Pittsburgh's planning commission approves Oakland Crossings development, sends proposal to City Council

Pittsburgh’s planning commission voted 5-0 to recommend the controversial Oakland Crossings development zoning amendments to Pittsburgh City Council, which will have the ultimate vote on the measure.

The recommendation comes with several conditions, including that university and college campuses are excluded from acceptable uses for the site and that City Council considers additional public input and examines building height requirements.

The measure was approved by all five commissioners present: Lashawn Burton-Faulk, Becky Mingo, Fred Brown, Dina Blackwell and Jean Holland Dick. The other four planning commissioners were absent: Christine Mondor, Jennifer Askey, Sabina Deitrick and Rachel O’Neill.

Walnut Capital, the Shadyside developer that revitalized Bakery Square, sought the zoning amendment for a transformational development in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood.

Dubbed Oakland Crossings, the proposed 17-acre project calls for a neighborhood grocery store, a 25% increase in urban green space and an elevated pedestrian bridge stretching over the Boulevard of the Allies.

This comes after Mayor Ed Gainey earlier this month announced his office reached an agreement with Walnut Capital regarding the zoning for its development.

Gainey’s office said their deal includes “narrower and more clearly defined zoning,” as well as a deal that creates requirements for percentages of affordable housing.

At least 10% of the housing units in Oakland Crossings will have to have rents that are affordable to households earning up to 50% of the area median income for at least 35 years. It also calls for a percentage of work to go to minority- and women-owned contracting firms, increased food access and 250 union construction jobs to be created.

Wanda Wilson, executive director of the Oakland Planning and Development Corp., said the fight against the development has been an “extraordinary ordeal” for her organization and other Oakland residents who have made their voices heard throughout the process.

She thanked Gainey’s administration for working to tweak the development, specifically highlighting the requirement for affordable housing.

“This represents equitable development, finally,” she said, calling the affordable housing element a “monumental win for the community.”

Georgia Petropolis, executive director of the Oakland Business Improvement District, said the group is in “full support” of the revised zoning proposal.

She said she now feels the measure is in line with the Oakland Plan. The fact that the measure was pushed through before the Oakland Plan was finalized was among the primary complaints voiced by residents throughout the process.

“Today is a great day for Oakland and for the whole Pittsburgh region,” Petropolis said.

But not all Oakland residents were in support of the measure, even with its changes. Howard Stevens, Jr. was one of several Oakland residents who said they still feel the measure would “destroy the character of our Oakland neighborhood.” He said he worried that the development would drop home values and exacerbate parking issues in the neighborhood.

“I’m not opposed to new progress done the right way,” he said. He feels this development has not been done with Oakland residents’ needs in mind.

When the proposal was previously before the planning commission, several commissioners raised concerns with the project. Dozens of Oakland residents also have voiced opposition to the development.

“The mayor’s office has done amazing work to get us to this point,” Commissioner Becky Mingo said ahead of the vote.

The proposal will now be sent to City Council, which will have public hearings and consider the concerns raised by the planning commission, Councilman Bruce Kraus said.