Pittsburgh mayor wants at least 10% of new housing units to be affordable. But critics say inclusionary zoning is a failure.
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Making housing more affordable is the cornerstone of the Gainey administration. But critics on city council say his efforts have fallen short and are opposing the mayor's bill to expand affordability requirements citywide.
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey wants to require at least 10 percent of all new housing units to be affordable — so-called inclusionary zoning. Currently in place in four city neighborhoods, the mayor wants to make the requirements citywide, despite critics who call it a failure.
"That has failed in its promise. It has not created affordable units and it's actually driven development away from the areas that have that in place, so areas like Lawrenceville," said David Vatz with Pro-Housing Pittsburgh.
While requiring 10 percent affordability in neighborhoods like Lawrenceville, critics say the city hasn't offered developers meaningful incentives or financial support to provide it. As a result, they say it has killed housing developments in those neighborhoods.
A recent study by Pro Housing Pittsburgh found that building has dropped by a rate of 32 percent in Lawrenceville while neighborhoods without the requirements grew. In the Strip District, housing expanded by 32 percent and the South Side grew by 18 percent.
"A mandate on developers without subsidy is just a hope and a dream," said Pittsburgh City Councilmember Bob Charland.
Charland has introduced a bill to let individual neighborhoods decide whether they want inclusionary zoning and offer developers the incentives they say they need to meet the affordability requirements. It's something the Gainey administration calls a blank check to corporate developers.
"There's nothing else to call it but a giveaway to developers," said Deputy Mayor Jake Pawlak.
Pawlak says inclusionary zoning is producing more affordable housing in the neighborhoods and should be expanded citywide — without an unfounded mandate to subsidize developers.
"You'd be asking people to have their tax dollars to go to pay developers to fund units that they themselves can't afford to live in," Pawlak said.
But it appears that neither the mayor's bill nor Councilman Charland's bill has the votes to pass and so this debate over affordable housing and how to provide will carry over into the new year.
