The City of Pittsburgh has set new standards for development along the three rivers that rim its urban center-- the Ohio, Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers. 

Designed to incentivize developers and property owners to create a more economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable riverfront, the RIV Riverfront Zoning Bill will guide development and protect public access along the city’s 33 miles of riverfronts, including 13 miles along downtown Pittsburgh and the city’s iconic Strip District.

Included in the bill are standards for how close developers can build around existing wharves and marinas, and a performance points system that encourages public benefits and environmental improvements such as public trails, affordable housing and public art.

The RIV legislation will encourage the restoration of riverfront habitat through more sustainable riverfront development and will preserve the unique character of riverfront neighborhoods by regulating building’s size and distance from rivers.

The new zoning codes give developers and property owners points for making sustainable investments in their properties that translate into larger buildings or closer riverfront properties.

Those points allow developers to build closer than allotted to the river or above the height restrictions. Examples of point-earning additions include public restrooms or water fountains along river trails, stormwater infrastructure, and on-site energy generation.

The Department of City Planning developed the RIV Riverfront Zoning Bill over the course of two and a half years, with input from thousands of Pittsburghers and stakeholders, including Riverlife, a nonprofit committed to making Pittsburgh’s riverfronts environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable.

The planning process included dozens of meetings and surveys with community members, property owners, and other stakeholders.

Pittsburgh’s industrial past shaped its riverfront development. The rivers have been traditionally zoned for industrial use; however, after the 1980s collapse of steel, the city experienced a mass population loss, leaving behind industrial remnants like mills and transportation infrastructure that separated neighborhoods from accessing the riverfronts.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, city leaders began working on a vision plan to redevelop the riverfronts in a way that diversified their uses to include recreation, entertainment, residential housing and corporate headquarters alongside industry on the waterfront. 

The pace of development on the riverfronts has accelerated over the past decade, which led City Planning to begin the process to refine and update the city’s riverfront zoning standards for the first time in a generation.

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[Posted: Nov. 13, 2018]

11/19/2018