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River zone: Pittsburgh’s prime property faces an update

River zone: Pittsburgh’s prime property faces an update

Anyone knows how to get a crying baby to fall asleep — talk to her about zoning. Unless she’s a Pittsburgh baby, in which case she’ll want to hear all about the zoning revisions coming to the city’s riverfronts.

Now just before any readers begin to nod off, keep this in mind: Riverfronts in a city with three rivers are incredibly important. That’s why setting the proper zoning regulations will be fundamental to protecting, managing and getting the most from the city’s riverside property for decades to come.

The Peduto administration announced last week that it wants to update the city’s riverfront zoning so that it reflects how Pittsburghers use their rivers in the 21st century. No more steel mills or industrial wastelands — in their place, it’s offices, light industry, retail and entertainment.

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What a difference a century makes. That’s why zoning regulations must be updated to reflect the apartments, parks, restaurants and stores that revived and renewed Pittsburgh's land along the rivers.

Two 6 p.m. public meetings — on Jan. 11 at the Pittsburgh Public Market, 2401 Penn Ave. in the Strip District and on Jan. 13 at South Side Market House, S. 12th and Bingham streets in the South Side — will be held to explain the coming rezoning and take citizen input. Residents will also learn about the temporary overlay district that will provide development controls over the next 18 months.

Although the new restrictions will not affect current property owners, they will determine what developers will be permitted to do with these spaces in the future. In only a few decades, Pittsburgh's riverfronts have gone from dirty, smelly, polluted stretches where no one wanted work or play, let alone live. Now the water's edge is prime real estate for a variety of uses — which means using the right kind of zoning to deliver the most benefits.

It’s your city, your riverfronts. Take charge.

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First Published: December 29, 2015, 5:00 a.m.

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