Welcome to the Hill District’s unified community development review process!
Proposed development plans for the Greater Hill District can be submitted through this website to begin the Development Review Panel (DRP) process. Submitted plans will go through a preliminary review by the Hill CDC and will then be transferred to the DRP Committee to begin the formal review.
This process will ensure that plans sufficiently align with the Greater Hill District Master Plan. It also assures that all development in the Hill District moves forward with transparency and is well received by the community in early stages.
Thank you for your partnership and we look forward to working together to redevelop the Hill District!
View Development Projects
Proposal Submission Steps:
Step 1:
Download and complete the Project Executive Summary and Self Evaluation Form.
Step 2:
Download, review and complete the Proposed Development Checklist.
Step 3:
Submit the proposal: Executive Summary, Self Evaluation, and applicable Checklist documents.
Step 4:
After submitting, please e-mail policy@hilldistrict.org to inform the Hill CDC that you have completed the submission process.
Please include the name and date of the project.
Please Note:
If your project is comprised of a single-family home or residential development with less than four (4) units of housing, your proposal will only need to include the following:
- Executive Summary
- Project Narrative including the scope of work for the project, AND
- Project Illustrations or Schematics (if available)
*If your development project was reviewed more than two years ago, you are required to resubmit the development project to the Development Review Panel.
About The Development Review Panel
Since September 2011, the Hill District community has been utilizing its comprehensive master plan to guide development. The Greater Hill District Master Plan envisions the revitalization of one of Pittsburgh’s most historic neighborhoods. To ensure the alignment of any new development within the Greater Hill District with the 2011 Plan, the Hill District community collaboratively created the Development Review Panel (DRP).
The DRP is the Hill District’s unified and comprehensive community review process that gives every Hill District resident a voice in the redevelopment of their neighborhood. It is a partnership with seven (7) Hill District Community Based Organizations: Hill Community Development Corporation (Hill CDC), Center for Family Excellence, Hill District Ministers Alliance (HDMA), Uptown Partners, the Center that Cares, Macedonia FACE, and the Neighborhood Resilience Project that streamlines community level review while assuring transparency and sufficient community feedback.
Each organizational member appoints residents to the DRP Committee to conduct the first level of review in the community review process. The DRP Committee’s primary role is to determine whether there is sufficient alignment of the project with the GHDMP before it is presented to the broader community.
The DRP Committee meets monthly to review development plans for alignment with the master plan by considering adherence in areas such as: honoring cultural legacy, providing community appropriate housing, following best urban design practices, meeting economic development goals, ensuring project market viability, and complying with city codes and community plans.
After a Committee score of 80% or above is achieved the project is then added to the next upcoming Quarterly Community Meeting’s agenda where all residents of the Greater Hill District will be able to ask questions and vote on the project. The Committee and Community scores are then combined to establish a cumulative score, which needs to be above 80% for the Hill CDC to endorse a project and write a letter of support.
The goal is not to stop development, but rather to facilitate development in alignment with the Greater Hill District Master Plan (GHDMP) by establishing a working mutual relationship between developers and the community. This process is designed to enhance a project, add value to it, create partnerships, find solutions, and build community consensus and support.
The Policy and Planning Associate at the Hill CDC staffs and facilitates the community review process. If you have questions about the review process, the community master plan or development within the Hill District, please email policy@hilldistrict.org.
Resource Documents
Hill House RFP Process Update
After much negotiation, the Hill House Association signed an option agreement with the Hill District Development Growth Fund for operating funding support and the initiation of a community review process involving the DRP. The Request for Proposals (RFP) from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) was released on January 18, 2019. Bids closed at 5 pm on February 27, 2019.
Downloads:
| Documents: | Size: | |
|---|---|---|
 |
Executive Summary and Self Evaluation | 144.56 KB |
|
Proposed Development Checklist | 84.12 KB |
