Dear Community Design & Planning Partners,

As you may have read in the Post-Gazette, the City is engaged in a negotiation with landlord and real estate interests regarding a reduction in the requirements for Landlord Rental Registration program the City of Pittsburgh passed in 2008.  The article “City, landlords to iron out registration ordinance” buried in the paper’s local section should have been front page news.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09212/987650-53.stm

The discussion as framed by the Post-Gazette is gutting an importance new ordinance (one of the best new initiatives of Mayor Ravenstahl, by the way) that would require landlords register properties, identify tenants, and maintain an occupancy permit. The Law department, without and citizen input or notice has decided to let the Landlords have a severely watered down version that reduces the fee to $5, not require tenant names and most importantly, require an occupancy permit! This effectively kills the purpose and impact of the law.

As a professional and citizen fighting everyday to maintain our neighborhoods health and vitality, this puts the City at a competitive disadvantage as well as potential unintended detrimental impacts to City residents and neighborhoods.  Whatever the outcome of this case with the Court of Common Pleas, the implications for our neighborhoods and quality of life in the City is sure to be long term.  

We are asking that you make your opinion known to the Mayor's Office, your City Councilmember, and the media.   What does a continuation of the status quo mean to your home, your neighbors, your block, etc.?   

Please pass this on to those you think could help.

Thank you,

Rob Pfaffmann, AIA
Lisa Haabestad
604 Filbert Street
Pittsburgh

ps: the landlords in our neighborhood have told us they are very happy with the new version. Just on our block alone we have two confirmed landlords with no occupancy permits or other violations of occupancy, effectively running the houses as rooming houses for students, drug dealers, parolees etc. Sound like this would be in a struggling defenseless neighborhood or Oakland? No, it is Shadyside!