People
The Hill CDC is committed to the social and economic development of Hill District residents, many of whom have been historically disadvantaged. A variety of programs are offered for business owners, entrepreneurs, aspiring homeowners, creatives and culture workers.
Place
The Hill CDC leads the planning and redevelopment efforts for the neighborhood on behalf of residents and stakeholders of the Hill District. With over $2 Billion of development slated for the area, the Hill CDC is focused on commercial revitalization and affordable homeownership. Equitable outcomes that foster place-keeping and transformative economic investment is the cornerstone of the Hill CDC’s work.
Policy
The Hill CDC is guided by the Greater Hill District Master Plan. This community-endorsed vision establishes fundamental values and development principles that are central to positive activities and healthy neighborhood development. The Hill CDC focuses on land-use policy, social and economic equity, and centering community voice.
Social
🚑“Larry Underwood, a nursing assistant by day and jitney cabdriver by night, was talking with a fellow driver some years ago about their younger days. Mr. Underwood mentioned that he had worked for Freedom House.
It was a nod to a history that had been mostly forgotten: the working-class men and women, most of them Black, who were part of the Freedom House Ambulance Service and who, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, were among the most highly trained field practitioners of emergency medical care in the country.
They were performing CPR, administering IVs, inserting breathing tubes and transmitting EKGs on the streets of Pittsburgh well before such care became standard elements of emergency medical treatment.
And then they were gone, casualties of their own pioneering work, which helped lead to the creation of local emergency medical services, like the one that would essentially replace Freedom House.
In the 2000s, at the jitney stand, Mr. Underwood was surprised that his fellow driver had even heard of it. “Freedom House?” the man said. “You were one of them guys?” These days, Mr. Underwood, 76, is having a hard time managing all the speaking engagements.
The spotlight has finally found Freedom House. In recent years it has been the subject of documentaries, a book and even an episode of “The Pitt,” the Emmy-winning drama set in a Pittsburgh trauma center.
And on Friday, U.S. Representative Summer Lee, Democrat of Pittsburgh, is introducing a resolution to award Freedom House with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor a person or institution can receive from Congress. The resolution is being co-sponsored by Representative Mike Kelly, a Republican whose district is also in western Pennsylvania, along with more than a dozen members of Congress from both parties.”
👀Read this story and more in the latest Weekend Roundup, and sign up for future editions using the 🔗 link in our bio!
🚑“Larry Underwood, a nursing assistant by day and jitney cabdriver by night, was talking with a fellow driver some years ago about their younger days. Mr. Underwood mentioned that he had worked for Freedom House.
It was a nod to a history that had been mostly forgotten: the working-class men and women, most of them Black, who were part of the Freedom House Ambulance Service and who, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, were among the most highly trained field practitioners of emergency medical care in the country.
They were performing CPR, administering IVs, inserting breathing tubes and transmitting EKGs on the streets of Pittsburgh well before such care became standard elements of emergency medical treatment.
And then they were gone, casualties of their own pioneering work, which helped lead to the creation of local emergency medical services, like the one that would essentially replace Freedom House.
In the 2000s, at the jitney stand, Mr. Underwood was surprised that his fellow driver had even heard of it. “Freedom House?” the man said. “You were one of them guys?” These days, Mr. Underwood, 76, is having a hard time managing all the speaking engagements.
The spotlight has finally found Freedom House. In recent years it has been the subject of documentaries, a book and even an episode of “The Pitt,” the Emmy-winning drama set in a Pittsburgh trauma center.
And on Friday, U.S. Representative Summer Lee, Democrat of Pittsburgh, is introducing a resolution to award Freedom House with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor a person or institution can receive from Congress. The resolution is being co-sponsored by Representative Mike Kelly, a Republican whose district is also in western Pennsylvania, along with more than a dozen members of Congress from both parties.”
👀Read this story and more in the latest Weekend Roundup, and sign up for future editions using the 🔗 link in our bio!
🏗️ Last week, Trib Live reported that developer Walnut Capital has asked the City’s Zoning Board of Adjustment to let a 159-unit apartment project move forward without setting aside any affordable units. Oakland is one of several neighborhoods where Pittsburgh’s inclusionary zoning ordinance requires that 10 percent of new units be affordable to lower income residents.
Walnut Capital argues the building, a student focused development near UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital, should be exempt. Its attorney said complying with the policy would reduce the project’s equity by more than $4 million and questioned why affordability is tied to households earning up to half of the area median income.
The request matters far beyond one project. If the zoning board grants a variance, it could signal that inclusionary zoning is optional rather than mandatory. Community advocates warned that other developers would quickly seek similar exceptions, weakening the policy across Oakland, Lawrenceville, Bloomfield, and Polish Hill.
Dave Breingan of Lawrenceville United told board members that approving the request would undermine inclusionary zoning citywide. Andrea Boykowycz of the Oakland Planning & Development Corp. argued the developer moved forward knowing the rules and should be required to follow them.
Read the TribLive article: https://triblive.com/local/walnut-capital-seeks-exception-from-inclusionary-zoning-mandate-in-oakland-apartment-project/
👀Read this story and more in the latest Weekend Roundup, and sign up for future editions using the 🔗 link in our bio!
🏗️ Last week, Trib Live reported that developer Walnut Capital has asked the City’s Zoning Board of Adjustment to let a 159-unit apartment project move forward without setting aside any affordable units. Oakland is one of several neighborhoods where Pittsburgh’s inclusionary zoning ordinance requires that 10 percent of new units be affordable to lower income residents.
Walnut Capital argues the building, a student focused development near UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital, should be exempt. Its attorney said complying with the policy would reduce the project’s equity by more than $4 million and questioned why affordability is tied to households earning up to half of the area median income.
The request matters far beyond one project. If the zoning board grants a variance, it could signal that inclusionary zoning is optional rather than mandatory. Community advocates warned that other developers would quickly seek similar exceptions, weakening the policy across Oakland, Lawrenceville, Bloomfield, and Polish Hill.
Dave Breingan of Lawrenceville United told board members that approving the request would undermine inclusionary zoning citywide. Andrea Boykowycz of the Oakland Planning & Development Corp. argued the developer moved forward knowing the rules and should be required to follow them.
Read the TribLive article: https://triblive.com/local/walnut-capital-seeks-exception-from-inclusionary-zoning-mandate-in-oakland-apartment-project/
👀Read this story and more in the latest Weekend Roundup, and sign up for future editions using the 🔗 link in our bio!
🏗️The Hill CDC is accepting proposals for architectural and engineering services for Cultivation Corner, a 10-unit affordable housing project at 2343–2351 Centre Avenue, funded through a Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh Affordable Housing Program grant.
This affordable housing project at 2343–2351 Centre Avenue advances the goals of the Centre Avenue Redevelopment and Design Plan by increasing access to housing options along the main commercial corridor of the Hill District, strengthening neighborhood stability as commercial and cultural revitalization efforts continue.
Proposals are due by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, February 24, 2026. The RFP is available by emailing opportunity@hilldistrict.org.
The Hill CDC encourages participation from small, minority, women-owned, and locally based firms.
🏗️The Hill CDC is accepting proposals for architectural and engineering services for Cultivation Corner, a 10-unit affordable housing project at 2343–2351 Centre Avenue, funded through a Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh Affordable Housing Program grant.
This affordable housing project at 2343–2351 Centre Avenue advances the goals of the Centre Avenue Redevelopment and Design Plan by increasing access to housing options along the main commercial corridor of the Hill District, strengthening neighborhood stability as commercial and cultural revitalization efforts continue.
Proposals are due by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, February 24, 2026. The RFP is available by emailing opportunity@hilldistrict.org.
The Hill CDC encourages participation from small, minority, women-owned, and locally based firms.
🏛️“Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved Jason Lando as police chief and Sheldon Williams as public safety director.
The pair have been serving in their roles in an acting capacity since Mayor Corey O’Connor took office last month.
A Squirrel Hill native and veteran of Pittsburgh’s police force, Lando spent the last five years serving as police chief in Frederick, Md.”
While there he was accused of using anonymous numbers to send harassing messages to a former subordinate. An investigation in Maryland found “no violations of criminal law” but linked Lando to an account that sent the messages to former police corporal Daniel Sullivan. Sullivan has questioned whether Lando is fit to serve as Pittsburgh’s chief.
“I’m just glad that’s behind me, and I’m looking forward to moving on because there’s a lot of work to do,” Lando told reporters Wednesday.
Williams was among the first officials O’Connor tapped as he assembled his administration.
Williams launched his career as a Pittsburgh paramedic before serving 18 years in the Army Reserves and Air Force National Guard.
He worked as a member of the Pittsburgh police SWAT team and bomb squad, spent a decade as a pastor at Allegheny Center Alliance Church and in 2022 started teaching at the University of Pittsburgh’s Emergency Medicine program.”
👀Read this story and more in the latest Weekend Roundup, and sign up for future editions using the 🔗 link in our bio!
🏛️“Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved Jason Lando as police chief and Sheldon Williams as public safety director.
The pair have been serving in their roles in an acting capacity since Mayor Corey O’Connor took office last month.
A Squirrel Hill native and veteran of Pittsburgh’s police force, Lando spent the last five years serving as police chief in Frederick, Md.”
While there he was accused of using anonymous numbers to send harassing messages to a former subordinate. An investigation in Maryland found “no violations of criminal law” but linked Lando to an account that sent the messages to former police corporal Daniel Sullivan. Sullivan has questioned whether Lando is fit to serve as Pittsburgh’s chief.
“I’m just glad that’s behind me, and I’m looking forward to moving on because there’s a lot of work to do,” Lando told reporters Wednesday.
Williams was among the first officials O’Connor tapped as he assembled his administration.
Williams launched his career as a Pittsburgh paramedic before serving 18 years in the Army Reserves and Air Force National Guard.
He worked as a member of the Pittsburgh police SWAT team and bomb squad, spent a decade as a pastor at Allegheny Center Alliance Church and in 2022 started teaching at the University of Pittsburgh’s Emergency Medicine program.”
👀Read this story and more in the latest Weekend Roundup, and sign up for future editions using the 🔗 link in our bio!
Today we honor the life of Jesse Jackson.
Rev. Jackson lived a life that modeled courage and conviction.
He organized. He ran. He negotiated. He demanded access, dignity, and power for those too often pushed aside.
History will record the dates.
We will remember the impact.
Rest in power. 🕊️
Today we honor the life of Jesse Jackson.
Rev. Jackson lived a life that modeled courage and conviction.
He organized. He ran. He negotiated. He demanded access, dignity, and power for those too often pushed aside.
History will record the dates.
We will remember the impact.
Rest in power. 🕊️
📬 Didn’t get a chance to read the Weekend Roundup? Here’s what you missed!
🎨 A Percent for Art project tied to the bus rapid transit line on Fifth and Forbes is moving through the Development Activities Meeting (DAM) process. There is a public meeting today at 6 PM where residents can hear details and share input. Join using the link below!
🏛️Pittsburgh City Council confirmed new public safety leadership; decisions that will shape how the city approaches policing and emergency response in our neighborhood.
🎙️ After more than three decades on air, longtime radio host Chris Moore announced his retirement, closing a chapter in local media.
🏗️ A developer is seeking an exception to affordable housing requirements for a 159 unit Oakland project, raising renewed questions about if affordability requirements will be enforced.
Join the DAM meeting here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83957396087#success
📖 Read the full edition: https://us18.campaign-archive.com/?u=0227e7478f00c6333e6239cde&id=02a1380b8a
📝 Sign up to get future editions here: hilldistrict.org/signup
📬 Didn’t get a chance to read the Weekend Roundup? Here’s what you missed!
🎨 A Percent for Art project tied to the bus rapid transit line on Fifth and Forbes is moving through the Development Activities Meeting (DAM) process. There is a public meeting today at 6 PM where residents can hear details and share input. Join using the link below!
🏛️Pittsburgh City Council confirmed new public safety leadership; decisions that will shape how the city approaches policing and emergency response in our neighborhood.
🎙️ After more than three decades on air, longtime radio host Chris Moore announced his retirement, closing a chapter in local media.
🏗️ A developer is seeking an exception to affordable housing requirements for a 159 unit Oakland project, raising renewed questions about if affordability requirements will be enforced.
Join the DAM meeting here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83957396087#success
📖 Read the full edition: https://us18.campaign-archive.com/?u=0227e7478f00c6333e6239cde&id=02a1380b8a
📝 Sign up to get future editions here: hilldistrict.org/signup
❤️ We LOVE the Hill District!
Today we’re celebrating the heart of this community and the people who make it what it is every single day. Happy Valentine’s Day from the Hill CDC! 💕
❤️ We LOVE the Hill District!
Today we’re celebrating the heart of this community and the people who make it what it is every single day. Happy Valentine’s Day from the Hill CDC! 💕
🍎Free Food Distribution TODAY at Nafasi on Centre!
Stop by 2145 Centre Avenue at 11 AM to pick up fresh groceries and pantry staples while supplies last.
Bring a bag and bring a friend, and spread the word across the Hill!
🍎Free Food Distribution TODAY at Nafasi on Centre!
Stop by 2145 Centre Avenue at 11 AM to pick up fresh groceries and pantry staples while supplies last.
Bring a bag and bring a friend, and spread the word across the Hill!
News
Events
March 4, 2026 @ 10:00 am
Small Business Hours with Duquesne University Small Business Development Center
March 12, 2026 @ 10:00 am
