Greater Hill Development Principles

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1.  The Mellon Arena and the Melody Tent sites sit on the Lower Hill District, thus these areas are part of the greater Hill District.  Going forward these areas will be referred to as the Lower Hill District instead of as the ‘28 Acres’.
2. Any development plan for the Lower Hill District must fully restore the pre-Arena street grids/roadways, so that Webster and Wylie Avenues run completely into the downtown Pittsburgh street grid without barriers of any type.
3. Land use and development plans for the Lower Hill will preserve no physical remnant of Civic Arena/Mellon arena and the resulting displacement of 8,000+ Hill Residents and businesses.
4. Any housing development plan for the greater Hill District must include a mix of owned and rental housing suited for all income levels.  At least 30% of all housing units developed in the Lower Hill District must be affordable to very low-income households, and at least half of those must be affordable to extremely low-income households.  At least 10% of all housing units developed elsewhere in the Hill District must be affordable to very low-income households, unless a higher affordability threshold is specified in the Master Plan.  At least fifty percent of proposed housing should be able to accommodate families. At least 10% of all newly developed housing units must be accessible to people with disabilities, and all newly developed housing units must meet PHFA visitability guidelines to the extent feasible. (Implementation strategies are attached. See Anti-Displacement Strategies for Residents).
5. All housing developments within the Hill District must minimize the displacement of residents and businesses.  Developments for the Lower Hill must also include ‘right of return’ preferences for individuals families, organizations and businesses displaced in the original Civic Arena development (Renaissance 1).  (See Anti-Displacement Strategies for Residents, and Strategies for Reclaiming the Lower Hill, attached).
6. In the Lower Hill, a mix of retail shops should occupy all (or a majority of) building spaces at street level.
7. In the Lower Hill District significant retail opportunities for must be made available to small local operators along with larger operators.  At least 20% of all newly developed retail spaces in the Lower Hill District must be set aside for small businesses that: (1) are majority owned by Hill District residents, (2) are currently located in the Hill District, (3) were displaced from the Lower Hill by the Renaissance I urban renewal project, or (4) are majority-owned by residents who were displaced from the Lower Hill by urban renewal. (see Anti-Displacement Strategies for Business, and Strategies for Reclaiming the Lower Hill,  attached).
8. All development plans must include first source hiring provisions within the project labor agreements for all stages of work at any development site.
9. All development contracts including: Pre-Construction services (architectural, engineering, urban planning, market and traffic study consultants, and other real estate consultants); as well as qualified suppliers and qualified contractors will require a minimum MBE participation rate of 30% and WBE participation rate of 15%. Particular consideration must be given to Hill District businesses and companies in fulfilling these requirements. Compliance with this principle will be monitored by a 5 person committee; 3 of the 5 committee members will be Hill District Residents/Stakeholders.
10. All plans for the Hill District must include provisions for green and sustainable development.  This includes ample green space, trees, parks and playgrounds and LEED certified building standards, as outlined in the Hill District Green Print and other plans.
11. All development plans must preserve views from the Hill District in all directions and complement the Green Print plan.  Development of the Lower Hill must not impair views of Downtown from Crawford Street.
12. All traffic and parking plans must minimize negative impacts on existing and future neighborhood residents.  More specifically traffic and parking plans must minimize noise and pollution, while also maximizing resident access to parking and the roadways leading to their homes.
13. All development plans will incorporate the look and feel of existing architectural themes, with particular attention to recognizing the Hill District is a residential neighborhood with neighborhood business districts that are at the edge of the Central Business District (See Bedford Design guidelines attached).
14. All development plans must be designed to benefit existing community residents and businesses, while allowing for future growth of retail, residential and commercial spaces.
15. All future development plans for the Hill District shall incorporate existing community plans (including the Green Print, Centre Avenue Design Guidelines, Bedford Hill Development plan and Consensus Group Action Plan).
16. Land use, public art and development plans must honor the historical and cultural legacy of the Hill District, as a predominately African American neighborhood. Further, such plans must abide by Historic Preservation standards set by the Historical Hill Institute.
17. All development projects receiving a subsidy from or through the City, County or URA should provide co-ownership opportunities for Hill District Community-Based Organizations or Hill District Faith-Based organizations. At a minimum, the Community-Based or Faith-Based organization should have at least a 20% interest in the ownership, profits, developer fee and/or cash flow; should have the ability to approve or reject major project decisions; and should have a right of first refusal to acquire the project if it is sold.
18. Community groups and service organizations based in the Hill District must be given priority to acquire vacant land and buildings, as needed,  to improve the quality of educational, social service and recreational opportunities for Hill District residents.
19. Community residents must have ready access to all developing and finalized plans, proposals and studies regarding the Greater Hill District.  Input from community residents must be included in the development stages of any plan or study affecting the neighborhood and community residents must have seats on development/study committees whose products will influence the Greater Hill District.