Proposed ordinance would waive zoning change fees in two Industrial Corridors
Owners of property in the Fulton Market and North Branch corridor areas will probably be interested in a proposed ordinance that would waive rezoning fees for adaptive reuse projects.
Emanuel is replacing two members of the Zoning Board of Appeals
The Zoning Board of Appeals hears zoning application appeals, requests for variations from the zoning code, and requests for a special use permit. One of the most commonly granted variations is for changes in a property's required setbacks. Mayor Emanuel recently replaced two members of the ZBA.
Emanuel's proposed reform would require a yes/no vote on zoning changes within six months
Emanuel introduced a package of ethics reforms at January's City Council meeting. One of them would require that the Zoning Committee vote on all rezoning applications, so that none of them could sit indefinitely.
Chicago's transit-oriented development rules have been extended to bus routes
New rules for Chicago's TOD ordinance extend the areas for parking reductions and density bonuses to properties within 1/4 mile of selected bus route corridors.
New "Pedestrian Streets" were designated in 2018
Six "Pedestrian Streets" were extended or added in 2018, which has beneficial implications for property owners, while also preserving the walkability of business districts.
Rules for high-rise signs changed to accommodate discerning tenants
Chicago City Council adopted new rules for signs on high-rise buildings to change how the sign area is calculated and which tenant's name is allowed to be on the sign.
Understand zoning requirements before bidding on Chicago Public Schools's vacant lots
The Chicago Public Schools is planning to sell seven vacant properties that it owns across Chicago. Get zoning assessments from MAPS to understand the site requirements.
Chicago planning department proposes changes in Kinzie PMD to allow more office space
At a public meeting on Tuesday, October 9, 2018, the Chicago Department of Planning and Development (DPD) proposed minor changes to the Planned Manufacturing District (PMD) #4, Kinzie Industrial Corridor. PMDs are intended to preserve the city's manufacturing bases by preserving manufacturing zoning; essentially, only manufacturing uses are permitted. A small number of commercial uses are allowed, such as accessory retail, food & beverage, and office uses. The meeting was part of the Kinzie Framework Plan, part of Mayor Emanuel's Industrial Corridor Modernization Initiative.
In the proposal, the Kinzie PMD's boundary would remain as-is, but the areas covered by Subareas A and B would change. Subarea B would move to cover the area east of Ashland, and the Subarea A would cover the area west of Ashland. The FAR limit of 3.0 would remain. (This PMD's boundaries were first truncated, last year, to remove the area east of Ogden.)
Existing PMD map
The PMD and its subareas are shown in blue. The black outline is the Kinzie Industrial Corridor.
Proposed PMD map
In the proposed PMD map, the internal border between subareas A and B would shift to the east, and the positions of A and B would swap.
Some of the changes are significant: The area of the PMD closer to the Fulton Market construction and conversion activity would allow larger office, retail, retail food and beverage, and eating and drinking establishments. The PMD would not open up to allow residential.
What's proposed
DPD has proposed the following changes in Subarea B:
Maximum area for offices would be eliminated, except for the current FAR limitation of 3.0. (There's a current exception in that there is no maximum area when reusing a building, except for FAR 3.0.)
Maximum area for retail food & beverage sales would increase from today's 3,000 s.f. to 8,000 s.f. (convenience store, grocery store, liquor store)
Maximum area for eating & drinking establishments would increase from 4,000 s.f. to 8,000 s.f.; owners would be able to apply for a variation from the Zoning Board of Appeals to build up to 12,000 s.f. (bars and restaurants)
There could be freestanding retail locations up to 3,000 s.f. per store; currently, a store can only be built as an attachment to the factory that makes the goods sold in the store (the Zoning Board of Appeals would be able to increase this with a special use permit)
Recycling facilities and waste-related uses would no longer be allowed in the area east of Ashland Avenue.
If you have any questions about how this affects your existing properties or proposed developments, or you would just like to discuss your zoning options in the Kinzie PMD, please contact MAPS.
View the slideshow presented at the meeting. View the other materials in the Kinzie Framework Plan process. If you would like to comment on DPD's proposal, send them to dpd@cityofchicago.org.