Housing Zoning Reform Package (Bill 2025-1545)
At a glance
- What: Bill 2025-1545, a large Zoning Code amendment that adds an affordable housing bonus program (a voluntary form of inclusionary zoning), allows accessory dwelling units in far more places, removes minimum off-street parking requirements and allows shared parking.
- Where it stands: On October 21 the land use and economic development committee amended it by substitution after its return from the Planning Commission, then adopted three amendments from Strassburger by voice vote, and gave the bill as amended an affirmative recommendation by voice vote (not counted individually).
- Amendments: affordability period lengthened from 20 to 35 years; the option to earn four bonus points for 20% affordable units removed from the neighborhood office and local neighborhood commercial districts, limiting height gains to about 30 feet; multi-suite residential language corrected because the 2024 fair housing bill (2024-0984) never passed.
- Positions: Gross and Mosley backed the amendments over fears of block-wide teardowns and commercial gentrification and said they would vote yes; Warwick was supportive but wants to see whether a voluntary program yields affordable units, and tied the future of deeply affordable housing to Housing Opportunity Fund Funding; Charland did not comment on substance. Several members said the package should have been separate bills.
- What's next: Full council vote. Companion legislation is planned: a trust fund for payments in lieu of on-site units, council guidelines on spending that money (draft says in the same neighborhood), and a measure from Charland requiring periodic review. A related short-term rental bill remains pending; see Short-Term Rental Regulation.
Sources
- https://pittsburgh.legistar1.com/pittsburgh/meetings/2026/10/12113_A_Standing_Committees_26-10-21_Standing_Committees_Meeting_Agenda.pdf
- https://youtube.com/watch?v=t_9ss-rcCww (October 21, 2026)
Discussion time
About 41 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).
| Meeting | Minutes |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-21 - City Council - Standing Committees | 41 |
Log
- 2026-10-21 - 2026-10-21 - City Council - Standing Committees: amended by substitution and three amendments, then an affirmative recommendation; long statements from Gross, Mosley and Warwick, with questions about whether already-built units and parking are affected (about 41 minutes).
- 2026-09-23 - 2026-09-23 - City Council - Public Hearing: public hearing with a staff overview and testimony, mostly supportive; concerns about the 20-year bonus affordability period against 35 years, height bonuses and payment-in-lieu; Gross questioned the substituted language, Charland and Warwick supported; no vote.
- 2026-09-23 - 2026-09-23 - City Council - Standing Committees: public hearing announced for 1:30 p.m. that day.
- 2026-10-27 - 2026-10-27 - City Council - Regular Meeting: zoning ordinance 2025-1545 listed as passed finally.