PITTSBURGH — Hundreds of Pittsburgh residents showed up to a meeting tied to controversial changes related to group housing, but further discussions on the topic ended up getting postponed. One councilwoman says the Planning Commission’s proposed zoning legislation would allow buildings to be turned into homeless shelters without the public being alerted.
>> Councilperson says proposed law would allow city to open homeless shelters without notifying public
“I think they underestimated the power of the people,” said Robby Incmikoski.
“They thought that they were going to slip this through,” said Carmen Brown.
Robby Incmikoski and Carmen Brown were just two of about 300 City of Pittsburgh residents who showed up to the City-County building on Tuesday.
“The bottom line is changes, especially at how intense this is should have public process,” said Brown.
Because of this turnout and all the confusion, it was decided to continue discussions about proposed zoning changes. At the center of this is an 80-page document with code changes.
“How do you look at amending more than 50 zoning codes, and you decide to not include the community,” said Brown.
In a recent letter to city residents, Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith outlined three of those changes. One that’s really striking a nerve is the ability for a zoning administrator to allow a former school or nursing home to be turned into a homeless shelter without a council vote or community input.
“I’m asking for the public to be informed and for the council to have a vote when something is going to happen in their neighborhoods,” said Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith. “I don’t think decisions should be made unilaterally by a zoning administrator who’s not elected. We’re elected and held accountable by these people, and they expect us to protect them and their communities and to serve the people who are most vulnerable.”
Many residents say they never would have known about these proposed changes if it wasn’t for Kail-Smith’s letter.
“The level of scumbaggery without notifying us,” said Incmikoski. “I think that’s why you saw hundreds of people in a 30 to 40-person room.”
“Dealing with the housing issues that we have here is incredibly difficult,” said District 5 City Councilmember Barb Warwick. “We have people on the street. We need to take care of them, but we also have to make sure what we’re doing works for our community, and that folks know what’s going on. That they don’t feel blindsided by projects that are happening. These zoning laws are incredibly complicated. This zoning code is wildly complicated. It’s complicated for me so I’m glad that we’re going to take some extra time. Really work together with the administration so we can all understand and so the public can also understand.”
Another point of confusion is that it was previously said that these changes were necessary for the city to be in compliance with the Federal Fair Housing Act and to avoid housing discrimination.
“We are not out of compliance with the Fair Housing Act,” said Kail-Smith. “That was a misstatement that was made initially which prompted a lot of other feedback.”
The plan is to now have community meetings to clearly explain the proposed changes and ensure the community can weigh in. Dates and times have not been set yet.
Channel 11′s Alyssa Raymond also reached out to the Mayor’s office for a response. Press Secretary Olga George released this statement:
“Today, Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith requested, and the Planning Commission granted, a four-week continuance for the consideration of her legislation. During this time, the Administration and Council will continue to engage in discussions about how to meet the housing needs of our most vulnerable residents in a way that is fair, transparent, and accountable to the public.”
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