Lower Hill

Last Updated January 19th, 2023

Find information about the Lower Hill Development and how to register for the City of Pittsburgh Planning Commission meeting click below:

To provide public comment, you can:
* Email planningcommission [at] pittsburghpa.gov. Email testimony will be accepted until the business day
before the meeting at 12 p.m.
* Send a letter to 100 Ross Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Mailed testimony must be received by two
business days before the meeting.
* Join the virtual meeting and use raise hand function to request to speak.
* Call into the meeting on your phone and use raise hand function by pressing *9.

Join Planning Commission Meeting on 1/24/2023 at 2pm

Sign up for text updates to know when the Lower Hill Development Team presentations will begin

CCIP 101 Page Memo

On Tuesday, January 10th, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buccini Pollin Group issued a memo conceding on two critical points that the Hill CDC has advocated. They have committed to a $2 surcharge on every ticket sold at the new event venue, and they have announced that they are working with Bethel AME to ensure that they receive 1.5 acres in Parcel C of the site. These are clear wins because the Hill CDC and community residents and advocates have pushed for progress (Note: Bethel AME established a coalition to push for the return of their land last year and their coalition led those efforts). Thank you to the residents and stakeholders that called into the hearing to protect the interest of our neighborhood, but our work is not yet done. The Planning Commission opted not to vote on the proposed Preliminary Land Development Plan amendments due to being in receipt of a 100+ page document from the Development Team just minutes before the meeting.

As a result of not voting on the proposed amendments, the Commission opted not to hear or vote on the Block E development at the hearing. The Commission stated that they are concerned that the community has not had an opportunity to review the last-minute materials, and that they had not had an opportunity, as Commissioners, to review the materials. There are other public commitments that remain outstanding, and we hope to secure written agreements in the next two weeks for new commitments.

Outstanding items are:

- The Penguins have still not agreed to "formally attach" our community benefits agreement to the preliminary land development plan, leaving enforcement almost purely on the community. Councilman Daniel Lavelle called in to specifically request the Commission to require them to "formally attach";

- The Penguins, BPG and Live Nation have still not completed their contract with the Hill CDC regarding New Granada support;

- They have not completed their promised rehab of Ammon Recreation Center; they have not included Macedonia Church of Pittsburgh in discussions related to such;

- They have not agreed to ensure Inclusionary Zoning for the site which would ensure affordable housing and more affordable business space;

- They have not addressed how the privatization of public land that will be used as "public" greenspace will be safe for people of the Hill District to enjoy;

- They have not held meetings with the community on relocating a sustainability and public art project called the Curtain Call, and they have not fully funded the Curtain Call as promised;

- They have not evidenced any form of minority ownership for Block E, a requirement of the community benefits agreement.

- They have not completed our community's tried and true community review process, the Development Review Panel (DRP).

Watch January 10th, 2023 Planning Commission Meeting for the Lower Hill PLDP & Block E

Stay tuned and follow this issue at www.hilldistrict.org/lowerhill.

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ALERT!!!

City Planning Commission Meeting
THIS TUESDAY @ 1pm!
Lower Hill Development for Block E and the Lower Hill Preliminary Land Development Plan (PLDP)
Pens and BPG begin to close the door on fulfillment of promises to Hill District

Just as we were optimistic for a happy new year, the Hill CDC learned this past Tuesday that the City has indeed scheduled the Lower Hill Development Team (Pens and BPG) to present their proposed Lower Hill Preliminary Land Development Plan Amendments and Block E Final Land Development Plan to the City Planning Commission next week.

The meeting is scheduled for this coming Tuesday, January 10th at 1pm. Agenda Items 4 & 5 are focused on the Lower Hill District and we have outlined the outstanding issues and unfulfilled promises in the graphic notice below. Please plan to join the Zoom meeting or call in.

This meeting comes shortly after the previous briefing with the Planning Commission on December 13th, 2022. The Hill CDC, as the long-standing community development organization and as a neighborhood Registered Community Organization (RCO), is just as disturbed as you may be to receive such short notice of this meeting AND to have little direct communication of final changes being made to the PLDP by the Developer or the City.

You may recall, the Pens and BPG have both failed to complete the Development Review Panel (DRP) process for the PLDP and Block E. The Pens submitted to the DRP for the PLDP revisions, but failed to respond to an invitation to present. BPG was asked to resubmit by the DRP after 24 months elapsed and significant changes were made to their plan, they refused to submit. Additionally, both organizations have meddled in the City's RCO process by propping up new community organization(s) specifically with the intent to overlap boundaries of the Lower Hill, to create a surrogate voice of support for their plans, and to cause community confusion. The Hill CDC takes this unethical behavior from private developers very seriously, and such behavior encourages the Hill CDC to be even more strident in holding them (and any developer) accountable to the Development Review Panel process and the Community Collaboration and Implementation Plan. We invite elected and appointed City officials to do the same by ensuring that the City's RCO Ordinance, which is intended to increase equity, is not weaponized against the very populations it aims to protect.

Here are some related video clips:

- See the Lower Hill Development Team commit to working with the DRP as they were trying to secure support for the Block G1 (tower) from the City Planning Commission in May 2021. You will note that the private developer also attacked our community process and also stated that community ownership is not important.

- Watch a video summary of outstanding community issues with the PLDP and Block E and what we need the City, URA and SEA to ensure in upcoming meetings

- Want a refresh on the two step DRP process; our community's unified voice on community development?

Here's what to expect on Tuesday...

The City of Pittsburgh, by way of the City Planning Commission, is to take great care and ensure that preliminary land development plans do not have an adverse impact on Pittsburgh's residents and citizens -- especially those most directly impacted by proximity. The Commission is responsible for guiding land use and development, deliberating on items such as impact on the public good, socio-economic impact, environmental impacts, traffic and parking, noise allowances and more. The City Planning Commission requested in their last deliberations that the Lower Hill Development Team do a better job of outlining commitments and fulfillment of Hill District commitments. As residents and community organizations, our job is to fact check the developers and to keep the record straight so that Commissioners hear all sides. When a Developer is doing a good job, it is our job to say that too. Unfortunately, there are too many broken promises for the upcoming hearing.

We've summed up community concerns here. Please spread the word!
Information to join the meeting is below.

Public Hearing for Lower Hill District

Find information about the Lower Hill Development and how to register for the City of Pittsburgh Planning Commission meeting click below:

To provide public comment, you can:
* Email planningcommission [at] pittsburghpa.gov. Email testimony will be accepted until the business day
before the meeting at 12 p.m.
* Send a letter to 100 Ross Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Mailed testimony must be received by two
business days before the meeting.
* Join the virtual meeting and use raise hand function to request to speak.
* Call into the meeting on your phone and use raise hand function by pressing *9.

Join Planning Commission Meeting on 1/10/2023 at 1pm