Pittsburgh holds public hearing on ordinance to reduce minimum lot sizes in residential zoning

The Pittsburgh City Council Land Use & Economic Development Committee held a public hearing April 23, 2023, on Council Bill 20-25-15-79, an ordinance to amend the Pittsburgh Code of Ordinances, Title 9 (Zoning), Article 2, Chapter 903 to reduce required minimum lot sizes in residential zoning districts.

The measure, presented by Department of City Planning staff, would lower minimum lot sizes in the city’s five residential subdistricts and remove minimum lot‑area‑per‑unit requirements that currently limit multiunit development. City planners said the changes respond to recommendations in the city’s 2022 housing needs assessment and are intended to legalize many existing, smaller lots and make building new housing less expensive and more predictable.

Andrew Dash, deputy director of the Department of City Planning, told the committee that the proposal would reduce or eliminate minimum lot sizes across the residential subdistricts and remove the minimum lot‑area‑per‑unit standard. Dash said the city’s GIS analysis shows many existing lots do not meet current minimums and that lowering those standards would bring a substantial share of lots into conformity. "This minimum lot size reform bill . . . comes from a recommendation from the 2022 housing needs assessment," Dash said during the presentation.

What the bill would change

City planning presented the following changes to minimum lot sizes (current → proposed): very low density 8,000 → 6,000 square feet; low density 5,000 → 3,000; moderate density 3,200 → 2,400; high density 1,800 → 1,200; and very high density 1,200 → no minimum. Planning staff also recommended removing the minimum lot area required per housing unit, a rule planners said can prevent modest multiunit buildings even where building bulk would otherwise be allowed.

Planning staff reported that under current rules a large share of lots are “nonconforming” (for example, more than half in some low density subdistricts and about 18% in high density subdistricts), and that the proposed changes would substantially reduce the number of nonconforming lots citywide. The presentation included an interactive map and dashboard the department used to show where affected lots are located.

Public comment: majority support, but many urged a comprehensive package

More than two dozen residents and organizational representatives spoke at the hearing. Supporters said the reform would legalize long‑standing housing types, unlock vacant lots, and help affordability by reducing land costs per unit. David Bringen, executive director of Lawrenceville United, said the amendment is a "common sense solution" that would allow more modest homes that match existing neighborhood character and reduce the need for variances that add cost and delay to affordable projects.

Nick Rizzio, speaking for Pro Housing Pittsburgh, said the ordinance would "unlock more affordable housing opportunities all across our city" and gave examples of modest developments that currently do not comply with existing lot rules. Several other commenters — including residents from Bloomfield, Squirrel Hill South, Highland Park, and Arlington — described homes in their neighborhoods that would be legalized or that could be rebuilt if the ordinance were enacted.

Opponents and caveats

Speakers opposing or cautioning against advancing the lot‑size change on its own raised several concerns. Robert Malakoff, speaking from Allegheny West, said the proposal would be "a chainsaw to the zoning ordinance and at the Pittsburgh neighborhoods," warning of crowding and loss of neighborhood character. Candace Kane, a Fineview resident, urged council to address short‑term rentals first, saying absentee‑owner short‑term rentals are harming her neighborhood.

Several nonprofit and transit advocates supported the minimum lot size reductions in principle but urged that the change be enacted together with complementary reforms in the broader zoning package drafted by city planning — notably parking reform, citywide inclusionary zoning, and legalized accessory dwelling units — to ensure new homes remain affordable and to limit displacement. Chris Rossello, policy director at Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group, and Cheryl Stevens of Pittsburgh for Public Transit both said the pieces were designed to operate as a cohesive whole and that removing minimum lot sizes alone risks weakening the package’s affordability protections.

Council response and next steps

Councilman Bobby Wilson, chairing the meeting, called the item and read the ordinance title at the start of the hearing. Council member Charlene stated her support for the bill during closing remarks and said the change "brings our code in line with how neighborhoods were actually built" and would help recycle vacant land and grow the tax base.

No vote occurred at the hearing. Planning staff traced the item to the 2022 housing needs assessment and noted the broader package of zoning amendments was recommended by the City of Pittsburgh Planning Commission after public hearings; staff said the planning commission's conditions did not apply to the minimum lot size provisions. Multiple public speakers asked council to schedule prompt hearings on the full zoning package, including inclusionary zoning, parking reform, and accessory dwelling unit rules.

The public hearing was adjourned with no formal action taken; council members indicated they expect further deliberation before any vote on the ordinance.