A presentation by city planner Wanda Wilson of preliminary zoning recommendations for the South Side Slopes took center stage at last week’s meeting of the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association.

The purpose of the meeting was to solicit input on the proposed new zoning as part of MAP PITTSBURGH: Zoning for Your Neighborhood, the city’s zoning remapping project.

The South Side Slopes’ zoning proposal will be presented to the City Planning Commission at a public hearing on Tuesday, Feb. 10, at 2:45 p.m. at 200 Ross St., first floor.

In 1999, the city passed a new zoning ordinance tailored to fit the unique attributes of Pittsburgh’s 88 neighborhoods. However, because of the inadequacies of the former zoning ordinance, zoning districts in some areas do not match actual land use.

The goal of MAP PITTSBURGH is to implement the new zoning ordinance by developing a new zoning map for each neighborhood that reflects land use realities and trends. City planners work closely with neighborhood organizations and residents of each neighborhood throughout the MAP PITTSBURGH process to get neighborhood input.

So far, Wilson said, about 25 neighborhoods have completed the process, including the South Side Flats.

In regard to the South Side Slopes, there are two main differences between the current zoning and the proposed zoning: the addition of the “H” Hillside District for steeply sloped, landslide-prone areas, and conversion of residentially zoned areas from multi-unit residential to single-unit residential zoning.

The “H” district limits development to detached single-unit dwellings. It provides for a more stringent review process for development projects, and provides more protections for the sensitive environmental conditions of the site.

“Actually, it is very similar to what the neighborhood has been zoned historically, which was ‘S’ for Special District under the old zoning code,” said Wilson. The permitted uses are the same although “H” Hillside is an improvement in terms of the application.

The other significant change being proposed is that residential single-unit zoning be applied throughout the neighborhood. Currently, the area is zoned multi-unit residential which, Wilson said, is not appropriate as the Slopes is not a multi-unit neighborhood.

“Most of the houses on the Slopes were originally built as single-family houses, so it’s important that the new zoning be a single-family district,” said Tom Hardy, manager of real estate development at SSLDC.

“We’ve seen a lot of houses on the Slopes that were originally single-family, and later carved up into two or three units, which added to parking challenges and led to absentee landlords,” he said.

The multi-units there now can remain, Wilson said, as all existing structures are “grandfathered,” meaning they are exempt from compliance with any new zoning as long as a valid occupancy permit is on file.

All non-residential uses, and all residential uses with two units and above, need an occupancy permit. Single-family houses don’t need an occupancy permit.

Even if the grandfathered property is sold, it remains grandfathered as the designation runs with the property, not the current owner.

In response to attendees’ fears about new townhouses being constructed on the Slopes, Wilson changed the residential single-unit attached zoning designations proposed for the “Billybuck Hill” portion of the neighborhood to residential single-unit detached, to allow only one detached house per property.

With the change, anyone seeking to build townhouses would have to apply for a variance.

Attendees also expressed concerns about the city-wide 30-ft. minimum front setback required in many of the zoning districts.

Wilson said the day following the meeting she remembered that there is a provision in the zoning code that allows for a “contextual front setback.” That means that even though the code states that the 30-ft. setback is required, it is understood that most front yards aren’t that big.

During the application process, the Zoning Office would look at maps to see how much the other houses are set back from the street. Generally, the applicant would be held to the same setback as his neighbors on the street, although the zoning office will judge plans on a case-by-case basis.

To contact Wanda Wilson for questions or with additional input, call her at 412-255-2223.

Following the Feb. 10 public hearing before the city Planning Commission, the issue will go to City Council, which will hold a public hearing before taking a vote.