Pro-Housing Pittsburgh

This is the second entry in our ongoing Policy series. Pittsburgh is in the midst of a severe housing crisis, with many neighborhoods becoming increasingly out of reach for many families. While the causes for our housing problems today are many, the goal of Pro-Housing Pittsburgh is to advocate for each and every change that can lessen the extent of the crisis. Each entry in this series describes a specific Policy that can be undertaken by the local government to help with the housing crisis in Pittsburgh.

What are Minimum Lot Sizes?

Minimum lot sizes are a requirement in the Zoning Code for the minimum size of a parcel in order to build on it. If a property in the city is too small, you cannot build a residential unit (houses or apartments) on it. Additionally, if you want to build more than one home, there needs to be a certain amount of land per unit. When we look at Pittsburgh in particular, our city has truly expansive lot size requirements. Let’s start by taking a look at the most restrictive zoning district: Very Low Density Residential or “VL”. A parcel of land in a VL district needs at least 8,000 square feet to allow a house to be built. That’s nearly a fifth of an acre, equivalent to two full basketball courts, to build one house. On the other end, a Very High Density Residential district or “VH” requires a minimum lot of 1200 square feet. To put these numbers in context, a large single family home in the city can be built on only 900-1000 square feet and a bungalow or row house could fit on a much smaller lot, to say nothing of alternative housing such as tiny homes.

These large lot size requirements make even less sense when looking at the existing and historical housing stock of the city. For example, 615 Armandale St, on parcel 23-E-279 in Central Northside (in the Mexican War Streets) is 968 square feet, smaller than the minimum lot size even in a Very High Density district. The rowhouse that stands there today was built in 1900.

Another example is this empty lot on Elmore St, which is parcel in the Hill District. It is now an empty lot, a mere 683 square feet, but it used to have a house. Because of minimum lot sizes, it can no longer be built on and put to productive use. Instead of providing housing and tax revenue, the lot is now owned and maintained by the city, an unnecessary drain on city finances.