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WHEREAS, as part of the Covid-19 pandemic emergency declaration in March 2020, the City moved many services online and the departments that accept, review, and issue permits to the public moved operations to the One Stop PGH online portal; and,
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WHEREAS, the Department of Permits, Licenses, & Inspections (PLI), the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI), and the Department of City Planning - Zoning & Development Review all regulate development, and ensure construction and renovations are done safely and legally, and are obligated to provide adequate oversight during the permitting process; and,
WHEREAS, in 2023 alone, PLI processed nearly 28,000 permits online and fielded 11,000 phone calls and 12,000 online chats through the One Stop PGH online portal; and,
WHEREAS, efforts by these permit-issuing departments to improve the public experience - including adding those chat features to the online portal, enabling accelerated plan reviews, and utilizing predictable and equitable fee structures - during the pandemic should be applauded; and,
WHEREAS, the digital divide describes the resource gap in broadband internet and smart device access, and in Pittsburgh 10% of households do not have computers; and,
WHEREAS, the City must remain committed to providing equitable access to public services for all households; and,
WHEREAS, since vacating the former office space at the John P. Robin Civic Building at 200 Ross St. in Downtown Pittsburgh, the opening of the planned intradepartmental public-facing counter and facility at 412 Boulevard of the Allies has faced understandable construction delays and pushed the availability of in-person access to the City’s application technicians and plan examiners to late fall 2024; and,
WHEREAS, in light of this delayed timeline, and marking four and a half years since closing the physical counter, the City must make local government more accessible to its residents and be more friendly to new construction to meet growing housing demands.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh hereby urges the timely establishment of a physical permitting counter at least one business day per week at a location accessible to the public in addition to the One Stop PGH online portal until a more permanent and reliable physical option is opened.