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City moves on long-anticipated housing in the lower Hill District. The URA voted in favor of plans for a possible housing complex along with funding for future investment Madaleine Rubin Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Apr 9, 2026 Pittsburgh residents first demanded more affordable housing in the city's lower Hill District, a 28-acre site near Downtown, in the 1960s. More than six decades later, residents may finally get their wish. But a long road ahead remains. Pittsburgh's Urban Redevelopment Authority on Thursday moved forward with plans for a possible low-income housing complex in the lower Hill, along with funding for future investment in the region. The agency also voted in favor of issuing a request for proposals on April 13 to build additional housing in the area, with submissions due about two months later. "We're excited to put this request for proposals out to market," said Tom Link, chief development officer at the URA. This next step in the lower Hill's long-stalled transformation comes after the Pittsburgh Penguins' exclusive right to build in the neighborhood expired in October. The team's exit left the land in the hands of two city agencies: the URA and the Sports and Exhibition Authority, marking the start of a new chapter in the lower Hill's lengthy history. After several months of working with city officials and Hill District representatives on next steps, the URA in March unveiled plans to hand Downtown-based Trek Development the rights to nearly 2 acres of land in the lower Hill for construction of an affordable housing complex. Already, the city and Trek Development have spent years renovating and expanding Bedford Dwellings, Pittsburgh's oldest public housing project, with more than 800 new units in the Hill District. Under the URA's plan, some of those units could be built in the lower Hill. Trek Development wants to build an apartment complex with around 140 units on Crawford Street and Centre Avenue. Half would be designated affordable. After a 30-day public comment period lapsed this week, the URA on Thursday approved the plans to involve Trek in the lower Hill's redevelopment. During that period, members of the public also had the opportunity to share thoughts on a request for proposals to build more housing on another 7 acres in the lower Hill. Just one comment - supportive of the agency's plans - was received, a URA spokesperson said. The request for proposals will be issued on Monday; the URA hopes to select a developer, or multiple developers, in early July. The site, currently home to surface parking lots, makes up over one-quarter of the entire lower Hill and has been slated for residential development for years. The URA will consider proposals for affordable or market-rate housing, along with mixed-used development, according to the request for proposals. For decades, advocates have pushed for more affordable housing in the neighborhood, where construction of the Civic Arena in the late 1950s displaced thousands of families and other residents in the Hill. But plans stalled under the Penguins' control. The team gained the rights to the lower Hill in 2007 and pitched - and shelved - extensive plans over the years, delivering on some major promises while failing to see others through. A new, 26-story office tower was completed and a music venue is nearly finished at the site, but promises to build more than 1,000 units of housing, with many designated affordable, never came to fruition. In its request for proposals, the URA did not set affordability requirements but references a previous agreement between the Penguins and Hill District representatives that calls for marked-down rents on at least 20% of units. Developers are also encouraged to meet with community stakeholders before submitting their proposals. After developers vie for selection, plans will be presented to residents and the city, discussed in meetings, edited and voted on before work can begin. But the URA is already taking measures to prepare for the start of construction. Already, half of all property tax revenue generated by development in the lower Hill flows back into the Hill District. So far, projects at the site - namely, the office tower and music venue - have generated more than $7 million for use in the community. The URA on Thursday voted to earmark the other half of that tax revenue for investment in the lower Hill, specifically. That means that as the neighborhood grows, 100% of the tax dollars raised will flow back into the lower Hill and greater Hill District. More updates on the neighborhood's evolution are expected in the coming months as the URA and SEA continue to make decisions about use of the land. First Published: April 9, 2026, 3:30 p.m. Madaleine Rubin is a Post-Gazette business reporter with a focus on development and commercial real estate. She's a graduate of Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism.

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