Plans to loosen Crafton’s zoning codes and permit a range of new housing concepts have roused residents of the sleepy Pittsburgh suburb.
The proposed code lays out a slate of changes to encourage economic development in the business district and gently increase density in residential areas, according to borough officials. If it moves ahead, construction could take place on smaller lots, townhouses could more easily emerge and parking space could decrease around the borough.
“Crafton is such a poised community,” said Mike Tedesco, the borough’s director of community and economic development. “It’s really exciting stuff.”
Many residents, though, see the proposal as a threat to a community that they like in its current form. And while the new code grew out of seven years of planning, surveys and meetings, some say they still have no idea how it might change the fabric of their town. They blame that on what they deem a flawed and insular process.
“I don’t trust the people who are in charge of this zoning,” said Cody Sheets, a Crafton resident and vocal opponent of the slated changes. Sheets is among a swelling tide of Craftonites pushing for a slower process with more public input.
Crafton is wrestling with its policies on housing — not to mention with elevated scrutiny of public process — alongside communities locally and nationally. The City of Pittsburgh is in the process of considering changes in housing regulations that have some overlap with Crafton’s proposal. Differences in approach to the housing shortage have percolated to the presidential race, with Democrat Kamala Harris looking to stimulate new construction while Republican Donald Trump favors deregulation.
Tedesco maintains that much of the concern filling hours-long public meetings and raging on social media is based on misunderstandings of the proposal’s objectives. Rather than incentivizing radical change, he said it retains “conservative elements.”
“The new draft code does a much better job of preserving the original character [of the community],” Tedesco said, partly because much of that character predates the current code.
“Over the course of time it will enhance the business district of this town,” he continued, “and that’s the fundamental objective.”
More apartments, less parking
Crafton, a borough of 6,000 tucked against Pittsburgh’s western flank, last updated its zoning codes about 20 years ago, according to Borough Manager Jim Price. The current proposal traces back to 2017, when the borough adopted a comprehensive plan to spur redevelopment alongside neighboring Ingram.
The borough hired ZoneCo of Cincinnati to develop a new zoning policy and formed a steering committee of business owners, residents and elected officials to help inform the process.
The borough collected surveys seeking resident input through January, then produced a first draft. It has since gone through several revisions, and remains with the borough Planning Commission before returning to council for final approval.
Key changes would include:
- Smaller lot size requirements in the main Residential zone
- Fewer restrictions for townhouse construction in the Community Residential Zone
- Multi-family units and apartments permitted in newly created Transit and Mixed Use zones.
Parcels formerly zoned commercial would be divided into new groupings: “Mixed Use,” encompassing the Crafton-Ingram Shopping Center, and a “Transit Oriented District” spanning the traditional business corridor around Noble Avenue and Station Street.
The mixed-use zone would permit apartment buildings above or beside the storefronts in the plaza, while the transit area reduces parking minimums and introduces new landscaping standards to promote pedestrian access.
“The code provides greater flexibility in many areas while also introducing more detailed design and environmental standards,” according to a Borough-issued memo.
Concerns go from trickle to torrent
The process drew little public attention until the last few months, said Council President John Oliverio. By August, though, a trickle of social media activity swelled to a torrent of outcry unleashed by residents who packed a council meeting and spoke out on a range of concerns.
The prospect of denser, more varied housing in the residential districts — and fears about what that could mean for property values — surfaced as a major concern.
“For many residents, our homes are our greatest asset and shouldn’t be devalued by neighboring properties,” said Sandy Morris during the Aug. 22 meeting. “I’m not opposed to rental property, but we already have a good balance between homeowners and renters.”
According to census data, Crafton homes are approximately 60% owner occupied. Countywide, owners occupy 65% of homes.
Steve Crescenzo echoed Morris’ concerns. “Our property is … what we put our life savings into,” he said.
Others, like 27-year Crafton resident Tara Fox, fear the new code would dramatically change the community.
“This is a neighborhood that people envy me for when I tell them about it,” Fox said. “I know every single one of my neighbors on my block. I have friends in every other community, they have no idea who their next door neighbor is. We all look out for each other. We need to keep that.”
Tedesco and Price said that the zoning code was never intended to incentivize rentals or public housing, and they said the new permissions alone do not guarantee changes will follow.
“Crafton is a quiet market from a real estate market perspective,” Tedesco said. “Nobody’s asking to build anything.”
Jack Billings, a behavioral economics doctoral student at the University of East Anglia and advocate for looser zoning policies, acknowledged that homeowners who drive cars could stand to lose from the proposal. But, he added, the changes outlined in the new code are not likely to drastically alter the town.
“Even with the proposed zoning changes, [Crafton] is still by and large more restrictive than the surrounding neighborhoods” said Billings, who lives in Pittsburgh but has been watching the Crafton process. “It’s not going to have huge effects on the physical fabric of Crafton.”
Zoning the hidden hand in housing market
Crafton is revisiting its zoning policy as Pittsburgh contemplates a package of new regulations intended to foster affordable housing, and while conversations about how to regulate development reverberate nationwide.
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey’s proposals mirror some of those under consideration in Crafton, such as reducing parking minimums and increasing residential density near transit hubs. But the Pittsburgh plans go further by mandating affordable housing in new developments across all city neighborhoods.
Billings, a self-proclaimed YIMBY (or, “yes in my backyard”) proponent, said affordable housing mandates often hurt low-income residents by scaring off developers, choking the supply line and thus raising prices across the board.
“All of Japan has the same zoning code and it’s much smaller than any city or town in the U.S.” Billings said. “Crafton has 6,000 people — it does not need 300 pages of dense code.”
But others, such as David Breingan, a co-chair of the Housing Justice Table, point to spiking housing prices in neighborhoods like Lawrenceville as proof of the need for more robust zoning policies.
“Across Pittsburgh, housing is increasingly unaffordable to more and more residents,” said Breingan, also executive director of Lawrenceville United, during a press conference in support of Gainey’s proposal.
What kind of community?
Nicole Currivan, who grew up in the South Hills and lived in New York and Arizona before settling in Crafton eight years ago, said her current community is by far the most neighborly.
But she doesn’t like the way the zoning process has played out so far, and she wants to harness local passion to shape its course.
“I think Crafton has a unique opportunity to have that sustained engagement because we have multi-generational families who are deeply ingrained in the community,” she said. “I think we have an opportunity to be a model for other communities.”
Cory Roma likewise said, since moving to Crafton in 2022, he and his husband have “fallen in love with the community.”
Though generally supportive of the zoning changes, Roma, an alternate member of the Zoning Appeals Board, said he suspects a valuable sense of hometown devotion lies behind the heated debate over zoning.
But, as a person of color in a borough that’s around 90% white, he said he sometimes perceives a troubling tone in the discussions, particularly where they’ve aired in online community groups.
“It’s not overt, but I have witnessed a shocking increase in anti-immigrant, anti-migrant and anti-homeless [sentiment],” he said. Social media discussions on zoning issues have included concerns about increased immigrant and unhoused populations coming to Crafton as a result of the proposed changes.
As a renter, too, he says public discussions often make him feel like his voice matters less than homeowners.
Currivan and Sheets maintain keeping people out is not part of their agenda.
“We welcome everyone,” Currivan said. “We’re very proud of how diverse we are.”
Sheets said his concern is with the process, not the goals, behind the proposal.
“I’m not against bringing immigrants or refugees into town – that’s what America was built on,” he said. “What I am against is keeping it secret.”
Redeeming a flawed process
Currivan, who has professional experience in research methods, called for careful impact studies for the borough. She said she’s particularly concerned about the possible burdens increased density might place on local institutions like the Carlynton School District and the borough’s police and public works departments. These, she said, are already stretched thin.
“We have to live with the consequences of these decisions for years to come so we don't want to rush or be biased.”
Skeptical residents have generally leveled their criticism at the borough’s full-time staff more than the elected council members who supervise them.
“I don’t think anyone in this room has anything against this council,” resident Greg Wozniak said during an Oct. 9 council workshop meeting. Instead, he pointed to “two people who are pushing some policies that are getting the public involved.”
Tedesco and Price are both recent hires in a borough that’s churned through management staff in recent years.
Price says he was onboarded in January 2023 “with a specific directive” from council to pursue economic development opportunities, and he created Tedesco’s position to assist that goal.
Both have helped lead the zoning process, though they point out it was well underway before they joined the borough.
They say they’re keen to move it forward to bring progress to Crafton, but residents feel their concerns haven’t been prioritized.
“I have universally heard from other residents that they feel this was rushed,” said Currivan.
Price acknowledged problems with how the proposal moved through the steering committee, which he said, “didn’t allow for disagreement without conflict.”
“If I did it again I’d improve the process,” he said.
Currivan is working with Sheets and others to develop a community engagement committee that would collect public input for the zoning proposal and other initiatives beyond it.
“What I would like to see is sustained engagement,” Currivan said. “That way you hear from a broader demographic — not just people who are outraged.”
Sheets presented the concept to council during its Oct. 9 workshop meeting. Oliverio described it as “something positive that we can certainly consider,” and pledged to add it to next month’s agenda.
Since the impassioned August meeting, council has held off from voting on the new code while the Planning Commission engages with more public input.
And one particularly controversial provision — permissions to build accessory dwelling units or “granny flats” — has been eliminated in light of feedback.
“I have empathy,” Price said. “People don’t want their neighborhood to dramatically change, or change into something they fear.”
Correction (10/29): This story was amended to add context to comments made at a press conference by Dave Breingan. Details about proposed zoning changes, previously informed in part by inaccurate borough-issued materials, have also been corrected.
Jamie Wiggan is deputy editor at PublicSource. He can be reached at jamie@publicsource.org.
Spencer Levering is an editorial intern and studies communications and psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. He can be reached at spencer@publicsource.org.
This story was fact-checked by Amber Frantz.
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