Pittsburgh’s year of efforts to address homelessness and affordable housing ended with competing zoning proposals piling up on the City Planning Commission 2025 agenda.
The city has zoned itself into an argument framed by zoning codes and a drive to spur denser housing construction. A bill introduced this month by City Councilor Bob Charland stands in direct contrast to Mayor Ed Gainey’s inclusionary zoning expansion efforts that were announced in September , then shelved in December .
Gainey’s proposal would, among other things, require 10% of units in new buildings to be affordable to people at 50% of the area median income [AMI]. Charland’s bill would raise the affordability ceiling to 120% of the AMI. Both versions face a mix of criticism and support. And next year the Planning Commission, in its role as the reviewer for zoning changes, is tasked with weighing in on both…