Pittsburgh Zoning Districts - OPR-B Overview
By Kathleen Oldrey
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 OPR-B (Oakland Public Realm Subdistrict B) zoning district. Additional posts dive into the use and density of the OPR-B and provide an overview of the full OPR and the other subdistricts: OPR-A, OPR-C, and OPR-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
The OPR-B (Oakland Public Realm Subdistrict B: Craig Street) zoning district covers 0.03 square miles or 0.06% of Pittsburgh. This subdistrict has two main areas: one located along South Craig Street between Fifth Avenue and Forbes Avenue, and the other along North Craig Street, extending just beyond Bayard Street and Centre Avenue, and along Centre Avenue between Dollar Street and North Neville Street.
While the other OPR subdistricts are relatively clustered, the two sections of the OPR-B are approximately 0.2 miles apart, separated by an area of RM-VH district. The South Craig Street OPR-B area is also separated from the rest of the OPR by P (Parks) and EMI (Educational Medical Institution) zoning districts, and is approximately 0.4 miles from the next nearest OPR subdistrict, the OPR-C.
Challenges
Per Section 908.03.D.2, the purpose of the OPR-B subdistrict is to bring active uses like restaurants and retail stores to buildings’ first floors, while focusing office and residential uses on the upper floors. The list of uses permitted by-right is more expansive in the OPR-B than in the OPR-A, and although the purpose statement of the OPR-B emphasizes multi-story mixed-use buildings, this list still includes smaller-scale uses such as two- and three-unit residential.
The OPR-B subdistrict also has design requirements such as prominent entrances and ground-floor transparency, which may be reviewed under the city’s design review process, and site requirements such as frontage along an existing build-to line (a consistent line of aligned frontages created by other buildings facing the same street). While the OPR-B subdistrict is not in a parking reduction zone, accessory surface parking lots are discouraged.
Like the OPR-A subdistrict, both areas of the OPR-B subdistrict are fully within a Registered Community Organization area and are subject to RCO requirements where proposed projects meet RCO review thresholds. Very small areas of the OPR-B subdistrict include areas of Landslide-Prone and Steep Slope overlays, which means environmental review requirements may be relevant to proposed development in those areas.
Conclusion
As with the OPR zoning district as a whole, proposed development in the OPR-B subdistrict may undergo public processes or more in-depth reviews than what would be required for basic (formerly known as “over-the-counter”) reviews. Design review and RCO requirements may play a role in review, and additional documentation may be needed to demonstrate that any proposed parking has been thoroughly evaluated.
