State of the Land Report: January 2025

State of the Land Report:

January 2025

The State of the Land Report is our monthly update where we will be educating and sharing out about everything you need to know about vacant land policy in the City of Pittsburgh!


The City of Pittsburgh is engaging in a Comprehensive Planning process. What does that mean?

In February 2024, the Pittsburgh City Council approved Mayor Ed Gainey's $6 million proposal to develop a comprehensive citywide plan. A comprehensive plan is a long-term strategy that creates a unified vision for a city's growth and development. The goal of this comprehensive plan is to set in place a roadmap to make Pittsburgh a place where all residents can thrive. If adopted, this will be Pittsburgh’s first citywide comprehensive plan. The plan will outline future development projects for the next 20 years by creating regulations and a map of future land uses. Throughout the process, which will include thorough community engagement at every step, policy makers, planners, and community members will also develop many of the strategic goals, programs, and policies needed to achieve that vision.

A citywide comprehensive plan is essential because it provides a single document for all decision-makers across different city departments to reference when creating policy. The thorough process of gathering resident opinions and feedback ensures that the city's development decisions align with its community's needs. Without a comprehensive plan, development in Pittsburgh has been fragmented, inefficient, and uncoordinated. Certain neighborhoods receive significantly more attention and resources than others, further exacerbating inequality. Some communities have their own neighborhood plans, which can make it easier for them to get resources to develop projects that are consistent with that plan. By outlining a clear, unified vision for the entire city, the comprehensive plan ensures that resources are allocated effectively and that growth is managed in a way that benefits residents of all 90 neighborhoods.

The success of the plan depends on understanding the unique needs, concerns, and aspirations of residents and stakeholders in different neighborhoods, so a wide range of diverse voices from all of Pittsbrgh’s neighborhoods must be included. To achieve this, the city will organize deep community engagement efforts over the next two years, which include community meetings, working groups, surveys, and other opportunities for residents to contribute their voices. 

The city is kicking off the comprehensive plan with a launch event open to the public on January 30th from 5 to 8pm. Grounded is grateful to be represented on the steering committee for the comprehensive plan, so come say “hi” at the event while you give input at one of the engagement stations!

 

Learn more: 

Explore more details about the Citywide Comprehensive Plan

Read the City’s description of the Comprehensive Planning Process

Read about the history of citywide planning

 

Get involved: 

  • Attend an event

  • Share your voice through this survey

  • Apply to be part of a community working group

    • Adults - Apply by January 31st

    • Youth - Apply by February 15th 

    • Topic Area Working Groups will be forming in the coming months – stay tuned for more information on getting involved with those.

  • Sign up for notifications through EngagePGH


Advocacy 101:

Use your voice to improve public transportation in your neighborhood! Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) is seeking community input on their Bus Line Redesign

You can provide feedback by:

They will be accepting feedback before February 15th, 2025.


Grounded is working to improve the condition of vacant lots by developing sustainable solutions that can address the environmental and racial injustices currently entrenched in our property management system. The lack of a comprehensive and unified strategy to care for vacant lots disproportionately affects low-income communities of color. We must ensure that the process of land recycling and maintenance is conducted equitably, transparently, and through an anti-racist framework. Help make change happen in local, state, and federal land-use policies, voice your concerns about vacant land in your community, share how you want to see vacant land transformed, and support your neighbors in obtaining land access and ownership.

Subscribe to Advocacy Network


Land Use News 

 

‘Teenie’ Harris’ home preserved in Homewood

The Pittsburgh Land Bank played a pivotal role in preserving the former home of renowned photographer Charles "Teenie" Harris by acquiring the vacant property at 7604 Mulford Street during a sheriff's sale on December 2, 2024, for $26,000. Including additional expenses such as recording fees, title clearance, and maintenance, the total investment amounted to $51,597, funded by the American Rescue Plan Act. This intervention prevented potential demolition or repurposing by other buyers, safeguarding it as part of Harris' legacy. Plans are underway to transform the residence into a museum and educational center, with future ownership intended for the Teenie Harris Foundation.

How do Pittsburgh Neighborhoods weigh in on development? Via a system that’s sometimes divisive. 

Pittsburgh's Registered Community Organization (RCO) Program, established in 2018, is undergoing scrutiny as neighborhoods like Manchester and the Hill District experience divisions due to multiple groups seeking RCO status. The recent battle for RCO status between two Manchester-based community groups has highlighted concerns about fragmented community representation. Councilmember R. Daniel Lavelle has warned that having multiple RCOs in one neighborhood can weaken residents' influence. This situation highlights the program's limitations and the potential for developers to exploit the system by creating favorable RCOs to ease project approvals. Look back at the Post-Agenda meeting held by City Council on this topic in our State of the Land Report from March 2023.

6 key data points to watch as downtown Pittsburgh transforms

In the State of the Land Report from April 2024, we discussed how big corporations are paying less in property taxes by having the value of their downtown skyscrapers reassessed, significantly reducing the local tax revenue. To address this, lawmakers are attempting to rebuild the value of Pittsburgh’s downtown by investing hundreds of millions of dollars in revitalization efforts. A recent article from PublicSource highlights six key data points that illustrate how downtown Pittsburgh has transformed over the last five years, and what to look for moving forward:

  • 26% drop in daily Downtown activity
  • 17% decline in Downtown workforce
  • 43% increase in Downtown residents 
  • 92% Cultural District attendance recovery
  • $600 million in proposed investment 
  • 55-65% Return-to-office rates

Read the article to learn more about the implications of these data points!


Additional Resources

  • Apply to be a crew member for Landforce!
    • Accepting applications until February 28, 2025


Tell Us Your Land Acquisition Story! 

Do you want to own a piece of land near you? Have you been taking care of a piece of land in your neighborhood? Let us know! We have resources to help you! 

Send an email to [email protected]

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