Members of the Board of Directors and the Advocacy Committee recently met with the City of Pittsburgh’s Depts. of Permits, Licensing and Inspections (PLI) and City Planning. In mid-February, Dina Snider, Board President, and John Ryan, Advocacy Committee co-chair, met virtually with Andrew Dash, Director of City Planning. to explore where the work of AIA might intersect with the department’s efforts. Here are a few of the key takeaways:
- Forging PGH, a new master planning initiative, is moving forward with next steps in mid-2021. AIA members can help generate a successful plan by sharing this effort within our networks for feedback and supporting policy proposals.
- City of Pittsburgh is shaping the growth of the Marshall Plan for Middle America (MP4MA). Look for further updates in future issues of Columns, and a webinar event for architects.
In February, Advocacy Committee members Apoorva Juneja, Larry Fabbroni and John Ryan met with PLI Director Sarah Kinter. Here are a few of the key takeaways from the quarterly meeting:
- PLI continues to review internal processes for greater efficiency and transparency and has added further refinements to One Stop PGH and its Twilio phone system.
- PLI is currently reviewing and standardizing a permit checklist and rules and regulations for future public use. Expect future updates in Columns.
This core team from the AIA PGH Advocacy Committee will continue regular meetings with PLI and City Planning, as well as establish regular meeting with other City and County regulatory agencies. These effort will foster continued growth of our relationships and effective collaboration with these departments as we advocate for the needs of our profession, the design and construction industry, and the community at large.
The Advocacy Committee and City Planning have collaborated on an upcoming webinar on Tuesday, March 16th at 12:00 pm that will give architects a chance to have input into this critical stage of the plan’s development and support the success of this effort for the future growth of Pittsburgh. Register for the webinar here.
If you are interested in learning more about this meeting or in getting involved in the AIA Advocacy Committee, please contact Quintin Kittle @ quintin@qkarchitecture.com and John Ryan jryan@designgroup.us.com.