Prospective Mon View Heights buyer meets complex residents

A representative of Camber Property Group discussed changes that could take place if the company is able to buy the housing development.

New York City-based Camber Property Group hosted a “resident listening session” Wednesday for residents of Mon View Heights housing development in West Mifflin.

The gathering, which fueled about 30 residents with pizza and refreshments, was held at Morningstar Baptist Church, in the shadows of the controversial complex.

According to its website, Camber Property Group is “a developer and owner of affordable housing in NYC and beyond. In just a few years, our team has made a far-reaching impact by building and preserving over 12,000 residential units, totaling $3.4 billion of market value. Whether constructing a new property or preserving an existing one, our goals are the same: To strengthen the local community by doing what’s right.”

Sponsored by Camber, the meet and greet was moderated by Pittsburgh-based advocacy group Neighborhood Allies. West Mifflin Councilwoman Carla Payne-Harrison, who made advocating for residents of Mon View Heights a key issue of her campaign last year and continues to speak on their behalf, was on hand to facilitate discussion between possible landlords and more than 300 residents.

Karen Hu, head of development of the Camber Property Group, previewed the meeting by saying they wanted to meet with residents. However, the New York landowner has not yet obtained the property, and it’s not a guaranteed Camber will be able to buy Mon View Heights.

“That’s why we are not introducing ourselves as the new owners,” Hu said. “We don’t own the property.”

A bankruptcy hearing will take place July 9 in Pittsburgh before Common Pleas Court Judge Chelsa Wagner involving the current owner, Merchant Bank of Indianapolis. There are legal obstacles that would need to be cleared before Camber Property Group can purchase the property.

Those include Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala, who has threatened legal action over alleged deteriorating, deplorable and uninhabitable conditions at the complex. He says Merchant collects more than $400,000 a month from Housing and Urban Development for the 300 tenants in Mon View and claims that money has been diverted from the property.

For years, residents have complained of animals living within the walls, damage to windows and doors, failure to maintain the complex’s roads and other problems.

There are also thousands of dollars in outstanding, severe code enforcement violations and fines that need to be satisfied before any financial resolution can be made.

However, Camber might be able to extend a lifeline, as Hu said, “We specialize in the preservation and development of affordable housing.”

The company works primarily in New York City, but also has developments in Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New Jersey. This would be the first one in the Pittsburgh area. Hu said Camber has renovated a hotel that is now used for senior affordable housing in Erie.

“We’re actually doing a lot of capital repair work there and protecting the people who actually live there,” she added.

Camber’s interest in Mon View Heights came about because the developer already has a relationship with the lender of the note, Merchants Bank. Hu said Merchants has funded a lot of other largescale preservation projects in New York.

“We do this type of work because we have a lot of experience preserving large-scale, severely distressed properties,” she said.

She explained that Camber is nearing completion of work on Edenwald Houses, a 50-acre New York City Housing Authority development that comprises of 42 buildings and 2,036 units.

As for Mon View Heights, Hu says compared to other Camber projects, “the level of distress is actually pretty similar, and I think the level of stress that the people have been living under, and the level of disrepair is actually quite similar.”

She added that Camber is “particularly equipped to manage that, because we have experienced successfully preserving these types of projects and turning them around,” and they would support residents through “a very difficult time so that they can actually go back to really repaired homes and safe housing.”

Camber was recently named one of the Top 50 Affordable Housing Owners of 2025 by Affordable Housing Finance. As of this year, Camber owns 45 properties and 13,158 units.

If the bankruptcy court hearing goes in Camber’s favor, the company would still need clearance from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency and others.

“It’s a multi-step process,” Hu said. “We won’t know for a while.”

If Camber is able to acquire Mon View Heights, the deal could close by the end of 2026, with construction and renovations beginning early next year.