In September 2024, the Johnstown Housing Authority (JHA) received a Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development. This grant helps communities, like the West End of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, plan for the future of their neighborhood. While the entire West End is included in the study area, the focus of the planning effort is the redevelopment of Coopersdale Community. This public housing site includes 121 units that were constructed in 1959 along the Conemaugh River on a 6.6-acre property

Cardo is the design lead for the proposed redevelopment plan for the community. Over the past year and a half, Cardo has engaged the community, Coopersdale Community residents, neighborhood leaders, JHA, the City of Johnstown, and Cambria County to create new housing for the area. The proposed plan will revitalize Coopersdale Community in a mixed-income way, creating housing units for families at every income level, while also attracting investment and services to the West End.

Residents, stakeholders, and neighborhood leaders are currently evaluating three alternatives for the site and surrounding community, while recruiting a real estate development partner. It is anticipated that the final plan will be created in the fall of 2026. At every point in the process, residents have been actively engaged and helped collaborate on a vision for their future.