News

🏛️ Pittsburgh City Council is meeting right now, with live discussion on legislation, public process, and decisions that shape what happens across the city. Be sure to tune in and stay engaged!

📺 Watch here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQxye9OJ_Xk ...

🌟Felicity Williams, Esq. has been appointed Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Policy Centers’ 501c3 and 501c4 entities. Williams previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Mayor Ed Gainey.
“This is a defining moment for Pennsylvania and for our country,” said Williams. “We are being called to lead with courage and clarity as we work to build a truly multiracial democracy and a Commonwealth that works for all. I am honored to step into this role at such a pivotal time and look forward to organizing with Pennsylvanians across the state to build power, advance economic justice, and strengthen our democracy.”
Williams credits her work in the private, public and community sectors, such as her work in the Hill District, with shaping her approach and perspective to coalition building.

🗞️Read this story and more in the latest edition of the Weekend Roundup:
https://ow.ly/tBr150Y0Fc

@felicityesq @pennpolicycenter ...

📢 Happening tonight!
Join the Hill CDC and other Registered Community Organizations (RCOs) for a Development Activities Meeting on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, at 6:00 PM, held via Zoom.

Development Activities Meetings allow community members to learn about proposed projects and provide input before applications advance to the Planning Commission, Zoning Board of Adjustment, Art Commission, or Historic Review Commission.

Join the meeting here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83957396087 ...

🏛️Major shifts in leadership are reshaping Pittsburgh’s housing and redevelopment scene, bringing new and familiar figures into roles that will direct public investment, land use, and housing policy. This week, additional announcements were made by Mayor Corey O’Connor.

At the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (URA), Yarone Zober has been appointed Board Chair following the departure of Kyle Chintalapalli. Zober will serve in this role while also holding the position of Director of Redevelopment under Mayor O’Connor. He previously served as Chief of Staff to Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and later as Deputy Mayor.

City Councilmember for District 6, Daniel Lavelle, will continue to serve as Vice Chair on the URA Board. District 3 City Councilmember, Bob Charland, has been named Treasurer. Majestic Lane has been appointed as the URA’s Deputy Executive Director and Chief Strategy Officer. Lane previously served in the administration of Mayor William Peduto as Deputy Chief of Staff and Chief Equity Officer.

This is the first time in recent history that two sitting City Councilmembers are serving on the URA Board at once. These leadership changes come as City Council deliberates upon housing and land use policies that carry hefty implications for neighborhood stability and equitable development, including for the Hill District and Black Pittsburgh more broadly.

In a recent vote on City Council, Charland aligned with a group of Councilmembers who opposed a Gainey-sponsored Inclusionary Zoning bill that would have expanded affordable housing across Pittsburgh—instead supporting a more developer-friendly version that was amended by Councilwoman Strassburger. Between 2024 and 2025, Charland reversed his position on the City’s Comprehensive Plan, moving from supporting the contracts needed to complete the plan to voting to terminate them. Both votes caused deep concern among community advocates.

Read the rest of this article in the latest edition of the Weekend Roundup: https://ow.ly/aAgM50Y0bCT ...