Pittsburgh’s City Planning Commission voted to recommend a bill to the City Council that would place restrictions on where vape stores can set up shop, but also called for major amendments.
Some people expressed their eagerness for the bill to pass because of Downtown shops in particular, even though the bill emphasizes the impact that vape shops have on school-aged children citywide. The legislation would not permit new vape shops in the Golden Triangle.
“Every time I see a bus unload, I see children going to the public schools around the corner, and they flow into these stores like they’re candy shops,” said Harris Jones, the co-owner of 824 Liberty Ave., which is across the street from a vape shop. “It makes you cry as a parent and as a Downtown resident.”
Hersh Merenstein, the senior director of external affairs for the Boys & Girls Club of Western Pennsylvania, said his organization is committed to Downtown in part because of the teenagers that the club serves there.
“This ordinance will prioritize more productive uses of retail spaces that will accelerate a more vibrant community and limit harmful distractions from many teens that attend school or transfer through Downtown everyday,” Merenstein said.
The commission approved an additional motion that would require the zoning administrator and the Department of City Planning’s staff to report back to the body within a year on any updates they have regarding how these shops are categorized, a detail that has seen several changes since Councilor Bobby Wilson originally proposed the bill last September.
While the bill cleared one hurdle by securing the commission’s positive recommendation Tuesday, a long legislative process likely remains: City Council has up to 120 days to act on the commission’s recommendation. After that, the council is required to notify the public 30 days in advance of a hearing.
What is a vape shop?
The City Planning Department’s staff and board of commissioners have been trying to generate a clear definition of what these businesses actually are since last year.
The bill’s original text created a new zoning category that defined vape shops as retail establishments that dedicated at least 15% of their floor area to displaying vapes, e-cigarettes, CBD and other smoking-related products.
After meetings between City Planning, City Council and Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership to revise the bill’s text, a new definition of these establishments surfaced: Instead of using a test, the zoning category would apply to businesses whose “principal activity” is selling those products.
“There was sort of a compromise between getting the best definition and getting something sufficient enough for being able to administer,” said Zoning Administrator Carolyn Ristau. “Even with all of the compromises that were made, we still have this vague phrase.”
Commissioner David Vatz introduced the idea of having the zoning administrator and City Planning return with updates on how they’ve attempted to create a clearer definition.
“I think one of the things that’s important here is that there are clear, objective standards,” he said. “That when somebody comes to you and says, ‘I’m trying to open this type of business or build this type of housing,’ or whatever the case may be, that it is easy for them to identify what it is they can and cannot build.”
The original bill also proposed creating a 1,500-foot buffer between the businesses and elementary and secondary schools, daycare facilities and religious centers. The revised version of the bill that the commission recommended today would decrease the buffer to 1,000 feet and remove religious centers and daycares from the list of places where the buffer would apply. Those changes ensure that the city isn’t creating an effective ban on vape shops altogether, said Morgan Martin, a legislative aide to Wilson, at a March meeting.
Hazelwood Green set to get more housing
The commission also approved Trek Development’s land development plan for a 46-unit apartment building in Hazelwood Green.
The building is one of three residential buildings planned for the lot between Blair Street, Eliza Street and Lytle Street. Trek Development is also building a 50-unit building on the other side of the lot. The developer Module is building 30 modular units to fit between Trek’s two buildings. Together, the buildings form Woodlawn Lofts, the first residential project to be introduced in an area that’s mostly known for research and industrial facilities.
Passport Academy proposes a new location
Passport Academy Charter School plans to transform mostly vacant medical suites in Uptown into its new permanent home.
The charter school shared its plans with the commission, which will make a recommendation on whether to change the building’s use from a medical clinic to a secondary school on April 21.
Situated on the corners of Forbes Avenue and Gist Street, the building currently hosts just one tenant, said Robert Junker, an attorney with Babst Calland, who’s providing counsel to the school for this project. Should Passport Academy take it over, however, the facility would host about 80 students daily as they participate in the charter school’s traditional high school courses, such as English and math, as well as electives, such as entrepreneurship and robotics.
Mia Hollie is the economic development and housing reporter for Pittsburgh’s Public Source. She can be reached at mia@publicsource.org.
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