Polish Hill residents showed up in droves to a Pittsburgh Zoning Board of Adjustment hearing on Thursday, passionate with both concern and support for a proposed year-round, low-barrier homeless shelter in their neighborhood.
The nearly four-hour meeting included a presentation by Michael Korns, counsel for the proposed shelter’s operator Community Family Advocates, and staff from the Allegheny County Department of Human Services (ACDHS). Their presentation was followed by cross examination by Brendan O’Donnell, a lawyer representing several residents in opposition to the proposed shelter, as well as more than 50 residents who provided testimony.
The board typically has 45 days to accept, accept with conditions or deny zoning applications, but Mitinger asked that the two groups being legally represented provide additional findings within six weeks of the hearing, potentially pushing the decision into 2027.
“This is not a question of a show of hands, and the number of people who are saying the same thing doesn’t make a difference one way or the other,” said ZBA member Alice Mitinger at the start of the hearing.
What’s in the operational plan?
The building at 3567 Bigelow Blvd. — once used for hosting events and photography shoots — would be leveraged by ACDHS and nonprofit Community Family Advocates to provide year-round, overnight shelter to the region’s unhoused population.
ACDHS estimates that between 80 and 100 people would stay at the shelter from 7 p.m. to 9 a.m. daily. The shelter could expand its operations during extreme weather events, according to the plan, by operating continuously or accommodating up to 150 guests.
The Second Avenue Commons service center, in Uptown, provides emergency housing year-round, and an overflow shelter capable of accommodating a similar maximum number of people has operated in Perry South for the past two years. A number of existing shelters that emphasize more permanent housing options also provide extra beds, said Abigail Horn, director of ACDHS’ Office of Community Services. But the shelter system’s existing overflow capacity operates only during the coldest months of the year, she said.
“At this point, there’s always overflow,” Horn said. “I would love to get to the day when we have enough affordable housing so that people are moving out of shelter faster, then we would not need overflow.”
The shelter’s clients would enter from the building’s Bigelow Boulevard entrance, which leads to the building’s third floor. Guests would sleep on the fourth and fifth floors, while the first and second floors — which lead out to Bethoven Street on the other side of the hill — would be accessible only to staff during normal operations, and to both staff and clients during emergency situations.
Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership would shuttle clients from Second Avenue Commons — and employees from the Pittsburgh Port Authority’s First Avenue garage — to Polish Hill each night, said ACDHS’ Ky-Asia Colter. Most clients with mobility issues or pets would stay at Second Avenue Commons, she said, which has up to 40 overflow beds.
At least 10 to 14 staff members would remain onsite at all times, according to the report. At the hearing, Colter added that ACDHS typically staffs shelters with one staff member for every 10 guests.
The plan also says that basic needs assessments and medical treatment would be provided at Second Avenue Commons. But other services, such as showering, housing navigation and document assistance, would be located at other facilities.
More than 50 residents, including Pittsburghers living in neighboring communities, attended the meeting to provide testimony on the proposal.
The proposed shelter’s proximity to nearby homes along Bethoven Street, as well as neighboring businesses along Bigelow, were primary concerns for those who oppose the proposed shelter.
For Brendan Burch, who lives on Bethoven Street, the prospect of an emergency situation is particularly concerning. ACDHS plans to use exits on his street for emergencies only, but the plan doesn’t describe how emergency vehicles would enter and exit the narrow street, he said.
A neighborhood weighs the pros and cons of welcoming a shelter
“It really seems to me like this building was chosen because it felt like it was in a commercial space, but it operates 70 to 80 steps away from my property.” — Julia Hannan
“To me, it feels like a really minimal impact on our neighborhood, and also a really large benefit for the city.” — Catherine Anderson
“It would be one thing if this were an interim solution — they get their act together with a property that is properly sited — but it’s not. If this goes forward, this economically damaging and community-dividing facility will be with us in perpetuity.” — Mark Knobil
“If not used for a purpose like this … it’s either gonna rot or it’s gonna get some big real estate developer [to] buy it and use it to build housing that’s way overpriced for where it is.” — Cullen Boyer
“I’ve never felt so unsafe as when I didn’t have a place to stay and was sleeping in between a concrete sign. Who gets to feel safe?” — Etta Cetera
“I have experienced homelessness, and when we have more resources than others and have our basic needs met, then I feel like it’s our duty to extend ourselves for others and welcome them.” — Jessica Cox
“I frequently host trans people, who are either experiencing unsafe living conditions or currently homeless, in my house. I think that providing on the county level institutional support for this community is something that allows us to continue to come together to support what shouldn’t be dependent on individuals providing.” — Alexandra Weiner
Another resident, Mark Knobil, said the commercial building at 3577 Bigelow Blvd. that he and his wife own finances the couple’s retirement. The building is currently being used by music production and robotics companies, but he said the area that fronts his building and the proposed shelter isn’t big enough for a large number of people or vehicles.
“Those people, by definition, will be forced beyond the edges of that property, into the loading and unloading areas of the adjacent businesses,” he said. Those businesses might then move. “That would be a huge blow.”
Colter, who oversees ACDHS’ overflow shelters, said that services would take place inside of the building. Clients would be allowed to leave for 10-minute smoke breaks that would occur in alignment with evening drop-off times.
Horn of ACDHS also pointed to data analyzed by the agency that showed property values surrounding other city-based shelters had not decreased as a result of the shelter — in fact, property values near those facilities have increased since 2010. She also said that 911 calls in Perry South had not fluctuated greatly since a shelter opened there at the end of 2024.
Mia Hollie is the economic development and housing reporter for Pittsburgh’s Public Source. She can be reached at mia@publicsource.org.
MOST READ STORIES
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
