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New regulations for short-term rentals, frustrations with unused funds and $1.5 million for food justice—City Council Week of July 14

Updates

City Council

Regulating short-term rentals.

Right now, Pittsburgh has no rules for short-term rentals like Airbnb. A council member introduced legislation that would require investors who buy property to rent this way to get a yearly license. Violations would cost $500 per unit per month, but homeowners who occasionally rent their own homes would be exempt. Next, council will discuss the bills at a future meeting.

Written by Amy Whipple

  • Councilmember Gross introduced legislation to help regulate short-term housing rentals. There are currently no regulations.
  • Regulations would apply to investors who buy property specifically to rent through companies such as Airbnb. Regulations would include:
  • An operating license (renewed annually) and approval from the Zoning Administrator.
  • Limits for maximum stays (28 consecutive days) and number of guests (varied by property).
  • A required daily register of guests.
  • Each operating violation will be a summary offense with a $500 fine per unit per month.
  • Regulations would not apply to homeowners who occasionally rent their personal dwelling.
  • A second piece of legislation amending the Use Regulations portion of the Zoning Code to include and define short-term rentals will need to be sent to the Planning Commission for Report & Recommendation.
  • Council will discuss these pieces of legislation at a future Standing Committees meeting.

City Council

Council frustrated by unused funds.

Each year, the city sweeps idle money out of dormant projects, and some of it can be lost for good. A $234,149 balance from an expired federal bike share grant, for example, no longer exists. Council members said they got no timely warning and no say in where leftover money goes. Now, the package is on hold for a week so council can weigh in.

Written by Amy Whipple

  • Council received a package of 15 bills from the Controller’s office for removal of unencumbered funds from dormant Capital Projects.
  • City Code requires this process annually so that unused money doesn’t sit indefinitely.
  • “Dormant” encompasses job numbers with no activity for three years or job numbers that have less than $1,000 remaining and no activity for at least a year.
  • Council members expressed frustration that they were not alerted about potentially lost funds in enough time to use them.
  • For example, there was $234,149 remaining from a 2013 $1.6 million federal grant for the City’s bike share program. Because the grant expired, the money no longer exists.
  • There was additionally one request for re-appropriation and re-allocation, which would distribute $1,396,530.83 across multiple projects.
  • Council members also expressed frustration that they were not consulted about where eligible unused funds are being re-allocated.
  • The package will be held for one week so that Council can have input where appropriate.

City Council

Final Food Justice Fund recipients chosen.

Free meals, community gardens, and food-system job training are among the uses of the city's Food Justice Fund. Council has now affirmed grants for the fund's last $1.5 million. In all, 101 applications asked for more than $4 million. District 9 got the largest share of any council district.

Written by Amy Whipple

  • Council affirmed the distribution of the remaining $1.5 million in the Food Justice Fund. Below are total grant distributions by district; individual grants are capped at $75,000:
  • District 1 (Councilmember Wilson): $77,682
  • District 2 (Councilmember Kail-Smith): $135,000
  • District 3 (Councilmember Charland): $122,681
  • District 4 (Councilmember Coghill): $75,000
  • District 5 (Councilmember Warwick): $180,800
  • District 6 (Council President Lavelle): $105,634
  • District 7 (Councilmember Gross): $28,579
  • District 8 (Councilmember Strassburger): $18,470
  • District 9 (Councilmember Mosley): $393,753
  • Multiple districts: $152,764
  • Citywide: $209,645
  • Uses of the money include distributing free food/meals, supporting community gardens and non-profit urban agriculture and job training or youth employment in fields related to the food system, among others.
  • The Fund was established by Council in 2023 with $3 million in American Rescue Plan Act money.
  • Nonprofit organization New Sun Rising manages and disperses the grants. The fund’s Governance Committee approves the final list of awardees based on New Sun Rising’s recommendations.
  • Parks and Recreation Director Vargas said they received 101 applications requesting in excess of $4 million. In choosing recipients, the Committee sought to represent a variety of neighborhoods as well as the size, scope, and scale of requesting organizations.