City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Building Inspection Threatens Lawsuit to Remove Lawrenceville Urban Garden Fence

So what happens when someone tries to construct an urban garden using existing pallets for the fence which would be otherwise be heading to a dump or a fire? Well, if enough people complain to the Bureau of Building Inspection it will get shut down with the threat of a lawsuit from the City of Pittsburgh.  

This happened specifically in Lawrenceville at the corner of 52nd St and Holmes across from the 52nd Street Market.  It appears that the Bureau of Building Inspection received "enough" resident complaints that the inspector cited "aesthetic" reasons and no other code violation along with a possible lawsuit if the pallets were not removed. My call is that "they" didn't want to deal with the complaints any more.

One of the complaints was a resident who called in and complained about a strong manure smell but none was ever used. It turned out to be a neighbor who let their garbage go rancid.

People are encouraged to complain via 311. 

Note: The owner of the lot was not involved in the construction of the pallet garden. The above photo was taken in the middle of deconstruction and as of now the lot has been cleared.

Rick Byerly


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Eyes on Pittsburgh
Formerly the Pittsburgh Art Blog, Eyes on Pittsburgh focuses on cultural aspects of the region with a critical eye.