Pittsburgh council approves conveyance of 2608 Penn Avenue to URA after debate over gentrification

Pittsburgh City Council voted 6–2 on June 10 to authorize the mayor and finance director to convey the city's interest in Block 25 P, Lots 11 and 12 (2608 Penn Avenue) to the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh for consideration of $1, contingent on a cooperation agreement spelling out rights and obligations between the URA and the city.

Council members said the building, long owned by the city and described in the meeting as a former police precinct in the Strip District, has not been repurposed despite rising land values. Councilwoman Deborah Gross urged colleagues to protect publicly owned commercial space, calling the Strip District “rapidly changing” and saying the city “should not be selling off its assets.”

The issue mattered because the Strip District has seen substantial private development in recent years and council members disagreed about whether selling the property to the URA would help assemble a community-led reuse or simply accelerate displacement. Gross told colleagues the site could be used for subsidized commercial space or nonprofit uses and said she would vote no; she raised the produce terminal and other city-owned assets as precedents for retaining public ownership.

Proponents argued the URA-led disposition process can produce a community-driven outcome. Councilman Wilson said he was “confident in their expertise to do something similar here” and noted a prior URA-led project on Troy Hill as an example. Councilwoman Erica Strasburger argued the building has been vacant for a long period and said a URA-driven process can allow community input rather than an immediate sale to the highest bidder. Councilwoman Barbara Warwick cited a 2018 DPW report included in the record that estimated an as-is sale value of $509,000 in 2018 and a roughly $3,000,000 retrofit cost at that time; she said the roof showed only a small leak in the 2018 assessment.

The roll call in the record shows Councilmember Gross voting no; the measure passed with six ayes and two nos. The resolution text on the floor authorized execution of a quitclaim deed or other necessary documents and required a cooperation agreement between the mayor, the director of finance and the URA setting forth subsequent disposition procedures; the measure indicated no immediate cost to the city for the conveyance.

Council members who opposed the transfer warned that selling now could reduce the city's ability to preserve affordable commercial space and housing in a neighborhood already undergoing rapid market change. Supporters said the URA process enables community engagement and that leaving the building unused also imposes costs by leaving an underutilized public asset in a high-value corridor.

The council did not adopt deed restrictions on the floor; councilmembers said additional legislation could be introduced later if members want explicit affordability or use restrictions attached to a future disposition.

The measure was recorded as passed finally in the meeting minutes and will proceed under the terms described in the cooperation agreement required by the resolution.