About
The UC-MU District allows for commercial uses while also providing housing options. Publicly accessible open spaces are required, along with active ground floor uses and adequate sidewalk width. To transition from smaller scale residential adjacent to this district, green spaces and other buffers are required between lower scale residential and taller new buildings.
Upcoming
On July 11, there is a scheduled joint Development Activities Meeting for the first phase of Oakland Crossings “Parcel A” at 3401 Boulevard of the Allies. The developer seeks to add 426 apartments units, a grocery store, parking, and retail in the space. Renderings can be accessed here.
Past Updates
On Friday, September 17, 2021 Mayor Bill Peduto submitted a bill to City Council, seeking to re-zone 17+ acres of Central and South Oakland. This bill is not a product of the ongoing Oakland Plan process, and did not involve the Department of City Planning.
At the regular City Council meeting on Tuesday, September 21, Councilman Bobby Wilson introduced the bill as 2021-1906 and remanded it to the Land Use and Economic Development Committee to refer to the Planning Commission.
Oakland residents organized a petition for a public hearing on the bill and submitted it on Friday morning, September 24. At the next meeting of the Land Use and Economic Development Committee on Wednesday, September 29, the committee voted to hold the bill pending the citizen-demanded public hearing.
City Council hosted a public hearing on Tuesday, October 5. 31 people spoke at the hearing, 27 in opposition to the bill, including 17 Oakland residents. Following the hearing, OPDC and several Oakland residents reached out to Councilman Bruce Kraus’s office to request a meeting to discuss the matter further. No one received any acknowledgment.
On October 12, Councilman Kraus announced that he, his legislative aide, and Walnut Capital’s lawyer had spent every day since the hearing behind closed doors working on a set of amendments, which he introduced at the same time that he asked Council to approve them. After some brief discussion, Council voted 8-0 to send the amended bill to the Planning Commission for its review.
The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing for this bill on January 11, 2022 (see guidelines for submitting testimony here). Following the hearing, the Planning Commission will make a recommendation to City Council, at which point City Council will review the Planning Commission recommendation, receive public comment, and vote.
OPDC hosted a Development Activities Meeting for the proposal on Monday, November 29, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. The project presented plans at a briefing before the Planning Commission on December 7. Originally schedule for a hearing on January 11, 2022, new Mayor Ed Gainey requested a 30-day continuance and a new hearing date.
Mayor Gainey attended the January 25 Oakland-Wide meeting regarding the proposed Oakland Public Realm District E (OPR-E).
The Mayor’s office hosted a public community listening session on February 2, 2022.
The bill was scheduled for a Planning Commission for a hearing on February 8. Mayor Gainey issued another 30-day continuance and a new hearing date was set for March 8, 2022.
On March 7 at 2:00 p.m., the Mayor’s office released a statement and substantial and transformative revisions (including a change from 17 to 13 acres) to the proposed Oakland Crossings legislation. Click for the Mayor’s press release and revised text.
At the March 8 meeting, the Planning Commission issued another continuance. The bill returned for a hearing on March 22.
On May 25, the bill went before City Council for a hearing. From here, the bill was referred to Land Use Committee, who will then refer it back to City Council for a vote in the coming weeks.
On June 13, Councilman Kraus hosted a meeting to discuss 2021-1906. He heard from Oakland residents their concerns about the process, heights, and uses in the bill. He announced that the bill would be discussed at the next standing committee meeting.
On June 15, City Council, at it’s regular meeting, discussed 2021-1906. An amendment to the bill was introduced less than an hour before the meeting began, which changed the maximum allowable street façade length from 400 ft to 425 ft. This amendment was passed, but then City Council had a spirited discussion not just about the appropriateness of that length, but also whereby the bill had arrived in Council chambers. The city solicitor advised Council that they could take no action on the bill until the public had been given the opportunity to review and provide feedback on the proposed amendment. The bill is held at standing committee until next weeks meeting June 29.
At a Standing Committees meeting on June 22, Pittsburgh City Council gave Council Bill 2021-1906 an affirmative recommendation.
On June 28, 2022, Council Bill 2021-1906 was passed.
Resources
October 13 City Council Standing Committee meeting recording
City of Pittsburgh’s EngagePGH Oakland Plan website
OPDC blog entries on zoning and this proposal
October 20, 2021 Let’s Talk slides, recording, and meeting minutes.
OPDC blog, “There’s affordable, and then there’s ‘affordable’.”
November 29, 2021 Development Activities Meeting feedback form
November 29 meeting presentation, recording, and minutes.
November 29 Oakland Neighborhood Planner report
Feedback summary on November 29 meeting (last updated: 12/29/21)
December 7, 2021 Planning Commission meeting recording.
OPDC blog, “Bad in five dimensions”
Mayor Gainey’s January 10 press release.
January 25 Oakland Wide meeting recording, slides, and minutes.
February 2 City of Pittsburgh community listening session recording.
EngagePGH project page
February 8 City of Pittsburgh press release - 30-day continuance
March 4 OPDC blog, “Mayor Gainey recommends important changes to Oakland Public Realm Subdistrict E (OPR-E)”
March 7 press release and revised text
March 8 Planning Commission meeting recording, presentation 1, presentation 2, map, and proposed uses
March 9 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial, “Oakland Crossings deal is a win for Mayor Ed Gainey”
Quick facts for providing testimony for the Planning Commission hearing
March 22 Planning Commission agenda.
June 22 Standing Committees meeting
June 23 Development Activities Meeting event and renderings.
