117-unit Shadyside apartment building clears zoning board

A contentious multi-family apartment project in Pittsburgh’s Shadyside neighborhood received approval after months of negotiations.

The 117-unit development from Mozart Management was approved Monday by Pittsburgh’s Zoning Board of Adjustments. The 10-story apartment building proposed at 525 South Aiken Street in Shadyside is a slightly smaller version than was initially proposed by Mozart, which originally sought a 12-story and 131-unit building.

The 108-foot apartment proposal was seeking a variance because the zoning code for that area restricts buildings to 85 feet, even though some older buildings in the area already exceed that height.

The zoning board approved Mozart’s proposal with conditions — at least 10% of the units will be affordable to tenants who make 80% of area median income. There will be landscaping and streetscape improvements on Aiken and Claybourne streets, and tenants will be prohibited from acquiring on-street parking permits.

Fifty on-site parking spaces have been proposed — 36 in an underground lot and 14 in a surface lot. An additional 32 spaces will be made available for tenants at the neighboring Arlington apartment building, which Mozart also owns.

Mozart said in a statement it was happy to comply with the zoning board’s conditions and that community input improved the final proposal. Mozart said it supports a diverse array of housing options in a corridor rich in public transit options like Shadyside.

“To create vibrant neighborhoods and cities, we need more density — done responsibly, appropriately, and sensitively,” a statement read. “Creating high quality housing options for renters across the socio-economic spectrum in Shadyside is a step in the right direction.”

Since it was first proposed over two years ago, the apartment building has generated both pushback and support. In the zoning board approval, representatives from Pittsburgh City Councilwoman Erika Strassburger’s office and the Baum Center Initiative community group offered support for the proposal. A handful of Shadyside residents who live nearby also supported the project for its increased density and affordable housing units.

A group of other Shadyside residents, however, opposed the project over concerns about the building’s height and potential impacts on traffic in the area.

The zoning board summarized the opposition in writing by pointing out that “many noted that the height and density of the proposed structure would not be consistent with the character and scale of the neighborhood and would result in detrimental impacts.”

Mozart also provided testimony during the zoning board hearing with traffic engineers and architects who said that impacts on traffic would be minimal and noted the building height would match the adjacent Arlington apartment building.

Shadyside is the city’s fifth densest neighborhood out of more than 90, according to U.S. Census figures.

A prior proposal from Mozart that was rejected by the zoning board last year requested a 132-foot structure with 131 units and 10% of those affordable for residents making 60% of area median income.

David Vatz of the Pro-Housing Pittsburgh community group said he was glad to see the Mozart proposal was approved because it will add needed housing to an area already served by amenities and public transit. But, he added that the process of seeking special exemptions on projects like this is holding back dense housing developments across the city.

“We look forward to working with the city to end exclusionary zoning practices that delay projects like this and reduce the overall amount of housing available to residents,” said Vatz.