Good afternoon.

Welcome to Pittsburgh City Council's Cablecast Public Hearing for Wednesday, July eighth, twenty twenty-six, relative to Bill Twenty Twenty Six O five one eight.

Will the clerk please read the title of the bell?

A at the behest of the East Corsair Street Business District Advisory Committee, property owners and business owners to be benefited with specific improvements to be undertaken, including but not limited to financing of state improvements.

For the record, we're joined today by Council President Lavelle and Council Members Coghill and Salonetro.

Our first order of business will be a brief uh presentation about the legislation.

I want to allow my guests to introduce themselves.

Hi, I'm Susan Anderson.

I'm the East Carson Street Business District Manager for the South Side.

And Mary McKinney Flaherty, Deputy Director of Economic Development for Mayor O'Connor.

Well, the presentation.

Okay.

So today we're going to talk about something I'm very excited about: the East Carson Street Improvement District.

Southside is a very special place with our own challenges, but probably better than any other neighborhood elsewhere in the city.

We really do work together.

From college kids to seniors, from bars to fitness centers, everyone is rowing in the same direction.

Today we've a proposal from the property owners to make Southside the most vibrant neighborhood in the city of Pittsburgh.

So where are we?

East Carson Street sits in the middle of Southside.

Southside by design is a perfect urban neighborhood.

We have dense housing, we're close to downtown, we've ample outdoor space in our parks and trails, but our business district, the nation's largest Victorian Main Street, is falling behind.

In the words of one of our owners, our street has slipped.

At the start of last year, vacancy rate on the street approached 24%.

Customers aren't coming to Southside in the way they were, leading to businesses that are less profitable if they can stay open at all.

Commercial values have dropped.

Public safety is also a concern, and the city has poured extensive resources into the South Side Entertainment Patrol and Zone 3.

However, vibrancy breeds safety, and without dedicated resources for economic growth, these problems will only get worse.

So where do we want to go and how do we solve it?

What's proposed today is a proven locally controlled model that we are familiar with here in Pittsburgh.

What's proposed is a self-funded improvement district, like OBIT in Oakland or the PDP in downtown with owners funding solutions to fix their district.

Next slide.

Over the last two years, a 25-member advisory committee of East Carson Street stakeholders was assembled.

In July of last year, we sent out a survey district-wide to East Carson Street property owners and businesses to gather feedback on the state of the district and this proposed solution for East Carson Street.

After receiving that feedback, subcommittees were formed of stakeholders to iron out the specifics of the plan and put on a little bit uh more meat on the bones.

Earlier this year, we sent out a second survey, and the results were overwhelming.

94% of respondents favored creating and funding the organization.

Ninety-one percent agreed on its proposed boundaries.

And the biggest headline, the biggest takeaway that you can you can take from this, is that support for the plan grew from 66% in last year's survey to 94% in this year's survey.

East Carson Street owners heavily signaled that something needs to change and that this is the best way to do it.

This proposal was created or was crafted by East Carson Street owners themselves.

It's not imposed by the city, myself, or any outside forces.

It has been validated by two surveys, and it has support from a wide range of owners.

From big businesses to small businesses, daytime and nighttime businesses, folks closer to 10th Street, and folks closer to the works.

You'll hear from some of them shortly.

To be abundantly clear, the proposal that has been mailed out and that isn't before you is in draft form.

We will take feedback that we've gathered here, amend that draft, and a second mailing as well as a second public hearing will occur.

The proposal you've received is only a draft.

In addition to developing the plan, we were extremely lucky to be able to use one-time grant funding, which we will not uh have in the future, to hire a business district manager, Susan Anderson.

Even with extremely limited resources, Susan has accomplished an impressive amount.

What we are proposing now is something entirely different, a larger, permanent and resourced effort that can build on that foundation and deliver the level of support our district truly needs.

And with that, Susan Anderson.

Thank you, Councilperson Charlotte.

So first, what is EnIDMA?

NID stands for Neighborhood Improvement District, which defines the geographic area.

The management association is the organization responsible for carrying out the work within that district.

Think of it like a homeowner's association, but for a commercial business district.

Property owners contribute fees that are pulled together and reinvested into improvements that benefit everyone.

A good local example is Southside Works.

While it is privately owned, tenants pay commonary maintenance fees and marketing fees that are reinvested into maintaining and promoting the property.

Enidma operates on a similar principle.

The difference is that the decisions are made collectively by the property owners and business owners who oversee the organization rather than by a single property owner.

It is not a tax, it does not replace city services, it supplements city services with additional investments the board has identified as priorities.

And it is not run by the city.

The district plan defines the services, and the board of directors who are local determines how those fees are invested.

For East Carson Street, that organization will be East Carson Street District Management Incorporated, a Pennsylvania nonprofit corporation created to manage the district on behalf of the property owners and businesses.

So this next slide highlights just some of the work accomplished over the past 18 months through dedicated district manager.

It reflects the day-to-day work of building relationships, supporting businesses, improving the corridor, and creating stronger business just creating a stronger business district.

During that time, relationships were built with property owners, business owners, residents, public safety, and community partners.

Businesses receive direct support through available space assistance, site tours, grant and loan navigation, and technical assistance with branding, websites, and marketing.

At the same time, visible improvements were made through beautification efforts, planters, graffiti removal, and other corridor enhancements.

District-wide initiatives have also been developed to support local businesses and strengthen East Carson Street's identity.

Winterfest was successfully launched last year and will return this year.

Building on shop sip and stroll, Taste of South Side in the end of August represents the next step in establishing East Carson Street as Pittsburgh premier foodie district.

The Bedford Square night market will debut this year, creating another recurring activation that showcases local businesses and brings new energy to the corridor.

These accomplishments were achieved with very limited resources and represent just the beginning.

These foundational projects demonstrate what is actually possible.

The proposed NIDMA provides the organizational structure and sustainable funding needed to continue this work, expand these services, and achieve long-term success of East Carson Street.

This slide represents the voice of the district.

These aren't our ideas, these aren't my ideas.

They're the priorities that property owners and business owners who are the stakeholders identified through two surveys over the last year and a half.

Stakeholders told us they want cleaner sidewalks, faster graffiti removal, better landscaping, improved lighting, and public space spaces that reflect the quality of the district.

Next is district brand and image development at 60% 68%.

This is about coordinated marketing, public relations, and changing the perception of East Carson Street so people see it as a place to visit, invest, and do business.

Economic vitality and storefront activation ranked third at 62%.

That includes recruiting new businesses, supporting existing ones, filling vacancies, and providing direct support to help businesses succeed.

Finally, events and marketing came in at 50%.

Events are one tool to bring people to the corridor, support local businesses, and create positive experiences that encourage visitors to return.

The important thing to remember is that these four priorities aren't separate initiatives.

They reinforce one another.

A cleaner district improves perception.

Better branding attracts visitors.

More visitors support businesses.

Strong businesses encourage investment, and that continued investment creates a safer, more vibrant, and more economically resilient East Carson Street.

That's exactly what the proposed NIDMA is designed to provide.

A coordinated long-term strategy driven by the priorities of the property owner and businesses who will fund it with the work directed through the district plan and overseas overseen by its board.

This map shows the proposed boundaries for the East Carson Street Neighborhood Improvement District.

The boundaries were developed to include the core commercial corridor by following the local neighborhood commercial or LNC zoning district.

There are a few intentional additions.

The district includes Bedford Square because it serves as an important gathering place and event hub.

It also includes the north side of 10th Street Gateway, recognizing that first impressions begin before visitors reach East Carson Street.

And on South 14th Street, several property owners expressed interest in participating because they are directly connected to the commercial district.

To ensure the boundaries were accurate and equitable, every parcel on every property's linear frontage was verified individually using Allegheny County GAS data.

That parcel by parcel review helped ensure each property was included appropriately, and that the fee calculations were based on accurate frontage measurements.

Now I turn to Mary.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilperson Charlotte and Susan, Council President Lavelle, Councilman Coghill, and Councilwoman Salonetro, and to all who are here today.

You've now heard why the people of the district wanted a change, the public engagement that created the proposal before you, the momentum already underway, and what this improvement district can deliver in the future.

I would like to close by speaking to the citywide picture and to speak to three things.

First, that this is a model that already works right here in Pittsburgh across the Commonwealth and across the country.

Second, that this creates no new costs to the city of Pittsburgh.

It is paid for by the property owners themselves, with the possibility for additional outside funding.

And third, why a stronger, more vibrant East Carson Street matters for the whole city of Pittsburgh and not just the South Side.

Within Pittsburgh, we have already seen this model operating successfully in two spaces in downtown Pittsburgh with the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, which was founded in 1997 and has been renewed every five years since it is working for the district.

And in Oakland with the Oakland Business Improvement District.

This enables many things for those districts, including clean teams, big events like Picklesburg would help to draw in tourists from outside the city in addition to providing vibrancy for the city, pop-up programs which have helped to revitalize downtown following the pandemic, and significant outside district investment, which are enabled and coordinated through the improvement district.

Philadelphia has more than a dozen, including the center city.

Every one of those has been renewed.

Not a single one has been dissolved again because these continue to work.

There are more than a thousand business improvement districts across the country, each of them serving their neighborhoods and funded by those neighborhoods.

Again, as has been stated by Councilperson Charlotte and Susan Anderson.

This was developed by the people of the district itself to serve the people of the district and will be controlled by the people of the district to their benefit.

This is an owner funded program that is built to attract additional funding.

Only commercial properties will pay in in proportion to their street frontage.

This is calculated by the parcels frontage divided by the total district frontage time by an assessment cap with an average of a thousand dollars per property.

It is charged again only to commercial properties by linear feet of street frontage.

This is a model that was developed again by the owners themselves, looking at what felt fair to them.

The increases in assessments will be capped no more than three times over five years, never more than five percent each time, and never above inflation itself.

This is again not a tax, it is an assessment that is funded by the people who propose it, control it, and directly benefit from it.

This will not be assessed against any single family or owner occupied homes or against residential properties and government class properties that are individually owned.

The cost is shared by commercial owners who benefit most from a stronger street.

I would also like to reiterate something that I raised at the beginning.

Beyond owner funding, and while this will begin with the self-funding of the owners of the district, this NIDMA, this improvement district, can help to attract grants, government funds, and corporate sponsorships, as we have seen happen in downtown in Oakland.

I'm sorry, I can't read my own notes with my uh the captioning, working alongside the neighborhood's existing organizations, again, working alongside them to bring more outside dollars to the district.

This is something that is good for the South Side, and it is also good for the city of Pittsburgh.

As Councilperson Charlotte opened and saying, East Carson Street is a signature Pittsburgh Commercial Corridor.

It's a regional destination.

It is one of the largest and oldest intact Victorian business districts in the entire nation, and it is something that could continue to attract people to the city of Pittsburgh.

Its owners have decided they want to invest further in this district, and those investments will benefit the city.

First, to reiterate, there will be no new cost to the city.

It isn't funded entirely by commercial owners.

There's no draw on the city's budget, and nothing is taken from other neighborhoods.

Second, and very importantly, this will protect the tax base of the city.

As council personal Charlotte opened and saying, there are vacant storefronts.

That is a trend that has been helped to be re reversed, but it needs continued investment and effort.

Those falling values, those vacancies would reduce real estate taxes, would reduce the revenue to the city.

Fewer people on the street reduce the business revenues, the parking revenues, all things that the city depends on.

These investments will feed back to the city through other tax dollars while the owners contribute to their district to support it.

There is no long-term obligation here.

This is a five-year program.

It will sunset unless it is renewed by the owners.

There is no permanent commitment for the owners, nor for the city of Pittsburgh itself.

And finally, this creates a new accountable partner.

The city gains an organization that is helping that can help to improve efficiency and coordination for city resources.

There's a central place that can help to coordinate with public safety, coordinate with DPW, and coordinate with the many organizations who are already doing wonderful work in the district, and I'd like to just name some of those who have been very impactful, and you'll hear from many of those representatives later, including the Southside Community Action Network, Southside CAN, the South Side Chamber of Commerce, the South Side Community Council, and the South Side Hospitality Partnership.

This is private investment in a public corridor that the city will gain from with no additional cost to the city.

Again, in closing, this is a proven model that is funded by owners.

It would protect a citywide asset, delivering benefit to the city with no additional cost to taxpayers, and built in partnership and by and for the people of the district.

I would like to now turn it back to Councilperson Charlotte to close.

Thank you, Mary.

And you know, I will just end with saying this that East Carson Street stakeholders want change.

What we're asking here from council is to give them the opportunity to drive that change.

With that, our next order of business will be testimony from registered speakers.

Please give your name and neighborhood for the public record.

Each registered speaker will have three minutes to address the council.

We will take registered speakers first and then we'll move to folks that did not register.

But I do want to use a little bit of chair's prerogative here.

We'll go in order, but I do want our first speaker to be the honorable representative Jessica Benham, who uh has to get to Harrisburg and hopefully cast some votes.

Good afternoon, and I certainly appreciate the flexibility on scheduling.

Here's hoping we're headed to Harrisburg to vote on a budget.

Hopefully very, very soon here.

I'm waiting for the call.

And thank you for the opportunity to speak on the proposed East Carson Street Improvement District.

Approximately half of the proposed district falls within the State House district that I have the privilege of representing.

So I appreciate the opportunity to share my perspective.

Over the past year and a half, business owners, property owners, and community stakeholders have engaged in an extensive planning process to examine the challenges facing the East Carson Street Business Corridor.

Those conversations have centered on issues many of us recognize, and certainly ones that I get calls about in my district office.

Filling storefront vacancies, attracting and retaining customers, maintaining a clean and welcoming commercial district, and ensuring the corridor remains economically vibrant for years to come.

Through public engagement and the survey of business and property owners, several priorities emerged, and you've heard about many of them.

Participants identified the need for enhanced maintenance of public spaces, activation of vacant storefronts, stronger marketing and special events, and a more unified identity for one of Pittsburgh's most recognizable commercial corridors.

The proposal before council attempts to address those priorities through assessments on commercial properties within the proposed district.

Under the proposal, the management association would focus on four primary areas: maintaining and improving public spaces, strengthening the district's brand and identity, supporting economic development and storefront activation, and coordinating marketing efforts and community events.

I think any elected official would like to see results like that within the districts they represent, if possible.

As council considers this proposal, I encourage you to weigh both the potential opportunities it presents and issues that deserve careful consideration.

Those include the equity of the assessment structure, how the district's performance would be evaluated over its five-year term, and what success would look like, and how property owners, business owners, and the broader community would continue to be engaged throughout that period.

I want to thank everyone who has participated in this process and shared their perspectives.

Thank you.

Our next speaker will be uh Marie Senko.

The next speaker after that will be Kim and then Peter Margatai.

My name is Marie Rotondo Senko.

I reside at 2336 Perry Crest Drive in Banksville.

I am a South Side property owner.

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, honorable members of council.

It is commendable that so many of us are involved in ongoing efforts to improve the vitality of the South Side.

For the past 88 years, my family has a history on South Side since my father started his business there in 1938.

It is out of honor for the past and hope for the future that I have taken it upon myself to restore and renovate and maintain our family property there.

Over the years, it has become a very expensive undertaking, which, with increased permitting fees, the high cost of specialty materials, and skilled craftspeople needed to maintain architectural integrity.

Only those of us who are in the historic district have this added responsibility, which coincides with the proposed NID district.

So why add another fee to discourage us?

Real estate taxes have increased in 2025 from Allegheny County, in 26 from the Pittsburgh Schools, and the City of Pittsburgh.

The city previously added a library tax and parks tax to our real estate.

The impact of reality transfer tax at 5% is a big factor.

I believe this additional NID financial burden will not spark economic growth, but only serve as another deterrent to buy and sell property in this district.

South side has lost many businesses and foot traffic because of crime and bad actors.

Let's survey those businesses that have closed their doors and ask why they left.

The number one issue is public safety.

People who live, work, and visit don't feel safe, and no amount of window dressing is going to cure that.

Number two is making it affordable and reasonable for owners to maintain buy and sell their property, since the appearance of neglected storefronts has a strong negative impact.

Instead of NID, let's find other ideas for the proper use of resources that already exist.

Can't RAD funds be tapped for public space and maintenance improvements?

Certainly the chamber and other community groups who have done a great job at networking and marketing can keep at it to develop a strong district brand.

Our local real estate agents can do the job of storefront activation to restore economic vitality.

Furthermore, I want to pay my taxes to an elected body of officials, not an association.

I respect your time in listening, and I respectfully urge council to vote no on this bill.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Kim.

All right, we'll come back.

Thank you very much.

My name is Peter Morgataye.

I live at 138 South 15th Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15203.

I'm the president of the Southside Chamber of Commerce, and the Chamber of Commerce is in full support of the East Carson Street Improvement District.

Let me tell you why.

Back in 1994, when I arrived in the Southside, East Carson Street had a thriving commercial district.

This was in large part due to the Southside Local Development Company, which at that time, in their 12th year of existence, was managing and revitalizing East Carson Street.

Their fully funded nine-person team brought East Carson Street from a 45% vacancy rate in 1982 to a 13% vacancy rate by the time they closed the doors in 2012.

So why did the Southside Local Development Company close their doors after 30 years?

Well, the funding dried up.

So instead they decided to pivot and initiate a neighborhood improvement district, much like what we're proposing today.

Similar to the NIDMA, business owners and residents had to come to vote, and they decided in favor of sending the plan to city council.

But that never happened it.

Soon after that, the management of the district ended, and in 2012, we started to see a rise of crime and the closing of businesses.

This trend was supercharged by COVID, and by 2024, the vacancy rate was back up to 23%.

The Southside Chamber of Commerce realizes that the entire Southside community lives and dies along with the health of East Carson Street.

This is why the new executive committee and board has been spending tons of volunteer hours trying to support our business district just to keep things going.

A year and a half ago, funds were found by the Southside Community Action Network to hire a full-time district manager.

And all of us rowing together, we managed to bring the vacancy rate back to 15%.

With just a little bit of funding and a tremendous amount of volunteer work, we're starting to see really, really great results.

But the funds are drying up again.

And we're burning out.

And there's so much more to do.

Just wants to pick up where things left off 14 years ago.

Thank you, Councilperson Charlotte, for having the conviction and the courage to get behind this plan.

We can't get we can't let up on the gas now.

We have to keep things going.

We need council to vote yes for the East Carson Street Improvement District plan so we can get back to work.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Anna Campbell, followed by Kristen Kovachek.

Good morning, Council.

My name is Anna Campbell.

I'm a 15-year resident of the South Side.

My primary business has been located on the 20th block for 14 years, and I have an additional commercial property on 17th Street.

I'm here today to express my support for the NIDMA.

I've seen firsthand both the challenges and the incredible potential of the South Side.

The NIBMA gives us a sustainable way to address some of those challenges and to invest in our potential.

In the past year, I have seen a net positive and filled vacancies.

Boarded up buildings come to life with art, graffiti removed, small businesses supported, and a strong business network being weaved through the efforts of a business district manager.

The success we have seen thus far requires dedicated resources in order for it to continue.

A cleaner, safer, and better promoted neighborhood, helps to attract customers, supports existing businesses, strengthens property values, and makes the South Side a place where people will want to live, work, and spend time.

I'd like to end by highlighting two specific details about the NIMA that were especially important to me.

I like that the Southside stakeholders will comprise the majority of the board for NIDMA, and that we will play a major role in ensuring that NIMBA funds go towards making impactful improvements to our business district for us by us.

I also like that the NIBMA gives us a higher likelihood of securing supplemental and even matching grants to augment the existing funds that we are contributing.

I respectfully ask for your support of this initiative.

Thank you for the time you have afforded me to speak on this matter.

Thank you, Anna.

Next speaker is Kristen.

James McNeil is next.

I'm Kristen Kovasik.

Hi.

I live at 156 South 19th Street on the South Side.

Five years ago, when my husband and I decided to retire and downsize, we looked all over the city for the boomer holy grail.

An affordable apartment close to amenities in a walkable urban neighborhood.

We looked in Shady Side, we looked in Squirrel Hill, East Liberty, everywhere.

The only place we found that checked all our boxes was in the flats in the Southside.

We loved the apartment, but like a lot of people, we thought of Southside as a place where we hung out in college.

And Southside had developed an unsavory reputation in the media as a magnet for risk takers and night brawlers.

But we took a leap of faith.

And what I'm here to tell you is that Southside is an awesome place to be retired.

Listen to all the things we can accomplish on foot on and around East Carson Street, just blocks from our apartment.

We can walk to two full service grocery stores, a hardware store, an Asian market estate store, and a beer distributor.

We can collect a book at the Carnegie Library, deposit a check at our bank, drop some mail off at the post office, return a package at the UPS store, then stop at a coffee shop on the way home.

We can walk to our dentist's office, our optician, our hairdressers, our doctors, and the repair shop where they maintain the bikes we ride on the Gap Trail.

We can walk to our gym, our yoga studio, our two public swimming pools.

If we ever take up pickleball, there's a senior center in the Southside Market House with a court along with a daily hot meal.

Of course, we can have dinner at all kinds of restaurants on Carson Street, Mexican, Colombian, Chinese Venezuelan, Lebanese, Thai, Japanese, Italian, American, or British, just by dashing out our own door.

Afterwards, we can catch a play at City Theater or hear some live music at Carmellas.

We leave the bars to the college kids who are still partying down Southside as we once did, but only on the weekends.

Geezers like us are in bed by the time the bars get started anyway.

In short, I don't think there's any neighborhood in the city that has so much to offer without getting in a car.

Lots of people can't or don't want to drive, and it's supposed to be the very purpose of a city to accommodate us.

Southside still retains that purpose and design.

And I fear that without focused investment in maintaining and improving the business district, Southside's undeserved reputation, thanks to cynics and an alarmist media will further erode the commercial core of this astonishingly livable neighborhood.

Which would be a shame, not just for those of us who live here, but for the people like us from all over the city and the country, even who are still searching for the kind of neighborhood we're working to sustain in Southside.

Thank you.

Your time is tired.

Next speaker is James McNeil.

Very good afternoon, everyone.

My name is James McNeil.

I'm the managing director of City Theater located at 1300 Bingham Street 15203.

I'm joined by Artistic Director Claire Drovot.

We speak today in support of the East Carson Street Improvement District.

On behalf of our board and staff, we believe this proposal is an important and critical step in the further development of the South Side that will not only benefit businesses, residents, and the local economy, but also enhance the experience of our artists and audiences.

Now entering our 52nd season, City Theater is the largest performing arts organization performing outside of Pittsburgh's downtown.

And for the last 35 years, our home has been on the South Side.

In 1991, City Theater moved to the neighborhood, establishing what is now a five-building cultural campus in the 1300 block of Bingham Street, which is within the proposed business district.

The Southside succeeded in recruiting City Theater due to its vibrant and eclectic arts community and the fact that it had an engaged, committed, and strategic business district association, now known known as the now defunct SSLDC.

While numerous volunteer-based groups continue to have a positive impact on our neighborhood, we need a dedicated improvement district.

Over the last couple of years, we have been impressed by the terrific work and leadership provided by Susan Anderson, our business district manager.

Now is the time to invest more deeply in her efforts.

And we look forward to partnering with Susan and the Improvement District with discussions already underway around creating a Southside Arts Alliance and a Creative Corridor.

Initiatives deeply embedded in the purpose and spirit of this proposal.

We believe this district, by expanding the number of businesses along East Carson Street, easing vacant storefronts, promoting events, and beautifying our streets, will celebrate the South Side as a destination, and it will help us increase our audience.

Theatergoers who prevent who frequent our venues will spend more money on the South Side, lingering before and after performances.

They will feel safe, inspired, and excited to visit again and again.

While City Theater has just closed a record setting seasons, surpassing box office and attendance records multiple times, the local theater community is experiencing seismic changes, financial challenges, layoffs, and of course the proposed merger between the CLO and public theater.

We were initially part of those merger discussions.

But after careful analysis, our board voted to step away from the consolidation and remain independent.

While there were many factors for this decision, the most powerful one was hearing from our audiences and artists how very important our home on the South Side was to them as it is to us.

In 1991, we chose to become not just a theater located in the South Side, but to be a South Side theater.

And in 2026, we doubled down on this commitment.

We love our neighborhood and stand ready to serve as an agent of growth in its next chapter.

We believe the East Carson Street Improvement District is an important and impactful catalyst towards this goal.

We urge our fellow property owners, residents, and elected officials to rally around this proposal.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, James.

Our next speaker is Rebecca Kasovich, and that'll be followed by Jimmy Hoffman.

Good afternoon.

Thank you to council.

Thank you to members of my community.

My name is Rebecca Kasovich, and I'm here today because the South Side is personal.

It's where I chose to make my first home.

It's where my daughter was born.

And it's where I have earned a livelihood for the last 27 years as owner of copies of Carson at 1315 East Carson Street.

I am tired of leaving the future of it in the hands of people outside of the community.

People who come into our district and break things, leave their trash and graffiti our buildings.

People who cause havoc and chaos on our streets.

People from outside the community that appear on the news or post on social media and say that South Side is a joke.

It's dangerous or it's not a safe place for you to come and spend your days and nights.

I am tired of letting others dictate the outcomes and then simply being disgruntled by the results.

And I'm asking everybody in this room, aren't you as well?

A managed district, enidma, is the opposite of looking outside of the community for results.

It's the opposite of asking government to create results.

We in this community should be driving the results.

With enidma, we control who, how much the assessment is, who contributes to the assessment, how the money is spent, and we ensure that every penny is spent in the South Side.

We aren't turning to the city or to Harrisburg or to Washington, DC.

We are controlling the purse strings by using enigma.

I know what everyone in this room is thinking, because I thought it too.

This is a tax on businesses.

If it walks like a tax and quacks like a tax, it's gotta be a tax, right?

But this program is under competent supervision from us within the community.

If we don't like the outcomes, we don't believe in the process, we have the power to eliminate it.

It has to be voted on every five years, and we can eliminate that.

I have spent the last year rolling up my sleeves and digging into this legislation.

I have kicked the stones, I've turned over the rocks, and I've pressed the players until I was convinced that this unique and creative solution is necessary for a prosperous future of our community, of my community.

Please join me in supporting the creation of a NINMA in the South Side.

Thank you.

Thank you, Rebecca.

Next speaker is Jimmy Hoffman, followed by Don Carlson.

Hi, good afternoon.

My name's Jimmy Hoffman.

I'm one of the owners of Mario's on East Carson Street.

We've been a part of the community since 2007.

I'm here in support of Denma.

When I first came to Carson Street, I fell in love with it.

One of the most successful business districts in Pittsburgh.

There was an energy that made people want to spend time here, and I knew I wanted to be a part of it.

This neighborhood has given me more than a business.

I met my wife at Mario's.

We raised our two children because of the opportunities this business provided our family.

The Southside has truly become our home.

That's why it means so much to us.

COVID changed everything.

Like many businesses, we fought to survive.

While we've made progress, we're still working to rebuild the momentum that once made East Carson Street one of the premier business districts in the region.

One thing I've learned over the years is that a successful business district does not happen by accident.

They require leadership, coordination, and someone whose job is to wake up every day focused on making the district better.

Before we had our business district manager Susan, nearly everything depended on volunteers.

People cared deeply, but everyone already had full-time jobs running businesses or serving the community.

Projects moved slowly, priorities often competed, and it was difficult by organizations to rally around one common vision.

Today we have dedicated leadership that brings people together, keeps projects moving, and is accountable for results.

That's exactly what an improvement district will allow us to continue doing.

They create sustainable way to invest our own future instead of hoping someone else will do it for us.

All the partners at Mario's share this same dream.

We want to build something that can be passed on to our next generation.

We want our children to have the opportunity to continue what we've built there, just so many family businesses have done before us.

Supporting the improvement district is an investment in that future.

It's an investment in the businesses that have been here for decades that entrepreneurs will be open here for tomorrow, and the families who live whose lives are tied to and success to East Carson Street.

I believe in this neighborhood as much today as I did nearly 20 years ago when I arrived.

We are part of South Side History, everybody has a great Mario story.

We want to see things thrive again, and I hope you'll support this effort.

Thank you.

Thank you, Jimmy.

Next speaker is Don Carlson, followed by John Damara.

Good afternoon, distinguished members of City Council.

My name is Don Carlson.

I'm a property owner on uh on the South Side.

I moved to Pittsburgh in 1973, uh after graduating college, and it took until 1979 for me to find uh my best love, which was the South Side.

I was introduced there by a couple of people who have been lifelong friends, and uh I have been there for 50 plus years at this point.

Uh it was at the time that the steel mills were all closing around Pittsburgh, and uh, you know, J and L on the South Side and Hazelwood was no exception.

Um there were still a lot of businesses that serviced those mills at that time.

Um things that provided clothing, materials, engineering, they were still there, but they were quickly closing.

So, South Side was uh experiencing an exodus uh then like it has uh more recently after the the uh uh South Side Local Development Company uh was shut down and COVID occurred.

The hot metal bridge is still there, but it's really the only vestige of the males at the time.

In 1982, I was uh fortunate enough to be hired as the first executive director of the South Side Local Development Company.

It didn't take long for me to meet the Titans of the South Side at that time.

Mary Jane Schmaltzig, Virginia Garrick, Roberta Stackowitz, Jim Bibro, Jerry Pekich, Jerry Siegel, Senator Jim Romanelli, and our councilman Robert Radestone.

Many of those older residents were leery of the South Side Local Development Company, but they quickly came to understand that its purpose was to better not just East Carson Street, which was its mission, but to benefit the South Side as a whole.

And many of those people later became board members.

In 1985, we were lucky enough to be chosen as an urban demonstration project, later known uh as the Main Street Project.

In the 80s and 90s, many, many bars and restaurants uh were uh were opening, and it became a nighttime destination, the nighttime economy uh that was, you know, uh the term that was used at a later time.

Before Butler Street was a nighttime economy, East Carson Street was.

Before Bakery Square and East Liberty were nighttime economy, South Side was.

Before the North Shore was a nighttime economy, the South Side was.

This all didn't happen by dumb luck.

This happened by hard work and dedicated staff members of this uh Main Street program and uh South Side Local Development Company.

With the NIDMA, it will happen again like it did in the 80s and 90s.

I urge council to vote in favor of this program.

Thank you, Don.

Next speaker is John DeMaro, followed by Dr.

Rudyak.

Good afternoon, and thank you for having me.

My name's John DiMarrow.

I'm a property owner, business owner, I'm a resident of the Southside at 1721 Sydney Street.

I also served as the chair of the East Carson Street Advisory Committee throughout this process and lead the Southside Hospitality Partnership.

I want to thank Councilperson Bob Charlin for his leadership on this in working closely with the business community.

He recognized that the people that have invested their livelihoods into East Carson Street deserve a seat at the table.

I also want to thank Susan Anderson, our business district manager who's done so much with so little, our advisory committee members, some of which are here today, everyone who attended meetings, completed surveys, and provided feedback over the past year and a half.

This did not happen overnight.

Since January 2025, we've met, and Susan met with a lot, hundreds of property owners, business owners, residents, and stakeholders through community meetings, conversations, and two business district surveys.

What became clear was that while not everyone agreed on every detail, there was a strong consensus around one thing.

The business district deserves better.

And the people that have invested here want to play a role in shaping its future.

That consensus was reflected in our most recent survey, where 94% of respondents supported contributing to a management association, and 91% supported the proposed boundaries.

We all love the South Side.

It's one of Pittsburgh's most historic and recognizable neighborhoods, but we also have to be honest about where we are today.

As you all are well aware, the city has many priorities, and its resources are not unlimited.

It could not provide the level of attention a business district like East Carson Street requires on its own.

That's not a criticism, it's a reality.

If we want cleaner streets, stronger marketing, business recruitment, coordinated public safety efforts, better maintenance, and most importantly, a district that continues to compete with other business districts across the region, then we have to be willing to invest in ourselves.

This ordinance does that.

A successful business district benefits everyone.

It helps businesses succeed, strengthens property values, creates jobs, attracts investments, and makes East Carson Street a place where residents are proud to live and business and visitors want to return.

As someone who has property here, operates a business here, and calls this neighborhood home.

I believe in what East Carson Street can become.

I've had the privilege of working with others who share that same vision.

We have the opportunity to build an organization that is accountable to the people who fund it, focused on measure measurable results, and committed to making East Carson Street the strongest and most vibrant business districts in Pennsylvania's.

I respectfully ask for your support.

Thank you, John.

Next speaker is Dr.

Udiak, followed by Quailin Nassar.

There you are.

Good afternoon.

My name is Barbara Rudyak, and I live at 1908 Jane Street on Southside and was president of the South Side Community Council from 2015 until 2023.

When the Southside Local Development Company dissolved, some may think that nothing was done to continue their work.

Not true.

Board members of the Council and residents understood that we, as volunteers needed to find a way to keep East Carson Street a thriving main street.

Examples of our work are as follows.

Engaged on Carlson, a former president of the Southside Local Development Company and Southside Property Owner, along with various foundation leaders and business district managers to learn more about East Carson Street and bids.

Put together a database of property owners on East Carson Street and met with some to gain insight into the vacancies.

Met with Duquesne University MBA students who used Southside for their capstone project.

All the work was related to East Carson Street.

Worked closely with the URA on the Fourth Economy study that made recommendations that led to a vibrant East Carson Street.

Attended several sociable city summits to understand how residents who live in entertainment districts can coexist with bars.

Applied to the city's neighborhood economic development grant program three times, and were interviewed by the NED panel all three times.

Unfortunately, we didn't meet one of the grants criteria, being a distressed community.

These efforts and others over an eight-year period were always unsuccessful.

Advice was to use the strength in the community and develop a plan that we would be able to hire a business district manager and pursue a bid.

In 2022, this happened with the formation of the Southside Community Action Network, known as Southside Can, which has asset-based community development as its framework.

Through the work of Southside Can, the Hillman Foundation provided two years of funding for business district manager whose focus was to attract businesses to East Carson Street and to reintroduce a bid to the East Carson Street property owners and community.

Some of the property owners who are in opposition of the bid have complained about vacant storefronts and unruly East Carson Street.

Some have attended South Side Can meetings but haven't provided any alternatives to a bid.

They need to look carefully at Susan's accomplishments over the last year and a half and just imagine what East Carson Street could look like over the next five years.

What they also need to understand is that those of us who have volunteer our time in the past with very little success have no desire to repeat the process.

At some point, however, we may qualify for a Ned grant and meet the criterion of being a distressed community.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker is Quailin, followed by Michelle Margata.

Good afternoon.

Honorable members of Council and neighbors.

My name is Clay Lynn Nassar.

I've been a resident of the South Side Flats since 1992, and I'm also a property owner on East Carson Street.

These are my greatest assets.

When I moved to the Flats, the Southside Local Development Company had been working tirelessly to bring in new businesses.

Their aim was to diversify East Carson Street with boutiques, restaurants, and small businesses.

They were successful.

At that time, South Side was the safest neighborhood in the city.

But funding for the local development company was withdrawn in past years.

There was no longer a main street manager who sought businesses that would enhance the East Carson Street.

The face of the Victorian National Historic District began to change.

Empty storefronts emerged.

Longtime businesses were moving or closing.

East Carson Street became known for hookah bars, tattoo parlors, vape shops, and even convenience stores.

Some of the new bar owners began to attract a large and unruly clientele because of their programming.

No one was paying attention.

There was no main street business manager.

And as an example, the second floor of our business property has been vacant for almost two years.

It's because of the lack of interest in the South Side or on the South Side.

The South Side wasn't safe anymore.

That was our reputation.

Whether it's ownership of residential or business property, I am concerned that the value of our investments will take an irretrievable dive.

One that can be averted.

As property owners, we need to make the investment for a successful business manager so East Carson Street can be renewed to a vital neighborhood once again.

As stark neon lighting shines out in the East Carson Street businesses, it causes you to think about Liberty Avenue at one time.

And while the South Side isn't the cultural trust, and we don't, we are downtown, so we can't attract corporations to invest in that change.

We are a district that helped to build this city.

Today we are on a neat we are in a neighborhood that is on the brink of rejuvenation because of Susan Anderson, an effective business manager.

We must uphold the historic legacy of East Carson Street as the longest Victorian National Historic District.

Thank you.

Next speaker is Michelle Margottai, followed by Don Burma.

My name is Michelle Margatai.

I live at 138 South 15th Street.

I'm a South Side real estate owner.

And although our commercial property sits two blocks off East Carson Street and is outside of the proposed district, we would voluntarily contribute if this initiative passes.

There's a lot of misinformation being shared about this plan.

Those posters and mailers missed the point.

Our choice is simple.

Do we work together to invest in our business district, or do we let it die?

Since 1950, Pittsburgh has lost over 370,000 residents.

We lost half of our tax base.

Yet our service needs remain the same.

The city must still maintain the same number of roads, bridges, and neighborhoods.

The math does not work.

So what do we do?

We reminisce about how the South Side used to be when we were young.

We yell at city officials.

We complain to talk radio hosts and news stations, demanding more city services.

But none of these actions actually change the facts.

City resources are stretched to the limit.

The city lacks the funding and personnel to do it all.

If we want East Carson Street to be clean, safe, and prosperous, we must fund the extra care ourselves.

This initiative does exactly that.

Property owners pulling money into dedicated funds that the city government cannot use.

Instead, building owners form an independent board to decide exactly how every dollar is spent.

This does not replace city services.

Police and public works don't stop working in the South Side.

Our contributed dollars are strictly used for extra help that we decide upon to handle what the city cannot do for us.

Yes, our community is debating this issue.

Some property owners see the long-term value.

Others worry about the added financial overhead.

Others protest without offering any other real estate realistic alternatives.

And the decline continues.

Meanwhile, rival Pittsburgh neighborhoods facing these exact same challenges, taking control of their destinies.

They've found resources and pulled funds to guarantee clean and safe streets, attract new businesses, organize events that bring back daytime visitors because they took action.

Shoppers and tourists are bypassing East Carson Street for competing areas.

Individual and coordinated efforts by dedicated volunteers cannot fix systemic problems in one of the largest business districts in the city.

A few landlords sweeping their stoops won't matter.

If we do nothing, vacancies will rise and all of our property values will suffer.

Building owners, let's not let fear dictate our future.

I ask you to please protect your investment, take control of our future, and support the East Carson Street Improvement District.

Thank you.

Thank you, Michelle.

Next speaker is Don Berman, followed by Jackie Kaiser.

Hi, everybody.

My name's Don Berman.

I live at 58 South 17th Street.

I'm president of South Side Community Action Network, a resident and a property owner.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak in support of the resolution establishing a neighborhood improvement district management association on the South Side.

Southside is a very engaged community.

Just come to Neighbor Night sometime, and you'll see every month 90 to 100 people show up to roll up their sleeves and get stuff done.

We work as a community to identify and resolve critical issues via partnership collaboration and hard work.

One of the first ideas that really gained traction was creating a business district manager.

Every successful business district has someone whose job it is to wake up every morning and think about that district, supporting businesses, coordinating organizations, solving problems, and recruiting investment.

That idea became a reality with Susan Anderson, and she proved that the model works.

This all started with a pilot.

Community members, businesses, neighborhood organizations, and local officials came together to conceive, develop, and secure funding for two-year business district manager pilot.

We didn't ask to take this on faith.

We set out to prove that the concept worked, and it does.

The success of that pilot is why we're here today.

This resolution is the logical next step on building on building on what we've already demonstrated together.

Today there is stronger coordination among businesses and community organizations.

There's active business recruitment, more consistent communication, and we have that someone whose full-time focus is strengthening one of Pittsburgh's most important commercial corridors.

Over time, we've also learned firsthand that a thriving business district doesn't happen by accident.

Over time, you know, without an active active management, it's easy for the corridor to become dominated by lower investment uses rather than uh diverse mix of businesses that residents want and then encourage additional private investment.

Through experience, we've learned uh something else.

Grant funding and volunteers can only go so far.

If we want the Southside to continue improving for our residents, our businesses, our property owners, and our visitors, we need a permanent accountable structure that can sustain that progress.

That's what the NIGMA provides.

Some people see this as a tax.

We see it very differently.

It's an investment.

In fact, it's an insurance policy on a billion dollar asset.

East Carson Street is one of Pittsburgh's iconic business districts.

Like any valuable asset, it requires ongoing investment to protect it, strengthen it, and ensure that it remains competitive for decades to come.

We've already seen the uh seen the return on that investment, and that's only the beginning.

Our business district manager demonstrates every day what focused leadership can accomplish.

Today we simply ask you to give us the structure that allows these results to continue.

I respectfully ask for your support.

Thank you.

Thank you, Don.

Next speaker is Jackie Kaiser, followed by Laura Stewart.

Good afternoon, members of council.

My name is Jackie Kaiser.

I'm here today as a resident of the South Side Flats and president of the South Side Community Council in support of ordinance 2026-0518 establishing the Carson Street Improvement District.

The Southside Community Council is a registered community organization within the Southside Flats.

We are an all-volunteer neighborhood organization that has worked for decades to improve quality of life in the South Side for its residents.

We advocate for the residents, support parks and green spaces, help address neighborhood concerns, and work to build positive relationships among residents, businesses, property owners, and city government.

I always say the South Side is a city within a city because we have so much in our neighborhood, all within walking distance.

A Pittsburgh Public K-5 school, a Carnegie Library branch, two public pools, parks, riverfront access, restaurant shops, professional services, public transit, bike access to trails, and East Carson Street.

One of Pittsburgh's most recognizable historic main streets that also serves as a gateway to Pittsburgh Central Business District.

East Carson Street is not just a business corridor, it is the heart of the South Side Flats and part of a complete neighborhood that is a city within a city.

Urban planning activist Jane Jacobs said great city neighborhoods are built from everyday life.

People walking, shopping, talking with neighbors, watching out for one another, and using public spaces throughout the day.

That is Southside at its best, and East Carson Street is central to that life.

East Carson Street is not separate from the residential neighborhood.

It is woven into our everyday lives.

But density, nightlife, tourism, small businesses, and residential life, all sharing that same space require intentional management.

A successful corridor does not take care of itself.

It needs constant attention, coordination, maintenance, communication, and investment, kind of like a child.

That is why this improvement district matters.

Neighborhood improvement districts and similar district management models across Pennsylvania shows that when corridor has dedicated resources for clean and safe services, public space improvements, marketing events, and small business support, the benefits extend beyond storefronts.

Residents benefit when vegan storefronts are addressed.

Sidewalks are cleaner, public spaces are cared for, and visitors experience the neighborhood in a positive way.

In the last year and a half, our current business district manager Susan Anderson has been able to provide these resources with success and data to back it up.

A stronger East Carson Street means a stronger residential neighborhood.

This legislation is an opportunity to move from short-term fixes to long-term stewardship.

It creates a structure and management, managed with accountability, dedication, dedicated funding, and a shared visit vision.

On behalf of myself and the community council, I respectfully ask council to support this ordinance and help establish the East Carson Street Improvement District.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Laura Stewart, followed by Chris Furman.

Laura, not here.

Okay.

Next speaker is Chris Ferman, followed by Dina Clayvon.

Good afternoon, Council.

My name is Chris Furman.

I'm a City of Pittsburgh resident, active member of the Southside Hospitality Partnership, and one of the owners of Enclave at 1602 East Carson Street.

I'm joined today by my business partner, Anthony Sanders in support of the NIDMA.

Southside has always been near and dear to my heart.

I went to Duquesne, I lived on four on 14th Street for some time, and years ago I DJed at various establishments along East Carson Street.

This neighborhood has been part of my life for a long time.

So when the opportunity came up to own a business on Carson, I was excited.

A legacy business on Carson, I was excited.

I truly believe this is a place where business could thrive.

When we opened Enclave in 2022, we are still coming out of COVID, and the quarter was struggling.

There wasn't a unified direction.

Businesses often felt like they were on their own, and the community blamed bars for many of the issues, and there wasn't a coordinated effort to move the district forward.

The biggest difference I've seen over the last year and a half has been a dedicated business district manager.

Volunteer organizations are important, but there's no substitute for having someone whose full-time responsibility is East Carson Street.

Someone who is accountable for supporting business, attracting new investment, marketing the district, coordinating events, working with city departments and public safety, and bringing business owners, residents, and community organizations together around a common goal.

The proof is in what we've already seen.

The street is more welcoming.

There's a stronger sense of community.

New businesses are open.

Existing businesses are getting marketing and design assistance.

Even like events like Wienerfest, Shift and Stroll have brought people back to Carson Street for reasons beyond nightlife.

Through the South Side Hospitality Partnership, the community organizations, businesses, and the district manager, we're finally roaming in the right direction, the same direction.

That coordination is changing how people view the South Side.

It's helping shift the conversation from what was wrong to what this neighborhood can become.

But all this progress depends on having someone whose job it is to keep the momentum going.

Volunteers alone can't do that.

This work requires someone who is accountable every single day for the success of the district.

The NIDMA provides the resources to make sure that the leadership continues.

It allows us to keep building on the progress we've made instead of risking going backward.

I love this neighborhood.

I've invested in it because I believe in its future.

I hope you'll support the East Carson Street Nidmas so that we can continue building a cleaner, safer, more welcoming business district.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you, Chris.

Next speaker is Dina Clavon, followed by Bob Zilch.

Good afternoon.

My name is Dina Clavon.

Sorry, Bob.

Ah, that's okay.

Um I reside at 48 South 15th Street.

I also have own a business and own the property on um 64 South 14th Street.

So I've been a resident and business owner, commercial property owner in the South site for more than 20 years.

Um I'm here today to express um my support for the proposed um neighborhood improvement district and the neighborhood improvement district management association.

Um, when I learned about the proposed district boundary in a meeting, I realized that my property was not part of the boundary.

So I voluntarily asked that the boundary be expanded to include my um commercial property, um, because I wanted the opportunity to participate, and I want to have a voice in shaping the future of our neighborhood.

Um the South Side has always been a vibrant community, but maintaining and improving it requires investment, collaboration, and shared responsibility.

I'm willing to contribute to the NIDMA because it will provide the leadership, the programs and resources needed to strengthen our business district and enhance the quality of the life for everyone who lives, works, and visits there.

Thank you.

Thank you, Dina Clovon.

Bob Zilch.

Next speaker is Amy Kemp.

Hi.

I'm with CMS Housing.

We have 29 buildings, 1,653 units that we manage or handle our own.

Uh around the city, in the city.

Um, and what our issue is we run affordable housing, a lot of it.

We have uh basically that's that's probably our biggest part of our business is affordable housing.

And we're at 2850 East Carson, which is the Carson uh Carson Street retirement residences, and our clientele are none of the best means to do a lot of shopping and do a lot of things in the Southside.

I didn'ther than go to the bank, go to Aldi's, things like that.

And we our our assessment, we're we're the top assessment of the whole district, and we don't feel that uh our company is being fairly assessed in that sense that we're that far up the road from the real meat and potatoes of the district.

And um, we think that could be adjusted, and we think the methodology for the assessment could also be adjusted.

We fully appreciate the front foot method, we understand it, but uh we're not so sure that that would be the proper way to do this.

Um we are on the fence on this.

We're really not yay or nay, but we have some concerns with this whole situation.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you, Bob.

All right.

Next speaker is Amy Camp, followed by Yvonne F.

Brown.

Good afternoon.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak.

I'm Amy Camp.

My home and my business are located at 3106 Jane Street, and I'm also a former employee of the SSLBC, and I'm here today to voice my support for the NIDMA.

Last week, I attended the Pennsylvania Downtown Center's annual PA Downtown Conference, hosted an eerie with the theme making waves.

The event gathered main street managers, business district managers, and others who are committed to thriving places.

It was there that I was reminded that East Carson Street was one of the first five communities to participate in the National Main Street Center's urban demonstration project in 1985, and later received the prestigious Great American Main Street Award in 1996.

Take a walk down East Carson Street and look up, and you will know why the Great American Award was received.

On my way here today, I was looking at the building that houses the Milkshake factory and just thinking about what an exceptional building it is.

Just really fantastic details and care has been taken over time, and that's just one building.

That's a building that's a part of one of America's longest Victorian commercial districts, and it deserves care.

They all deserve care.

In Erie last week, I also had the opportunity to reflect on the careful and deliberate community building that's been taking place in the South Side over the last few years.

Has felt different lately as people have gotten to work making improvements.

Hiring Susan as business district manager was one critical step.

Establishing a neighborhood improvement district would be another.

The work of stewarding places that not does not happen on its own or without dedicated resources.

The South Side is remarkable.

It's a remarkable community, and East Carson Street is its economic engine and shared community gathering space.

Residents, businesses, and everyone who visits deserves a stronger, more vibrant East Carson Street.

I respectfully request that you can support and will support the South Side in making some waves.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next registered speaker is Yvonne F.

Brown, who I have not seen here.

Also unique Brown, who I also have not seen.

So having exhausted our list of registered speakers, we'll not take comments from unregistered speakers in the audience.

Again, please provide your name and neighborhood for the public record.

Oh, you know what, uh, we will go back to Laura Stewart who joined us online.

We can hear you.

Okay.

Um, yeah, I thank you for letting me come.

I'm here a little late, but um, here.

Um, yeah, I just wanted to say a few comments.

I'm Laura Stewart, I live on the South Side Slopes.

Um, and uh I'll just get right into it.

Um thank you for inviting me speak today.

I am in full support of the East Carson Street Improvement District.

Um, I'm here as a Southside resident, a business owner who's doors just open, and someone who spent years in public service and nonprofit leadership before that.

That background has helped me uh has shaped how strongly I believe a business community can make or break an entire neighborhood.

To anyone who's hesitant, if you own a business here, this will strengthen it.

If you own a home here, this will increase its value.

I have encountered skepticism before from people who see local businesses as a nuisance rather than an asset.

But when a neighborhood is given clarity and intention, that skepticism tends to pay.

Safety has always been a top priority for me, both professionally and personally.

I was a victim of gun violence in part of downtown that had gone without real direction for a long time.

I have compassion for anyone experiencing homelessness, but I also know that when things fail to act quickly and thoughtfully on street conditions, the risk of things turning violent goes up, and it did for me.

The exact kind of investment this ordinance would fund, and it's very, it's more cost effective for every $21,000 spent on safety improvements.

Um violent crime is prevented.

And voting and crime, roughly costs about close to $60,000.

It costs society when one occurs.

This is a proven public safety tool to invest in in an area.

As an artist, I believe public art can genuinely change how a street feels.

I have ideas for involving local artists and residents directly in that process, and I'd welcome the chance to bring that thinking into this district's planning.

Strong?

Thank you, Laura.

Uh so having exhausted speakers will now take comments from unregistered speakers in the audience.

Please provide your name and neighborhood for the public record.

You will have three minutes to speak.

All in favor, none of us got a chance to speak.

We're supposed to come down and get three minutes.

They all get three minutes, we don't get nothing.

Is that true or untrue?

The 94% they talk about is untrue because we already got 40% against.

For this bid.

Um how many street managers do we need?

We have Susan here.

We have Alison here.

How many do we need for the city of Pittsburgh?

How many times will we have to pay for the same service?

How many consultants do we have to pay for?

How many studies do we have to pay for?

How many junkets do we have to pay to take you guys down to Dallas?

How many do we have to pay for?

Well, we pay enough taxes, warm work, raise our taxes, try to raise them by 30%, only raise them by 20.

And we still don't have uh public safety on East Carson Street.

We got the uh they teach you in um in business school, the four piece.

Pricing, product, place, and promotion.

They forgot to tell us about public safety.

Because that's what we were lacking in the city of Pittsburgh.

Every night you get to go on TV and see what's going on in the city of Pittsburgh, and it's not good.

Not good anywhere.

Seven years.

Carson Street has been a lawless chaos for seven years.

These the same people that are supporting this bid are the same people that have been doing the planning and surveys and everything else for East Carson Street, and every time it's a failure.

What we need is public safety, and we need to let the people that are against this speak because all your people spoke.

All your people spoke.

And you uh went down to uh Tapos with uh your grand plan to uh charge them for all the police services and ambulance services.

How much has the city collected off of that?

Zero.

This whole this whole thing needs to be rethought out.

You can't tax your way to prosperity.

Simple as that.

The last thing is what Ronald Reagan said.

How do you say it?

Um I'm here from the government, I'm here to help.

The worst words you could hear.

What we need is more public safety, simple as that.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh next speaker, please.

Please provide your name and neighborhood for the public record.

Uh good afternoon.

My name is Lynn Gable.

I'm a property owner at 1509 East Carson Street.

I would like to begin my presenting, Bob and Sasai Can and Susan for a bill for an unauthorized use of my sidewalk on Saturday, July 4th at 10 p.m.

through 2 a.m.

A vendor was stationed directly in front of my storefront.

Back in early June, a representative from the South Side Festival contacted me and asked me whether my sidewalk could be used for an out of area vendor.

I clearly said no.

Despite that, a vendor was placed on my property anyways.

So that is why now I'm presenting you with a bill.

And I'll give you that when I leave.

So when I'm most people would consider that trespassing, other people would disregard that for a property owner's rights.

This raises an important question.

Who is actually managing this festival that's going on right now?

Residents and business owners have continually been told one thing and to only see something entirely different.

First, we were told East Carson Street would simply be closed.

Then it became a festival.

I asked for permission.

I was asked for permission to use my property.

I denied that request, and it was used anyway.

At the neighborhood meeting at Enclave in early June, residents were told there would be only two designated bear tents with fenced in drinking areas.

Instead, we have open containers that are allowed from 18th Street to 12th Street.

That is not what the residents were told to expect.

I'm here today to voice my opposition to the proposed neighborhood improvement district tax.

I'm born-raised South Side Girl.

I have a business and I'm a business owner and been a property investor in this community for more than 30 years.

Every year I pay substantial city, county, and school taxes.

My building has been struck by stray bullets during multiple shootings on East Carson Street.

There has been countless fights directly in front of my property with people being thrown against my expensive trifold storefront window.

My windows still bear permanent um damage from the vandalism that's occurred.

My handicap accessible entrance has become a gathering place for drug activity, loitering, public urination, human waste, vomit, sleeping, and littering.

My storefront was also the area where Sergeant Robinson was assaulted by a large group of adults.

This proposed tax is nothing more than HOAT.

That's expired.

And having this is the money grab.

Thank you.

Next speaker, please.

Next speaker, please.

Good afternoon, everybody.

My name is James Garvey, owner and operator of Garvey's Bar on the South Side Slopes.

Also owner of two buildings on the south side of East Carson.

And where do I start off?

Well, my family's been in the neighborhood for many, many generations, and they'd be very devastated to see what Southside's become through all the violence and whatnot, but I digress.

But let me take a moment to point out a few issues that I've witnessed my own self.

We have an uprising violent crime in the south side, a lot of drug dealing going on in the south side, and overall, people do not feel safe to be in the south side, if that makes sense.

So why do I say this?

Because people, when they hear the word south side, they hear, oh, I don't want to go there, you know.

So like people don't want to go there and feel like they're gonna get shot, stabbed, beat up by a group of kids, and I get that 100%.

I've witnessed a lot of this stuff firsthand, even how to help people out when they were getting jumped and whatnot.

And it's sad to see.

But what the idea we got of this plan to come and to assist us as business owners and whatnot, I believe that's a solution and a step forward into becoming a better, thriving community.

Because our property value right now is really tanking with all the violence going on, and what comes with all that violence is obviously the things I stated earlier.

So when we do this enigma, we imply this, we could increase our property value, we can have more people come in, we could be competitive to our other counterparted neighborhoods in the area, and yeah.

And on top of that, too, like I like to uh like to ask the landlords and building owners themselves, are you willing to do what it takes to make our neighborhood safe?

Do you want to walk down the streets at two in the morning without the sense of worried?

Do you want your kids to be outside to play, have fun, no worries in the world.

All you gotta do is just do your share because we we're responsible.

We own the properties.

So since we own the properties, we may be responsible for the success of that neighborhood.

And right now, we're doing a very poor job, everybody.

And I'm not blaming them, blaming them all of you.

That's what I'm doing.

Because it's reflecting.

We're a mere image of what we're seeing in our streets, and that's all I have to say.

You keep the 10 seconds.

Thank you, Jack.

Uh next speaker, please.

Good afternoon.

My name's Dan McSwiggin.

We own the building at 1701 East Carson Street, our restaurant, Cambota Can Kitchen, has been in that building since 2006.

So we've seen a lot of food businesses come and go on Carson Street.

We feel like the old people were still hanging on.

Uh we've saved lives down there, no less than six, including Mike Adams, the former Steeler lineman who was stabbed outside our building on 17th Street.

We've saved lives.

We have women who've been roofied in the bars, row hypnols slipped into their drinks.

They come to our place clearly under the influence of something more than merely alcohol.

The one girl couldn't, she ordered some seafood wontons, took a bite out of one, and then passed out.

Elbows still on the table, wonton still on her fingers.

One of our regulars pulled it out, put it back, pulled it out, put it back.

Three times she didn't move.

I called 9-1-1.

They came.

Gave us flowers, a bouquet of roses to thank us for saving her daughter's life.

There's other examples I could cite, but South Side needs, again, public safety.

We need police.

We had police come in a month ago.

We had about 15-20 diners in there.

We don't serve alcohol.

We've never served alcohol.

One of the police officers leaned into me and he said, if there's an incident and you call 911 and 1701 East Carson Street comes up, we will not respond.

And I thought, what are my taxes paying for?

Policemen who are not gonna be there when I need them.

The next night, another several police officers came in, and I was pretty much told the same thing.

We would have to pay for our fire if there was uh an incident, fire, fight, whatever, and emergency responding would come.

We would be built separately for those things.

Again, what are my taxes paying for?

And this is gonna be more taxes.

What are you giving me in return?

Now I've been there since 2006.

My wife and I, my family and I, we feed people good food, no alcohol, we don't contribute to the problem that way.

We pick up outside, we got a traffic control thing right beside our building.

Nobody asked me whether to put it there, they should have put it beside the telephone pole.

We got people pooping behind this thing, urinating, puking.

It's like thank you for letting me voice.

Next speaker, please.

Next speaker, please.

Hello, my name is Scott Kramer.

I have a couple of properties on Carson Street, and I have a residential, um, also in Southside.

Um, I uh I just want to say that I'm in favor of this.

I've been in business, I've owned uh six or seven businesses in the past uh 30 years down there, and I'm in favor of this, so chuck me off for that.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker, please.

Next speaker.

I'm Jeff Gubauer, I'm I live on 17th Street.

Thank you, Susan, for all the work you do.

And Bob, thank you for your support.

I'll make it real quick.

I'm in favor.

I think the vitality and the momentum we're seeing, we don't want to lose that.

We want that to continue, and it's not gonna continue without support.

So we're for the thank you, Jeff.

Next speaker, please.

All right, seeing no new speakers.

Uh, we will turn to comments from council members.

I believe, and I apologize.

I married Councilman Gross, you joined quite a while ago, and I did not recognize you.

We've about the record reflect we've been joined by Councilman Gross.

Uh we will start with Councilwoman Sanatro.

Uh thanks, uh Councilman.

I really just want to comment on the passion that I feel in the room, no matter what you decide um to do, the passion you have in the room is leading you, and I think it's terrific to see um other districts like mine don't have business districts this long.

Uh so you're very blessed in that way.

Um, but I wish you all the best of luck, and I'll be listening to everything.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilwoman.

Uh Councilwoman Gross.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

I don't have any comments at this time.

I just always like to thank people for taking the time and effort and energy to come and not just provide solutions, points, counterpoints, but also take time out of your day so that we can make better decisions.

All right.

So with that, uh, we will I will close here.

I just want to thank everyone who again, as Councilman Gross said, took the time out of the day on a Wednesday in the middle of the afternoon to come down here.

Um this obviously something that I'm very passionate about.

Um we are all very passionate about the future of the district.

Um I cannot be more appreciative of the partners that I've had to work with from the neighborhood, you know, from the the police commander to you know, college students and everyone in between the this is a neighborhood that works together.

Um, a lot of people could choose to to leave and and go somewhere else.

And I think this is a neighborhood that you know is very much ten toes down on on finding solutions.

I'm very thankful that I have the the immense privilege to represent a neighborhood like this.

So um we will again as the next steps go go here.

This legislation will come back to council next week.

Um from that point forward, we can amend the legislation.

There will be another mailing that will be uh will be sent out and we'll have a second public hearing on this.

Uh again, we we want to take your feedback in, you know, make sure we're we're providing the b the best plan in front of you.

Um so look forward to that there.

With that, um having exhausted the business of the public hearing, this meeting is adjourned.