Strip District residents gather to oppose new townhome development, taxing plans

PITTSBURGH — Dozens gathered Wednesday evening at a Town Hall in the Strip District.

The meeting comes one day after two decisions were made by city officials that directly impact the neighborhood.

The first, the city planning commission approved 23 new four-story townhomes that will be built near the 31^st Street Bridge.

The second, city council voted 6 to 3 in favor of creating a TRID or Tax Revitalization Investment District.

That means 75% of new tax revenue from specific areas, including the Strip, will be funneled into Downtown for the next 40 years.

“We don’t want the Strip to stall. We want to continue to build off of it, but we have to look at our larger tax base Downtown and realize offices aren’t opening tomorrow,” Mayor Corey O’Connor said. He spoke at the town hall.

Not everyone in attendance was on board with the TRID.

“In the Strip, we’re very worried about our tax dollars going into Downtown. We have infrastructure needs here,” Ann Dugan said. She’s a resident and a business owner and told Channel 11 she’d like to have seen more community involvement.

“The way it’s done is say everybody has skin in the game. Let’s work together and make this right,” Dugan said.

“I did get the concerns, but we think we have to do something relatively bold,” O’Connor said.

“You have to help all communities,” resident Geoff Clauss said.

He says he’s more concerned about recent development and the influx of rental spaces.

He specifically spoke out against the possibility of condos replacing the old Helltown Brewing on Penn Avenue.

“I feel like the Strip is getting transformed into cookie-cutter housing. It’s rental,” he said.

“I think we have to look at infrastructure before we look at residential and office buildings,” Dugan said.

Mayor O’Connor also told Channel 11 that housing created Downtown using these funds will be for all income levels and $10 million will go toward public transit.

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