After more than a year of debate over Mayor Ed Gainey’s inclusionary zoning proposal, Pittsburgh City Council members remain divided over amendments that would make the policy voluntary rather than mandatory.

Mr. Gainey’s proposal has always been that inclusionary zoning should be mandatory for all new developments in the city. That would require any new buildings over 20 units to dedicate at least 10% of the units to affordable housing.

Amendments introduced Tuesday by Councilwoman Erika Strassburger would make inclusionary zoning optional. Developers who include affordable units would be offered further incentives such as density bonuses and tax abatements. If they don’t, they would have to pay a fee of $25 per square footage of the building.

The amendments also change some of the te

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