Fair Housing zoning changes, Public EV charging - City Council Week of October 14th

Updates

• Council moves forward with Fines for Violating Trash Can Rules.
• Funds for police recruitment training have been approved.
• Funds to unlock $1.3 million in federal funds for traffic calming approved.

On The Docket

• Competing legislation on fair housing zoning changes covering group housing and homeless shelters.
• $39k to unlock $2.3 million in federal funds to build public EV charging stations.

Fair Housing Zoning Changes

• Mayor Ed Gainey has recently proposed zoning changes to help with housing affordability in Pittsburgh.
• Councilmember Theresa Kail-Smith proposed competing legislation which must be considered before the mayor's, adding a series of public hearings to the process.
  • Councilmember Kail-Smith sent a letter to her constituents raising concerns about the mayor's proposed changes which resulted in significant public reaction.
• There will be a long, drawn-out discussion on these changes, so stay tuned for future updates.

EV Charging

• Funds will go towards the "Equitably Empowering EV Ownership in the City of Pittsburgh through Community Charging Infrastructure Project."
• The City's EV Charging Strategic Plan prioritizes:
  • Serving Those with the Greatest Barriers to Charge: Focusing on facilities in or near residential permit parking areas, where residents often lack access to off-street parking and cannot charge at home.
  • Gaps in the Charging Network: Council districts with few or no public chargers.
  • Planned Renovations: Sites which already have planned renovations that can accommodate new chargers.
• Funds will match $91k from the Pittsburgh Parking Authority and $400k from Duquesne Light.

Note

No one attended the public hearing on renaming the Schenley Heights Park Shelter.