In March 2023, the administration of Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey challenged the tax-exempt status of 26 properties owned by nonprofits, including Pitt’s OC parking lot on Allequippa Street.
KDKA reported earlier this month that 10 of the properties had been returned to the tax rolls, including the OC Lot, assessed at $2.4 million. But Pitt disputes that report.
A spokesman said, “The University received a notice from the county dated June 29, 2023, that the OC Lot property had been reclassified as taxable. The University disagreed with this determination, and we filed an appeal to the Allegheny County Board of Property Assessment Appeals and Review on July 28, 2023. The appeal is pending, and we are not aware of any action having yet occurred by the board.”
In January 2023, Gainey directed the city’s finance and law departments to review the status of all tax-exempt property in the city owned by charities “to ensure that the special tax-exempt status is appropriate under Pennsylvania law, and, if not, to act accordingly.”
Of the 26 identified, only the OC Lot is owned by Pitt. Two are owned by Carnegie Mellon University and six by UPMC — all at 3600 Forbes Ave., where the Presbyterian Hospital parking garage is located.
— Susan Jones
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