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pghnewliberals.bsky.social
Pittsburgh New Liberals
@pghnewliberals.bsky.social
420 followers 230 following 370 posts
Advocating for abundant housing, accessible transit, technological progress, and clean air & water in the Pittsburgh region

Open, optimistic, pragmatic
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pghnewliberals.bsky.social
That's a bit better.
Also added alt-text with table details.
size_category n_projects total_units <chr> <int> <dbl> 1 1 unit 457 457 2 2–4 units 21 45 3 5–19 units 6 64 4 20–49 units 9 370 5 50–99 units 5 272 6 100–149 units 5 599 7 150–199 units 4 713 8 200–249 units 4 932 9 250–299 units 2 563 10 300–349 units 1 343 11 350–399 units 1 377 12 400–449 units 0 0 13 450+ units 0 0
October 26, 2025 at 4:14 PM
pghnewliberals.bsky.social
Digging a little deeper, I count 4,735 units permitted in Pittsburgh since 2019 (Using the 2019 to present PLI database). Numbers might be a bit off for 2019 and 2025, so maybe consider that as 2020-2024.
Here's the distribution of building size.
October 26, 2025 at 4:08 PM
pghnewliberals.bsky.social
One quick Google search later:
Average rent in 92118: $3,418 per month
Average rent in 92101: $2,990 per month
July 15, 2025 at 4:24 PM
pghnewliberals.bsky.social
Research that has attempted to disentangle the "amenity effect" from the "supply effect" (the idea that additional new housing increases supply, pushing down prices) find that the supply effect dominates.

Excerpt below is from the working paper version of Asquith, Mast, and Read (2023)
We attempt to fill this gap in the literature using quasi-experimental methods and address- level microdata, focusing on the low-income areas that are most relevant to the policy debate. We find that the concerns that motivate opposition to new market-rate housing are mostly unfounded. While there is a strong observed correlation between new construction, rising rents, and demographic change, this is because new buildings are typically constructed in areas that are already changing. When these new buildings are completed, they actually slow rent increases and demographic change in the nearby area. The average new building lowers nearby rents by 5 to 7 percent relative to trend, translating into a savings of $100–$159 per month. Results are consistent across a number of specifications, and remaining bias from unobservables driving the selection of building sites likely pushes our estimates toward zero. In addition, we find that new buildings increase low-income in-migration, implying that this improved affordability can foster more integrated, economically diverse neighborhoods that may provide low-income residents with greater economic mobility (Chetty, Hendren, and Katz 2016; Chetty et al. 2018).
July 11, 2025 at 3:01 PM
pghnewliberals.bsky.social
I should note here that some people have found the idea of "Induced Demand" a bit confusing, as seen by these reddit comments in the R/Pittsburgh forum seeming to think that building more housing will "induce demand" and cause local prices to rise.
From reddit. Username censored. 3 months ago. "It's correct but there are many qualifiers. Like roads, housing creates induced demand. More luxury housing is good for the reasons you describe but where it's built matters. Unfettered developers will naturally self select for the hottest markets with the lowest land cost - a formula for gentrification. A five over 1 with amenities on the first floor attracts development in neighboring plots. Concentrations of wealth by their nature create concentrations of poverty elsewhere - if good schools, jobs, & recreation are enclosed in rich enclaves we lose social mobility. Intentional policy can correct for this market failure." From reddit. Username censored. 2 months ago. "It matters where it's built. Induced demand can raise prices locally while lowering for the region overall."
July 11, 2025 at 3:01 PM
pghnewliberals.bsky.social
The same plot that the local City Council, the Mayor, the majority of the students, and the Governor all supported building housing on.
That the California Supreme Court eventually ruled that the University could build housing on.
From the Wikipedia page on People's Park: In 2018, the university published a plan to build 1,100 new units of student housing and 125 units of supportive housing for homeless people on the site, but a small contingent of activists delayed those plans through opposition including protests,[11][12] lawsuits,[13][14] sabotage of construction equipment,[15] and trespassing on the site.[16] The housing plans were backed by the Berkeley City Council, Mayor Jesse Arreguin, Berkeley's California Assembly representative Buffy Wicks and California Governor Gavin Newsom, and a majority of UC Berkeley students.[17] Continued from Wikipedia: "Pending a judgment in a legal challenge to the university's housing plan, the park was closed off in early January 2024, when construction workers and police surrounded the park with a 17-foot high wall of shipping containers to prevent trespassing.[18] On June 6, the California Supreme Court unanimously ruled in the university's favor, allowing construction to proceed.[19][20][21] Consequently, construction officially started on July 22.[22]"
July 7, 2025 at 2:48 PM
pghnewliberals.bsky.social
Henry George said it best in his 1905 book "Protection or Free Trade":
aei.org/carpe-diem/q...

"[...]protective tariffs are a means whereby nations attempt to prevent their own people from trading."
"Civilized nations do not use their armies and fleets to open one another’s ports to trade. What they use their armies and fleets for, is, when they quarrel, to close one another’s ports. And their effort then is to prevent the carrying in of things even more than the bringing out of things—importing rather than exporting. For a people can be more quickly injured by preventing them from getting things than by preventing them from sending things away. Trade does not require force. Free trade consists simply in letting people buy and sell as they want to buy and sell. It is protection that requires force, for it consists in preventing people from doing what they want to do. Protective tariffs are as much applications of force as are blockading squadrons, and their object is the same—to prevent trade. The difference between the two is that blockading squadrons are a means whereby nations seek to prevent their enemies from trading; protective tariffs are a means whereby nations attempt to prevent their own people from trading. What protection teaches us, is to do to ourselves in time of peace what enemies seek to do to us in time of war." - Henry George, 1905, "Protection or Free Trade"
June 16, 2025 at 2:37 PM
pghnewliberals.bsky.social
... and in April 2008 he had this to say:
home.treasury.gov/news/press-r...

"Trade has a compelling record of advancing economic development. [...] eliminating trade barriers in goods could boost incomes in developing countries by at least $142 billion a year."
"Trade has a compelling record of advancing economic development. The World Bank has estimated that, in the 1990s, per capita real income grew three times faster for developing countries that significantly lowered trade barriers than for other developing countries that lowered barriers less. The World Bank also estimates that eliminating trade barriers in goods could boost incomes in developing countries by at least $142 billion a year, greatly exceeding the total of G-7 foreign economic assistance of $80 billion last year. And, the World Bank finds that the income gains from trade are enjoyed by people at all income levels, and could lift 65 million people out of poverty by 2015." - Under Secretary David H. McCormick Remarks to the Confederation of Indian Industry & the American Chamber of Commerce April 23, 2008 "The Way Ahead for the U.S.-India Economic Partnership"
June 16, 2025 at 2:37 PM
pghnewliberals.bsky.social
Then Under Secretary for International Affairs David H. McCormick had this to say about trade in March 2008.
elischolar.library.yale.edu/cgi/viewcont...

"Lower trade and investment barriers benefit not only the United States, but also the global economy as a whole."
"A useful starting point when discussing the benefits of sovereign wealth funds is to stress that the United States remains committed to open investment. On May 10, 2007, President Bush publicly reaffirmed, in his Statement on Open Economies, the U.S. commitment to advancing open economies at home and abroad, including through open investment and trade. Lower trade and investment barriers benefit not only the United States, but also the global economy as a whole. The depth, liquidity and efficiency of our capital markets should continue to make the United States the most attractive country in the world in which to invest." - 3-5-2008 Under Secretary for International Affairs David H. McCormick Testimony Before the House Committee on Financial Services Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade and Technology and Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance and Government Sponsored Enterprises
June 16, 2025 at 2:37 PM
pghnewliberals.bsky.social
Great article by @jonathanbchait.bsky.social - I think this second to last paragraph hits an important point:

That the "abundance agenda" (essentially the points @cnliberalism.org have been making for years) is the opposite of Trumpism.
Perhaps most important, the abundance agenda supplies Democrats with a vision of the future that contrasts sharply and clearly with Donald Trump’s. The president has lectured the country about the need to make do with less in the service of his self-destructive tariff regime. He has attacked plans to build denser cities as an assault on suburbs, defunded scientific research, sought to shut down the green-energy transition, and paralyzed the bureaucracy with arbitrary restrictions. The abundance agenda creates a unified program to reverse all these retrograde ideas, along with a practical understanding of the impediments that must be overcome to do so.
May 25, 2025 at 8:19 PM
pghnewliberals.bsky.social
Congrats to @coreyoconnorpa.bsky.social for winning the Mayoral primary! Looking forward to you doing good work on housing!

And congrats to @prohousingpgh.org for a clean sweep with all their endorsed candidates!
From https://www.coreyformayor.com/issues Housing The City has failed to build enough housing. Instead of just talking about this problem, Pittsburgh needs a Mayor who will actually lean in and work to help residents access housing that’s safe, stable, and, most importantly, affordable. Our outdated permitting and zoning system is fundamentally incapable of meeting our City’s present needs when it comes to housing. Its design and use directly imperil housing abundance. In a town where we desperately need new units and construction, as well as upgrades and improvements to the existing housing stock, the City’s inaction will only make this problem worse. Corey’s focus will be on bringing more housing to Pittsburgh, keeping housing affordable, helping people stay in their homes, providing resources to homeowners in need of repairs or accessibility modifications, and allowing residents to stay in their homes and communities instead of being priced out. As Mayor, Corey is committed to: Finally fixing our broken permitting and zoning system Encouraging housing abundance and affordability across Pittsburgh by utilizing all available funding and strategic interventions Working with the Urban Redevelopment Authority to use the Housing Opportunity Fund to create and preserve affordable units Proposing a transit-oriented development zoning overlay district See more about Corey’s housing policies here.
May 21, 2025 at 7:05 AM
pghnewliberals.bsky.social
201 completed new affordable units, 2022-2024.
Screenshot from the Pittsburgh Affordable Housing Development Project Explorer, showing that only 201 new affordable units have been completed.
April 18, 2025 at 12:57 AM
pghnewliberals.bsky.social
It is good to read the whole article

City departments are more over budget now than they were at the same time last year.
The city’s EMS bureau at the end of February was on track to spend 115% of its salary and overtime budget by the end of the year. At the same time last year, it was trending toward spending about 102%. In the fire bureau, if spending continues to follow the trend it showed in the first two months, it will spend nearly 114% of its salary and premium pay budget this year. At the same time last year, it was on track to spend about 109% of that budget.
April 17, 2025 at 8:47 PM
pghnewliberals.bsky.social
Unfortunately, the census bureau numbers appear to be wrong.
Detailed explanation on the other site here:
x.com/PGHNewLibera...
Graph of US Census Bureau Building Permits Survey for Pittsburgh Initial graph seems to show a large spike in housing production post-pandemic (5,975 housing units from 2020 to 2023). Independent counting from the housing data (done by yours truly, Jack Billings) indicates there's actually been a drop-off in production (3,056 housing units from 2020 to 2023)
April 14, 2025 at 4:30 PM
pghnewliberals.bsky.social
It was at that point that residents from Polish Hill and members of the Polish Hill Civic Association made a change dot org petition to “preserve” Donny’s and block development.

www.change.org/p/preserve-d...
Historic nomination puts an immediate hold on demolition of the Donny’s Place building, and likely a pause on the prospective development. If the nomination is granted, then the building will have to be respected forever. At the same time that a historic nomination is being made, we would approach Donny’s estate and the developer about what it would take to fairly compensate them for the property.
April 11, 2025 at 3:43 AM
pghnewliberals.bsky.social
The initial plan was for 27 units.
DCP-ZDR-2020-01783 - submitted March 2020, hearing in September 2020 - 27 townhomes proposed on the Donny’s Place site
April 11, 2025 at 3:43 AM
pghnewliberals.bsky.social
I have not seen any plans, finances, or developers for such a project.

Further, the Donny’s Place site is zoned H-Hillside - which forbids multi-units residential.

It would require a rezoning to something different, like Residential Mixed Use, for a Mosaic like project to be permissible.
Pittsburgh zoning map, centered on Donny’s place, in light green. Inset indicates the lot is zoned H-Hillside Table of uses in Pittsburgh zoning code, scrolled down to multi-unit residential. The cell in column H-Hillside is blank, indicating that use is forbidden.
April 11, 2025 at 3:43 AM
pghnewliberals.bsky.social
Li, X., 2022. Do new housing units in your backyard raise your rents?. Journal of Economic Geography, 22(6), pp.1309-1352.
Do new housing units in your backyard raise your rents? Xiaodi Li Journal of Economic Geography 22 (6), 1309-1352, 2022 There is a growing debate about whether new housing units increase rents for immediately surrounding apartments. Some argue new market-rate development produces a supply effect, which should alleviate the demand pressure on existing housing units and decrease their rents. Others contend that new development will attract high-income households and new amenities, generating an amenity effect and driving up rents. I contribute to this debate by estimating the impact of new high-rises on nearby residential rents, residential property sales prices and restaurant openings in New York City. To address the selection bias that developers are more likely to build new high-rises in fast-appreciating areas, I restrict the sample to residential properties near build new high-rises in fast-appreciating areas, I restrict the sample to residential properties near approved new high-rises and exploit the plausibly exogenous timing of completion conditional upon the timing of approval. I provide event study evidence that within 500 ft, for every 10% increase in the housing stock, rents decrease by 1%; and for every 10% increase in the condo stock, condo sales prices decrease by 0.9%. In addition, I show that new high-rises attract new restaurants, which is consistent with the hypothesis about amenity effects. However, I find that the supply effect dominates the amenity effect, causing net reductions in the rents and sales prices of nearby residential properties.
April 9, 2025 at 1:17 PM
pghnewliberals.bsky.social
Asquith, B.J., Mast, E. and Reed, D., 2023. Local effects of large new apartment buildings in low-income areas. Review of Economics and Statistics, 105(2), pp.359-375.
Local effects of large new apartment buildings in low-income areas Brian J Asquith, Evan Mast, Davin Reed Review of Economics and Statistics 105 (2), 359-375, 2023 We study the local effects of new market-rate housing in low-income areas using microdata on large apartment buildings, rents, and migration. New buildings decrease rents in nearby units by about 6% relative to units slightly farther away or near sites developed later, and they increase in-migration from low-income areas. We show that new buildings absorb many high-income households and increase the local housing stock substantially. If buildings improve nearby amenities, the effect is not large enough to increase rents. Amenity improvements could be limited because most buildings go into already-changing neighborhoods or buildings could create disamenities such as congestion.
April 9, 2025 at 1:17 PM
pghnewliberals.bsky.social
I can think of several papers that make that strong causal claim.

Here are three examples published in the last few years:

Mense, A., 2025. The impact of new housing supply on the distribution of rents. Journal of Political Economy Macroeconomics, 3(1), pp.000-000.
The impact of new housing supply on the distribution of rents Andreas Mense Journal of Political Economy Macroeconomics 3 (1), 000-000, 2025 I estimate the impact of new housing supply on the local rent distribution, exploiting delays in housing completions caused by weather shocks. A 1% increase in new supply (i) lowers average rents by 0.19%, (ii) effectively reduces rents of lower-quality units, and (iii) disproportionately increases the number of second-hand units available for rent. Moreover, the impact on rents is equally strong in high-demand markets. Employing a quantitative model, I explain these results by second-hand supply: New supply triggers moving chains that free up units in all market segments. The estimate translates into a short-run demand price elasticity of −0.025.
April 9, 2025 at 1:17 PM
pghnewliberals.bsky.social
Reading The City Paper this morning and I’m struck by this quote by @eliottretter.bsky.social:
Screenshot from Pittsburgh City Paper article “YIMBYs want more housing, but their methods have divided Pittsburgh leaders” By David S. Rotenstein, published April 9, 2025. “ The YIMBY logic is flawed, Tretter explains, because it excludes lots of external factors from their arguments about local housing markets. “I don't think that one can really make very strong causal claims about the relationship between the production of housing and issues associated with land value or rent,” Tretter says. “We really don't know. I think, fundamentally, there is some evidence that says that making more housing can do this, but there's a lot of evidence that says making more housing doesn't do this.” “
April 9, 2025 at 1:17 PM
pghnewliberals.bsky.social
Google streetview from Oct 2022 and Sep 2023, Bigelow Blvd, Finland St pedestrian bridge, Polish Hill, Pittsburgh
Oct 2022 - Finland St pedestrian bridge across Bigelow Blvd, in Polish Hill, Pittsburgh. While still in use, before it was hit by a truck. Sept 2023 - Finland st pedestrian bridge across Bigelow Blvd in Polish Hill, Pittsburgh. Now dismantled having been hit by a truck, no plans to replace it.
March 28, 2025 at 11:49 PM
pghnewliberals.bsky.social
Sure! Two separate sources for the same building (Bakery Living Blue):
5.1% vacancy rate from a friend with a Coinstar account, and 1.7% vacancy rate from emailing Todd and Gregg at Walnut Capital directly and asking them.
Coinstar showing a 5.1% vacancy rate for Bakery Living Blue Internal Walnut Capital numbers showing a 1.7% vacancy rate for Bakery Living Blue
February 4, 2025 at 1:38 AM
pghnewliberals.bsky.social
On 2, 4107 Willow St is the existing address of the Foundry on 41st street. 

As shown in this CoO: onbasesecure.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/PublicAccess...



108 43rd St is one block away, and is the site of the Kaleidoscope Cafe (permanently closed)
Screenshot of Google Maps, red pin on 108 43rd St, the site of the now permanently closed Kaleidoscope Cafe. One block away, at 4107 Willow St, is the Foundry at 41st Street.
January 27, 2025 at 4:06 PM
pghnewliberals.bsky.social
Let's compare their data side-by-side. Here are all projects listed in Lawrenceville by both groups.
PCRG pg 22: Table 5: Development projects in Lawrenceville of 20 or more residential units entitled from 2012 to February 19, 2019 Project Address # Units # Affordable Units Notes Locomotive Lofts Catalyst Lofts Doughboy Square Apartments McCleary School Condos Lawrenceville Place 4840 Harrison St 34 0 141 41st St 20 0 3459 Butler St 45 9 5251 Holmes St 25 0 Winesap Dr 36 0 LIHTC 22 The Foundry Arsenal 201, Phase I Mews on Butler Sixth Ward Flats Lawrenceville Lofts 4001 Willow St 3927 Butler St 5515 Butler St 3350 Penn Ave 3719 Butler St 191 0 243 0 68 0 35 35 LIHTC 25 0 TOTAL: 722 44 PCRG page 16: Table 2: Development projects in Lawrenceville of 20 or more residential units entitled since February 19, 2019 Project Address # Units #IZ Units Status Arsenal 201, Phase II Aura District & Lofts (aka Holy Family) 5303 Butler St (Albion Lawrenceville) 4107 Willow St Development 37th St Apartments 32 39th St Development 3931 Foster 343 35 St 250 44th St 45 5 5303 Butler 267 27* St Completed, occupied Under construction Under construction 4107 Willow 97 10* St ground Entitled, hasn’t broken 3634 Penn 50 5* Ave ground Entitled, hasn’t broken 32 39th St 334 34* Entitled, hasn’t broken ground TOTAL: 1,136 116 Pro-Housing Pittsburgh's Project database, searched for Lawrenceville. Source: https://github.com/prohousingpgh/pittsburgh_iz/blob/main/2025-01-24%20Buildings%20of%2020%20units%20or%20more%20built%20in%20Pittsburgh%202012.csv neighborhood address housing_units project_name completed min_issued_month min_issued_year 5 Lower Lawrenceville 3812 FOSTER ST, PITTSBURGH, PA 15201 334 32 39th Street Redevelopment No 6 2024 10 Lower Lawrenceville 3634 PENN AVE, PITTSBURGH, PA 15201 50 Unnamed New Burgh Real Estate Project No 12 2023 17 Upper Lawrenceville 5303 BUTLER ST, PITTSBURGH, PA 15201 267 Albion Lawrenceville No 4 2023 18 Central Lawrenceville 108 43RD ST, PITTSBURGH, PA 15201 97 Unnamed Camp Eight Capital Project No 4 2023 28 Central Lawrenceville 256 44TH ST, PITTSBURGH, PA 15201 46 Holy Family Church Redevelopment No 10 2021 41 Lower Lawrenceville 3350 PENN AVE, PITTSBURGH, PA 15201 35 Sixth Ward Flats Yes 6 2020 48 Lower Lawrenceville 3931 FOSTER ST, PITTSBURGH, PA 15201 343 Arsenal 201 Phase 2 Yes 11 2019 62 Lower Lawrenceville 3725 BUTLER ST, PITTSBURGH, PA 15201 24 Lawrenceville Lofts Yes 12 2018 76 Upper Lawrenceville 5515 BUTLER ST, PITTSBURGH, PA 15201 68 Mews on Butler Yes 6 2017 83 Lower Lawrenceville 3927 BUTLER ST, PITTSBURGH, PA 15201 243 Arsenal 201 Phase 1 Yes 6 2016 86 Central Lawrenceville 4107 WILLOW ST, PITTSBURGH, PA 15201 182 The Foundry at 41st Yes 2 2016 98 Upper Lawrenceville 5267 HOLMES ST, PITTSBURGH, PA 15201 25 McCleary School Condos Yes 8 2015 107 Central Lawrenceville 301 -375 WINESAP DR, PITTSBURGH, PA 15201 36 Lawrenceville Place Yes 5 2014 114 Central Lawrenceville 141 41ST ST, PITTSBURGH, PA 15201 20 Catalyst Lofts Yes 5 2013 120 Lower Lawrenceville 3459 BUTLER ST, PITTSBURGH, PA 15201 45 The Square on Butler Yes 10 2012 127 Central Lawrenceville 4840 HARRISON ST, PITTSBURGH, PA 15201 34 Locomotive Lofts Yes 5 2012
January 27, 2025 at 3:31 PM