Mayor proposes tax exemption program for longtime residents

Mayor Ed Gainey has submitted legislation to Pittsburgh City Council to create a Longtime Owner Occupant Tax Exemption Program (LOOP), with the goal of shielding residents from tax raises from rapidly increasing property values.

The mayor announced the proposed program in a March 7 press release, and is aimed at protecting homeowners in “rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods” by exempting or deferring property tax increases for those who meet certain criteria.

The criteria to be eligible under the program are: The homeowners must have owned or lived in the same property for at least 10 years, or five years if they received housing assistance.

The homeowners must experience an assessment value increase of more than 25% from one year to the next, or a 50% increase over a five-year period.

The household’s income must be at or below 120% of the Area Median Income.

All real estate taxes must be current, or a payment plan must be in place with the Department of Finance.

A LOOP program in Pittsburgh was authorized by the state legislature last year as Act 53 of 2024. However, the bill left the implementation of the program up to the city, which is what Gainey’s bill represents.

Construction resumes on Davis Ave. bridge

Work on the Davis Avenue pedestrian bridge which will connect Brighton Heights with Riverview Park resumed on March 24, resulting in a closure of traffic on Woods Run Avenue.

According to the Engage page for the project, work is now focusing on the installation of the bridge’s steel truss. After that, work will move to construction of the concrete deck, installation of lighting, paving of the bridge’s approaches and landscaping.

Traffic on Woods Run will be detoured at the construction site for “several weeks,” according to the page. The detour uses Brighton Road, Marshall Avenue, Perrysville Avenue and Mairdale Avenue.

The pedestrian bridge is replacing a vehicular bridge which was torn down in 2009. The new crossing will be for cyclists and pedestrians only.

The Pittsburgh Department of Mobility and Infrastructure anticipates the bridge opening to foot traffic sometime this spring, For more information, visit engage.pittsburghpa.gov/davis-avenue-bridge.