Pittsburgh hearing on Bakery Square rezoning spotlights community benefits agreement; no vote taken

Pittsburgh City Council held a cablecast public hearing July 8 on two ordinances to expand the Bakery Square special project zoning district and consider map changes affecting parcels in the 11th and 12th wards. The Department of City Planning said the current ordinance text includes conditions recommended by the Planning Commission and that notice was mailed and posted 21 days before the hearing.

The city heard a presentation from Jonathan Kamin, attorney for Walnut Capital, and testimony from community organizations that helped negotiate a community benefits agreement tied to the rezoning. "After about a year of meetings, we arrived at a community benefits agreement, which we're very proud of," Kamin said, describing commitments including an off-site for-sale affordable housing fund called "Build 100," a share of Tax Increment and TRID-generated dollars for neighborhood projects, and workforce-development investments.

Why it matters: The rezoning would extend the existing SP-9 (Bakery Square) district into adjacent Highway Commercial and Urban Industrial parcels near Penn Avenue and the Bakery Square boundary, allowing denser, transit-oriented development and planned public-realm improvements. Supporters told council the change would permit new sidewalks, street trees, bus-station upgrades and a reconnected street grid intended to improve pedestrian access among East Liberty, Larimer and neighboring communities.

Developers and community partners described project milestones and public funding already secured. Kamin said Walnut purchased the Reisenstein property from Pittsburgh Public Schools in 2013 and credited prior development with increasing annual tax revenue at the site from about $84,000 under the old Nabisco factory to more than $4,000,000 today and expanding employment from "about 400" to "4,000" people working at Bakery Square. He also said the project team obtained a $2,000,000 Reconnecting Communities Planning Grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation and additional public-works and energy-futures grants to support pedestrian and infrastructure work.

Community organizations involved in negotiation urged approval. "This proposal is not perfect, but it is real," said Deanna Davis, vice chair of the Larimer Consensus Group, who spoke on behalf of the group's board and emphasized the group's role in shaping the CBA. Donna Jackson, executive director of the Larimer Consensus Group, said the group "didn't rubber stamp a plan. We negotiated a community benefits agreement that outlines concrete commitments and priorities that reflect the voices and values of our residents." Chris Beam, identifying himself with Pearl House, said the existing Highway Commercial zoning is inappropriate next to a major transit station and voiced support for denser, transit-oriented development.

The CBA provisions discussed at the hearing included both on-site and off-site affordability commitments: Kamin summarized on-site affordability as a baseline 5% of units set at 80–120% area median income (AMI), with an additional 10% of units possible "if that gap can be funded" to bring on-site affordability to 15%. The presenters described the "Build 100" component as an off-site for-sale affordable housing fund to support home construction in surrounding neighborhoods, and said portions of TRID-generated dollars would be prioritized for neighborhood "people and places" projects the community selects.

Planning and schedule details presented at the hearing included subdistrict designations with different frontage, height and facade standards (subdistricts C, D and E were described), a conceptual phasing plan that identifies an initial phase at Penn and Shady, and a stated requirement to construct a road segment by 2027 in order to use federal grant funds for the first leg of the street reconnection. Presenters said each future development phase will proceed through its own final land development process (FLDP) and Planning Commission review.

Council staff said the Planning Commission issued a positive recommendation with conditions on Sept. 3, 2024, and those conditions have been incorporated into the legislation now before council. The Department of City Planning confirmed notice requirements were met for the public hearing.

No vote was taken at the hearing. After the presentation and public testimony from Walnut Capital representatives and community partners, the public hearing was adjourned.

Provenance (excerpted from the hearing transcript): the clerk read ordinance titles and began the public hearing; applicants and community partners presented the CBA and project details; registered speakers from Pearl House and Larimer Consensus Group provided testimony in support. The presentation and public testimony occurred during the public hearing portion of the July 8, 2025 council cablecast.

Ending: Supporters urged council to approve the ordinances to allow the expanded SP district and to unlock planned public- realm improvements; the hearing closed with no formal council action recorded.