Julia Felton stories, Page 55

Members of the Pittsburgh Planning Commission and representatives of Shadyside-based developer Walnut Capital sparred over a proposal for a large-scale development in the city’s Oakland neighborhood during a meeting that lasted more than two hours Monday. Walnut Capital, best known for revitalizing the East End’s Bakery Square, has proposed a...

A GetGo Cafe + Market with a gas station is likely coming to Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood, officials said Wednesday. “There hasn’t been anything like this in the community since I was a little boy,” said Councilman Ricky Burgess, whose district includes Homewood. Burgess said discussions about developing a GetGo location...

Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday again revised a proposed change to the city’s parking code. The proposed legislation, introduced by Councilman Bobby Wilson in October, would create hybrid residential parking permit areas where drivers without a permit could pay to park for a limited time. It also would create non-resident...

Pittsburgh City Solicitor and Chief Legal Officer Yvonne Hilton will be leaving her role with the city, Mayor Bill Peduto announced Monday. Hilton began working with the city in August 1997. In the 24 years since, she has served as an assistant city solicitor, associate city solicitor and deputy city...

Pittsburgh City Council is considering a proposal to extend the city’s partnership with Humane Animal Rescue, a nonprofit that takes in stray animals and aids in the adoption process. Humane Animal Rescue has partnered with the city’s Bureau of Animal Care and Control for about 15 years. The proposed contract...

Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday introduced a proposed spending plan for the fund created through the city’s new parks tax. The trust fund is projected to contain $10.8 million at the start of next year. Any money remaining in it at the end of the year can be carried over...

Pittsburgh drivers are now barred from parking in bike lanes, with some exceptions. City Council on Tuesday unanimously passed an ordinance that forbids people from parking in the city’s bike lanes. Bike lanes are now added to a list of places drivers can’t park — with other areas including crosswalks,...

Pittsburgh City Council is holding a public hearing Saturday to gather input on a proposal to annex neighboring Wilkinsburg and make it the city’s 91st neighborhood. The proposal has drawn mixed reactions in Wilkinsburg so far. The Wilkinsburg Community Development Corp. has led the effort to consider merging with Pittsburgh...

Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday tweaked proposed amendments to the city’s parking code, including a provision that would allow for new types of non-resident parking permits. The proposed legislation, introduced by Councilman Bobby Wilson in October, would allow people to get a non-resident permit if they are administering medical care...

Pittsburgh City Council advanced legislation that would ban parking in the city’s bike lanes, but there would be exceptions to the rule. The proposed ordinance, introduced by Councilman Bobby Wilson last week, would add bike lanes to the list of places city drivers can’t park. Other areas where parking is...

An ordinance adopted Tuesday by Pittsburgh City Council will require the city to incorporate electric vehicle charging plans into its renovation and construction projects. Under the Electric Vehicle Readiness Ordinance, new and renovated city-owned facilities will be required to have the electrical capacity and equipment installed to support the city’s...

An ongoing effort to build police-community relations through involvement with local houses of worship will be expanded, after City Council voted to recommend an expansion of such programs Tuesday. Councilman Ricky Burgess — a pastor who was recently elected moderator of the Allegheny Union Baptist Association — sponsored legislation that...

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto didn’t have a playbook or checklist to refer to as his administration responded to the mass shooting at Squirrel Hill’s Tree of Life synagogue three years ago. Now, Peduto and a team of mayors from across the country who found themselves in similarly tragic scenarios worked...

Employers in Pittsburgh are no longer allowed to discriminate against employees because they have been victims of domestic abuse. Some victims of domestic violence have faced employment discrimination “based on the perception they will cause a threat to public welfare or create a breach of peace,” according to the ordinance...

Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday adopted a lead safety ordinance that aims to prevent potential lead exposure for city residents, and children in particular. The ordinance is one step in a larger effort to reduce the number of lead poisoning cases in Pittsburgh, said Councilwoman Erika Strassburger, who introduced the...

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto’s communications director will be leaving her role with the city at the end of the week, the mayor’s office announced Tuesday. Molly Onufer, 33, of Shadyside, began working for the city in December of 2016 in the Office of Community Affairs, were she served as manager...

Nonunion Pittsburgh city employees who were facing a reduction in pension benefits are now eligible to receive full pension pay, as City Council removed the pension offset Tuesday. The pension offset — which impacted city employees hired after June 30, 2004, with exceptions for firefighters, police and EMTs — called...

As he prepares to take office, Mayor-elect Ed Gainey met with Pittsburgh residents, business owners and activists to discuss issues that he hopes to tackle while in office. The event, hosted by the Downtown Community Development Corporation, gave people the opportunity to pose questions for the incoming mayor. Gainey also...

Couch Brewery in Pittsburgh’s Larimer is scheduled to close next month, but another brewery will be moving into the location. The independent brewery on Washington Boulevard announced the closure on social media Sunday. Its last day in business will be Dec. 19, the brewery wrote on Facebook “with a tear...

The city of Pittsburgh is now able to use the money collected through the park tax, after City Council this week approved a measure that allows the money to be put to use in the city’s parks. The 0.5-mill tax, approved by city voters in 2019, is meant to increase...

An upscale, technology-driven miniature golf course will be among the newest additions at the Terminal in the Strip District. Puttshack, which calls itself “the world’s first and only upscale, tech-infused mini golf experience with global food and drink,” announced last week that it had signed a lease at the Terminal....

As his January inauguration approaches, Pittsburgh Mayor-elect Ed Gainey announced his transition team Wednesday and launched a website that encourages community engagement. The transition team will help Gainey to staff his administration, form advisory committees to develop policy recommendations and solicit public feedback. The incoming administration announced they will not...

Pittsburgh City Council is considering a measure to expand partnerships between police and religious organizations. Councilman Ricky Burgess, a pastor who was recently elected moderator of the Allegheny Union Baptist Association, introduced legislation that would have the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police participate in the One Congregation One Precinct, or OneCOP,...

Pittsburgh City Council on Monday advanced a proposed ordinance that aims to protect city residents from harmful lead exposure, though council members said the legislation should be considered only the first step in a larger effort. The measure aims to reduce the number of lead poisoning cases in the city,...