Proposed zoning changes would make it easier to convert unused Downtown office space into housing

Pittsburgh’s Planning Commission is considering zoning changes to make it easier to convert unused Downtown office space into residential units.

City officials have dedicated $2.1 million in American Rescue Plan funding to a $9 million pilot program to breathe new life into buildings left largely empty since the pandemic spurred a shift to remote work for many. Allegheny County and the state also have committed to the program.

The proposed zoning change works “in concert” with that initiative, said Cody Layman, a zoning administrator with the city’s Department of City Planning.

“This zoning code legislation is designed to streamline the review and approval of residential uses Downtown,” Layman said.

Currently, the zoning code requires that new residential dwelling units in the Golden Triangle be reviewed and approved by the Planning Commission. There also is a minimum lot size requirement per residential unit.

Those requirements would be nixed in the new legislation, a measure Layman said aims to make it easier to move ahead with the residential conversion program.

Related:

• Pittsburgh looks to convert unused office space into residential units

• Plan to convert unused Pittsburgh office spaces into housing gets $2.1M

The legislation also looks to change a requirement that all exterior renovations with a price tag of $50,000 or more earn Planning Commission approval. That piece of the zoning code dates back to at least 1983, Layman said.

“Times have changed — $50,000 is a very different amount now,” Layman said.

The measure proposes to increase that requirement to $250,000 or more.

This way, Layman said, smaller exterior renovation projects won’t have to come before the Planning Commission. The measure aims to give commissioners a chance to focus more time and attention to major projects such as neighborhood plans and large-scale developments, he said.