A playground popular with many children was held up by red tape for months in Pittsburgh’s Brookline neighborhood. 

It’s a story at the confluence of disappointed children, a landslide, bureaucratic molasses, and a once vibrant playground in shambles. 

Early last year, the playground at Little Village Learning Center on McNeilly Road was in a state of disrepair due to the fact that the land behind the fence was slowly but surely eroding – and did it ever. 

“It was becoming questionable and felt a little unsafe,” said Ashley Landy, owner and director of Little Village Learning Center. 

Now, it’s been going on 10 months since the kids at the learning center have been able to use the playground, and Landy said she knows what is needed. 

“Right now, we need to build a retaining wall so that we can rebuild our playground,” she said. 

As the kids go about their daily routines, confined to the building, Little Village secured funding and a contractor – then last March, they reached out to the city, and that’s where things got messy. 

“[We were told] that it could take around 30 days, so our contractor was all-in and ready to go,” Landy recalled. 

So, it got fixed, right? Well, the 30 days came and went. 

“Every time we ask them about the permitting issues, they come back with another piece of paperwork that we need to submit, which takes another 45 days,” she said. 

On Wednesday morning, we reached out to the city to try to get an understanding of what was going on, and just over three hours after we reached out, Little Village Learning Center was contacted by the city and told the permit was in the final stages of processing. We also got a lengthy email explaining the process. 

For Landy, she just wants her 58 kids back on the playground. 

“It’s crucial, they love to go outside and play and run around,” she said. “For them to just get a break from the building alone and get that fresh air, it’s definitely necessary. 

Also, late on Tuesday, the center was notified that what was once an issue with the planned playground probably isn’t anymore, and more conversations on Grant Street will happen on Thursday. Landy said she hopes and would like to get the playground up and usable by early summer. 

Finally, the question is, is what happened at Little Village the exception or the rule? 

While you don’t want to call it the rule, but it is an issue. So much so that Mayor Corey O’Connor issued an executive order to take a look at and speed up the city’s permitting processes so that small businesses aren’t forced to wait months. He’s also setting up a development public liaison to serve as a point person for people who hit permitting road blocks.