Houses can touch each other!
April 23, 2024
Yesterday, Pittsburgh City Council voted unanimously to enact Ordinance 59, allowing houses to touch each other citywide! The first step in the zoning reform our city needs.
Yesterday, April 22, City Council voted unanimously to enact Ordinance 59 which allows, by right, the construction of attached housing on all residential lots in Pittsburgh 35 feet wide or less, and by special exception attached housing on all residential lots in Pittsburgh wider than 35 feet.
We thank Councilman Bobby Wilson for his leadership on this matter, and Fineview Citizens Council and City of Bridges Community Land Trust for helping to make this reform happen.
Pro-Housing Pittsburgh has remained strongly in favor of this reform.
A map of the affected parcels. Purple can now build attached housing by right, green by exemption.
Last year, we highlighted the absurdity of banning attached housing, especially in Pittsburgh which is filled with neighborhoods where they have historically been allowed and extremely prevalent. Our You Can’t Build That Here post on 21 Lanark St addressed the specific circumstances that prompted this legislation.
In March, we hosted Arbitrary Lines author M. Nolan Gray who promoted this and other zoning reforms. At the invitation of Councilman Bob Charland, he spoke before City Council and with members of City Council individually. Along with University of Pittsburgh College Democrats and Carnegie Mellon University College Democrats, we invited Nolan to speak at Carnegie Mellon as well.
Members of Pro-Housing Pittsburgh and the wider Pittsburgh community spoke to City Council, both in January when the bill was initially proposed, and again two weeks ago, when the bill was having its public final hearing.
