Council holds RCO suspension ordinance for 4 weeks after broad public opposition

Pittsburgh City Council voted on Oct. 22 to hold Bill 2109, which would temporarily suspend enforcement of chapter 178e governing Registered Community Organizations (RCOs), for four weeks after extended public comment and debate.

The vote followed a public-comment period in which leaders of neighborhood RCOs said pausing or eliminating the program would deprive residents of consistent notice and an organized process for development review. Laurie Fitzgerald, representing the Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition, told the council, "We object to suspension of the RCO program in its entirety" and urged more time for community input. Andrea Poitwitsch, executive director of Open Planning and Development Corporation, said, "Please vote no to pausing or eliminating the RCO program," adding that RCOs have made development review more "consistent, effective, accessible, and equitable." Elena Zaitsoff, president of the Oak Cliff Community Organization, and other RCO leaders called for postponement so neighborhood groups could review recently circulated amendments.

Councilwoman Kale Smith, who introduced the ordinance, said she intended the item to prompt restructuring and more city involvement in disseminating development information, acknowledging she had long been critical of some RCO practices. "I put this in initially," Smith said, describing the ordinance as a vehicle to restructure the program and work with the Department of City Planning. Deputy Director Andrew Dash of City Planning told the committee that key changes in the department's proposal would shift the responsibility to host development-activity meetings from volunteer RCOs to the Department of City Planning, narrow thresholds for which projects require such meetings, and alter recertification requirements for RCOs.

Several council members pushed for more process. Council President Lavelle said members should "amend by substitution" at the table so planning staff could walk the council and the public through the proposed language, then hold the measure to allow RCOs time to respond. Councilwoman Theresa Kale Smith formally moved to hold the bill for four weeks; the motion carried on a voice vote.

What the council did not do was adopt the suspension. Instead, members approved a process to substitute in the planning department's draft amendments, hear an explanation at the table, and then hold the bill to allow further revisions based on council and community feedback. Multiple RCO leaders said they received draft revisions only within the last week, and council members confirmed the department's draft reached council the morning of the meeting.

The vote means the ordinance will return to committee with a substitution and additional public engagement. No formal amendments were adopted at the meeting; council members said they expect to work with RCOs, the Department of City Planning, and the Law Department before the item returns.

Speakers and positions cited in this report appear in the committee transcript; quotes are taken verbatim from participants' remarks.