A proposal to change Hazelwood’s riverfront zoning to prevent heavy industrial uses has been postponed by Pittsburgh’s Planning Commission after representatives of the railroads lining the neighborhood threatened to take legal action against the city and raised concerns that they weren’t given enough notice of the intended changes.
City Councilor Barb Warwick introduced a bill earlier this year to change zoning along the Monongahela River from a River-General Industrial subdistrict to River-Industrial Mixed Use. The bill was referred by council to the commission. After holding a hearing Tuesday, the commissioners chose to delay taking a vote until Oct. 7.
If the zoning change is approved, the riverfront would be opened up to a broader range of uses including residential, retail and educational while limiting more industrial uses. The current zoning district is “more permissive of heavy industrial uses” like car washing companies, construction-related activities and other intensive operations, according to a city planning official.
City staff recommended that the commission vote for the zoning change, noting that it would align more with the neighborhood’s direction as more residential developments emerge in the area.
Warwick told the commissioners that she introduced the bill after she received a request to vacate a city street and a number of calls from residents concerned about plans of nearby recycling plant operator Republic Services to include a garbage transfer station. The plant applied for a transfer station permit earlier this year and Warwick said the issue raised her awareness of the “long-term environmental damage to the community” and the industrial zoning in that area.
“This is an environmental justice issue. Zoning for heavy industry in lower-income communities like Hazelwood has a disproportionately negative impact on the health and wellbeing of historically marginalized Pittsburghers,” Warwick said.
She noted that heavy industrial zones are generally not in more affluent neighborhoods like Shadyside and Squirrel Hill. She said her attempt to change the zoning to lighter industrial use would right the wrongs of the past.
The change is also supported by Pro-Housing Pittsburgh, an advocacy organization pushing for conditions that would allow the construction of more residential housing.
Jack Billings, the organization’s research committee chair, urged positive recommendation because “we need more mixed-use, walkable urbanism in Pittsburgh and this rezoning … allows that.”
Billings said changing the zone would allow for the construction of grocery stores, childcare and schools along with housing.
“I encourage the Planning Commission to reflect on why multi-family residential and family grocery stores are banned throughout most of the city,” Billings said, noting that the majority of the city is zoned to restrict much of this kind of construction.
Community organizations, including the area’s registered community organization, the Hazelwood Initiative, also voiced their support for the change, arguing it would be a “step in the right direction” by creating jobs and protecting residents from harmful industrial use.
Railroads put brakes on proposal
But railroad industry representatives pushed back against the zoning change proposal.
“The Glenwood yard is not a decaying relic of past activities. It’s an active state-of-the-art railroad yard that’s well maintained and an engine for growth,” said John Ashbridge, president of the Allegheny Valley Railroad.
The company is a federally regulated shortline railroad that’s locally owned and operates approximately 92 acres of the Glenwood railyard within the proposed rezoned area. The railroad company began operations in 1995 and operates 77 miles of track in the greater Pittsburgh area, with lines extending from Pittsburgh to New Kensington, Allison Park and Washington, Pennsylvania.
Ashbridge said that Warwick’s legislation targets the most sustainable method of land freight transportation.
“Each year, our trains remove nearly 200,000 trucks from local roads, eliminate [more than] 300,000 tons of carbon emissions,” Ashbridge said, adding that he believes that his company is a good neighbor of the community and the city.
Other industry representatives also threatened legal action against the city.
Bill Sittig, an attorney for CSX, which he said owns most of the roughly 233 acres subject to this rezoning, said the operations in the area are an asset for the region. He said CSX “just found out about” the rezoning proposal.
He argued that the rezoning effort is an attempt to remove the railroad from the area.
Sittig said this is a “major problem” because if the zoning changes, it would jeopardize the railroads because he said railroads do not operate in areas that aren’t zoned for heavy industrial use.
CSX “does not want to be an adversary,” Sittig said, adding that they haven’t had an opportunity to weigh in on this discussion.
“We don’t believe we had written notice, mailed notice,” he said. “Our position is, this is null and void. We need to start again.”
“We are being steamrolled,” he said, adding that CSX would be willing to come to the table to discuss zoning.
Lori Kolczynski, general manager of BFI Waste Services of Pennsylvania — a subsidiary of Republic Services — said they are “eager to be a good neighbor to the Hazelwood community” and pushed back against characterizations that her company is a problem for the area.
“The rezoning does not consider the value we bring to the table,” Kolczynski said. “We are hiring. We provide an essential service. We process all of the city’s residential recycling.”
Eric Jankiewicz is PublicSource’s economic development reporter and can be reached at ericj@publicsource.org or on Twitter @ericjankiewicz.
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