"Three months before former Mayor Bill Peduto left office, he proposed a zoning change for nearly 18 acres of Oakland specifically tailored to a plan by Walnut Capital, the landowner, that would allow the developer to construct buildings up to 180 feet high near UPMC Magee Womens Hospital.

Now two months after Mayor Ed Gainey has taken office, the development, known as Oakland Crossings, has been scaled back. 

Though the new zoning proposal limits the height to 65 feet, the developer can add “bonus height” by earning “bonus points” for items such as energy efficiency, a commitment to hiring underrepresented groups for the operation of the building for the first 10 years, and for constructing a grocery store in the development.

The plan, unveiled at a Pittsburgh Planning Commission meeting on Tuesday, March 8, also eliminates the block-long high-rise buildings planned for McKee Place."

Read the full article here.

Ann Belser | Next Pittsburgh