The City Planning Commission is set to hold hearings Tuesday, discuss and potentially vote on two competing approaches to inclusionary zoning.

In September, Mayor Ed Gainey announced his inclusionary zoning expansion plans and in December the commission shelved those plans until the new year. Also in December, City Councilor Bob Charland drew up an alternative IZ bill. 

Here are the basics on IZ, and on the proposals before the commission.

What is inclusionary zoning?

Inclusionary zoning is a mechanism that can be used to require developers of new housing to set aside units for households making less than the area median income. 

Where and when was it pioneered?

While inclusionary zoning is a relatively new concept for the Pittsburgh area, the underlying policies  have a long history in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The department traces the beginning of this history to the Moderate Priced Dwelling Unit program established in Montgomery County, Maryland in 1972. 

How widespread is IZ?

Counts vary. Inclusionary housing policies have been used in more than 800 American cities since the 1970s, according to the National League of Cities. And the Grounded Solutions Network found that 31 states and the District of Columbia had 1,019 inclusionary housing programs. 

What’s the history of IZ in Pittsburgh?

A pilot program that began in Lawrenceville in 2019 gave Pittsburgh its first look at inclusionary zoning, after the city’s Affordable Housing Task Force recommended the policy. 

The zoning overlay is currently in place in Lawrenceville, Bloomfield, Polish Hill and the majority of Oakland, but is also the subject of a lawsuit filed by the Builders Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh, which opposes the rules. The affordability requirement applies to projects including 20 or more dwelling units, exempting dormitories.

What is the City Planning Commission’s role?

The City Planning Commission serves as a clearinghouse for zoning changes in Pittsburgh. 

A positive recommendation from the commission holds a lot of weight in City Council. A bill that comes before council with a positive recommendation only needs five out of nine councilors to vote in favor in order to pass. Without a positive recommendation, a bill needs a supermajority of seven out of nine councilors. It’s unclear what would happen if the City Planning Commission made no decision. 

Who ultimately decides the IZ details for Pittsburgh?

After the City Planning Commission weighs in on both inclusionary zoning proposals, the matter will ultimately be decided by City Council and finally the mayor, who can sign or veto legislation.

What other proposed policies are tied to IZ in Mayor Ed Gainey’s platform?

The Gainey administration is also seeking positive recommendations from the commission on:  

• Allowing accessory dwelling units, also referred to as granny flats
• Removing minimum lot sizes for new construction and parking requirements while adding bicycle space
• Transit- oriented development zones around three hubs: Herron Station, South Hills Junction and Sheraden Station.

How is affordability calculated?

Inclusionary zoning requires that some units be priced to fit the budgets of households with earnings below certain percentages of the area median income [AMI], which in Allegheny County is around $57,000 for a single individual and around $81,000 for a family of four.

The commission may begin hearing presentations, by Department of City Planning staff, as early as 2 p.m. Tuesday, followed by public testimony and potential commission votes. Members of the public can email correspondence for commission consideration to planningcommission@pittsburghpa.gov, attend and testify in-person  at 412 Boulevard of the Allies or attend virtually via Zoom.

Eric Jankiewicz is PublicSource’s economic development reporter and can be reached at ericj@publicsource.org or on Twitter @ericjankiewicz.

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Unpacking inclusionary zoning and Pittsburgh’s two competing proposals

by Eric Jankiewicz, Pittsburgh's Public Source
January 24, 2025

<h1>Unpacking inclusionary zoning and Pittsburgh’s two competing proposals</h1> <p class="byline">by Eric Jankiewicz, Pittsburgh's Public Source <br />January 24, 2025</p> <p>The City Planning Commission is set to hold hearings Tuesday, discuss and potentially vote on two competing approaches to inclusionary zoning.</p> <p>In September, Mayor Ed Gainey announced his inclusionary zoning expansion plans and in December the commission shelved those plans until the new year. Also in December, City Councilor Bob Charland drew up an alternative IZ bill.&nbsp;</p> <p>Here are the basics on IZ, and on the proposals before the commission.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>What is inclusionary zoning?</strong></h2> <p>Inclusionary zoning is a mechanism that can be used to require developers of new housing to set aside units for households making less than the area median income.&nbsp;</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Where and when was it pioneered?</strong></h2> <p>While inclusionary zoning is a relatively new concept for the Pittsburgh area, the underlying policies&nbsp; have a long history in the country, <a href="https://www.huduser.gov/portal/publications/HUD-496_new.pdf">according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development</a>. The department traces the beginning of this history to the Moderate Priced Dwelling Unit program established in Montgomery County, Maryland in 1972.&nbsp;</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>How widespread is IZ?</strong></h2> <p>Counts vary. Inclusionary housing policies have been used in more than 800 American cities since the 1970s, according to <a href="https://www.nlc.org/article/2019/05/09/does-your-city-have-access-to-inclusionary-housing/#:~:text=This%20post%20is%20part%20of,authority%20to%20implement%20inclusionary%20housing.">the National League of Cities</a>. And the <a href="https://groundedsolutions.org/resources/inclusionary-housing-united-states/?utm_source=2021%20Research&amp;utm_campaign=58b568b008-Survey%20Respondents%2010%2F10_COPY_04&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_f77e29c260-58b568b008-">Grounded Solutions Network</a> found that 31 states and the District of Columbia had 1,019 inclusionary housing programs.&nbsp;</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>What’s the history of IZ in Pittsburgh?</strong></h2> <p>A pilot program that began in Lawrenceville in 2019 <a href="https://www.publicsource.org/lawrenceville-inclusionary-zoning-pilot-heads-to-pedutos-desk-after-unanimous-council-approval/">gave Pittsburgh its first look at inclusionary zoning</a>, after the city’s <a href="https://apps.pittsburghpa.gov/mayorpeduto/FinalReport_5_31_16.pdf">Affordable Housing Task Force recommended</a> the policy. </p> <p>The zoning overlay is <a href="https://www.publicsource.org/lawrenceville-inclusionary-zoning-gainey-pittsburgh-peduto-affordable-housing/">currently in place </a>in Lawrenceville, Bloomfield, Polish Hill and the majority of Oakland, but is also the subject of a lawsuit filed by the Builders Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh, which opposes the rules. The affordability requirement applies to projects including 20 or more dwelling units, exempting dormitories.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>What is the City Planning Commission’s role?</strong></h2> <p>The City Planning Commission serves as a clearinghouse for zoning changes in Pittsburgh.&nbsp;</p> <p>A positive recommendation from the commission holds a lot of weight in City Council. A bill that comes before council with a positive recommendation only needs five out of nine councilors to vote in favor in order to pass. Without a positive recommendation, a bill needs a supermajority of seven out of nine councilors. It’s unclear what would happen if the City Planning Commission made no decision.&nbsp;</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Who ultimately decides the IZ details for Pittsburgh?</strong></h2> <p>After the City Planning Commission weighs in on both inclusionary zoning proposals, the matter will ultimately be decided by City Council and finally the mayor, who can sign or veto legislation.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>What other proposed policies are tied to IZ in Mayor Ed Gainey’s platform?</strong></h2> <p>The Gainey administration is also seeking positive recommendations from the commission on:&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Allowing accessory dwelling units, also referred to as granny flats</li> <li>Removing minimum lot sizes for new construction and parking requirements while <a href="https://www.publicsource.org/pittsburgh-city-planning-commission-new-zoning-changes-affordable-housing/">adding bicycle space</a></li> <li>Transit- oriented development zones around three hubs: Herron Station, South Hills Junction and Sheraden Station.</li> </ul> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>How is affordability calculated?</strong></h2> <p>Inclusionary zoning requires that some units be priced to fit the budgets of households with earnings below certain percentages of the <a href="https://www.pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/dhs/documents/erap/documents/ERAP_2020-2024-AMI-Tables_June%202024.pdf">area median income</a> [AMI], which in Allegheny County is around $57,000 for a single individual and around $81,000 for a family of four.</p> <p>The commission may begin hearing presentations, by Department of City Planning staff, as early as 2 p.m. Tuesday, followed by public testimony and potential commission votes. Members of the public can email correspondence for commission consideration to <a href="mailto:planningcommission@pittsburghpa.gov">planningcommission@pittsburghpa.gov</a>, attend and testify in-person&nbsp; at 412 Boulevard of the Allies or attend virtually <a href="https://ecode360.com/45479259?highlight=zoned,zoning&amp;searchId=18396722953560601#45479259">via Zoom</a>.</p> <p><em>Eric Jankiewicz is PublicSource’s economic development reporter and can be reached at ericj@publicsource.org or on Twitter </em><a href="https://x.com/EricJankiewicz"><em>@ericjankiewicz</em></a><em>.</em></p> <p>This &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://www.publicsource.org/inclusionary-zoning-pittsburgh-competing-proposals-gainey-charland-planning-commission/&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://www.publicsource.org&quot;&gt;Pittsburgh&#039;s Public Source&lt;/a&gt; and is republished here under a &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/&quot;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i0.wp.com/www.publicsource.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/cropped-ps_circle_favicon_blue.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;amp;ssl=1&quot; style=&quot;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&quot;&gt;</p> &lt;img id=&quot;republication-tracker-tool-source&quot; src=&quot;https://www.publicsource.org/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=1314940&amp;amp;ga4=G-CCLXQK5C14&quot; style=&quot;width:1px;height:1px;&quot;&gt;&lt;script&gt; PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: &quot;https://www.publicsource.org/inclusionary-zoning-pittsburgh-competing-proposals-gainey-charland-planning-commission/&quot;, urlref: window.location.href }); } } &lt;/script&gt; &lt;script id=&quot;parsely-cfg&quot; src=&quot;//cdn.parsely.com/keys/publicsource.org/p.js&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;

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