This 3.2-acre property (721 & 730 Wheatland Street) is owned by Petra Community Housing and located in the Borough of Phoenixville. The property was associated with a former manufacturing operation located across the street at 723 Wheatland Street. One of the operations reportedly included a phenolic grinding wheel manufacturing business that began prior to 1946 and operated into the 1970s. Sandy grinding wheel manufacturing waste, containing arsenic, was disposed at the subject site and placed as fill and/or mixed with existing soils.
The property redevelopment began in April 2015. Petra Community Housing retained Barry Isett & Associates, Inc. for survey services, Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, and a site characterization, including hundreds of soil samples. Isett addressed Department of Environmental Protections (DEP) concerns regarding groundwater impacts with monitoring wells and a quarterly sampling program. Isett prepared a remedial action and soil management plan—arsenic impacts were addressed using residential state-wide health and site-specific standards. Through Isett’s efforts, both properties (721 & 730 Wheatland Street) secured an Act 2 Release of Liability.
With funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) and Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA), Petra Community Housing developed the property into 48 units of workforce housing, ranging from 1-3 bedrooms; this three-story walkup features six Americans with Disability Act (ADA) compliant homes.
SteelTown Village welcomed residents in early 2019 and hosted a ribbon cutting in May 2019. The community features many amenities for residents:
- Covered bike storage
- Community room
- Six raised bed community gardens that are fed by collected rainwater in underground cistern and fed by ADA-accessible hand pump; this is a tool used by the National Park Service
- Walkable to the vibrant downtown of Phoenixville
