PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — City leaders said they’re taking a first step to create a long-term plan for generations in the years to come.
It’s not the first time Pittsburgh has tried this but now they’re saying it’s different.
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey and other city workers officially announced work on a comprehensive city plan they say will set it up for future growth, but it hasn’t come without controversy.
“This is the first time the first time a plan like this has been done in over 200 years,” Mayor Gainey said.
A bold statement from Mayor Gainey as he talked about a comprehensive plan for the city – he spoke about what he and other city leaders called “a holistic vision.”
“This includes strategies, goals, programs, policies, actions, all the things that get us to actually make a difference but most of all, it’ll be based on a community-determined vision,” said Christine Mondor.
They said it would touch on 19 different topics and integrate all neighborhoods.
The goal is to engage with 30,000 people, about 10% of the population.
“The city’s comprehensive planning efforts up to now have been through a piecemeal approach that engaged residents city-wide on one or two topics at a time,” said Sharonda Whatley, Assistant Director of Strategic Planning.
Pittsburgh City Council President Daniel Lavelle said it will ensure the city has a diverse and thriving economy.
“They’re not pushed out of the city and can economically thrive here within the city,” he said.
Last month, the council voted on two contracts with one costing nearly $3.3 million for a consulting firm to write the plan and another costing $2.6 million for a firm to do community engagement.
While both passed, three council members voted against the plan.
We have reached out to Theresa Kail-Smith who was one of the three to vote against the plan for comment, but we have not heard back.
“We’re open for business, and we will have an economy that is safe, welcoming, and thriving, and then that we will have a Pittsburgh for all,” Mayor Gainey said.
The city says it will be a 2-year process but doesn’t have a specific timeline.
