Developer to resubmit plans for Shadyside apartments after zoning rejection

The Pittsburgh Zoning Board of Adjustments has rejected plans for a 131-unit apartment complex in Shadyside that was seeking a height variance to build above the 85-foot limit in that area.

But the developer who proposed the apartment building, Shadyside-based Mozart Management, has vowed to resubmit plans in hopes to bring an apartment complex to the neighborhood.

In a statement to the Tribune-Review, Mozart expressed disappointment in the zoning board’s decision, saying that it believes that adding density to Shadyside is essential to providing more moderate and affordable housing into the neighborhood.

“We remain undeterred in our intent to develop this site and will continue to advance our project in the coming days and weeks with progressive-minded leaders, community organizations, and residents to bring creative solutions to housing in Pittsburgh,” reads a statement from Mozart.

Mozart was proposing a 12-story apartment complex at 525 S. Aiken Ave. The complex was proposed at 132 feet high, and needed approval from the Zoning Board of Adjustments (ZBA) because zoning for that area has a height restriction of 85 feet.

Mozart had said that increasing the height would allow them to increase the number of units and make it possible to include 10% of the 131 proposed units to be permanently affordable.

In its rejection, the ZBA said that, according to zoning rules, there was no taller intervening structure between the proposed structure and the adjacent residential district, so the variance couldn’t be waived. Across the street from the proposed development is Coronado Apartments building, which is 100 feet tall.

The board said Mozart couldn’t provide sufficient evidence that the current zoning and height restrictions would “result in an unnecessary hardship” for the development. The ZBA said that Mozart couldn’t show that its commitments were generally supported by the community.

Community groups representing mostly homeowners on Clayborne expressed concerns about the proposed development’s impact on neighborhood traffic and views from their properties. According to the ZBA, over 100 residents signed on to a letter opposing Mozart’s plans.

Other Shadyside residents said 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, according to the ZBA rejection.

In a response, Mozart said the additional height it sought wouldn’t have any discernible impact on neighborhood traffic, parking, sunlight, and building operations. According to census figures, Shadyside is the city’s fifth densest neighborhood, out of more than 90.

Mozart criticized people opposed to this project, calling them “regressive” and NIMBY, referencing the Not In My Backyard community-activism movement.

The developer said its plans would have addressed Pittsburgh’s affordable housing issues, by adding supply to the housing shortage, including about 13 permanently units affordable to those at 60% Area Median Income.

“Housing affordability has reached crisis levels across a wide range of income levels,” said Mozart. “Supply is at the heart of this issue.”

Though many residents were opposed to the development, there were a handful who spoke in support of the project, and several sent letters in support of adding density to that section of the neighborhood, which is very close to high-frequency public transit at the East Busway and the Baum-Centre corridor.