2026-10-01 · housing
Polish Hill split over proposed new shelter ahead of hearing today
The Pittsburgh Zoning Board of Adjustment was set to hear testimony Wednesday on the Allegheny County Department of Human Services’ plan to convert a vacant commercial building at 3567 Bigelow Blvd. into a year-round low-barrier overflow shelter, replacing the seasonal Perry South site. Community Family Advocates would run 80 to 100 beds from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m., expandable to 150 in severe weather, with a Downtown Partnership shuttle to Second Avenue Commons for daytime services. Councilor Deb Gross said the interim-housing zoning use was intended for transitional housing and is being “misapplied” to an overnight shelter, and said the zoning administrator waived a required development activities meeting and management plan.
The interim-housing use the application relies on was added to the city zoning code by an ordinance passed in August 2025; the Perry South overflow shelter has operated for the past two winters.