City Residents Losing Homes To Landslide Want Action

A public hearing about a situation on Ivondale Street in Greenfield was held Thursday night.

Several homes on that street are being threatened by a city-owned hillside that is coming down.

Recently Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said he was considering buying-out the home-owners and tearing down their houses.

Dorothy Cribbs who lives on Ivondale like the idea of a buy-out.

At the public hearing, she said, "There is no fair market value for my home. Who will buy my home. The street is falling down."

Joe Tunder, another resident, has been unable to live in his home for nine months because the landslide has caused his home to shift and is unstable.

He said, "My house is weakened from shifting. I've been living in an apartment for 9 months."

City council president Doug Shields was at the meeting. He said fixing the homes is another option, but he said that would cost the city more than buying the homes and tearing them down.

Shields said, "Doing a buy-out is a lot cheaper than fixing the unfixable. We're going to try to do a decision that benefits everybody in the best possible way."