Shaping Communities Through Urban Design Zoning Update October 2001 METROPOLITAN PLANNING COUNCIL

Zoning Reform  Chicago’s current ordinance circa 1957  Goals of new code: predictable, enforceable & understandable  MPC strategy to influence new ordinance: Distribute zoning toolkit Participate on mayor’s commission Conduct neighborhood focus groups Publish Issue Brief with detailed recommendations Publish four issues of covering zoning topics

Zoning Toolkit Getting the word out about zoning  “Revise Recreate Rezone: A Neighborhood Guide to Zoning”  Accessible tool to promote public participation in re-write process  Distributed more than 2000 CDs to local stakeholders  Speaking at community groups

Mayor’s Zoning Reform Commission  21 member commission  Sub-committees/public forums Residential Administration Transportation Neighborhood retail, Open space commercial, industrial Central business district  Monthly meetings Second Tuesday of the month, 8 a.m. City Hall room 1103

 Co-chaired by Pat Dowell and Margie Muchin-Goldblatt  Partner community organizations  Urban Development Committee members: architects, developers, bankers, lawyers  Aldermen’s offices  MPC staff Zoning Working Group

Community Selection Selection criteria Socioeconomic diversity Geographic diversity Neighborhood partners Political support Financial support Back of the Yards –Growing population –Industrial heritage Bucktown/Logan Square –Hot growth area –Strong commercial market North Lawndale –Vacant land –Opportunities for infill South Shore –High population density –First stages of new growth

Neighborhoods Bucktown/Logan Square Ald. Ted Matlak/32nd Ward North Lawndale Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago Back of the Yards Back of the Yards Education & Peace Coalition South Shore South Shore Planning & Preservation Coalition

Methodology  Selected community partners in four neighborhoods  Developed Neighborhood Issue Matrix, Corresponding Zoning Regulatory Approaches, Participant Preference Sheet  2 focus groups per community (May- July)  8-16 participants per group  48 responses tallied

Neighborhood Issues

Issue #1 Insufficient supply of diverse housing options Policy Provide a broader range of housing options Zoning Solutions  Rezone certain major streets from commercial to residential  Permit accessory dwelling units

#1 – Housing Options/Zoning Solutions  Develop standards for and permit live/work units  Offer a menu of incentives

#1 – Housing Options/Zoning Solutions  Institute inclusionary zoning

 Permit townhouses in all multi-family residential districts  Allow a larger percentage of multi- family units to be efficiencies.  Create new residential districts with smaller minimum lot sizes #1 – Housing Options/Zoning Solutions

Issue #2 Inadequate supply and inefficient use of existing parking Zoning Solutions  Revise the parking provisions to allow spaces to be shared by more than one use. Policy Increase neighborhood parking availability.

 Establish maximum parking requirements that, when exceeded, must be utilized as shared #2 – Parking/Zoning Solutions  Adjust the residential district special use requirements to provide opportunities for shared parking.

Issue #3 The form & function of commercial districts does not fit or preserve character of neighborhoods. Zoning Solutions  Create new pedestrian- oriented districts  Rezone along major streets from commercial to residential Policy Create new commercial districts based on character, density & use.

#3 – Commercial/Zoning Solutions  Create new “big- box” district with design standards  Create new transit- oriented districts  Develop standards for and permit live/work units in commercial districts

 Issue #4 Industrial area transitions insufficiently protect industrial and non-industrial uses. Zoning Solutions  Require landscape of industrial setbacks from residential districts Policy Protect and promote industrial developments.

#4 – Industrial Transitions/Zoning Solutions  Create transition requirements/ standards in manufacturing districts (see existing PMD standards)  Extend river edge boundaries (see Chicago River Corridor Design Guidelines & Standards)

Issue #5 Better communication and greater opportunities for neighborhood participation in the development review process are needed. Zoning Solutions  Employ an interested parties notification procedure similar to TIF Policy Increase neighborhood involvement.

#5 – Communication/Zoning Solutions  Require direct mailed notice of all discretionary review requests  Establish a neighborhood contact requirement  Improve public notification process by posting announcements in public spaces

 Issue #6 There are no design standards for open space development. Zoning Solutions  Provide density bonuses for residential, commercial private/public open space development in neighborhoods Policy Increase quality and quantity of open space.

 Require public access to any developed river edge open space  Limit lot coverage in residential districts #6 – Open Space/Zoning Solutions  Establish minimum setback and screening requirements for certain active recreational uses

 Lay of the Land: A National Survey of Zoning Reform, 1999  In the Zone Issue Brief, 2000  Revise Recreate Rezone, June 2001  Neighborhood Recommendations, October 2001  Zoning Recommendations Issue Brief, November 2001  Zoning issue of February 2002  MPC on Zoning

Get Involved!  Send comments to the Mayor’s Zoning Reform Commission online:  Stay in touch! Regular updates of MPC’s work:

The Shaping Communities through Urban Design project has been made possible through generous grants from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, the State of Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, the Steans Family Foundation and the Woods Fund of Chicago. Special Thanks