A controversial master plan meant to guide Pittsburgh’s zoning policies through 2050 will get funding from a local foundation, saving taxpayers from footing the entire bill.

Mayor Corey O’Connor on Monday announced The Heinz Endowments, partnering with The Pittsburgh Foundation, will provide $750,000 for the multimillion-dollar project.

“It’s important that we finish this plan so that we have a comprehensive growth strategy through engagement with our residents,” the mayor said in a written statement.

City Council in 2024 was divided over a proposal — championed by then-Mayor Ed Gainey — to spend $6 million on a master plan for the city.

Even some of the plan’s proponents have since soured on the effort, citing the price tag and a lackluster community engagement effort.

Council last year asked Gainey to cancel the contracts with outside companies compiling the plan. Gainey refused.

After council tried again this year, it struck a compromise with the O’Connor administration.

Councilman Anthony Coghill, D-Beechview, who had spearheaded the effort to scrap the plan, last month said he would support moving ahead if officials could find a way to pay for it without taxpayer dollars.

The city finds itself in a difficult financial position, leaving some — like Coghill — wary of spending on things that aren’t absolutely essential.

Even after raising property taxes by 20% in the 2026 budget, the city is facing a shortfall of up to $40 million, according to the mayor.

Coghill in a statement Monday thanked O’Connor for “making this happen while also saving the taxpayers money.”

As of late last year, the city had already spent about $4 million of the $6 million allocated for the plan. It was not immediately clear Monday whether any more money had been spent on the plan since then.

“We support the engagement of people from all of Pittsburgh’s 90 neighborhoods to collaborate and co-create a vision for the city’s future,” said Matt Barron, program director for civic participation at The Heinz Endowments.

The funding for the comprehensive plan, he said, will help planners “make community-informed decisions on housing, economic development, climate resilience, civic engagement and other critical issues that will shape city life for the next generation.”

Pittsburgh-based Common Cause Consultants, which is handling community engagement, signed a $2.6 million contract with the city, while HR&A Advisors, which is preparing technical elements of the plan, is being paid $3.2 million.

Those companies are working with the Department of City Planning.

Its director, Ivette Mongalo-Winston, said officials will move into the final phase of planning

As part of the process, she said the city “will engage with residents and stakeholders across Pittsburgh, to ensure that we end up with a plan that is actionable, reflects the needs of current residents, and outlines where future investments are needed for all Pittsburghers to thrive.”