zoning

The proposal, being considered by local alders, would provide more affordable housing units, customers for local businesses, tax revenue, and CTA ridership.

Author update, 7/26/2024: two of the seven ordinances necessary to effect this upzoning have been adopted. The others are delayed due to differences in when mailed notices were sent to property owners and confirmed received.

We should reverse the down-zonings that have rendered much of the city unaffordable and exclusionary.

To secure the future of transit in Chicago, we need to update the zoning code to allow two-flats and low-rise apartments near transit in neighborhoods across the city.

The land just north of the Blue Line stop would be a good location for dense transit-oriented development with affordable units, but instead it may get a car-wash and a drive-through cafe.

At Tuesday's community meeting, residents voiced concerns about density and the community input process, but most reached a consensus that 1.11 parking spots per household is sufficient.

When I first saw the design for the new Green Line station at Damen Avenue on the Lake Street branch, I became worried that the station didn't have an entrance providing access to the westbound platform. Several of the other stations on the branch to city's West Side and Oak Park have entrances on both sides: Ashland, Morgan, and Conservatory-Central Park Drive, to name a few.

Since most of the zoning only allows single-family homes to be built, the number of housing units is falling.

Overall the proposed development will bring new housing to a long-vacant lot without adding an excessive number of car spaces, so it represents a step in the right direction.