The Department of City Planning has received a Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) Keystone Historic Preservation Grant to assist with the development of a Vacant Structure Stabilization Strategy to apply throughout the City of Pittsburgh.

The strategy will assist City Planning and community groups in establishing a transparent evaluation system while setting the priorities for stabilization that includes focus areas like historic significance, community importance, and potential for use as affordable housing. The strategy will also explore funding sources, solutions to legal issues, and explore possible partnerships in this work.

Once complete, the strategy will consist of multiple parts including the development of a community engagement strategy to ensure the process is equitable and transparent from start to finish, and a pilot implementation stage in the Hill District.

In reference to this project, the term "structural stabilization" applies to a building and is based on a professional assessment of the existing condition of the building in order to mitigate the property's deterioration while vacant.

Stabilization work involves securing a building's exterior envelope which may include adding structural support for reinforcement, removal and/or prevention of pest infestation, or the protection of the building from moisture damage by adding or upgrading the existing roof.

While this project will not provide direct funding for physical stabilization of structures, it will look to identify additional funding to complete this type of work.