The city of Pittsburgh hasn’t seen substantial population growth for over 90 years, but some local officials are hopeful it can turn things around with local action and a boost from a potential Kamala Harris presidential administration.
Pittsburgh city councilman Bob Charland, D-South Side, and Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor, D-Squirrel Hill, held a press conference Thursday morning and advocated for altering the city’s zoning code to allow for denser development and to streamline the process of building new housing units.
“We do have the ability to upzone and make the city more affordable by accommodating more housing abundance,” Charland said.
The city’s outdated zoning code has stalled and killed housing projects, and accommodating more housing is necessary if Harris is to win in November, he said.
The elected officials were joined by housing advocate David Vatz of Pro-Housing Pittsburgh at a press conference held at a Harris campaign office on Pittsburgh’s South Side. They all endorsed Harris’ housing plan, which calls for building 3 million new housing units in the next four years across the country, providing $25,000 for first-time homeowners, and other proposals.
Vatz said the city currently has a housing shortage which is driving rents up, particularly in popular neighborhoods. Though the city isn’t growing its population, Vatz said it is still short tens of thousands of housing units because demand for living alone is growing and many city housing units are old and falling into disrepair.
“We need a lot more housing,” Vatz said. “The city’s housing needs assessment showed that for people earning $10 an hour, we are short 8,200 units. For people making over $75,000, we are short 16,000 units.”
O’Connor said adjusting the city’s zoning is important so any potential growth isn’t halted, especially if the Harris administration is able to deliver on its campaign promise.
“We cannot stop growth,” he said. “That is where the local level has to be ready to go. Get them a permit so they can start construction because we need housing on all levels.”
And O’Connor said this is not just an urban policy and housing growth will be applied across small towns and big cities in the country. He noted that when Harris and her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz last visited the region, they toured steel towns along the Ohio River in Beaver County.
O’Connor said the Harris campaign knows boosting housing growth is important for rural areas, suburban towns, and cities.
“They didn’t come directly into the city. They went to areas in the region that used to be running steel mills but aren’t anymore. They need help. Their plan makes sense because it is creating wealth in all of those steel towns across our region.”
