Good afternoon and welcome to the Pittsburgh City Council Cablecast Public Hearing for Thursday, September 17th, relative to Bill 2020 2224.

Will the clerk please read the title of the bill?

Ordnance amending the Pittsburgh Code Title IX, Zoning Code, Article 1, Introduction and Establishment, Section 90203 zoning map to rezone parcels 36K 30, 36K 90, and 36K ninety-four one from RM Residential Multi-unit Moderate Density.

P Park, an R1DL, residential single unit detached low density to RP residential plan unit development in the Banksville neighborhood.

You want to introduce yourself?

Thank you.

Sure.

I'll read in the case and then turn it back over to you.

Okay, thank you.

Good afternoon, Council.

Zoning legislation was introduced by City Council in Bill 2025 2224 to change the zoning district on parcels 36K 30, 36 K90, and 36K ninety-four from residential multi-unit moderate density, residential single unit detached to low density, and parks to the residential planned unit development district in the Banksville neighborhood.

City Council referred this legislation to Planning Commission for report and recommendation.

The planning commission at its meeting on July 28th, 2026 made a positive recommendation to City Council on the zoning map amendment with the condition that the legislation be amended by substitute with the text attached to attached to your council packet.

A copy of the Commission's report and a map of the area to be rezoned is also attached.

Upon conclusion of the public hearing required to be held by City Council, the bill may be enacted with five affirmative votes.

The terminology can be indicative that the decision makers are assessing whether a person is too disabled to live there, which is often discriminatory.

An able-bodied person can be incredibly active or a couch potato.

And a wheelchair user can also be incredibly active or a couch potato.

But being denied because of a property is for active seniors, uh, can be that a property doesn't want people with visible disabilities.

Um additionally to raise the development renderings are showcasing townhouses with fortunes that require steps.

Uh townhouses are generally inaccessible compared to other housing types, particularly for a population that's fortunately disabled.

But I incredibly applaud that this development townhouses will each have their own elevators.

That's a remarkable accessibility feature for townhouses.

And so I just want to rate that the design and construction requirements of the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988.

Townhouses are required to comply with the design construction requirements for physical accessibility, such as the width of doorways and hallways, clear four faith and the bathroom and kitchen.

Um and so there's accessibility components we can consider with developments for seniors that go beyond the minimum.

For example, um the development plans to have a pool, that their housing requirement is that the path to the pool is accessible.

Uh however, will the pool have a list that assists people who cannot enter the pool independently?

Again, I'm not voicing support or opposition to the proposal, nor am I stating that housing discrimination has occurred.

Uh I'm simply waving awareness to the developer and to council about how to apply up their housing land for disability accessibility to this development, given that our housing stock is so old and inaccessible.

Uh, it's critical that we fully understand what physical accessibility looks like in our new construction.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next registered speaker is Thomas W.

Keisle.

Is he online?

Hello, good afternoon.

Good morning.

We can hear you.

Well, it's afternoon.

Um my name is Thomas Keisell.

I live at 2675 Winchester Drive in Banksville.

Um I too apologize for calling in.

I heard my back on Sunday and I couldn't make it.

Downtown, but if any of you know the site uh where this is being built, if you go down the driveway into the manor and look to your left, that's my house.

That's how close this is to me.

That's the courts go right in there at near the top of that driveway.

Um I bought this property because of the tranquility here in the city.

I have a rare dead-end street surrounded by woods.

I've watched deers take their first step.

I hear how owls at night, these are things that you don't easily find in the city.

And it was a major uh purchasing decision for me when I made it.

Um let me be clear, I'm not against this project.

I'm here to I'm not here to stop housing from being built.

In fact, I support the housing from being built, and I know my council member uh also supports it.

What I'm asking is the property is 26 acres out of all of it.

They put the pool, the clubhouse, two pickleball courts, and a 29-car parking lot in the one corner that touches my yard.

Their own drawing puts a 30-foot setback line at my property, and the courts sit just behind it.

I scaled it off the plans as best I could, and I submitted a handout that you may or may not have.

Um, let's say it's around 50 feet to the court fence from my home.