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Housing advocates urge Pittsburgh council to adopt inclusionary zoning
Summary
Multiple speakers at the Oct. 1 standing committees meeting pressed Pittsburgh City Council to vote on an inclusionary zoning (IZ) package that advocates say was approved by the Planning Commission eight months earlier; council did not act on IZ at the meeting.
Housing advocates told the Pittsburgh City Council standing committees on Oct. 1 that the city must adopt an inclusionary zoning policy to increase affordable housing supply.
The calls came during the public-comment portion of the meeting, where Maddie McCrady, co-chair of the Housing Justice Table, told council members, “The people of Pittsburgh deserve a vote on the housing needs assessment package and the ICEE compromise.” McCrady said the coalition represents “over a 180 organizations and independent advocates” and that the Planning Commission approved the policy “8 months ago.”
Why it matters: speakers said the private market is not producing housing affordable to households at 50% of area median income and below and urged the council to prioritize the package rather than delay it. “Pass IZ,” McCrady said in closing.
Other public speakers backed the same point. Rhonda Schroeser, executive director of Fund U and the Perry Hilltop Citizens Council, said the city is “running out of time” and asked council to “prioritize this, vote on it, listen to the planning commission, listen to the residents and your constituents, and move forward with approving this IZ zoning package.” Lauren Lynch Nabokovic, a Knoxville resident and community organizer, said 10% affordability in proposed measures “is a tiny step in the right direction” and urged immediate action: “Pass inclusionary zoning now because we cannot afford to wait and we've waited entirely too long.”
Transcript and process: Inclusionary zoning was not on the standing committees' published agenda on Oct. 1, and no council action or vote on IZ was recorded during the session. Several speakers referenced the Planning Commission’s prior approval; the council did not announce a next step or schedule a vote on the package during the meeting.
Speakers emphasized long-term equity and racial justice implications and asked council to consider the package as part of broader housing and mobility planning. The meeting record shows public comment on IZ and other housing concerns, followed by routine committee business; the council's next regular meeting was announced for Oct. 7 and standing committees for Oct. 8.
