Council approves task force to study long-term funding for Pittsburgh Land Bank

PITTSBURGH — The City Council’s Intergovernmental and Educational Affairs Committee on Thursday approved a resolution to create a task force to develop recommendations for sustainable funding of the Pittsburgh Land Bank.

The committee amended the resolution by substitution and voted in favor of the measure. Councilman Wilson, who introduced the bill, said the task force should produce recommendations within 90 days so the city can consider funding options ahead of the next budget cycle. "We need money and we need a good tool," Wilson said, arguing the land bank is essential to address vacant and blighted properties in neighborhoods.

The land bank’s acting director, Sally Stadelman, described the agency’s limits and mission in detail. "It will never be possible for the land bank to be 100% sustained by our sales," Stadelman said, explaining that the land bank intentionally sells property at deep discounts to support nonprofit and community-development buyers and to preserve affordable-housing pipelines. She said many properties require upfront subsidy to become marketable and that preventing demolition can save taxpayer dollars in the long term.

Council members pressed staff on the task force’s membership and scope. Wilson said the core group will number nine and include representatives from the land bank, the chair and treasurer of the land bank, a mayoral designee, the URA, city planning, the budget director, and a designee from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The sponsor said the task force’s charge is limited to funding recommendations and would not revisit land bank bylaws or governance.

Several council members emphasized the need for community engagement and transparency. Councilwoman Kale Smith said she has concerns about properties in her district and asked the land bank to work directly with neighborhood groups. "I have a lot of concerns about the land bank," Kale Smith said, adding she wants residents involved in sales and disposition decisions.

Supporters said the land bank helps return properties to the tax rolls and can reduce demolition and public-safety costs over time. Councilperson Charlene (first reference as Councilperson Charlene) and others called the land bank a high-return investment that can stabilize neighborhoods when paired with funding.

Stadelman described operational details: the land bank currently uses the treasurer's-sale and sheriff-sale pathways and works closely with community development corporations (CDCs) and the URA; many properties are placed in a process where a nonprofit buyer is identified in advance so projects can proceed. She said the land bank has about 150 properties in its pipeline and roughly 90 in inventory.

The committee adopted an amendment by substitution before approving the resolution. The substitution clarified task force membership and timelines; the sponsor said the group should produce recommendations in 90 days to inform the upcoming budget cycle. The committee recorded an affirmative voice vote to pass the substituted bill.

Next steps: The resolution directs the task force to convene and return recommendations to Council and the mayor’s office within the specified timeframe. The bill was approved as amended by the committee and will move to the full Council for consideration.

Ending: Council members said they expect the task force to explore a range of funding sources, including city budget allocations, partnerships with other agencies, and potential revenue mechanisms tied to land-bank activity. The council sponsor said he hopes recommendations will allow the land bank to continue and expand its work beyond 2026.