The fight over a divisive policy meant to increase Pittsburgh’s supply of affordable housing continues to play out on Grant Street inside courtrooms and City Council chambers.
Council on Wednesday held a public hearing on inclusionary zoning ahead of a vote on Mayor Ed Gainey’s plan to implement the policy citywide. The policy is facing a lawsuit in a district court.
Inclusionary zoning, a strategy intended to fight the city’s affordable housing shortage, mandates portions of new housing developments be affordable for low-income residents. It exists in several states and was first implemented in Lawrenceville six years ago.
Since then, the policy has been applied to three other Pittsburgh neighborhoods, endorsed by supporters who say it has made the city more affordable, but rebuffed by