City Channel Pittsburgh, PA 2023 Pittsburgh City Council meetings, 3 May 2023

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From YouTube: Pittsburgh City Council Public Hearing - 5/3/23

Description

Bill #2023-1178: Update HVAC Equipment Standards

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Good afternoon and welcome to Pittsburgh City council's cable cast public hearing for Wednesday May 3rd 2023 relative to Bill 2023 1178.. Will the clerk please read.

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The title of the bills bill 1178 an ordinance amending the Pittsburgh code, Title IX zoning code, Article 5 Section 925.06 setbacks to update the standards for certain HVAC equipment and setbacks.

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Thank you. My name is Erica strasberger a member of Pittsburgh city council, District 8, and the first order of business will be a brief introduction by zoning administrator, Corey Layman.

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Foreign, this is an amendment to the zoning code, as stated, and this really came about as a collaboration with the Council Office- to address some concerns that had come up uh where uh just for sometimes simple Replacements of HVAC units in um in particularly in a heat wave. There was a lot of additional time built into the process for zoning and what really is a pretty common location for HVAC units, usually within they're, often located within a side yard next to a house and in Pittsburgh, that's very often within a side yard setback.

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The current process for an HVAC in a setback is something called an administrator's exception, which requires a little bit of additional uh an additional step.

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Applicants will need to get a neighbor a neighbor's letter uh from the adjacent property owner and they need to provide screening and then we'll provide them with a poster and they'll have to post a notice for 21 days prior to the approval of an issuance of the the zoning application, which is known as a record of zoning approval or otherwise known as a Rosa, and that includes an additional fee of 100 for the administrator's exception.

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At the time that Rosa is issued is when uh then, the actual permits for work can be issued by our sister department at pli.

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um The proposed changes are really streamline the application process, but maintains the important standards, particularly around screening and adherence to the noise standards under the code. This allows also clarifies where rooftop mounted HVAC is allowed within setbacks as well.

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If the home is already built within a setback, and it does require that equipment is screen from the street or budding properties when it's viewed from ground level and allows HVAC units and setbacks, except for emergency generators, which are treated a little bit differently, um it still maintains that all the noise and operational standards must be met, and then the big change here is that it's permitted by right, not an administrator's exception, so it doesn't require the additional 21 days, the additional fee and those other steps.

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The other changes we clarify that HVAC equipment is permitted is just a standard accessory use in residential commercial zoning districts. That's really a bit of housekeeping, but you know I just wanted to make sure that that was clear for posterity and then um the other item.

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Is that it does continue to allow HVAC units in front yards and front sat backs only where the HVAC unit is behind an existing stoop or porch so uh and screens, so it wouldn't be visible from the street. It wouldn't be protruding out from the front of a property, and that really those are those are the that's the entirety of the change.

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Thank you appreciate that explanation.

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So to summarize, we are removing some of the cost and some of the wait time and notification in neighbors for HVAC units HVAC units that might already exist in a location that, if it's a replacement of an existing location or if the, if the resident, if the residential unit already exists in a setback, so some of the easier kind of simpler ones where you wouldn't think you wouldn't perhaps need to pay the additional fee notify your neighbors wait in 21 days, have a hearing necessarily um it'll kind of speed up that process.

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So um really appreciate your work on this, so we will now move to testimony from registered speakers when you're called to speak. Please give your name and address for the public record. Each speaker will have three minutes to address counsel. If you did not register in advance.

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um After we've exhausted list of registered speakers, we can open up testimony for anyone who's in the audience who would like to speak.

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We have one registered speaker, David Wells,.

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uh Thank you, I really had registered primarily just to be able to take an opportunity to understand what uh being changes might be, and at this point, I do not have any further comments.

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Thank you for your testimony, appreciate it not seeing anyone else, either online or in in Chambers, to testify and having exhausted the business of this public hearing. Well. Actually, I will I will not quite adjourn yet I'll just offer some some comments. I was I was honored to be able to work with Mr Layman, the zoning administrator city planning to be able to do this. These are the types of what seemingly small but important and impactful.

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um You know, cleanups of our code pieces of legislation that help individuals and businesses do business with the city and make things just that much easier when it comes to you know their own quality of life when they're in a situation like a couple of residents in the district I represent experience last summer during an extreme heat wave, is exactly the time when your air conditioning unit tends to go out attempting to replace it and it taking weeks and weeks just because of the process that was set up.

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This is attempting to minimize the the time and the cost of something that should be seen as pretty simple, a simple Improvement to your house, while still I believe balancing the um you know, concerns or potential disturbances to Neighbors when it comes to noise or kind of a Aesthetics of what an HVAC unit might do so.

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I think this is a great piece of legislation, I'm glad to see it, come to this point and I look forward to uh to to voting on it and to seeing the support of my colleagues in a final vote in the next couple of weeks. So thank you for your work on this and thanks to everyone for their consideration in their work.

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So at this point having exhausted the business of this public hearing, this meeting is adjourned.

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