Mayor Ed Gainey along with other city leaders propose changes to city's zoning codes
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - City leaders in Pittsburgh announced the proposal of several amendments to the city's zoning codes Thursday.
It's in an effort to increase the amount of housing, and the types of housing in the steel city.
Dave Breingan is the executive director of Lawrenceville United. What he's seen is a lot of what others at the press conference Thursday see.
"We've seen housing process skyrocket. That's priced out a lot of folks in the neighborhood," Breingan said.
That's why they're united. Thursday, city leaders announced multiple proposed zoning amendments.
Mayor Ed Gainey said the proposed amendments have been a long time coming.
"These were issues that, in the streets and neighborhoods, we have worked on for a number of years," Gainey said. "And I just want to say that this is what happens when you never give up the fight."
The Mayor praised politicians and advocates. Signs read things like "housing is a human right."
"Our tagline in this city should be "Pittsburgh is home," Gainey said. "And we should be building a better city of homes for the diverse population we have."
The proposal for building that better city of homes includes allowing dwelling units to be built citywide, along with parking reforms and lot size requirement reforms.
It also calls for increasing access to housing development around transit-oriented developments.
"The demand far exceeds our capacity to deliver," Dr. Jamil Bey, the director of the Department of City Planning, said.
Leaders like Bey say affordable housing units are often built away from transit networks and jobs. He also said the housing issue is one happening in many places nationwide.
That, and people being priced out is why those who gathered say change needs to happen now.
"We cannot kick the can down the road – for the next generation to deal with it," Gainey said. "That's what got us here in the first place."
Many leaders and advocates talked about the proposals making Pittsburgh a more diverse and equitable place. It's a sentiment Breingan wears on his chest.
"We've gotta tackle this affordability challenge," Breingan, said. "And we can't do it neighborhood-by-neighborhood. We need comprehensive, structural changes to really make a dent in this."