Catherine Murray, Director of Government Affairs and Strategic Initiatives, Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh

In an interview with Invest:, Catherine Murray, Director of Government Affairs and Strategic Initiatives at the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (URA), discussed affordable housing, downtown revitalization, and inclusive investment. “We want downtown to reflect Pittsburgh’s rich culture and assets. That means celebrating  its character while encouraging tourism and investment to make it more of a neighborhood in addition to the central business district,” she said.

What major changes over the past year have shaped URA’s strategic priorities?
The past year has been transformative for downtown Pittsburgh. Private and public partners advanced a $600 million revitalization plan, led by Gov. Josh Shapiro. The goal is to make downtown more livable, vibrant, and safer, and to bolster the business community – both those that have downtown as their headquarters, and those small businesses that serve daily needs of workers and residents. 

Like many cities, Pittsburgh is still recovering from the pandemic, working to reposition its urban core as a place residents, businesses, and visitors want to be. The challenge is especially acute here, where over 60% of the central business district is office space, one of the highest rates in the country. As more companies adopt hybrid models, many have downsized or relocated, reducing foot traffic and impacting the local economy.

To address this, the URA is supporting the conversion of underused office buildings into affordable and market rate housing. The aim is to reshape downtown into a family-friendly neighborhood. The URA provides financing tools that help developers repurpose buildings and include affordable units.

We’re also partnering to enhance public amenities. One example is Arts Landing, a public space opening next year on the 8th Street block in the Cultural District. Downtown currently lacks a playground, so this will help support family life and neighborhood vibrancy.

Beyond housing and public space, the URA supports small businesses with below-market rate loans. More than 80% of our small-business loan portfolio goes to women- and minority-led businesses.

What urban redevelopment trends is URA watching most closely, and how might these shape its approach in the year ahead?
We’re focused on tax increment financing, a key tool for attracting investment. In Pittsburgh, we’ve launched a 10-year downtown tax abatement that supports office-to-residential conversions, offering developers long-term incentives to take on complex projects.

We’re also tracking small-business recovery post-COVID. While progress continues, many are still finding stability. Outdoor space remains a top priority, especially for restaurants. We’ve funded outdoor dining in downtown and neighborhood corridors to support that need.

Vacancy rates continue to challenge commercial corridors. Some landlords hold out for national chains or high-paying tenants, limiting opportunities for local entrepreneurs. We work closely with small-business owners, often first-timers, with strong visions who need help accessing space. Supporting them helps build neighborhood identity and economic resilience.

Downtown also plays a broader role as a destination. Major sports events, for example, bring visitors. We want downtown to reflect Pittsburgh’s rich culture and assets. That means celebrating its character, while encouraging tourism and investment, to make it more of a neighborhood in addition to the central business district,” she said.

What strategies are most effective in attracting and retaining investment in Pittsburgh, while ensuring that benefits reach all neighborhoods?
Pittsburgh is a resource-rich city. People here are naturally collaborative and take deep pride in their hometown, which helps build a strong foundation for business and community life.

We have top-tier universities like the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon, plus several others. Education is one of the region’s largest sectors, and these institutions play a key role in attracting and retaining talent.

A great example is the former Nabisco Bakery on the East End, now Bakery Square. It’s a mixed-use development with Google’s Pittsburgh office, restaurants, housing, and public space. It’s located across from Mellon Park, and demonstrates  how companies can be embedded in neighborhoods rather than placed in suburban office parks. We want them to be part of the city’s daily life.

We work closely with institutional partners and bring redevelopment expertise to support efforts like this. These strategies help create long-term value that connects across neighborhoods and supports the city’s larger economic vision.

With over $5 million planned for affordable housing in early 2025, how does the URA decide where to focus its resources for the greatest impact?
Pittsburgh has a strong need for affordable housing. In partnership with the City, we’re using a housing bond to support both new construction and the preservation of existing homes.

We focus on building new housing and helping people stay safely and age in place in their current homes.  Many projects include a mix of market-rate and affordable units, often targeting those earning 80% or less of the area median income.

We also prioritize geographic diversity to ensure neighborhoods across the city benefit. Beyond large developments, we support essential home repairs, like replacing roofs or installing ramps. These small interventions can have a big impact.

Economic development is complex work, and federal support has declined in recent years. We’ve had to be creative. One solution, to continue investing in businesses and entrepreneurs,  has been equity equivalent investments, or EQ2s. When I led our commercial lending team, we partnered with banks that loaned us funds at low interest rates. We used those to support small businesses unable to access traditional capital, often first-time entrepreneurs or businesses in underinvested areas. As those loans are repaid, we reinvest them in the community.

We also received a program-related investment from the PNC Foundation that helped support small businesses and launch CRiB, the Childcare Reinvestment Business Fund. CRIB offers forgivable working capital loans to childcare providers, who rarely have access to this type of funding. Through CRiB, we were able to make an impact in staff retention in the childcare industry to counter the trend we saw during

the pandemic, when many highly trained workers left childcare for better-paying retail jobs. We wanted providers to raise wages and retain qualified educators in the classroom.

So far, CRIB has provided over $1 million in support, served more than 1,700 children, and created 131 new childcare seats. After so many centers closed during COVID, families faced long waitlists. As a parent, I know that challenge firsthand. Quality childcare is foundational to a strong economy and it needs to be part of every city’s development strategy.

What progress have you seen with the Avenues of Hope initiative, and what are your next priorities for those corridors?
We’ve made strong progress through Avenues of Hope, especially with the deployment of funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. Those dollars allowed us to invest directly into historically disinvested business corridors, working with nonprofits and small businesses that needed access to capital.

Now we’re starting to see the results. Businesses have opened, projects are underway, and we’re seeing more commercial activity in the neighborhoods. It’s been rewarding to witness that momentum building.

Avenues of Hope continues to guide how we think about future investment. We’ve developed deep relationships in these communities  and have strong ties with local leaders and residents. That allows us to stay responsive to their needs, especially when funding is available.

We’ll continue focusing on those commercial corridors and look ahead to additional investment opportunities, both in Avenues of Hope neighborhoods and in other key business districts across the city.

How do you see technology and data analytics influencing future development strategies in Pittsburgh?
We’re working closely with our industry partners on this. The URA brings experience preparing sites, structuring incentives, and enabling development in sectors like robotics, tech, and research.

At the federal level, there’s growing interest in investments tied to energy and artificial intelligence. The URA is prepared to support these efforts, especially through site readiness and financing tools.

Looking ahead three to five years, what are the top priorities you hope to accomplish for equitable development in Pittsburgh?
In three to five years, we expect to see real progress from the downtown investment we’ve been talking about, especially the $600 million revitalization effort. By then, more  of our office-to-residential conversions will be completed and fully occupied.

We’ve already celebrated some key milestones, including the groundbreaking of the First & Market conversion, a senior housing project with 93 affordable apartments, and the completion of the historic Triangle Building into the Ivy Residences. We expect two more groundbreakings in fall 2025 and have a strong pipeline moving forward.

Three to five years from now, downtown Pittsburgh will look very different. I’m excited about where we’re headed and the role the URA is playing in that transformation.