The Pittsburgh City Council Committee on Hearings and Policy held a second public hearing on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, at 1:30 PM in Council Chambers to consider Bill 2026-0518, which would establish an East Carson Street Neighborhood Improvement District (NID). The hearing featured presentations from the bill's sponsor, Councilman Charland, and testimony from registered and unregistered speakers. The hearing focused on the purpose, structure, and community impact of the proposed district, which would fund commercial corridor improvements through a frontage-based assessment on commercial properties.
Good afternoon, and welcome to Pittsburgh City Council's Cablecast Public Hearing for Wednesday, September 2nd, 2026, relative to Bill 2026 0518. Will the clerk please read the title of the bill? Bill five eighteen ordinance establishing an East Carson Street Improvement District for the area shown on Exhibit A at the behest of the East Carson 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 said improvements, method of assessing specific properties to be benefited, establishing a neighborhood improvement district management association to conduct administrative procedures for the neighborhood improvement district, providing for the establishment of a separate account for deposit and withdrawal of project funds and providing for the cost thereof. Today we're back before council to show you what we heard, what we clarified, and importantly, what changed as a result of the process. I want to take a moment to clarify how the proposed boundary was established and why certain areas are included. The top map shows the LNC or local neighborhood commercial boundary in pink. That commercial corridor along East Carson Street was the starting point in the foundation for the district. The bottom map shows the proposed NIDMA boundary. It largely follows the LNC corridor with a few specific additions that are directly connected to the commercial district. Bedford Square is included because it serves as a hub for events, programming, and public space activation. The 10th Street Corridor is included because it is an important gateway into East Carson Street. The northern side of South 14th Street up to Sarah Street was added after commercial property owners expressed interest in participating and was determined to be directly connected to the corridor. As feedback came in, we reviewed the boundary within that same framework. Feedback informed the review, but it did not change the basis on which the district was established. Where a refinement was supported, it was made. Simply put, the top map shows the commercial foundation. What you see on the lower map is the final proposed boundary, still grounded in the LNC commercial corridor and the specific areas that function as part of the district. With that framework in place, there are a few other elements of the plan that are important to clarify. Who pays, who controls the organization and its funding, and what the investment is intended to accomplish. First, this is an assessment of commercial property within the proposed district. Second, and very important to emphasize, the management association would be an independent nonprofit governed by an owner controlled board of directors made up of the very people paying the assessment. That means people investing in the district will have direct responsibility for how those dollars are used. The board will establish the annual budget, set priorities, and determine how district funds are invested within the parameters of the approved district plan. The money stays here. The decisions are made here, and the people paying the assessment have a direct voice in how it is invested. So what is that investment intended to accomplish? The plan identifies four primary outcomes. Improve the experience on East Carson Street, strengthen the district's brand and reputation, grow the economy, and drive more traffic and spending into the commercial corridor. The activities in the plan are how we work towards those outcomes, dedicated district management, business recruitment, marketing and promotion, events and programming, storefront activation, property owner support, and grant writing. The city would continue providing municipal services while existing organizations and volunteers would continue the work they already do. The NIDMA provides the dedicated funding, staffing, and organizational capacity to carry out this commercial district work consistently over time. Through one-time temporary funding, we're able to bring Susan Anderson on as our business district manager and begin testing what it looks like to have someone consistently focused on the East Carson Street commercial corridor. With an incredibly limited operating budget and no dedicated staff, Susan has worked directly with businesses and property owners. She's recruited new businesses and has helped connect vacant storefronts with prospective tenants. Additionally, she's built partnerships with the government agencies and community groups, coordinated public space improvements, developed new district marketing tools, and created events and programming designed to bring customers back to East Carson Street. We're also seeing encouraging movement in one of the district's most important indicators. When this work began, commercial vacancy was approximately 23%. Today it is approximately 16%. That's a seven-point swing in just 18 months. No single person or program is responsible for a change like that. It takes property owners investing in their buildings, it takes businesses investing in their operations. It takes the city providing services and resources, and it takes existing community organizations working throughout the South side. What these 18 months have demonstrated is the role that a dedicated management district management can play in connecting those efforts and maintaining a consistent focus on the economic health of the commercial district. The phrase we've often said is that this is someone who wakes up every day and thinks about what problems the district has and puts boots on the ground to fix those problems. The NIDMA would be a permanent structure around that work. And that structure is important. It would be led by the building owners and business owners who are themselves the most invested in the success of the district. They would establish district priorities, oversee the organization, and determine how those district resources are put to work. So this is not about one person or one position. It's about whether East Carson Street has a sustainable, locally led structure with a capacity to manage the district over the long term.