RHLS Staff Attorney Bob Damewood was asked to serve on the Transition Committee for Mayor Gainey as the new Mayor of Pittsburgh prepared to take office last spring. His role was Co-Chair of the Equitable Development Committee, along with Monica Ruiz of Casa San Jose. The committee’s charge was to engage the public and develop feasible, concrete and actionable policy recommendations for equitable housing development, entrepreneurship and cultural economy.
Over the course of three months, the committee engaged with hundreds of Pittsburgh residents through meetings, discussions, a virtual community listening session and an online participation site. In formulating their recommendations, the committee reviewed dozens of studies and reports as they researched and discussed nationwide best practices.
The committee was able to interview subject matter experts, both locally and throughout the country and consider detailed recommendations from a number of community coalitions and stakeholder groups. They also convened a subcommittee of the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) stakeholders and partners to explore operational concerns and draft a proposed vision and agenda for change.
One recommendation was that the Gainey Administration create multiple pathways for permanently affordable housing by leveraging all publicly available land, building the capacity of community stewards, investing in and incentivizing the development of permanently affordable housing, and amending zoning policies. The committee recommends that the Mayor prioritize permanent affordability because it is a far more cost effective investment of scarce public resources. Read the report to see the full recommendation.
Using the above information, the Equitable Development committee developed sixteen policy recommendations for equitable housing development, entrepreneurship and cultural economy. Those recommendations now form the foundation of Mayor Gainey’s policy platform. Bob and the committee members and community are grateful to the mayor for the opportunity to help formulate his policy objectives and look forward to working with his administration to implement the recommendations.