Update: off-street parking requirements for rowhouse neighborhoods
In March, Mayor Peduto introduced zoning text amendments with a goal of “improving pedestrian safety, enhancing neighborhood walkability, and promoting non-vehicular mobility.” Under this proposed legislation, minimum parking requirements would be reduced from 1 to 0 in R1A (residential, single-family attached AKA rowhouse) neighborhoods like Lawrenceville. Maximum parking requirements would remain the same (4). For more information, check out this City Paper article from Ryan Deto.
A Planning Commission hearing was held on 6/30/2020 on this proposed legislation. LU, along with Lawrenceville Corporation and members of Lawrenceville Stakeholders, all provided testimony in support of the goals of the legislation and encouraging the City of Pittsburgh to go further by providing additional tools to communities to restrict integral garages and curb cuts on primary streets. As LU has heard repeatedly through the Lawrenceville Community Process, the continued creation of curb cuts, driveways, and front-facing off-street parking has a number of detrimental impacts to the neighborhood: removing precious public on-street parking for a single user, reducing the walkability and accessibility of our sidewalks, driving up housing prices, permanently preventing the ability to plant street trees, and demoting neighborly interaction at the street level. For all these reasons, LU is encouraging the City of Pittsburgh to restrict off-street parking for single-family homes to be accommodated from rear alleyways and not primary streets — or else make front-facing off-street parking require a variance or special exception at the Zoning Board of Adjustment.
Read LU’s submitted testimony HERE.
After the hearing, the Planning Commission passed two motions: one motion recommended the proposed zoning text amendments in 2020-0198, and the second motion recommended that City Planning conduct exploratory research on additional legislation to further reduce the preponderance of curb cuts across the City.
The legislation will now move forward to City Council, where another public hearing will be scheduled. LU will keep the community informed as this gets scheduled!
For any input or to get involved, please contact LU at 412-802-7220 or info@LUnited.org.
