The incredibly sad part of Historic Preservation in Pittsburgh is that some of the people authorized to make the decision, use their personal opinion and feelings to decide. That’s not their job - what is their job - is fulfilling what the community, they represent, wants.

In this article, two CIty Council Members are very clear on this point. And I applaud them for their commitment to their communities.

However, Mr. Burgess, is consistently voting against his constituents wishes, based on his personal feelings. He has voted against historic preservation, on every property, privately owned.

Here is my response to that particular thought process. I did present the following to City Council in April. My input, in this specific case, is based solely on the owners of 1817 and 1818.

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And lastly, and this is so important. The idea property owners are given a voice, in this process, is completely valid and warranted. However, in this case, these specific owners, did nothing to upkeep the property. What they undeniable did, was allow this beautiful tiny lot in Uptown, to become an embarrassment for the area as well as a location for drug use, prostitution, the homeless and other seedy activities. All, while knowing they could just wait for decades, continuing the neglect until someone came along to offer an inflated value for the land. Aside from that, they also did not pay property taxes for years at a time or at all. These ‘owners’ should not be rewarded. This is exactly why areas become so run down, blighted and unlivable. And to add complete insult to injury, those same owners, who completely neglected the property, are permitted to oppose anything being done, other than them cashing in. This needs to stop. Pittsburgh is too special to continue this community decline by proxy.
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