Land Use and Planning

Greater Hill District Master Plan

The Greater Hill District Master Plan articulates the importance of continuing to “Build Upon the African-American Cultural Legacy.” The Greenprint (2009) created a bold vision for a natural and healthy community, the 2011 Greater Hill District Master Plan established fundamental values and development principles that have been central to development activities and the neighborhood ecosystem. The Centre Avenue Redevelopment and Design Plan (2015) created a detailed vision for how new development and amenities on Centre Avenue could serve a variety of community needs, while also using a market study as its basis.

Multiple waves of development have built a new office, commercial and community spaces along Centre Avenue, along with new housing throughout the neighborhood. Development activities in Downtown and Oakland have the potential to bring new opportunities and challenges to the Hill District the plan seeks to address.

Greater Hill District Development Principles

1. Address/Right Historical Wrongs
2. Promote Economic Justice
3. Reflect Neighborhood Driven Civic Design
4. Promote a Green and Healthy Environment
5. Utilize Neighborhood Strengths and Assets

Greater Hill Non-Displacement Strategies

1. Economic Opportunities
2. Homeowner Support
3. Renter Support
4. Community Ownership/Equity

Strategies for Reclaiming the Lower Hill

1. Design Strategies
2. Housing Strategies
3. Business Development Strategies

Centre Avenue Plan

The Centre Avenue Corridor Development and Redesign Plan were developed from the input of residents and stakeholders into a vision for the future of the Hill that also pays homage to its past, encompassing housing, commercial and mixed-use development as well as cultural and historic programming. The plan was prepared by evolveEA Sustainable Architecture and 4wardPlanning, using a grant from The Design Center. It incorporates green infrastructure and includes a heritage trail and recommends restoring the stream at the bottom of the Chauncey Street steps for a rainwater park. The plan also includes maps of property ownership, vacant lots, zoning and land use criteria, as well as data on existing housing stock, commercial and institutional properties, demographics, and population changes.

The latter shows an increase of more than 1,000 residents since 2000, which further indicates the need for additional rental and for-sale housing. To serve them and future residents, the plan calls for retail amenities ranging from boutique clothing shops and restaurants to bakeries and even a fitness center. One ambitious idea in the plan would literally create the “crossroads of the world” by creating a Heritage Square at Centre Avenue and Dinwiddie Street intersection on the site where the Zone 2 police station currently sits. It would also include a museum and would be tied to housing, commercial and cultural redevelopment in and around the New Granada Theater across the street. Another key aspect of the plan is that it will integrate with development in the Lower Hill. The complete plan can be viewed here.

The Great Return of the Hill

Conceived in collaboration with local Hill community members and their allies and produced by Yancey Consulting (YC), this report maps viable recommendations to activate the Hill District’s Centre Avenue as a thriving Black cultural and commercial corridor.

Across the years, multiple generative studies have been produced that map the needed and ongoing (re)development of the Hill District. This report is not intended to duplicate or be redundant to the existing plans but to weave ideas that most resonate with Hill District community members at this time and offer up a viable road map of activating Centre Ave and surrounding areas as a Black cultural and commercial corridor in the short to long term. The recommendations are born out of a framework that emerged from conversations with community members. When inquired about and unraveled through dialogue, a proposed mixture of experiences, basic services, safe havens, businesses, intergenerational social gathering spaces, green spaces, learning centers, food spaces, health and wellness spaces, real estate, and entertainment venues was needed to bring a thriving commerce to the Hill. We also learned in this process that this activation plan, although stewarded by the Hill CDC, is not only about the Hill CDC. It’s about the Hill–not any one institution. A thriving Black cultural and commercial community can only manifest when many come together to advance a shared vision and agenda.

An African proverb reveals, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” These recommendations recognize and enjoin a collective buy-in. They are designed for every representation within the Hill to see themselves participating. You will see many activations in this report that suggest partnerships and various ways for members of this incredible Hill community to come together.

View the whole plan below.

The Bedford Connects Transformation Plan

In June 2016, the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP), the City of Pittsburgh and Bedford Dwellings community partners received a $500,000 Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to comprehensively plan for the redevelopment of Bedford Dwellings and the Middle Hill neighborhood, providing replacement housing for the 411 households in a new mixed-income community. These grant funds leveraged an additional $710,000 from local government agencies and foundations. In July 2016, the planning process began with the re-convening of the Hill District CHOICE Board, first organized in February 2016. The CHOICE Board is comprised of six leading community-based organizations, The City and HACP, the planning coordinator and a Bedford Dwellings’ resident representative. This Choice Neighborhoods Transformation Plan that has resulted from this process presents a holistic vision for the redevelopment of the Target Area within the Greater Hill District.

The Greater Hill District is comprised of six neighborhoods: the Upper Hill District, Bedford Dwellings, Middle Hill, Crawford-Roberts, Terrace Village, and Uptown. The Target Area of the Transformation Plan consists of Bedford Dwellings, a substantial portion of the Middle Hill, and a small portion of the Crawford Roberts neighborhood.

This Plan creates a comprehensive plan to revitalize the Bedford Dwellings public housing site and the surrounding Target Area to improve the quality of life for residents of the Greater Hill District. The planning process has been guided by several key existing plans that were produced by Hill District stakeholders with extensive community input over recent years, such as: The Greater Hill District Master Plan, Greenprint, and the Centre Avenue Corridor Plan.

View the whole plan below.