Pittsburgh City Council Standing Committee Meeting Summary – February 11, 2026
Pittsburgh City Council Standing Committee Meeting Summary – February 11, 2026
The City of Pittsburgh Standing Committee met on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, at 10:00 AM in Council Chambers to consider a range of legislative items including a referendum on budget approval rules, a settlement warrant, departmental invoices, grant amendments for infrastructure projects, and two bills regulating short-term rentals. The meeting also featured extensive public testimony on short-term rental impacts and concluded with approval of multiple resolutions and referrals.
Public Comments & Testimony
- MJ Shaheen (deaf community member) called for short-term rental accessibility compliance with ADA, including flashing fire alarms, doorbell signals, and closed captioning on TVs.
- Callie DiSabato (North Side resident) argued that short-term rentals are an unregulated hospitality industry, not a policing issue, and urged regulation similar to hotels.
- Harvey Holtz (East Liberty) supported legislation but proposed limiting short-term rental units to five per person or corporation, not just per building, to prevent investor aggregation.
- Maya Fischoff (Squirrel Hill) supported the legislation, citing Airbnb as a case study of profit-driven over-tourism harming housing affordability.
- Liretta Payne (Hill District, representing Pittsburgh Human Rights City Alliance and Hill District Consensus Group) reported five Airbnbs on her street and urged adoption of the SHIFT directives to regulate short-term rentals as part of the financialization of housing.
- Kathleen Whitney (East Deutschtown) described her block with four short-term rentals, including a New Year’s Eve party that ended in gunfire, and called for dedicated enforcement officers and platform accountability.
- Catherine Brosky opposed grandfathering existing illegal units and emphasized safety concerns, noting a February 8 party with 50 underage individuals removed by police. She also directed comments to the public safety director regarding gun store transparency.
- Jake Tovey (Shadyside, board member of Steelstrut, a short-term rental alliance) supported licensing but opposed the zoning changes and building caps as too drastic, urging a data-driven approach.
- Chad Wise (founder/CEO of Hostwise, managing ~120 properties) supported regulation but warned against overly restrictive caps, noting his company’s local economic contributions: $670,000 to cleaners, $900,000 in tax revenue, and partnerships with local businesses. He proposed requiring remote monitoring technology.
- Ellie Howard (Spring Garden, short-term rental operator) questioned why only 3 of 45 properties in a community walkthrough were nuisance properties, arguing the problem is enforcement, not the industry. She highlighted her rental to film crews and urged inclusion of responsible operators in the conversation.
- Paul Costello (Highland Park) managed several units and opposed the 28-day maximum and two-unit-per-building limits, arguing they harm transplant patients and visiting families. He supported licensing and mitigation technology.
- Richard Mardoyan (Harrisburg) presented allegations of a “shadow system” in the state government and the city’s involvement, referencing a civil deposition and Dutch foreign relations.
- Madeline McGrady (co-chair, Pittsburgh Housing Justice Table) supported the legislation, preferring short-term rentals be made a variance rather than special exception in residential areas to prevent streamlined approval.
- Mary Babush (Allegheny West) argued short-term rentals should be zoned as businesses, not allowed in residential areas, as they remove housing for families.
- Bill Schlacter (Mount Washington) recounted his apartment building being converted to short-term rentals by an LLC and urged the city to follow Denver and Philadelphia’s regulations.
- Kelly Bethke (Lawrenceville, short-term rental owner) shared her story of using short-term rental income to build savings and a career, noting that bad behavior occurs in long-term rentals too, but short-term rental operators have stronger incentives to prevent it.
- Nicholas Petrillo (president, Brighton Heights Citizens Federation) announced the organization’s support for the legislation, referencing a recent party in the neighborhood broken up by police.
- Stephanie West (North Side operator) described her company’s economic impact: top cleaner earning $110,000 (up from $14,000), laundry vendor revenue over $100,000, and 11 employees in recovery.
- Carlino Giampolo (Panther Hollow) urged council members to end support for an illegal skate park in Panther Hollow, citing dignity and community harm.
- John Hanahan (Fine View) criticized the industry’s opposition, stating that regulations are needed and that the properties owned by industry speakers contribute to nuisance and lost housing.
- Teaira Collins (mother of five) emphasized the need for stricter regulations to protect affordable housing and children, citing her home’s value increase from $60,000 to $200,000.
- Special Agent Sunshine (self-identified) spoke about identity theft, judicial misconduct, and alleged bribery, requesting attention from the Justice Department.
Discussion Items
- Finance and Law Committee (Chair: Mrs. Strassburger)
- Bill 2026-0039 (Referendum on budget approval rules): Councilmember Lavelle sponsor. A motion to hold for four weeks was carried.
- Bill 2026-0085 (Warrant for Justin Hickox, $10,000): Approved with affirmative recommendation after an executive session the previous day.
- Invoices and P-Cards: Approved as a block. Councilmember Strassburger noted a concern about the CellHawk software renewal invoice ($2,754) under Bureau of Police, citing media reports about real-time location tracking. The administration stated the software is used only with a search warrant. The invoices were approved.
- Public Works and Infrastructure Committee (Chair: Mrs. Salinetro)
- Bill 2026-0078 (Emerald View Trail grant amendment): Accepts increased grant ($250,000) with reduced match. Approved.
- Bill 2026-0079 (Bloomfield Bridge intersection grant): Accepts $533,111 grant for planning and engineering. Approved.
- Bill 2026-0080 (Lincoln Avenue safety project grant): Accepts $750,236.69 grant (decreased award). Approved.
- Bill 2026-0082 (Herron Avenue Bridge preliminary engineering agreement with Norfolk Southern, $25,310, reimbursable). Approved.
- Bill 2026-0083 (Elizabeth Street Bridge preliminary engineering agreement with Allegheny Valley Railroad, $10,000, reimbursable). Approved.
- Land Use and Economic Development Committee (Chair: Mr. Wilson)
- Bill 2026-0008 (Short-term rental licensing): Councilmember Gross sponsor. Motion to hold for 12 weeks (past the NFL draft) was carried. Discussion included enforcement and the need to align with the zoning bill.
- Bill 2026-0009 (Short-term rental zoning amendments): Councilmember Gross sponsor. Motion to amend by substitute (technical corrections) passed. Then referred to the Planning Commission for report and recommendation. Councilmembers Gross, Wilson, Coghill, and Warwick spoke in support, noting the need for accountability, the impact on neighborhoods, and the distinction between owner-occupied units (by right) and investor-owned units (special exception). Warwick noted that the bill does not prevent mid-term rentals to traveling nurses or students.
- Intergovernmental and Educational Affairs Committee (Chair: Mr. Mosley)
- Bills 2026-0074, 0075, 0076 (PILOT agreements for Steelworkers Tower, Lynn Williams Apartments, I.W. Abel Building): All three are senior housing developments owned by NCSC/USA Housing Development Corporation. The agreements extend expiring PILOTs for 10 years. Finance Director Jen Gula explained the properties are tax-exempt but the PILOT ensures some payment. The assessed value of Steelworkers Tower is ~$6.5 million, but the PILOT is based on a nominal $15,000–$16,000 assessment. Councilmember Gross questioned the lack of transparency in the agreement terms and urged that future agreements be included in the legislative record. All three approved.
- Bill 2026-0077 (Land bank acquisition of 9 parcels in 10th Ward, no cost to city). Approved.
Key Outcomes
- Bill 2026-0039 (Referendum on budget rules): Held in committee for 4 weeks, due back by March 11, 2026.
- Bill 2026-0085 (Settlement warrant): Affirmatively recommended to full council.
- Invoices and P-Cards: Approved as presented.
- Bills 2026-0078, 0079, 0080, 0082, 0083 (Grant amendments and bridge agreements): All affirmatively recommended to full council.
- Bill 2026-0008 (Short-term rental licensing): Held in committee for 12 weeks, due back by May 6, 2026.
- Bill 2026-0009 (Short-term rental zoning): Amended by substitute and referred to the Planning Commission for report and recommendation.
- Bills 2026-0074, 0075, 0076 (PILOT agreements): All affirmatively recommended to full council.
- Bill 2026-0077 (Land bank property transfer): Affirmatively recommended to full council.
- Meeting announcements: Pre-agenda interview for city planning director at 1:30 PM that afternoon; regular council meeting Tuesday, February 17; standing committees meeting Wednesday, February 18, both at 10:00 AM.
Meeting Transcript
As advocacy consultant or upstream Pittsburgh and the Environmental Justice Table consultant and the Action Oversight Committee consultant for environmental justice. The environmental justice team and the work that they do on equitable equitable construction policies in Pittsburgh demonstrates that environmental outcomes are directly shaped by governance processes, public participation, and equitable access to information. Communities most impacted by demolition practices, environmental exposure, and redevelopment decisions rely on timely notice, transparency, budgeting, and accessible public engagement to protect health land use stability and community continuity. Procedure safeguards addressed in bills 2026-0039 and 2026-0040 are foundational to advancing environmental justice policies goals, including responsible deconstruction practices, equitable resource allocation, and community-informed environment of decision making. Strengthening participation mechanisms supports the city's capacity to implement environmental justice policies effectively and equitably across resident and community member communities, and the separate and distinct communities have Aboriginal American Nations people. Thank you so much for keeping transparency in line with environmental justice depressed communities. Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker is MJ Shaehan. So we are just working to enable the camera so we can have our interpreter. We're working on our end here to get the video up, so just working on it. Thank you. Hello, hi there. Hi everyone. My name is MJ Shaheen. I'm a deaf individual. I'm in the Pittsburgh area. My question is this. Airbnbs in this area. It's not good. For example, for the lights for deaf people. Where's the lighting for deaf people? For doors, doorbells, they need flashing signals. There aren't any. You know, there's some number, key cooks, keypads, and then for entry, a fire alarm. There's no flashing fire alarms or requirements. So you can smell the smoke from a fire, and there's an alarm, or car sorry, or a carbon monoxide alarm that's ownerless and you and there's no flashing alarm. The TV, a lot of them have not set up closed captioning. I have the remote, I'm looking, I'm searching for the captioning, and they need to explain that on the list. Because all TVs are different. They're different systems, they have different needs. So it should explain here's how to access captioning on this television and this Airbnb. A few different examples. We need ADA laws to be followed, all of them for, you know, and they need to be deaf friendly. So in the community, we have a, for example, we have an Airbnb, we have, you know, so there's a whole lot, there's a whole lot of them. The whole area needs to be more deaf friendly and accessible. There's something to think about, okay? If if you have any questions, let me know. Are there any questions? We as counsel are not permitted to respond to public comment, but certainly we can open a line of communication outside of this public comment period. Okay. Yeah, please, but don't forget because the deaf community absolutely needs to follow the AD, or sorry, the city of Pittsburgh and the Airbnb needs to follow the ADA laws for equal accessibility for all deaf people. Thank you so much. Thank you very much. Our next speaker is Callie DeSabado. Hello, can you all hear me? I can hear you. Um, my name is Callie De Savateau, and I live in the north side. So last night at the Houseback Community Meeting, Zone One police officers fielded a number of questions about short-term rentals. I want to be clear that the heart of this issue is not policing issue, and policing will not be the solution to a problem.
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