Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about zoning

Eyes on the Street: Parked Bikes, Meet Stationary Bikes

By Shaun Jacobsen | Jul 23, 2014 | 12 Comments

If you’re looking for bike parking along trendy commercial streets in Chicago, it seems to be a lot easier to find around fitness centers than almost anywhere else. Surely this is no mistake: Either the gyms, or their neighbors, must be requesting many bike racks, and their patrons might be taking an active way to […]

Lack of Planning Along Orange Line Resulted in Missed Opportunities

By Daniel Hertz | Jun 16, 2014 | 19 Comments

Ever since it opened in 1993, the CTA’s Orange Line has become the public transit backbone of the Southwest Side, with over 60,000 rides on an average weekday. But unlike the patrons of many other ‘L’ lines, who step out of their neighborhood stations onto commercial streets lined with restaurants, shops, and other businesses, Orange […]

A Huge Garage Doesn’t Belong on a Thriving Pedestrian Shopping Street

By Shaun Jacobsen | Apr 21, 2014 | 91 Comments

A parking lot at 3030 N Broadway in Lakeview, formerly the site of a Dominick’s grocery store, could soon be the home of a new development with a Mariano’s supermarket, an Xport Fitness health club, and four small retail tenants. This stretch of Broadway, designated as a Pedestrian Street by the city, is currently very […]

New Law Could Pre-Empt Parking Lots Along Albany Park’s Main Streets

By Shaun Jacobsen | Apr 9, 2014 | 94 Comments

A proposal to build a suburban-style Walgreens at the busy corner of Lawrence and Kimball avenues in Albany Park, across from the Brown Line’s terminus, has sparked a proposal to introduce Pedestrian Street designations to the lively, diverse neighborhood. 33rd Ward Alderman Deb Mell has expressed her disapproval of the design, requesting a more walkable store […]

STREETSBLOG USA

Talking Headways Podcast: Knight Rider Rides Again

By Tanya Snyder | Mar 27, 2014 | No Comments

It was a dark and stormy day in San Francisco and Jeff Wood stayed dry in Woonerf studios, recording the Talking Headways podcast with co-host Tanya Snyder, who was bitter that days after the spring equinox, Washington, DC, was getting hit with another snowstorm. But more importantly — what does the future hold after a […]

A Lot of Contention: Residents Rebel Against the Masada Car Park

By John Greenfield | Mar 13, 2014 | 55 Comments

Masada is an ancient fort located on a rock plateau near the border of Jordan and Israel where, according to legend, Roman troops laid siege to Jewish rebels who committed mass suicide rather than give themselves up to their enemies. A battle is also brewing over the fort’s namesake Middle Eastern eatery, slated to open […]

Parking Minimums at Work: Uptown Tower Must Build 554 Parking Spots

By Shaun Jacobsen | Jan 27, 2014 | 54 Comments

At the site of the former Cuneo Hospital and Maryville Academy in Uptown, slated to be demolished shortly, JDL Development has proposed building 749 apartments in two buildings, along with 30,000 square feet of retail space. In addition, 554 parking spaces will be constructed, the minimum required by Chicago’s zoning code. Of these spaces, 65 […]

Chicago Can Do Much More to Legalize Transit-Oriented Development

By Steven Vance | Jul 31, 2013 | 23 Comments

Mayor Rahm Emanuel introduced an ordinance last Wednesday that would reduce some barriers to transit-oriented development in Chicago, lowering parking requirements and allowing more density near transit stations. While the proposal is a step forward, there’s much more the city can do to ensure that future growth leads to more walking and transit use, not […]

Let’s Be Clear: Uptown Doesn’t Need More Parking

By Steven Vance | Jul 23, 2013 | 20 Comments

Appearing on WGN/CLTV in May, 46th Ward Alderman James Cappleman said that “we’re doing everything we can to create more parking spaces.” Cappleman was talking about the renovation of the Uptown Theater at 4816 N Broadway and its parking requirements. His boast about adding more parking caught me off-guard, and I wasn’t alone. Jerry Michaelson, CEO of JAM […]

Mapping the Potential for Development Near ‘L’ Stations

By Steven Vance | Feb 19, 2013 | 6 Comments

Do Chicago’s zoning rules position the city for transit-oriented growth? Last week, Andrew Salzberg, a D.C.-based transportation consultant who works for the World Bank, posted a link on Twitter to a new map he’s created that overlays CTA rail lines and stations with how much development is allowed. It’s an attempt to show if zoning […]