While the city has revamped a few areas, a significant portion is quite depressing and forgotten and the city council isn't exactly business growth oriented.

I am interested in getting involved with community stakeholders, council members and economic development entities to revitalize communities and increase the value of my investments.

Also, if there is support from the council, you should have no problem getting the property re-zoned.

Pittsburgh City Council is lobbying to pass legislation that would give itself more power over real estate development.

I would probably try contacting my local code enforcement and also my local council-person or mayor.

We are petitioning city council, and have filed an appeal with Denver STR regulators.  

It was on the docket for city council back in Nov and supposed to release preliminary guidelines any day now.I would call the county and see what's what before I moved forward.

But even if you only own property outside of Pittsburgh, you should still read this email very carefully.I am asking you to appear at Pittsburgh City Council on this coming Monday, December 1 to protect your own interests.

That said, there are a lot of things you could try: I would start by talking to the borough council to see if they have any ideas. 

Also subscribe to sites like AreaDevelopment,  National Multifamily Housing Council, and read the Milken Institute's Top 200 Performing Cities.