Good afternoon, and welcome to Pittsburgh City Council's Cablecast Public Hearing for Tuesday, January twentieth, twenty twenty-six, relative to the bill twenty twenty-four zero nine five nine.

Will the clerk please read the bill?

Bill Nine Five Nine Ordnance Amending and Supplementing the Pittsburgh Code, Title Nine, Zoning Code, Article Six, Chapter Nine Nineteen Signs to Create and Establish the North Shore Entertainment District and set Forth Regulations for Neighborhood or District Gateway Signs.

So we'll have um I know we have uh Kate Rakis, City Planning, Sean Gallagher, have from Buchanan.

We also have Bill Colano from uh Colonel Design.

Yeah.

So I guess similar to the same order we did in city planning.

So looking forward to the conversation there that you all will provide.

And then uh for the record, we are joined obviously by myself on Bobby Wilson, representing District One City Council, and currently we are not joined by any in person, but we are joined online by Councilman Label.

And currently we are not joined by any in person, but we are joined online by Councilman Lavell, Council President Lavell.

All right.

With that, we'll start with our first presentation.

Katie, are you ready to go?

Yep, thanks.

My name is Kate Rickis.

I'm a senior planning manager and zoning and development review at City Planning.

So this zoning legislation 2024 0959 was referred to the Planning Commission on June 25th of 2025.

After that, staff and the applicant worked in a collaborative process throughout the summer and the start of the fall to get to the version that was presented at Planning Commission on November 18th, 2025.

This version received a positive recommendation in Planning Commission with the recommendation that this would be the version uh to be amended by substitute at council.

So this amendment by substitution has happened, and this is now the version that is before council, the one that received a positive recommendation at Planning Commission.

The applicant is here to walk through the legislation, so I won't go through the details, but generally the legislation creates unique signage standards for the North Shore, and there's one citywide change to neighborhood gateway signage.

And as per the zoning code notice requirements, mailed and posted notice were completed 21 days in advance of this hearing today.

Thanks, Kate.

Sean Gallagher, uh Canningersol.

Um we've uh we represent the North Shore stakeholders, which as you can see on the presentation is uh Rivers Casino, uh the Science Center, PNC Park, uh Aquishare Stadium and the War Hall.

Um this is a uh project that I you know began almost 15 years ago.

Um there was always a need for the North Shore is the biggest collection of public destination facilities in Pittsburgh, and it it it needs unique signage that isn't presently provided for in the zoning code.

So for a number of years, uh we've been working uh with city planning and others to um provide for more flexibility to create an entertainment district on the North Shore.

And as uh Kay just said, um, you know, and Councilman Wilson uh, as you're aware, uh there was a lot of dialogue back and forth to make sure that all of uh city planning's concerns were addressed, and we believe that um what is considered right now uh by council is uh responsible legislation that will help to make the North Shore Entertainment District uh the premier destination place in Western Pennsylvania.

Um the district itself, go ahead, Colin.

Uh it extends down from the casino to the war hall generally.

It's bounded by Reedsdale Street and uh the river.

Uh as you can see right here, there are five subdistricts that correspond with each of the public destination facilities.

Uh the Greens, the casino, then the science district center, the Accreshire Stadium District, uh PNC district and the POP district uh subdistrict.

Um most of the, and Bill Kwano will speak to this in a second, but almost all of the signage uh flexible signage regulations uh apply to those colored areas and not the graded area.

Um that's pretty much it.

I'll let Bill go through the uh specifics of the different types of signs.

I'll give you a uh super um executive summary.

The city code currently is really meant for buildings more in an uh urban setting and signs for first floors, second floors above 40 feet.

The building types that we have on the North Shore don't follow that architecture.

We have stadiums uh that really don't have a defined first and second floor.

And so the the code has always been uh a hardship for uh figuring out how we can sign the building properly.

Also, there is language in the current code that says anything over 200 square feet on a building requires a variance.

So you can imagine a structure like Across Stadium that by the code it's giving us thousands of square feet that we're allowed to put on the building, but every sign has had to have a variance that has been over that original 200 square feet, and that's been a terrible hardship.

And thirdly, uh the uh North Shore is really built as a uh indoor-outdoor stage set where uh the activities are constantly changing.

And with our building-based sign system, we were lacking in regulations and ways that we can sign outdoor spaces and respond to the changing uh activities that happen in the North Shore.

And let's go on to uh we have our first grouping is structure-based signs, and uh these are ones that are on buildings right now, and we are uh putting them these if we looked at three different uh benchmark cities that we'll come to among uh almost every public destination facility uh in the country in order to come up with our guidelines and our guidelines are relatively uh conservative compared to most.

Let's go on.

We have these are our different sign types that we have.

Um we won't get into the specifics of them.

Let's go on.

And uh the regulations that we put in place, we still go to city planning for the largest sign types.

The middle group uh of signs, size signs uh go to uh planning staff, and the smallest signs are uh entitled by right.

And these are just the structure-based signs, correct.

And these are signs that are just attached to the facility under the current code, depending on where it's attached to the building, is uh it could be a canopy sign, a marquee sign, a projecting sign.

They were all very different and limited.

Um these signs get rid of that distinction, and it's just anything attached to the wall.

Simplify.

Sorry.

Right.

And that response to our our unusual interesting architecture that's there.

For ground signage, we have uh examples of sculptural things that are found in other cities, and we want to encourage uh more artistic signage and um be allowed to enhance the environment through uh creative sign solutions.

Let's go on.

And so we have regulations for how they're sized and how many that we're allowed to have in uh each open space.

Next.

And these are just a few examples of what some ground-based signs can be, and these are not on the drawing board, they're just uh showing you ideas of we could have a giant uh Steeler sign and Panther sign in the in the open space in front of the stadium or a sculptural helmet in and again these are not on the drawing board, they're they're just conceptual ideas to explain what could be done.

Uh very fun to put a giant uh soup can in the war hall district.

Uh temporary event signage.

Uh we all know the NFL draft is is coming up.

Um we wanted to make accommodation for these large-scale events that the city can host and also small scale.

So there are two sections of the new code uh for small events and for large events, and each of them have different setup times and takedown times and different regulations that can control what we um what we do.

And um lastly, we have uh large video displays.

We are keeping to the same size uh recommendation that is in the current code.

Uh but uh in the current code we're only allowed one per building.

And if you have uh a massive stadium size uh with this code gives us allowance for more than one.

Yeah, I would say the only distinction between uh what's proposed and what currently exists is that there was a limitation in the current code about uh visibility from a road uh 30 with a speed limit greater than 35 miles an hour and um we uh the North Shore stakeholders came to City Council back in 2011 to address that uh concern because as everybody's aware, if you drive by drive through the North Shore, I mean it's a giant fish pole that you can see it from everywhere, and that was a problem.

It was amended in one place, but not in another, and we're just clarifying that that's not an issue here.

So that's the only other real distinction.

Everything else, I think pretty much remains the same.

And that's pretty much it.

We'd be happy to answer any questions that council may have.

Uh thank you for your presentation.

Uh this time we you know we allow a presentation and we go to the speakers and then council um may ask.

Typically they don't ask questions.

I guess it's up to the chair whether or not they could answer the question, but regardless, we'll get there.

Uh but let's let's go on to our next word of business, which is the so there's nothing further.

No, that's from the presentation.

Okay.

Okay, okay.

All right.

So our next order in business will be the testimony from a register of speakers.

Please give your name and address for the public record.

Each speaker will have three minutes to address counsel.

And our first speaker is David Demko.

Hi, all uh my name's David Demko.

Um I'm at uh 105th Avenue, uh, Pittsburgh 15212.

Um I'm the assistant director of Scenic Pittsburgh.

I've been in this job for 15 years, and I'm an expert on sign control and sign proliferation.

This is quite possibly the worst signage bill I've ever seen.

I cannot even believe it made it this far.

Entertainment this district, nice rhetoric.

This bill literally creates a billboard free-for-all zone.

In Pittsburgh, the largest signs we allow, we put our billboards up to 750 square foot.

750 square foot bill billboard or the or the big jumbo billboards.

You know how big they are.

This bill has several new inventions in it.

Um major temporary event signs.

We already have a temporary event sign rules.

30 days, 378 feet, and five signs maximum are the current rules.

In this proposal, there's no limit on the number of signs, and there's no limit on the sides.

Temporary in this proposal means two and a half months.

So these signs will be used continuously.

First will be the Kenny Chesney concert, that'll be the rib cook off, and then so on and so on.

Minor temporary event signs.

This promote proposal permits up to 25 signs, up to 500 feet in size, nearly as large as the largest billboards that we permit in the city, period.

Public destination facility signs.

We already have a public destination facility sign definition or code.

Apparently, it does not sound allow signs large enough to suit the proponents of this bill.

This proposal allows ground signs and pole signs in unlimited numbers up to 2500 square feet and 50 feet in height.

Three and a half times the largest billboard we uh uh we are allowed now.

If someone were to build a 250 square foot sign, it would be the second largest sign in the city.

Cross-promotion district definition.

Uh this just BS.

Forget about restricting contents.

The the courts have ruled that once you determine that this sign is an appropriate use for its location, you cannot restrict the content.

There are civil supreme cases affirming the First Amendment rights protections for these signs.

I'll let you read them for yourself.

Rooftop sign, no one permits these signs anywhere anymore.

Um if you permit rooftop signs, you will soon see one on top of the casino.

The provisions of the sex of this section shall take precedent.

In other words, no setbacks, no prohibitions on visibility from other neighborhoods or limited access highway.

That's 279, and no spacing requirements.

We should not be permitting this signage free-for-all.

Every sign should require a permit.

Every sign here should be a special exception.

Fine, to be clear, these are advertising billboards.

The 24-hour constant scrolling of advertisements is by definition an electronic billboard.

Anyone who thinks constant commercials are entertainment, well, perhaps we should get you a Netflix subscription.

This is a billboard free-for-all.

I urge you to be very skeptical regarding what this bill is asking for.

Thank you very much.

Okay, thank you.

Our next register speaker is Zapora Feldman.

Thanks so much in great pronunciation, my name.

Um I'm at 222 Oakview Avenue at 15218.

My name is Sapora Feldman, and I am the policy and research director for Scenic America, the only national nonprofit dedicated to preserving scenic beauty in the United States.

My work focuses specifically on outdoor advertising policy, and I regularly engage with federal, state, and local governments on sign regulation.

While I work for the national organization, I live here in Pittsburgh.

Scenic America strongly opposes this sign proposal in the North Shore Entertainment District.

Similar to many of the largest cities in the United States, the City of Pittsburgh has long-standing regulations to prevent the proliferation of signs and billboards.

This is for a very simple reason.

In every area in the country, people do not like billboards, especially digital ones.

They're unpopular, they create real safety, environmental, and quality of life impacts that are not worth the trade-off.

They distract drivers, use large amounts of electricity and an already constrained grid, reduce property values, and reduce tourism.

And for a city that claims to have a strong interest in tackling light pollution, digital billboards are a complete contradiction with light levels far exceeding safe levels for humans and animals.

Across the country, we're seeing a very troubling pattern in cities with strong billboard regulations.

Rather than pursuing broad, transparent changes to citywide codes, the outdoor advertising industry increasingly is seeking these special signed districts to bypass these long-standing rules.

While special sign districts were originally designed as kind of containment tools that allow limited negotiated exceptions to otherwise strict billboard controls, they're increasingly being used to authorize large volumes of new signage that would not be permitted under normal processes.

When this happens, communities lose more than just visual character.

If Pittsburgh moves forward with this approach, the question before you is not just whether these signs belong in the North Shore, but whether long-standing citywide protections still mean anything at all.

Across the country, once cities open this door, it becomes extraordinarily difficult to close.

Pittsburgh has spent decades building policies that protect its neighborhoods, it's night sky and its public realm.

Approving these proposals would move the city in the opposite direction, and not because the residents asked for it, but because some loophole allows it.

So I urge council to uphold Pittsburgh's existing sign regulations and reject this process that we can send them through exception rather than public deliberation.

Thank you.

Having exhausted our list of registered speakers, we will now take comments from those in the audience who did not register.

Please provide your name and neighborhood for the record.

You will have three minutes to speak.

Are there anyone in the audience that would like to speak?

Is there anyone in the audience who would like to speak?

Is there anyone online that I've missed?

Okay.

Having uh seeing no further speakers, we will move on to comments from from members and council president Label.

You have any comments?

Okay.

I think it dropped off for us.

So I want to thank everyone here, uh, Kate, Sean, and Bill, and uh everyone who uh played a part in this.

Appreciate everyone from uh like people like Chuck Cooling, uh Aaron Mulchaney, a lot a lot of a lot of communication going on between city planning, my office, council president's office, um, multiple council members, everyone had individual meetings to understand uh what the zoning change would be.

Also want to thank Corey Lehman, no longer further with us, but um the pie chart of collaboration or whatever for uh living in and in memory of uh those meetings, uh, which we can say now was was a good collaboration, and that's what came to be, you know, that's how this came to be.

And the history of it is you know, I wasn't here whenever it first started, but I was happy to take it on uh when it you know came back up.

Because I do think it's very important to recognize not only the the times that we're in that you know, businesses, whether it's for-profit, nonprofit, everyone's having difficulty, trouble, um, you know, keeping their businesses going, and uh for a thriving uh areas, we want to also make sure that they're continuing to thrive.

So in a city that just raised uh taxes 20%, I think it's critical that we continue to show that Pittsburgh is a destination of free people to come, and this is a part of the Pittsburgh where people can spend money, and uh we can uh maybe we don't get direct uh revenue from uh some of the money spent, but uh there is uh multiple ways that comes back from the state, and we always appreciate those partnerships where you know that there are there are different um ways that um you know money uh you know can be um you know used from state and other local places like the county.

So you know there's multiple reasons why this is important.

Obviously, the draft is coming up, and uh you know, you could speak to that more, but I think that the gist of it is that it does open open the door for temporary signage uh that didn't exist before.

And this, you know, once in a you know, say multiple decades chance that we have to highlight our city.

Um would be nice to see one of the side of the buildings lit up so that we can show that for what is it, three days at a time.

Um I also want to recognize the uh the council members and all their their questions throughout uh this this time period.

I think they were very uh helpful to help us navigate uh, you know, what might be changed.

I also want to thank the the planning commission, uh, because they they actually some members want us to go further.

Uh and you know, some wanted to, you know, maybe hold back a little bit, but I think a good compromise was made, and looking forward to this being back on the agenda.

I think we'll put it back on the agenda next.

We can come back tomorrow.

Yeah.

I think we'll just bring it back tomorrow.

We could have a good uh discussion about it and take the vote tomorrow, City Council, hopefully.

Understanding committee meeting.

Because this, you know, for for it being of uh fifteen years, uh, you know, this bill being worked on, it'd be nice to, you know, put this to rest.

Absolutely.

And thank you very much, Councilman.

Your uh your office and everybody on your staff was instrumental and very helpful in getting this to where it is today, and it's very much appreciated.

I appreciate that.

Uh so I wanna just um we're gonna wrap up here.

So any f any further comments.

Okay.

Well, thank you, Kate.

Thanks for um, you know, thanks for moving this all along as well.

Um, couldn't do it couldn't do without uh all the collaboration.

So with that, uh we are adjourned.

Thank you.