wilkinsburg. Site selection for this project was completed in alignment with the Homewood Cluster Plan, which specifically calls out optimal locations for GSI. Over the course of the summer of 2018, this site was transformed from a vacant parcel, overgrown and littered with multiple truckloads of trash, into a landscaped area, complete with a colorful rain garden. Operation Better Block continues to maintain and grow the garden.

Homewood Liason – Jacqueline Bey