Pittsburgh Zoning Districts - GPR Overview
By Carolyn Ristau
Introduction
Zoning districts are a fundamental building block of zoning regulations and set the base use, height, and density standards for the area they cover. Pittsburgh has over 50 distinct mapped zoning districts. This series of guides is unpacking each of these districts.
In this post, we provide an overview of the GPR (Grandview Public Realm) zone. Additional posts will dive into the density regulations for the GPR and the permitted uses in each of the four subdistricts: GPR-A, GPR-B, GPR-C, and GPR-D.
Refer to our Introduction to Pittsburgh’s Zoning Districts for the complete list of base zoning districts in the city. Pittsburgh’s interactive zoning map can be used to verify the project site’s zoning district.
Overview
Only 0.5 square miles (1%) of Pittsburgh falls into the GPR zoning district. The Grandview Public Realm is one of three public realm districts in Pittsburgh. These districts are intended to provide special regulations in areas experiencing substantial development that could affect their unique importance to the City.
Grandview Avenue in Pittsburgh runs along the crest of Mt Washington and provides “grand” views of downtown, the confluence of the three rivers, the north hills, and several miles of the three river valleys. It is a predominantly residential neighborhood, but because of the views it is also a popular tourist destination.
The GPR zoning district was developed from “The Grandview Avenue Corridor Urban Design and Development Study” from 1995. There are four subdistricts (A-D) identified in the zoning code text, however subdistrict D is not currently used on the zoning map. The primary differences between these subdistricts are the permitted uses and the height requirements.
Challenges
Due to the geological conditions of the land within the GPR, the entire district is undermined and many parcels have portions that are considered steep slopes and / or are landslide prone. These environmental conditions often require additional documentation to demonstrate the safety and suitability of the proposed development, especially in the case of new construction.
The setback requirements for the GPR acknowledge the slope conditions and provide adjustments accordingly to prevent development in the steepest parts of the slopes.
This zoning district has additional challenges due to quirks in the text. First, while there are currently four subdistricts listed with distinct standards in the zoning code, only three of these districts are currently mapped. This means that in theory there could be a fourth subdistrict in future, but at the moment, the standards of subdistrict D do not apply to any parcel within the City.
Second, the GPR standards were written prior to the last rewording of the zoning code. During that rewrite, the standard for use exceptions was not translated into the new code language. Therefore, the interpretation of this standard will likely be based on the best guess of whoever is applying it.
Third, the minimum lot size per unit on 1-, 2-, and 3-unit uses in the GPR-C subdistrict appears to be a typo, which as written would allow much denser development than seems to be intended overall in this subdistrict and the larger Grandview Public Realm. It is unlikely that this higher density would be approved in an application.
Conclusion
The zoning district sets the base use, height, and density standards for any development project. The GPR seems to seek to protect the predominantly residential nature of the neighborhood while permitting some tourist uses in limited locations. It also acknowledges some of the environmental challenges due to the slopes in the area. Because of the slopes and undermined conditions, additional documentation may be required to show how the development can be safely built. Finally, use caution when applying some of the standards of the GPR because insufficient proofreading has left some open to uncertain interpretation.
