Pittsburgh Zoning Districts - OPR-D 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-D (Oakland Public Realm Subdistrict D) zoning district. Additional posts dive into the use and density regulations of the OPR-D and provide an overview of the full OPR and the other subdistricts: OPR-A, OPR-B, and OPR-C.
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-D (Oakland Public Realm Subdistrict D: Boulevard of the Allies) zoning district is the largest of the OPR subdistricts at 0.07 square miles or 0.14% of Pittsburgh. Like the OPR-B, the OPR-D has two separate sections: one along Boulevard of the Allies roughly between Dawson Street and Magee Women’s Hospital, and the second also along Boulevard of the Allies, encompassing areas around the other major thoroughfares of Fifth Avenue and Forbes Avenue.
Challenges
Per Section 908.03.D.4, the purpose of the OPR-D subdistrict is to guide development in the area toward a consistent urban form, promote pedestrian connectivity, and work toward establishing Boulevard of the Allies as a gateway to Oakland. The OPR-D has the largest number of uses permitted by-right of the OPR subdistricts; unlike the OPR-A, OPR-B, and OPR-C subdistricts, the described purpose of the OPR-D pertains more to urban form and connectivity than to the creation or distribution of any particular mix of uses.
The OPR-D is located in a Registered Community Organization area; proposed development in that area must comply with RCO requirements if the thresholds of those requirements are met. More of the OPR-D than any other OPR subdistrict is affected by the Steep Slopes and Landslide Prone environmental overlays. These environmental conditions often require additional documentation to demonstrate the safety and suitability of the proposed development, especially in the case of new construction.
Visible entrances, conformity to build-to lines, and other design and site requirements are laid out in Section 908.03.D.4(d). Projects are also required to support the subdistrict’s goals on the pedestrian environment, screening, sidewalks, and street trees and landscaping.
Conclusion
As with the OPR zoning district as a whole, proposed development in the OPR-D subdistrict may undergo public processes or more in-depth reviews than what would be required for basic (formerly known as “over-the-counter”) reviews. Proposed development in the OPR-D subdistrict may be subject to environmental, design, landscape, and RCO reviews.
