Council delays vote on $1.8 million master plan for proposed public safety training campus after sharp public pushback

Summary

Council members held Bill 19-67 for two weeks after lengthy debate about a proposed public safety training campus on the former VA site; administration says the work is a technical, required master plan to retain site control and evaluate feasibility for phased training facilities for fire, EMS and police.

Pittsburgh City Council’s standing committees took up a controversial request on July 2 to allocate up to $1,800,000 for a master plan for a proposed public safety training campus on the former VA property (Bill 19-67). After extended testimony from residents and council members about the cost, the name “Cop City,” and what uses the site might host, the committees voted to hold the bill for two weeks to give council time to seek clarifying information and tighten the proposal’s language.

Deputy Mayor Jake Pollack and Public Works officials told council the $1.8 million request would fund a technical, engineering-style master plan — a condition of the federal conveyance of the VA property — required by the State Historic Preservation Office. The administration said the study is not a conceptual rendering…

Council delays vote on $1.8 million master plan for proposed public safety training campus after sharp public pushback

Summary

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