Pittsburgh City Council held a public hearing on Wednesday on a zoning amendment that could open the door to more apartment construction near the University of Pittsburgh's Oakland campus. The proposal would allow multi-suite residential uses to make up between half and all of the gross floor area on certain lots near the university and two UPMC hospitals.
The hearing centered on Council Bill 2026-0714, which would allow zoning lots in Oakland's UC-E districts that sit wholly or partly within 100 feet of an Education/Medical Institution, or EMI, district to devote between 50% and 100% of their gross floor area to multi-suite residential units rented on a monthly or longer basis, according to WPXI. Oakland is the only neighborhood in Pittsburgh with a UC-E district, the station reports, which means the change would apply nowhere else in the city.
Under the zoning rules currently on the books, Oakland's UC-E district allows residential development only for projects that are 100% affordable housing or for projects in which residential space makes up less than half of the building's total floor area, per the same WPXI report. The bill under consideration would loosen that threshold for lots near EMI-designated land, allowing multi-suite residential units to occupy a larger share of eligible buildings.
What Counts as an EMI District
The EMI district in question includes certain portions of the University of Pittsburgh along with UPMC Presbyterian and UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital, WPXI reports, and is focused along the Fifth Avenue and Forbes Avenue business corridors in Oakland. Pittsburgh's zoning-code amendment hub describes the broader intent of the measure more simply: a text amendment to add a use-specific criterion allowing multi-suite residential uses in proximity to EMI districts, according to the city's zoning code amendment hub.
Council Bill 2026-0714 concerns a proposed change to Pittsburgh's zoning rules for multi-suite residential uses.
Why Oakland's Housing Market Is Under Pressure
The proposal lands amid a broader housing squeeze in Oakland tied to Pitt's enrollment growth. The Pitt News has reported that the university's record first-year enrollment the previous year increased housing pressure on upperclassmen, pushing some students into competitive housing lotteries, hotel overflow housing and an increasingly expensive off-campus rental market. The Pittsburgh Business Times has separately reported that universities and developers are working to meet that growing demand for housing as Oakland's student population climbs.
One proposed residential project illustrates a response to that demand. The University of Pittsburgh has partnered with Radnor Property Group on a proposed 260-unit residential building at 3401 Boulevard of the Allies that would include a grocery store on its first floor, according to listings from the Oakland Planning and Development Corporation.
A McKee Place Project
Another nearby development is The Caroline at 256 McKee Place. The Pitt News has described The Caroline as a 160-unit apartment building pre-leasing for the 2027-2028 school year, with three-bedroom apartments advertised at a starting rent of $1,390 per person.
What remains unclear is how Council Bill 2026-0714 ultimately fared after Wednesday's hearing, including whether it was passed, amended or withdrawn, and what effect it would have on future development near Pitt's campus if enacted. The full record of speakers and arguments presented at the hearing was not available in council's published materials.
