Inclusionary Housing Overlay District (IZ-O)

Public Hearing Information

At its meeting of January 11, 2022, the Planning Commission unanimously recommended that City Council approve the proposed expansion of the Inclusionary Zoning Overlay District to Bloomfield and Polish Hill.

City Council will be hosting a virtual public meeting to discuss the proposed expansion of Inclusionary Zoning on Tuesday, April 5, 2022 at 1:30 pm.

Visit https://pittsburghpa.gov/clerk/council-meetings to:

• Register to speak
• Receive notice when the Zoom link is posted
• Access the Hearing's livestream

To SPEAK at the Hearing, register ahead of time. You will receive an email when the Zoom link is posted (by April 1st).

To WATCH the Hearing (but not participate), you can livestream here:

• City Channel Pittsburgh - YouTube
• The City of Pittsburgh, PA (granicus.com)

To SUBMIT FEEDBACK, please do so no later than 11:30 AM on April 5th. 

Email: cityclerksoffice@pittsburghpa.gov

Call: 412.255.2138

Mail:
Office of the City Clerk
510 City-County Building
414 Grant Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Submitted comments are sent to Council but will not be read at the Hearing.

Inclusionary Housing Overlay District Text

Click here to read the zoning text.

Inclusionary Zoning Overlay District Boundary

The proposal is to apply the Inclusionary Zoning Overlay District to Polish Hill and Bloomfield.

What is a Zoning Overlay District?

A Zoning Overlay District is applied to a specific geographic area of the City that DOES NOT change an area's base zoning. It DOES provide additional zoning controls in a specific area where existing zoning doesn’t provide sufficient standards for the area's current activities.

What is Inclusionary Zoning (IZ)?

Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) ensures neighborhoods can offer new housing units at a variety of price points by tying the construction of affordable housing to that of market-rate housing.

It is used in a variety of cities across the country, and was identified by Pittsburgh's Affordable Housing Task Force to address the shortage of affordable dwelling units.

The Inclusionary Housing Overlay District was permanently adopted in Lawrenceville in 2021, after two years as a temporary measure.

Supplemental Information

• Affordable Housing Task Force
• Inclusionary Zoning Report
• Housing Needs Assessment

How does the Inclusionary Housing Overlay District (IZ-O) work?

The IZ-O requires new residential developments to make a percentage of the units affordable to low- or moderate-income residents. It can be mandatory – in which the developer is required to provide affordable units – or incentivized, in which developers provide affordable units in exchange for increases in building height, reduction of parking requirements, etc.

Is Inclusionary Zoning new for Pittsburgh?

No. In 2019, with the partnership of District 7 Councilwoman, Deb Gross, and Lawrenceville community organizations, the City piloted the Inclusionary Housing Interim Planning Overlay District (IPOD-6) in Lawrenceville. This IPOD was a temporary tool to ensure that the neighborhood would continue to be one of choice for people with a variety of incomes. Since its adoption in September 2019, the IPOD-6 has been responsible for the creation of 40 affordably priced housing units.

The Inclusionary Housing Overlay District was made permanent in 2021.

Additionally, Pittsburgh has incentivized inclusionary zoning in its Uptown and Riverfront neighborhoods. In these districts, developers can increase building height or build closer to the river by including affordably priced dwelling units.

What projects in Bloomfield and Polish Hill would be affected by the Inclusionary Housing Overlay District?

The IZ-O would apply to new construction or major renovation of projects that include 20 or more residential units for sale or for rent. It would not apply to one-time renovation or construction of single-family homes. It would also not apply to renovation or construction of buildings with fewer than 20 residential units.

Projects that meet the size threshold would need to price 10% of the dwelling units affordably (rounding up if a fraction).

What do you mean by “affordable”?

Rent or Sale prices are based at certain percentages of the Area Median Income (AMI), which is defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Department and varies by household size. Inclusionary rental units will be set aside for households earning no more than 50% of AMI. Inclusionary for-sale units will be set aside for households earning no more than 80% of AMI. Inclusionary units will be priced at no more than 30% of income, based on these AMI standards.

Pittsburgh MSA Area Median Income by Household Size

Monthly Rental Unit Cost by Household AMI and Unit Size