TITLE
Ordinance supplementing the Pittsburgh Code of Ordinances, Title One - Administrative, Article III, Organization, Chapter 135 - Department of City Planning by adding a new subsection, 135.03 - Priority Communities.
BODY
Whereas, in Pittsburgh, the neighborhood concentration of poverty remains a serious challenge to the ability of poor families and children to access opportunities and move up the economic ladder; and,
Whereas, distressed communities deserve to have their communities rebuilt, their families strengthened and the quality of their lives improved by direct government intervention; and,
Whereas, distressed communities need a formal process to ensure and encourage community protection, community participation and community benefits while avoiding forced resident relocation and gentrification; and,
Whereas, a comprehensive approach to neighborhood development is needed in Pittsburgh’s most distressed communities; and,
Whereas, in Pittsburgh’s distressed communities a comprehensive planning and implementation strategy will stabilize the existing assets of each neighborhood while building clean, safe and strong environments lead by independent, capable, and sustainable community stakeholders; and,
Whereas, in Pittsburgh, distressed communities can be transformed by revitalizing housing and investing and leveraging investments in well-functioning services, high quality public schools and education programs, high quality early learning programs and services, public assets, public transportation, and improved access to jobs.
Be it resolved that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh hereby enact as follows:
Section 1: - The Pittsburgh Code of Ordinances, Title One - Administrative, Article III, Organization, Chapter 135 - Department of City Planning is hereby supplemented as follows:
§ 135.03 - Priority Communities
1. Legislative Findings
a. The Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby find and declare all actions and funds expended an express public purpose.
2. Statement of Purpose
a. Priority Communities Initiative is a comprehensive approach to neighborhood development in Pittsburgh’s most distressed communities. This initiative is designed to make investment into the eligible communities a priority for the City of Pittsburgh and the region. While facing some common urban challenges, all of these communities possess important assets and attributes. The underlying principle of Priority Communities is to develop a comprehensive plan and implementation strategy that creates capacity while building upon the existing neighborhood resources to ensure that investment supports, engages and leverages indigenous efforts in the future.
3. Definitions
a. CITY - “City of Pittsburgh”;
b. URA - “Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh”;
c. HACP - “Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh”;
d. PPS - “School District of Pittsburgh”;
e. DCP - “City of Pittsburgh Department of City Planning”;
f. PGHSNAP - “Pittsburgh Sector/Neighborhood Action Planning. A data analysis tool”;
g. CCAC - “Community College of Allegheny County”;
h. Police - “Pittsburgh Bureau of Police”;
i. BBI - “Pittsburgh Bureau of Building Inspection”;
j. Finance - “Department of Finance”;
k. CIT - “Community Investment Team”;
l. CIIP - “Community Investment and Improvement Plan”;
m. HUD - “U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development”;
n. Census - “The Decennial Census of the U.S. Bureau of the Census”;
o. ACS - “American Community Survey of the U.S. Bureau of the Census”;
p. Block group - “census block group”;
q. Tract - “census tract”;
r. Neighborhood - “the geographical unit as defined by the Department of City Planning”
s. Block - “census block”;
t. CDBG - “Community Development Block Grant Program”
4. Data Collection and Analysis
a. DCP shall collect data for the purposes of Priority Communities analysis from the following sources: U.S. Census Bureau, City of Pittsburgh, and County of Allegheny. Except in the year which the U.S. Census Bureau releases the data for the decennial Census, DCP shall, for purposes of this Chapter, utilize the data from the ACS for the most-recent 5-year survey period. All other data points from other sources shall be gathered using the latest complete year available.
i. Data points to be collected shall, regardless of source, be aggregated to Census Block Groups. Priority Communities data points shall include:
1. Percent of total lots vacant;
2. Percent of homes in foreclosure;
3. Percent of structures condemned;
4. Percent of properties in tax delinquency for two or more years;
5. Percent of properties with outstanding building code violations;
6. Median home sale price (most recent sale);
7. Average duration of occupants’ residency;
8. Per-capita building permit value (new construction and renovations);
9. Percent of owner-occupied homes;
10. Overall building conditions (to be assessed by field surveys);
11. Population change (since the previous Census or ACS data release);
12. Per-capita crime rate (both Part 1 and Part 2 crimes);
13. Percent of population age 65 or over;
14. Percent of population in poverty status;
15. Percent of population age 25 or over without High School diploma
b. DCP shall aggregate and analyze the Priority Communities data points using the methodology established in the PGHSNAP Action Planning Program. Data points are grouped into indicator sets: Housing Condition Index and Quality of Life Index. These indices are scored using a software package (ArcGIS) that shall be used to rank neighborhoods in descending order based on these scores.
i. Primary scoring using the PGHSNAP Action Planning methods aggregates data to Census Block Groups. Where neighborhoods are made up of several Census Block Groups, the scores of those Census Block Groups shall be reported as an average.
5. Preliminary Eligibility Determination; Exclusions
a. Each neighborhood shall be ranked, from highest to lowest, according to the methodology outlined in the PGHSNAP program.
b. The 20 neighborhoods with the lowest aggregate scores shall be considered as those with preliminary eligibility.
c. Exclusions.
i. DCP shall exclude, categorically, the following HACP communities:
1. Arlington Heights;
2. Bedford Dwellings;
3. Northview Heights;
4. Glen Hazel
ii. DCP shall exclude, categorically, neighborhoods where thirty-three percent (33%) or more of the residents are between the ages of eighteen (18) and twenty-five (25) years of age.
d. Recalculation.
i. The preliminary eligibility determination shall be performed every five (5) years.
6. Selection Criteria; Duties
a. The Director of the Department of City Planning, after determining preliminary eligibility, shall prepare a list of the 20 eligible neighborhoods and shall submit said list to City Council and the Mayor accompanied by all supporting documentation.
b. There is established a Priority Communities Selection Committee composed of the following:
i. The Mayor, or his/her representative;
ii. The Director of DCP, or his/her representative;
iii. The Executive Director of the URA, or his/her representative;
iv. The Executive Director of the HACP, or his/her representative;
v. The three (3) members of City Council whose Districts contain the greatest number of census blocks within CDBG-eligible Census tracts as defined by DCP. The four (4) members of City Council whose Districts contain the greatest percentage of vacant and distressed property as defined by the Department of City Planning.
c. The selection committee shall select six (6) neighborhoods and make final eligibility determinations based on the following criteria:
i. Market viability;
ii. Geographic diversity;
iii. Demonstrated on-going planning efforts and/or initiatives;
d. The selection committee need not afford equal weight to the criteria in 6(c).
7. Certification of Selected Neighborhoods
a. Upon final selection of the eligible neighborhoods, the Director of City Planning shall certify to the Mayor and City Council the neighborhoods selected.
8. Establishment of Community Improvement Teams (CIT)
a. For each Priority neighborhood, a Community Improvement Team is hereby established from members of the Selection Committee and stakeholders from the selected neighborhoods.
9. Development of Community Investment and Improvement Plans (CIIP)
a. Each team will work to develop a comprehensive neighborhood revitalization strategy.
10. Formal Adoption of Plans by the City
a. At the conclusion of the CIIP, the Plan(s) shall be submitted to the City Planning Commission and City Council for adoption or acceptance by the City in conjunction with City policy