Pittsburgh-Develop PGH Bulletins: Challenging To Enter, Stunning Within, Chatham University Plans For Growth

Pittsburgh PA

11 February, 2021

1:46 PM

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By Rich Lord, Public Source 2021-02-09 Develop PGH Bulletins updates you on the Pittsburgh region's economy, including close coverage of the Urban Redevelopment Authority, City Planning Commission and other important agencies. Please check back frequently, sign up for the Develop PGH newsletter and email [email protected] with questions, tips or story ideas. Chatham University is asking the City Planning Commission to approve a new master plan, and the Shadyside campus' leadership may have to address navigability and accessibility questions before a potential vote on March 9. Chatham is expecting growth in both student and faculty numbers of just over 10% over 10 years, university officials told the commission at a briefing. To handle that, the university wants to add around 240 dormitory beds; build classroom capacity, laboratories and athletic facilities; plus improve the 37-acre campus' connection to Fifth Avenue and enhance stormwater management and sustainability. Commission members were most concerned with the accessibility of the sloping campus with its winding roads and omnipresent staircases. "Chatham is like a geode," said commission Chair Christine Mondor. "Once you get into it, it's pretty amazing, but finding ways into it is difficult." She asked Chatham to develop a map of routes through campus for people using bicycles or non-automobile wheeled vehicles. The university's plan includes more visibility for the entry points into campus, university officials told the commission. Getting around the campus has always been a challenge. "There are just simply certain areas around campus that are really difficult because of the slopes," said Walter Fowler, Chatham's vice president of finance and administration. Fowler told the commission that the university and the Department of Justice had "a long engagement" a few years ago regarding accessibility of the campus. That resulted in a consent decree which has led to more ramps and mechanical equipment to help mobility-challenged students to get around. Chatham plans to further encourage bicycling and discourage the use of cars on its narrow internal roadways, by limiting parking passes, providing free bus passes, and barring freshmen from parking on campus. Front yard garages and driveways would become the exception, rather than the rule, in new Pittsburgh housing, under a developing set of proposals moving through the City of Pittsburgh's approval process, according to a briefing provided to the City Planning Commission. Curb cuts in front of rowhouses and townhouses are already severely restricted in riverfront zones that cover parts of Highland Park, Upper Lawrenceville, Central Lawrenceville, Troy Hill, the South Side Flats, the Bluff, Elliott, Sheraden and Esplen, City Planning Department staff told the commission members. In those zones, developers of new townhouses or rowhouses have to put garages and driveways in the back, or on the side, of homes, wherever possible. When that's not feasible, they are encouraged to create shared driveways with just one curb cut. That rule is meant to preserve the feel of neighborhoods that have historically featured front stoops and street trees, and to reduce the safety hazards created when cars are pulling and backing across sidewalks into neighborhood streets, planning staff said. A proposal that will be subject to a commission hearing and vote on Feb. 23 would expand the riverfront rules to new townhouse and rowhouse construction citywide. It appears to have support on the commission. "I think it's an important initiative to move forward, maintaining the character of our neighborhoods in a way that's safe," said Commissioner Rachel O'Neill. Planning staff did not present data on the locations of townhouses and rowhouses citywide. The commission wants to see a map of those housing styles at the hearing. Pittsburgh City Council would ultimately approve or reject the proposed change. The crusade against front-of-house private parking may not be over. Planning Department staff said the city is continuing to talk with community groups about additional measures which could extend to new stand-alone houses. Developer Walnut Capital will give $1 million to back workforce development efforts sought by the Larimer Consensus Group, and will team with the Urban Redevelopment Authority to finance another $1 million in affordable housing in that neighborhood, according to a City of Pittsburgh press release. The resulting workforce development center would be run by Pittsburgh Community Services Inc., with URA assistance. The number of for-sale affordable homes to be developed was not specified in the release, but they would be clustered on Mayflower Street near its intersection with Auburn Street. The URA board is scheduled to meet Thursday. Walnut Capital is the developer of the Bakery Square complex in Larimer. Both houses of the General Assembly unanimously approved rent relief legislation, sending a broad mandate for spending some $850 million in federal funds to Gov. Tom Wolf and his Department of Human Services. Senate Bill 109 does not include some of the provisions that hamstrung Pennsylvania's 2020 rent relief effort. That CARES Rent Relief Program put a $750 monthly cap on rental assistance, demanded that tenants document their loss of income, and required cooperation between landlords and renters. It did not cover utilities costs. The state's requirements prompted Allegheny County to rely largely on its own, less restrictive program starting in late October. This year, with $850 million in federal money coming solely for rent relief and a September deadline to spend 65% of it, the General Assembly is attaching far fewer strings to the new Rental and Utility Assistance Grant Program. Still, some renters will not be eligible. U.S. Treasury Department guidance — which could change — says the money can only be given to households which: The money is set to flow to the state's 67 counties, according to population. Allegheny County's portion, though, will be reduced by the roughly $36 million in rent relief funds that the county and the City of Pittsburgh are receiving directly from the federal government. The county and city announced this week that they are pooling that funding to create a local rent relief program. The counties have to report back, by July 31, on their completed and planned rent relief spending. If some counties prove unlikely to spend all of the money, some of their shares will be reallocated to areas in which available rent relief funds are falling short, according to the legislation. Unlike the money that flowed to the state under last year's Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security [CARES] Act, this year's federal infusion can't be redirected to other uses. Any portion of the $850 million that isn't spent on the rent relief program must be returned to Washington. It's as yet unclear how quickly the state can construct the program and when relief will start flowing. In a late afternoon press release, Wolf's administration reported that he signed the bill, adding: "Every day that these federal relief dollars remain idle does a disservice to Pennsylvania residents and landlords impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic." On Monday, PublicSource and WESA explored rent relief in the first stories of the Tenant Cities series. A reluctant Housing Opportunity Fund [HOF] Advisory Board approved a $750,000 increase to subsidies for a coming low-income apartment development at a key corner in Squirrel Hill. Pittsburgh's HOF, which is funded via the deed transfer tax, was already on the hook for $585,000 in funding toward Flats on Forward, planned for the corner of Forward Avenue and Murray Avenue. That project by nonprofit ACTION-Housing involves 43 affordable apartments, mostly one-bedroom, and is expected to cost more than $23 million, coming from multiple governmental, philanthropic and private sources. In recent months, ACTION has faced an unforeseen challenge: To build one wall, the developer needs to shore up a closed section of Maeburn Road that sits above an underground vault, according to Linda Metropulos, a consultant working on the project. The city is normally responsible for roads, but has declined to take on the repairs estimated at nearly $1 million, she said. So ACTION wants its allocation of HOF funds increased to $1,335,000, and has the support of Councilman Corey O'Connor, who represents the area. To do that, the HOF Advisory Board, and then the Urban Redevelopment Authority board which meets next week, need to shift funds from a Housing Stabilization Program for struggling tenants and homeowners, to the Rental Gap Program which backs new apartments. Downsides: Reducing the Housing Support Program's resources could limit aid to renters and homeowners who might not be able to get help from other, emerging relief programs. Also, the amount sought by ACTION is above the Rental Gap Program's usual $1,250,000 limits on total subsidy for any given project, and on per-unit funding. A mitigating factor: The HOF usually relies on a $10 million annual allocation, but this year has an extra $1,958,000 from the city, courtesy of a budget amendment shepherded through by O'Connor. "This is just such a large increase from the first proposal that I think it's important for us as a board to discuss parameters related to significant changes in an original application," said board member Adrienne Walnoha, at the board's monthly meeting, which was conducted virtually. Board member Jerome Jackson added that a vote for the increase could be seen by the city as a precedent that it can shunt infrastructure costs on the HOF. "This was the last resort. We have tried many, many, many different avenues," said Metropulos. She added that if the increase was not approved this month, the delay would jeopardize other parts of the Flats on Forward financing plan. Several members noted that this funding comes from the additional city allocation, rather than the HOF's core $10 million budget. In a voice vote, around seven members approved the added subsidy for Flats on Forward, with four abstentions and zero no votes. Metropulos said she hopes construction can start "within the next two to three months." As eviction filings continue to mount, two big local governments are pooling federal funds in a joint program to help struggling renters. Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto and Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald jointly announced a plan to muster nearly $36 million to help with rent and utility payments. While the Emergency Rental Assistance Program isn't yet ready to make payments, the county is inviting tenants in need of help to express their interest here. The funding comes from Pennsylvania's share of a federal rent relief allocation approved late last year. The county has $27 million, the city $8.9 million. Peduto's administration today introduced legislation to Pittsburgh City Council, permitting the city's use of its share in the joint effort, and noting that 10% of the money can be used for administrative costs, housing stability services, case management, and other services, with 90% reserved for direct assistance for tenants. The city and county plan to partner with ACTION-Housing and the Dollar Energy Fund. "People all around the Pittsburgh region continue to be hurt by COVID-19 in ways that go far beyond the health catastrophe of the pandemic, as they are stuck at home contending with employment uncertainty, educational worries and emotional distress," Peduto said in a press release. The plan comes on the heels of 2020 rent relief efforts which ended up helping roughly half of Allegheny County applicants, and just 1/3 statewide. "In 2020, we were able to help many in our community, but also know that despite our efforts, massive need still exists," said Fitzgerald, in the press release. The release noted that "learned lessons from the first program will lead to a smoother, more expedient process for applicants." The release notes that 65% of the federal rent relief allocations must be spent by the end of September, and that the Peduto administration is asking for a quick council vote. Federal rules governing rent relief aren't yet finalized, and the state General Assembly is considering legislation that could also affect the program. While a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention order restricts evictions, and a local court order puts hearings on hold, landlords filed 366 new eviction cases last month. PublicSource and WESA this week launched Tenant Cities, a joint exploration of the COVID-afflicted rental housing market at a time when it shelters a growing portion of the city and county populations. News from the City Planning Commission, Urban Redevelopment Authority, Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh and more In limbo no more: New construction to begin on remaining lots of Garden Theater block The pandemic cost public transit dearly. Will Pittsburgh-area riders return in 2021? 21, 20, 19 … As Pittsburgh counts down to a new year amid the COVID-19 economy, 2020's development questions await 2021's answers. Tenant Cities: Rent relief didn't get to those who needed it. Will Pennsylvania get it right the second time? Tenant Cities: Going it alone in Allegheny County House hunters: How an anti-blight law has become a tool for ambitious landlords in Allegheny County All on board? Powerful Pittsburgh-area panels are more diverse, but progress is uneven December development coverage Rich Lord is PublicSource's economic development reporter. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @richelord. Develop PGH has been made possible with funding from The Heinz Endowments. This article was produced by PublicSource.org, a nonprofit news organization serving the Pittsburgh region. PublicSource tells stories for a better Pittsburgh. Sign up for their free email newsletters at publicsource.org/newsletters.