Pittsburgh council goes back to drawing board with tiny house bill

A proposal before Pittsburgh City Council to permit regulated homeless camps Downtown, complete with utilities and services and possibly tiny houses, was withdrawn Wednesday.

Two council members spearheading the initiative, however, said they intend to reintroduce the idea soon.

Councilwoman Deb Gross, D-Highland Park, said she and co-sponsor Anthony Coghill, D-Beechview, decided it was best to revamp their proposal to fit with zoning amendments now under consideration.

The legislation the pair introduced proposed regulated homeless camps with bathrooms, support services, garbage pickup and other amenities.

They also pitched the idea of building small neighborhoods of tiny houses or renovating existing buildings into temporary managed communities to get homeless people off the streets and into safe, dignified housing.

Such proposals have taken off in other cities, where officials have credited tiny houses — small, semi-permanent structures that allow more privacy and security than a tent or other temporary shelter — for drastically reducing the number of unsheltered homeless and helping people transition into more permanent housing.

Mayor Ed Gainey’s administration questioned whether legislation creating some regulated homeless sites would force the city to clear unregulated camps in the city.

A measure to modify the zoning code to allow regulated camps has been held up in the Planning Commission for months.

With the legislation withdrawn in council, the commission now will not have to vote on the proposed zoning changes.

A spokeswoman for Gainey did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but Gross said administration leaders met with her and indicated they would be supportive of the revamped legislation.

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