Hello everyone, As you may know, there was a shooting at an Airbnb in the East Deutschtown neighborhood this past New Year’s Eve. This incident comes nearly four years after the tragic shooting at an Airbnb in the same neighborhood on Easter Sunday. The legislation to register short-term rentals (STRs) that Council passed in 2022 was a good first step, one that is still stuck in the Court of Common Pleas. Many neighborhoods in District 1 and throughout the city, are fed up with the lack of regulations and accountability for these poorly run STRs.
That’s why I co-sponsored Councilwoman Deb Gross’ bills, along with Councilman Anthony Coghill, to regulate these businesses and to hold the operators accountable when problems arise. Bill 2026-0008 requires a non-transferable short-term rental (STR) license for each property and zoning approval to operate. Bill 2026-0009 adds short-term rentals to the Zoning Code. The bill limits the number of units per building and requires a special exception from the Zoning Administrator to be permitted. At the time of writing this article, these two bills are currently in the Standing Committee. These bills are necessary steps toward stronger oversight, accountability, and protecting residents from the very real safety and quality- of-life impacts that result when these properties are misused.
I was grateful for the conversation at the community group meeting I attended in January where I heard from residents looking for immediate action to help address nuisance short-term rentals. One thing the community wanted was a better way to report incidents in 311. I’ve been working with the mayor’s office to review the system and implement ways to report issues at short-term rentals. The system has to work for residents so they can see results. Similar to reporting a pothole, people need to understand what happens next, who reviews the issue, and what kind of follow-up or enforcement is realistic. This is one small, but important step we can take right now that can have immediate impact.
On Feb. 3, the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI) will host a public meeting to review the preliminary design of the East Ohio Street Streetscape Plan. The meeting will be at the Allegheny City Alliance Church at 6:30 p.m. and I encourage everyone to attend. You can review the plans and design on the Engage Page: engage.pittsburghpa. gov/east-ohio-st-streetscape-improvements.
I’m happy to share that DOMI received over $1.3 million in grant funding for critical traffic signal upgrades at three intersections across the city, including North Avenue and James Street. The PennDOT grant, through the Green Light Go Program, will fund replacement of traffic signals, improvement of accessible curb ramps and sidewalks, new vehicular and pedestrian signal heads, audible pedestrian pushbuttons and new streetlighting. Similar improvements that the city has previously made has demonstrated a 33% reduction in crashes. I will share more details about the intersection’s design and construction timeline once we have more information from the project management team.
If you have any questions or concerns, call us at (412) 255-2135, email us at [email protected], find us on Facebook and X, and sign up for our newsletter (pittsburghpa. gov/City-Government/City-Council/Districts/ Bobby-Wilson-District-1). My staff and I look forward to hearing from you!
