Pittsburgh’s Planning Commission has thrown its support behind a new, voluntary Affordable Housing Bonus Program that would give developers zoning perks, such as extra building height and relief from certain parking and building rules, if they either include below-market units or pay into a city housing fund. The commission’s unanimous vote on Tuesday is advisory and sends the amended bill back to the City Council, where public hearings and a final vote still await.
The council legislation currently on the table sets a payment-in-lieu option at $25 per square foot of a project’s residential gross floor area, and city planning staff urged longer affordability covenants before the commission weighed in, according to TribLIVE. That $25-per-square-foot figure is also spelled out in the council file and the Department of City Planning’s proposed substitute, which details how the bonus would work and how developers would have to comply, according to the City of Pittsburgh Department of City Planning.
How the bonus program would work
The substitute legislation would kick in for residential projects with 20 units or more across the city, with one big carve-out: neighborhoods that already have mandatory inclusionary-zoning overlays, including Lawrenceville, Bloomfield, Polish Hill, and parts of Oakland, would stick with those existing rules. Under the bonus system, projects that choose to provide affordable units on-site, off-site, or via a payment-in-lieu earn “performance points” that can be cashed in for extra height and floor-area ratio, while the package also legalizes accessory dwelling units and cuts back parking minimums, per PublicSource.
Reaction from advocates and commissioners
Councilwoman Erika Strassburger, who is sponsoring the substitute, stressed that there is “no single solution” to Pittsburgh’s affordability crunch and pitched the voluntary bonus as one tool among several in the city’s housing toolbox, according to WTAE. Commissioner David Vatz cautioned that the latest tweaks could make the opt-in deal less tempting for builders, saying, “That’s a major change that probably greatly impacts the amount of projects that actually opt into the program,” he told PublicSource. Several residents urged city officials to push harder, calling for affordability covenants to stretch to 35 years and for the payment-in-lieu rate to rise to $35 per square foot to keep the public benefit from getting watered down, per TribLIVE.
What’s next
The Planning Commission’s endorsement is only the next step, not the finish line. The bill now heads back to the City Council for a public hearing and final action. The Department of City Planning’s briefing materials outline the upcoming process and note that the commission’s recommendation will be formally transmitted to council, which will schedule it for further public comment and a final decision, according to the City of Pittsburgh Department of City Planning.
