Good morning, folks. Take your seats.
We're gonna start in just a sec.
All right. Good morning. It is 10:12 AM on December
9th, and the meeting of the Chicago City Council's Committee on Zoning,
Landmarks, and Building Orders...
Sta- Building Standards is called to order.
We'll start out with a roll call. Alderman
Laspada.
Here.
Alderman Hopkins.
Here.
Alderman Dowell.
Here.
Alderman Hall.
Alderman Harris.
Here.
Alderman Beale.
Here.
Alderman Ramirez, uh, may be doing Rule 59.
We wish her congratulations.
Uh, Alderman Moore.
Alderman Moseley.
Here.
Alderman Sicil-Lopez.
Here.
Alderson Fuentes.
Here.
Alderman Burnett.
Here.
Alderman Cruz.
Here.
Alderman Conway.
Here.
Alderman Quesada.
Here.
Alderman Villegas.
Here.
Alderman Riley.
Here.
Alderman Knudson.
Here.
Alderman Clay.
Here.
Vice Chair Lawson? We have a quorum.
Um, thank you, committee members.
Uh, Alders Ramirez and Clay have requested to attend this meeting by remote means
under the provisions of Rule 59 due to unrelated circumstances.
Uh, Alderperson Fuentes makes a motion to approve the alders'
requests. All in favor say aye.
Any opposed say nay. Nay to the chair. The ayes have it.
Moving on, I will now read the items to be deferred.
I'll read the page number and the description and then take a motion for all at the
end. We're gonna start in the middle of page 12, file number
22931-T1 in the 25th Ward
for addresses located on South Walcott and West 16th Street,
and the bottom of page 18, file number
22940-T1 in the 26th Ward
located at 3707 West McLean Avenue, all
of pages 19 through 20, including file number
22930-T1 in the 27th Ward located
at 1143 through 1155 North Wells
Street, file number 22912 in the 34th Ward
located at 1133 West Van Buren, file number
22935-T1 in the 36th Ward located at
2343 West Chicago Avenue, and lastly, file n- number
22914-T1 (clears throat) in the
44th Ward located at 3233,
3247 North Sheffield Avenue. U- Alderman Spada
makes a motion to defer the previously listed items.
All in favor say aye. Any opposed say nay. Nay to the chair.
The ayes have it and the items are deferred.
At this time, we will begin the public comment period.
In accordance with the City Council Rules of Order and Procedure, public
comment will be limited to 30 minutes.
Uh, we have less than 10 speakers today for the first time in a long
time. Um, so we should be able to hear from everyone.
Um, each speaker gets three minutes, um, as time
allows. All right, first up, um, we have Dennis
White, who will be followed by Oscar
Sanchez.
Good morning.
Morning.
Um, I know what I'm going to say is not
relevant to this because tomorrow is the City Council meeting,
and the budget that Brandon Johnson is doing is a corporate head
tax. And what he want is
w- the way he wanna do it is
he want to
take business out of Chicago by doing a $21
per person head tax if anybody have, if any business
have, 100 or more people on there. Now, if
you look at it, the corporate head tax-...
is, don't have nothing to do with the rich.
It don't have nothing to do with the rich at all.
What it is, is his way of saying that he's anti-business because
he's a social study teacher. He don't know nothing about
establish a business. He never did a, uh, in, never did it in
his life. Now, what's interesting was I was on social media and there
you had a couple of Aldermans who say, "Well, we
need to pass this budget to tax the rich."
Now, I'm not that much of a economic
major because I didn't go to college.
I'm not into finance. I'm just, I served this
country and that's it. But I think common sense
kicked in and saying that this budget do not need to, uh,
pass
tomorrow. Because if it does, the crime rate
is gonna go up in the city, in Chicago.
Now remind you, look what happened during the Christmas tree
lighting during the teen take over.
Now if the city council member would have passed the
curfew on this teenager, maybe that 14 year old
young man wouldn't get shot up and dead, and then
people, none of this chaos wouldn't happen.
And then if you find it very interesting,
every time there's a event going on in
Chicago, there is a teen take over.
You don't see that many police officers there because you got
8,000, uh, police officers that's staff, versus
2.7 million people that's populating in the city of
Chicago. So,
something need to be done here with not only the
Mayor, but something need to be done here with the, with the,
uh, the Aldermans here who don't want
nothing to happen. And then here's a hiring freeze that
Brandon Johnson is having. It's a lot of things that need to
be done here, and it's up to us as voters
to,
to tell these Aldermans here that, "Hey, look.
You need to fix this or we'll find somebody else to fix it for
you." Because they work for us. We pay their
salary through our tax dollars. So,
I just want, urge everybody here to be very
careful about who you vote
and then, uh, during the mayoral election.
Thank you, Mr. White. Uh, next is Oscar Sanchez, who is followed
by Ray
Roundtree.
Yep. This is for another, uh, category. This is not about this.
Um-
Oh, good morning.
Mr. Sanchez and then Mr. Roundtree. Thank you.
I appreciate it. That was kind. Ah. Buenos dias.
My name is Oscar Sanchez. Good morning.
Uh, wanted to say, really appreciate folks proposing, you know, how we're gonna
be holding, uh, companies accountable.
I know y'all saw the revenue benchmark that is supposed to generate six
million dollars. Really think it's so important for us to be holding these
violators accountable. Just want to make sure our, that y'all are talking to the
Department of Environment, though.
Because those numbers are not reflective of the report.
So, it's being proposed at six million.
There's no start-up cost with that 'cause the department doesn't have the staff
and there's no ticketing or violation process as it is.
And to start up for the first year, if you talk to DOE, it's closer to
$100,000 for the first year. And once it's set up, it's closer to
$500,000 to $750,000. Not the six
million. So, I want to make sure...
I really appreciate folks wanting to hold these companies accountable, especially
violators and polluters, but want to make sure we set up the department for
success. That's all I got to say. Good morning and thank you.
Good morning. Thank you, Mr. Sanchez.
Uh, next is Ray Roundtree, followed by Bruce
Anderson.
Yeah, this is to get on to ano- another category thing.
Um, this is about my son being kidnapped.
I've been in the 34th Street Ward since 2023.
Uh, I talked to the Alderman about it and I talked to the Mayor about it.
Not specifically the Mayor, but his, uh, associates, but I have
talked to the Alderman about it.
If my son was kidnapped in your ward and you're not doing nothing about it,
something is, something is wrong.
Um,
somebody needs to be investigated because it happened in your ward,
60607. That's where I'm located
at. My son was kidnapped. I don't
understand that. I'm going through the court for it, but the court's not good
enough. The alderman, you are responsible in a
way because you're not doing anything about it.
So, that's basically like anybody can come kidnap people kids in
your ward and nothing's being done.
But if the parent does something about it, then he will be held accountable for
it and go to jail.
I don't understand that something needs to be done.
Uh, Dylan Roundtree is my son. He goes to court,
um, at the Daley Center. The judge is not really doing anything about
it. They helping people with guardianship fraud.
I'm the only, uh, living parent. I have custody of him and,
um, there's a lot of stuff going on with these, uh, I'm gonna
say Democrats. It's, it's, it's really crazy.
Something needs to happen, and something needs to happen soon.
Thank you, Mr. Roundtree. Uh, next up is Bruce Anderson, who will be
followed by Detale P- Pias.
Hello. Um, my name is Bruce Anderson.
I'm from Logan Square Preservation.
Anderson, put, pull the mic down a little bit.
Or get taller, one of the two.
Much better. Yeah. (laughs)
Um, so, yeah, I'm from Logan Square Preservation.
Uh, I'm here to support, uh, there's three, uh, zoning amendments
on the thing in the 35th Ward that, that we've worked on.
Um, we're the largest community-based organization in Logan
Square. We're all volunteers. We have 330 paid
members. We just did a house walk in the fall with-...
1,500 people attending, um, and we've been working at,
you know, development and zoning issues for 30 years
now. So, uh, uh, w- w- some people came to us,
there's, uh, uh, these amendments are on Wrightwood and Kedzie, and
the, and the issue is that we're trying to protect the commercial nature of
those, um, areas. If any of you have been
on, um, Wrightwood, it's a, it's a s- one block
section of all two flats, I mean, two-story and one-story
commercial buildings. It's begun to be very vibrant.
When we were out there, uh, if you go out there on a Sunday morning,
you'll see 30 or 40 people standing in front of Brown Sugar, it's a really great
b- bakery. Um, so anyway, we were worried about the
zoning because, I know you can't see this, but the current zoning allows
this type of building that was built in, uh, 2007
to replace the storefronts that are...
All the rest of the buildings in the street are these storefront.
So, we went to alderman then, uh, Ramirez Rosa, asked him to,
if he could, would consider zoning changes.
He said, "Well, you have to demonstrate community support." So, we
went door to door in the area around those, these zoning
changes, and got 110 signatures in favor of the zoning
change, and as, as aldermen and g- and people that have
run campaigns, you'll understand, going door to door gets a really good
feel for what people think. We got 110 signatures
in two weekends, three hours apiece.
Um, so we, we demonstrated support, the alderman had a public
hearing with something like 70...
We, we flyered every building in four blocks so people knew about
it. Uh, 70 or 80 people attended the
meeting. There were six people that were opposed to it, not on the specifics
of the zoning change, but on the general sense that we shouldn't stand in the way
of any development. But their other s- 60 or 70 people
at the meeting supported these zoning changes.
And finally, m- back seven or eight years ago, because
this issue has come up before, we put a, a ma- we put a,
uh, a, uh, referendum on, on the ballot, and
in 2018, I believe, the community voted
th- on a, on a referendum that said the aldermen of the...
We were in the 32nd Ward then, the aldermen of the 32nd Ward shall support
zoning policies that protect the historic character and buildings of Logan
Square. It got 93%.
Thank you, Mr. Anderson. Um, up next
is Paez, (laughs) who will be followed by, uh, Rigoberto
Mancilla.
Good morning. My name is Citlali Paez, and I am a lifelong resident of
Pilsen and vice president of the Pilsen Environmental Rights and Reform
Organization, also known as PERRO.
I stand here today to demand city hall to stand up and implement
responsible zoning. This means passing the Hazel M.
Johnson Cumulative Impact Ordinance to protect residents from cumulative
burden of pollution by not adding to it.
Chicago's policies currently favor industry over public
health. As a consequence, this leaves South Side neighborhoods with majority
people of color vulnerable. Neighborhoods like Little Village,
Pilsen, McKinley Park, Brighton Park, Englewood, and Alker Gardens
are already overburdened by pollution and sickness caused by breathing
dirty air every day. This ordinan- if this ordinance
is not passed, the cycle of environmental racism will continue
in our communities, increasing already dangerous levels of pollution.
By not passing this ordinance, Chicago will knowingly use zoning
policies that prioritize industry over our
health. Last month, I myself could not breathe, and I had to
go to the emergency room. I can't tell you if it's living a few blocks from a
former coal plant my whole life, from long COVID from b- breathing dirty air
from demolitions, from living near arterial highways and railroad,
from the metal shredder dust or diesel trucks hurting my lungs, or other
toxic industries in Pilsen and Little Village.
What I can tell you is I deserve green spaces, drinkable water, and
clean air in my community. It's my human right.
I deserve to breathe clean air, and so do all the young and older people in my
community. South Side children should not have, to have the highest rates
of asthma in the country. Our elders in the South Side should not have to
suffer from respiratory diseases at disproportionate
rates. Once again, the message to City Hall is clear:
people come before profit, and Black and brown live, Black and
brown communities are not expendable.
Hazel Johnson fought to stop toxic pollution in Chicago.
She led this movement decades ago, and today we are demanding that her
legacy be honored with real policy.
We are calling on the city council to pass this ordinance and put an
end to the policies that have sacrificed our communities.
No more delays, no more excuses. This is about our survival.
Thank you, Ms. Paez.
Next is Rigoberto Mar- Mancilla, who will be followed by George
Blakemore.
Good morning. Uh, we are established on
9701 South Torrance Avenue. We received a letter
proposing a zoning change. We do not agree with the change
on, on zoning since it affects our
business. Uh, they wanna change it to a business 2.
We are currently a manufacturing 1.
That allow us to, uh, conduct our business and park our
trailers and continue with our ongoing business.
Unfortunately, if the zoning is changed, we will not
be, uh, able to continue with our business.
We will have to, uh, remove our property from the
zone, um,
because it will not allow us to have our trailers in that
area. Uh, we wanted to remain as a
manufacturing 1 and not be changed to a business 2.
Is it?
Thank you.
Uh, up next, Mr., uh, George Blakemore followed by Steven
Marsala.
Citizens, I say F
them.
Citizen, "Where are you, Mr. Blakemore?" I'm at this
notorious zoning committee headed by
Solis, now Mr. Lawson is the chairman, and they probably
know who's gonna get it, a Hispanic one or
a white, but they're all the same. I
say F them. They say, "Mr. Blakemore, uh, they're
having a meeting over here, and they called your
name." Who, who do this or
does this, one of these verbs? Why would you do this?
You have violated my rights.
I don't care about them, my rights as a
citizen.
Who would have these meetings at the same time, the
same place, and 15 minutes apart? There's another
meeting, I'm entitled to go to both of them.
And I say F you. F you
and all y'all citizens that allowed this to happen to
me and to yourself. Th- some of you are mentally
ill. Anything can be zoned in the City of
Chicago if you pay to
play. What are you saying pay to play is just
what I said?
Anything can be zoned ir- irregular lot can, uh, be a
regular with money,
with fair or corrupt, all of them. And you
let them do this, each one of you,
that's making me stronger now. Each one of
you are, are making me angry now because
you have to speak up. You're allowing them to abuse
yourself, now they're abusing me.
I got every right to speak at both of these
meetings. I'll say it again, Mr. Blakemore, you can zone
anything in the City of Chicago long as you have
money or irregular lot can become regular
when they have these lawyers and all of this.
Something is mentally wrong with the people of the City
of Chicago. It's you, you, you, you,
you, and you heard me holler loud and use all kind of
terms that you have a mental problem.
They all 69 each other. "Oh, Mr. Blakemore, you so
vulgar." I'm telling you the truth.
We need a revolution here. Throw them all
out, all of them out. I've
been abused, and each time I come down here, I talk about, "Why
would you have the same committee, the same date, the same place
at the same time?" Look, look, you can, but they say, "Your
time is up. Get out of here, Mr. Blakemore." I am getting out of this fucking
thing.
Thank you, Mr. Blakemore. Next is Steven Marsala followed by
Jesus Robles.
Tell your mama. I owe you no respect.
You disrespected me. I could super vote
for you, damn low-life
dog. You don't like
??????
Order.
Proceed.
Good, good morning. Um, afternoon, I'm having a little bit of
deja vu from
back in October of 2023 when I, I had the pleasure of talking
after George as well, um, under,
uh, ordinance A-8839, which was a zoning change
proposal
that, uh, unfortunately includes my
property at 3072-3074 West Fifth
Avenue. Back then, the alderman, Jason Irvine,
was proposing for it to go to residential
from commercial 1-3. I obviously oppose
that as my building is a 900 square foot,
12-foot tall on both sides of the building,
drive-through
commercial garage.
So obviously, uh, moving that to residential didn't make
sense. Um, I had the pleasure of meeting with, um, behind the back
doors there at which point, uh, he agreed that, you know,
best he could do is maybe business after asking me if I was
interested in selling my property.
Uh, now here we are, flash forward a couple years,
now to December of 2025 and I'd like to,
again, voice my opposition to a zoning
change for the only building on my block,
which is
my building, and it's a small commercial garage that is
designed for automotive practices.
To change the zoning to a business would
not allow any automotive business to happen there,
which would exclude things like storing a tree
tripper truck next to the building, which I did have a arborist
ask me if I was going to rent it out. I said I'd love to, but we're
having a problem with the zoning. Um, anything else
automotive-related is obviously prohibited.
The building is built for autos.
Um, currently, it's being used as storage, so any
grandfathered-in concept of a continuing business doesn't apply for
me, and I don't understand why
we can't simply carve out my small property for the time
being
as
its continued use of commercial 1-3.
Uh, the rest of the block is vacant.
I'm not sure if you guys are aware of 30-Uh, th-
or sorry, 3000 of 3200 West 5th Avenue, but there's a
5th City Commons development on the west edge.
But the rest of it is pretty much wide open.
So again, I'd like to express my opposition
to a zoning change under
A-9062. Thanks.
Thank you, Mr. Marsella. Uh, next we have Jesus Robles, who will be
followed by, uh,
Tamiko Holt?
Yes.
Mr. Robles?
Yes. Yes. My name is Jesus Robles. Yes.
I am the, I am a landlord of the 63 to 27
S- South Marshfield Avenue. Uh, the, the, the, it is, uh, the
two, two, two apartments at my, my, my house.
I am the, I own opposition to, to, to do the,
the, the, the, the zoning in this, in this, uh, in this part of the,
of the, the, the,
the la- the lands. The ... I know.
Thank- thank you.
Thank you, sir.
Thank you. Thank you.
Um, uh, and then our, our final speaker?
Or, uh, you still have time if you wanted to use it.
Yes.
Okay. Tha- thank you, sir.
Ms. Holt?
Hey, good morning.
Good morning.
Um, I received a notice in the mail.
First of all, my name is Tamiko Holt
and I'm a owner, 3500 block West on Jackson, but
I'm s- also the 28th Ward GOP Committeewoman.
Um, as we receive notice about zoning change, um,
for this area that I stay in, but we have not
had any meetings, any notices about what's going to happen.
And the reason why the zoning changed, just a random notice saying,
"Hey, we're d- requesting a zoning change and you don't have to show
up." Yeah, I'm showing up because I wanna know what's going on.
Know you don't... What's going on?
Uh, I see mixed use, what does that mean?
Wha- what does that mixed use for what?
Sho- I see shopping, all of that, but what is actually being
planned on being developed over there? I need to know.
I da- I have questions and I want answers, not no random out there,
what we gonna do, what we may do. I know you have plans for something and I
feel the owners have a right to know what's exactly going on.
Because if you're bringing more blight, what's it gonna bring, more blight to our
community? And especially where we live and no growth
economically, don't wanna hear it.
No more social services, nothing, no more non-for-profit
nothings, any of that.
I wanna know what's going on. You already ra- raised my taxes that I can't
afford to pay and then you wanna bring more problems?
I need to understand, just to make sure you're not bringing more
problems.
Thank you, uh, Ms. Holt. Uh, that c- now concludes the public comment portion of
the agenda. We were joined by Alderman Riley for quorum.
I don't think he's with us. Um, and we do have a Rule 59 request for Alderperson
Fuentes. Is she on the Zoom? Uh,
Alder, uh, Quezada makes a motion, uh, to allow Alderperson Fuentes to
attend by electronic means. All in favor say aye. Any opposed say nay.
Moving through the chair, the ayes have it.
Uh, Alder Fuentes is with us remotely.
Um, all right, onto the agenda. First item up is document
number
O2025-0020513.
An amendment of the Municipal Code Title 17, by modifying Section
17-7-0574 to
expand the ADU Allowed RS Areas. This
item has a substitute ordinance. All committee members will find a copy of that
ordinance in the packets before you.
Uh, Alder Villegas makes a motion to accept the substitute.
All in favor say aye. Any opposed say nay.
Moving through the chair, the ayes have it. The substitute is before us.
Um, we are joined by, uh, Edwin Reyes-Ortiz and Elizabeth Munyon of the
Department of Housing here, uh, to speak on the ordinance.
Um, I will let them give the brief rundown and I will
add some comments and we'll go to questions, so good.
Uh, we're having a little bit of tech difficulty, so-
... just one second.
So you work on that and I'll give a few comments obviously.
(laughs)
Uh, we passed the ADU ordinance earlier this year, um, which
allows for participation in-
It was-
... area zoned RS, uh, for single family home throughout the city.
Um, and this ordinance is, is creating that map and those boundaries-
Oh.
... uh, to allow for those areas to be included in, uh, the ADU
ordinance. Um, as they go through, you'll see some of those,
uh, areas have zero restrictions, some have any one of
the three that we had put in place-
Oh, thank you.
... uh, being, uh, a homeowner occupied, administrative
adjustment, um, and limits, I think.
Right.
All right. So we're cooking with gas?
Yep, I think we're good to go.
All right.
Uh, good morning, Council. Uh, my name's Edwin-
One sec. One, well, just one sec. Uh, Alderperson Adele?
Can you please explain the s- substitute?
What's been s- why there's a substitute ordinance and then we can hear the
presentation?
Sure. So, um, we, the, we introduced an ordinance,
uh, that had one set of boundaries and we've had other alders add their
areas since. And so, it's, it's an expanded set of boundaries, is the only-
Okay.
... difference between the two. Absolutely. Thank you, Alderman.
Yeah.
Edwin?
All right. Thank you, Aldermen. Good morning, members of the Committee on Zoning.
My name's, uh, Edwin Reyes-Ortiz.
I'm Director of Policy and Planning for the Department of Housing.
Um, I'm gonna pass it over to my colleague, uh, Elizabeth Munyon, who's gonna walk
us through the slides. There you go.
And here you go.
Cool. Thanks, Edwin. Uh, again, I'm Elizabeth Munyon.
I am a city planner with the Department of Housing in the Policy
Planning and Implementation Bureau.
And
here we go. So again, the substitute ordinance is, um,
really focusing on the residential single
family allowed areas that were approved
at the, um, September council meeting.
Uh, so part of the ordinance, uh, expands
the areas that were pilot-... program areas
passed in 2021, and, uh, now
include those pilot areas, uh, included in an
ADU allowed area, in addition to,
uh, wards that have decided to opt-in to
allow ADUs in their single
family areas.
And here's a bit of an overview of what has changed
since the pilots', uh, existence, um, to
the expansion that happened September 25th.
So previously, no residential single family
one, RS-1, was allowed at all. Now they are allowed,
um, in ADU allowed areas. Uh, and
there are no changes with, um, RS-2
and RS-3, um, that were allowed in certain
zones, but now those are also, um, continued to be
allowed if, um, approved as an ADU allowed
residential area.
That is-
And now, since the ordinance expansion,
all RT, RM,
B and C1 and C2 zoning districts are
allowed by right.
So the substitute ordinance establishes
12 EDU RS areas, and these,
um, are optional, can be opted in on a rolling
basis. This will take effect on April 1st,
2026, and these areas are determined based on
aldermatic and community opt-in and
select limitations, and I'll get more into those limitations in a
moment. Um, and again, this only applies to
RS, so RS-1, RS-2 and RS-3 zoned
parcels. So those other higher density zoning
districts, RT, RM, BC and C1, C2,
those are allowed by right. So they don't apply to
this, um, RS allowed area.
So the limitations, um, these are determined by community
and alder, um, you can decide to opt-in
to allow ADUs in RS areas with,
um, these three additional limitations, and the
limitations include the principal building,
um, must be owner occupied. There, um,
number two, is a per block per year limit, so one
ADU, um, for RS-1, two,
ADUs for RS-2, three for RS-3, and
then also the administrative adjustment, uh,
opt-in. And so alders can, uh, choose
one, none or multiple of these limitations to
opt into.
So this is an overview of the current allowed areas
and their limitations. So we have, um,
a mix all round, some folks opting into
some, all or none, or a
mixture. And these are our 12 zones right
here.
And another component of the substitute ordinance
just to, uh, touch on quickly is the administrative adjustment
process, in which we provide alders of each
ADU a pre-certification,
um, regardless of if there is an
administrative adjustment process.
Uh, there is a $500 fee per administrative adjustment,
separate fee for each,
uh, application that requires an administrative
adjustment, and, um,
this occurs after we, uh, after the DOH
issues a conditional preapproval as a part of
permitting, and the zoning administrator approves the
proposed adjustments if they meet the general approval
criteria.
And how to opt in? Uh, communities may voluntarily opt in to have the
ward or part of the ward become an affordable
dwelling unit allowed RS area through aldermanic
introduction. Uh, the on- only, um,
caveat there is that the original pilot areas are automatically
included. So if your ward was, uh, part of the pilot,
it is automatically in the ADU allowed
areas,
and the Department of Housing policy team can support with next
steps. So please contact us if you are interested in,
um, finding out more. And I'm gonna hand it over to
Edwin for questions.
Uh, thank you, that concludes our presentation.
Uh, happy to take any questions from council members.
Great. Uh, thank you very much, uh, Edwin and Elizabeth.
Do I have any questions by council members? Alderman Briley?
Yeah. Yeah, and I'm sorry, I, I had to step out for a moment and if I missed this,
I'm sorry for being repetitive, but could you explain to me the, the
aldermanic sign-off, how, how that's administered, how that
works?
So, uh, what we're doing today is we're expanding the wards
where, uh, the areas where ADUs are
allowed that are zoned for single family.
They are already allowed by right in any multiunit district
B and C district. They are not, uh, permitted
in any D districts. So, uh-
That, that, that's good to know.
... they'll, they'll probably have-
Hope we don't have a lot of carriage houses-
Right.
(laughs) . ... in the D districts.
You probably have a few, but, uh, so the sign-off comes when, when,
uh, the alderperson introduces an ordinance to include their area.
There's also that notice for each unit, uh, at the time of
preapproval, we get a building permit report as well, so it's in
there. Um, alders can opt in to have, um, limits per
block.... administrative adjustment process, which i- if there's an
additional conversation to be had with neighbors, um, or the
homeowner requirement when they opt in their areas that are zoned
RS.
Very good. And I know some of our colleagues have had some pretty significant...
Uh, not one of my concerns, but some of our colleagues have had concerns
about ADU ordinances. Have they been briefed on this and have they
been satisfied with, with, with this ordinance?
To, to my knowledge, yes. When, uh... For, for example, when, when I...
At introduction, I, I chatted with my, my original co-sponsor, Alderman Quinn, on
this.
Yes.
Because what we're doing is we're, we're expanding those areas per the local
alderperson into the RS zone. So, um, this was
always the next step of the ordinance we passed this fall, um, to
include additional areas zoned for single family, um,
that would allow AD use.
Very good. Thank you, Chairman.
Thank you, Alderman Riley. And we have you for quorum as well.
Um, Alderman Espada followed by Alderwoman Dowell.
Thank you, Chair. I, I just want to say I, I have no idea
what, uh, January holds for you and for that
chair, but I wanted to thank you for your steadfast
leadership and commitment on this issue-
Thank
you. ... and bringing together the various sides of this committee.
I will only speak for the 1st Ward. There's such a pent-up demand
that has existed for the six years I've been in office for areas that hadn't
been included in the original pilots.
We have seen how this supports affordability, how it,
uh, supports density and housing supply needs in the 1st
Ward. And
I think there's a, there's, there's interesting papers and articles to be written
on this process few years down the line.
But for now, thank you for the b- all the work that has gone into
this from your team and from the Department of Housing team. Thank you, sir.
Thank you, Alderman. Uh, we've been joined by non-members, uh, Mitchell and
Cardona, uh, who've been here for a minute. Thanks, guys.
Uh, Alderwoman Dowell?
Yes, I just wanted to make sure. So when I look at this map,
the yellow in zone four,
um, the portion that is
located in the 3rd Ward here, you're
telling me that there are RS areas
in this...
Uh, no, Alderwoman. If any portion of your ward is covered in this map
and, uh, you have not opted in, those are usually areas that
don't have RS districts. So it's either industrial or it's already allowed by
right, and they're included in the map just to make the mapping a little bit
easier, um, and to simplify that process so we're not
cutting like really jagged edge- edges on it. Um, but there's no...
There should not be any, uh, RS parcels within that portion of your ward.
So what do these yellow zones mean?
Let me say again.
What are the yellow zones?
What are the yellow zones per the pilot?
Okay. Yeah, so the e- the yellow zones are the RS allowed
areas. So that's, uh, areas where ADUs are allowed in RS
districts.
But you're saying that there are no RS districts-
Correct.
... in the yellow zone in three, but a
portion of this map covers...
Correct. So to make the mapping a little bit easier and to simplify that
process, we kept as straight lines as we could, and so
not every single parcel within those yellow zones is zoned for
RS. Some are zoned for RT, they're zoned for industrial, they're zoned for any
variety of zoning designations. Um, but what the
map does is if there are RS districts
inside of those yellow bounds, then, uh, ADUs are allowed on those
parcels.
So, for, for example, I put, I included all the boundaries of my ward in.
Mm-hmm.
Even though I have only one block that's zoned R1
actually. It's an old like front block. So that it...
For the mapping purposes, instead of just opting in the one
block, you can, it's easier to draw a straight line.
Mm-hmm.
So in, in making it easier though, no RS
areas were included unless the local alderperson introduced an
ordinance. So specific to your case, obviously, Alderman Robinson
opted in.
Mm-hmm.
We all know what the ward boundaries look like in between the two, but if there was
no difference on which side it
is No, I'm not concerned about the boundaries
between-
Oh, 20?
... three and four. I'm looking at the
boundary between three and 20, where if he's telling me
that he needed to draw a straight line.
So a- actually, I, I did not have this map in front of me.
I believe that's in the original pilot.
Yeah, that's right.
That, that was the original pilot, zone four, that
maintains all of the characteristics of the original pilot.
Oh, she's looking at the other side here.
Yeah. Um, Alderman Lawson, it's correct that, uh, anything that's in
zone four on that, uh, northeast portion of it is the
original, uh, the original pilot, except the portions that the
20th Ward expanded.
Right. And that, that zone in the original pilot has restrictions one and
two.
Mm-hmm.
Which are... Help me, guys.
Homeowner...
Homeow- Yeah, owner occupancy and, uh, per block limits.
Right. Owner occupancy and per block limit.
Okay. Check up here to see.
Let's check right here.
O- Okay. I guess my question, Chair, is
that even though they're not no
RS
areas in that area, if something
was to be zoned RS in the future, it would
automatically...
So-
It... By, by default would be in the program?
Yes. Yes. That, that would be true of any, any property around the city if you were
to downzone from, uh-An
R4 to an R3, um, in an area that
y-
w- was allowed in these maps, um, that would be
in the zone. So-
Yeah.
... if
... So, again, the area we're talking about on the southern end of your ward is
already in the Pilot.
Mm-hmm. Right.
So that's- But the Pilot doesn't exist anymore, right?
Well, so it, it became part of this geographic zone.
So we didn't take anything out of the Pilot zones that was already there.
We didn't remove any zones. We kept all of those in place and added.
Um, so the restrictions of the Pilot remain in that-
That was one of the things.
... in that zone, whether or not they're i- R3 or higher.
Yes, that's correct.
Right.
So the, the portion of your ward that you're seeing there, Alderwoman, is
already... was already part of the Pilot and that part has not been
changed. We did not reduce those Pilot areas. We only expanded.
Uh, in this case, we did not expand these boundaries.
They're still the same boundaries from the 2020
ordinance.
That, that was not explained to me, but thank you-
Okay.
... much for the explanation-
Nope.
... this morning.
We'll follow up, and if we need to tweak anything, ob- obviously, happy to work
with you on that. Um, any other questions by council
members?
Seeing none, uh, Alderman Quesada, move this to pass.
All in favor, say aye. Any opposed, say nay. Moving to chair.
The ayes have it. I- item is passed as substituted.
Um, thank you to everyone. Thank you to all my colleagues.
Thank you to Isaac from my team for all your work on this.
And we will follow up with individual questions, uh, certainly.
All right, next, uh, we have a re-referral.
Having under consideranation (corrects self) consideration, an ordinance introduced
by Alderman Scott Waguespack amending the Municipal Code Section
4-4-331, prohibiting the sale of cannabinoid
hemp products in the Mid North Branch corridor residential
area, begs leave to recommend that your honorable body re-refer the
ordinance, which is transmitted herewith to the Committee on
License. All in favor, say aye. Any opposed, say nay.
Moving to chair. The ayes have it, um, and the item is re-referred to the Committee
on License. We've been joined by Alderwoman Cruz for purposes of
quorum. Up next, we have document number
O2025-0020890
in the 34th Ward, the historical landmark designation for the
Central YMCA headquarters located at 19 South La
Salle. Uh, we have Daniel Kleiber of the Historic Preservation Divison-
Division of the Department of Planning and Development to present.
Good morning, uh, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee.
Dan Kleiber with the Department of Planning and Development.
For your consideration today is an ordinance for the landmark designation of
the Central YMCA headquarters, an early loop skyscraper
built initially in 1893, with a major addition in
1913. The building housed the Central YMCA
from its initial completion until the 1970s and reflects the
YMCA's growing presence and popularity in Chicago in the late
19th and early 20th centuries.
For orientation, the building is located at 19 South La Salle, right in the
loop. It is located in the 34th Ward, represented by Alderman
Conway. The Landmarks Commission found
that the Central YMCA headquarters building meets three criteria for landmark
designation, including the criteria for heritage,
architecture, and architect. The building was originally constructed in
1893, designed by the partnership of William Le Baron Jenney,
father of the skyscraper, and William Mundy.
In 1913, the building's original pyramid top was lopped off in
favor of the more streamlined look at right, which is largely the building that
we see today. This revision was designed by the successor firm
of Mundie and Jensen. The building housed a wide
array of recreational facilities, including bowling alleys, a swimming pool,
woodworking areas, handball and tennis courts, and even a small
observatory on top of the west tower.
It was designed to provide enough space for the Y's programming as well
as branch office needs and approximately 40,000
square feet of additional private commercial office space
to offset its expensive loop location.
Uh, before you now is an interior image of the gymnasium space in the
building. Uh, the double-height gym at the rear of the fifth and sixth floors
was said to be one of the finest in the country, and had a mezzanine-level running
track and steel truss roof. In 1924, the building
housed an accredited junior college.
During the Great Depression, a day college was established, and by
1933, the day college had expanded to a four-year
college. All told, throughout its years and as its
programming needs changed, the Central YMCA served thousands of
individual Chicagoans, contributing to their intellectual, social,
spiritual, and physical growth. As I mentioned at the
beginning, the building is located in the 34th Ward, and
Alderman Conway is in full support of the landmark
recommendation. Please note, too, the building's owner, Envoy
Partners, specifically 19 South LLC, is
also in full support of the designation, and they plan to undertake a
rehabilitation of the building for residential reuse with
ground floor commercial space. A rendering of the restored building after
their work is completed is in front of you now.
Therefore, in conclusion, staff recommends that the significant historical and
architectural features be identified as all exterior
elevations, including roof lines of the building.
Uh, I believe representatives, um, from the ownership team are here in
attendance if you have any questions, and I am here as well.
Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Kleiber. Uh, Alderman Conway, anything to add on this one?
Would, uh ... Thank you, Mr., Mr. Chairman.
I look forward to calling you that for many, many months
ahead. But I will say that, uh, I would only add, uh, to
that, to that thorough recitation that, that my office has worked
closely with, uh, you know-... is we're closely with
DPD. It's been a party the whole time on this designation and, uh, very
happy to support it, and really wanna thank all the, uh, all th-
all the effort on, on DPD to get this done.
Thank you very much, and I ask my colleagues' support. Thank you.
Thank you, Alderman. Any, uh, questions by committee
members? You're spending a lot of time on preservation in the 34th Ward.
Congrats.
Record for most preserved buildings and I, I...
With LaSalle Street, I think I'm, you know... We'll s- we'll see.
We'll see. I've got a lot of help from DPD in this area.
Getting a side-eye from your neighbor here, so we'll, we'll move on.
Uh-oh.
I mean, in a term. In a term. I got around 20 years of, uh-
(laughs)
. ... of, like, my, my, my colleagues but
hey- Don't get Looking Park started either, right? Um, all right.
To that, Alderman Riley moves to pass.
All favor say, "Aye."
Any opposed say, "Nay." Moving the chair, the ayes have it. Item has passed.
Thank you. Next, we have large signs over 100 square feet in area,
24 feet above grade. We'll hear them all together.
I'll read the ward file by the address and take a motion at the end.
First up is one sign in the 21st Ward located at
8652 South Lafayette. In the
23rd Ward at 5050 South Cicero. In the 27th
Ward, one sign at 134 South
California, three signs in the 27th Ward located at
201 North Sangamon Street, two signs in the 28th Ward
located at 3015 West Madison Street, in the 29th
Ward, 905 South Menard Avenue, three signs in the
34th Ward located at 1011 South Delano
Court,
one sign in the 43rd Ward located at 2251 North Lincoln
Avenue, and lastly one sign in the 47th Ward located at
3914 Northwestern Avenue. Any questions by
committee members? Seeing none. Alderman Knudson makes a motion to pass on the
orders. All in favor say, "Aye." Any opposed say, "Nay." Moving the
chair, the ayes have it. The orders are passed.
Uh, now we move on to map amendments.
Um, in an effort to ensure the committee meeting runs smoothly, the items are
grouped together according to witness and be heard in that order, rather than the
ward order. We have three items introduced
by... Oh. Oh, oh got it. All
right. Uh, um, near the top of page two, document number
A90565 in the First Ward, common address is
2920... I'm sorry, 2429 through 2431
West Fullerton Avenue. Applicant is Alderman Daniel Laspada, change
request to B23 Neighborhood Mixed Use District to B31
Community Shopping District. Alder Laspada.
Thank you very much, Chair. Uh, this, uh, unfortunately follows
on a zoning change that was passed for this property back in
January of this year. Our, our
hope and expectation was that the developer who requested the
zoning change intended to build it.
Um, in the time since that January, they
never purchased the property, they
applied for a building permit solely to begin the ZBA
process, they never moved forward with the ZBA process.
There has been no communication or administrative
action on this property,
uh, at least in the last several months.
Our hope is to revert it to the previous
zoning, uh, knowing that this Type 1 zoning change is going to be
lapsing, and to be able to move forward with a developer who
actually wants to see something beautiful on the site, because we know our
neighbors do, too. Um, with all that said, I
would ask favorable consideration from the committee.
All right. Any questions by committee members? Seeing none.
Alderwoman Harris, moves do pass.
All in favor say, "Aye."
Nay.
Any opposed say, "Nay." Moving the chair, the ayes have it.
Item is passed.
Um, do we have a letter? No. Do we have staff?
Do we have staff from the Fourth Ward here? All right.
We're gonna skip that and come back to it, um, to, uh, the beautiful
Seventh Ward. Document number A9066 in the Seventh
Ward, common address is 2700 to
2864 East 95th Street. Change
request, M12 Limited Manufacturing Business Park District
to M21 Neighborhood Mixed Use District.
Um, we have a substitute on this item.
Uh, Alderwoman Dowell moves, uh, to accept the substitute.
All in favor say, "Aye." Any opposed say, "Nay." Moving the chair, the ayes have
it. Substitute is before us. Alderman Mitchell.
All right. Thank you. Thank you, Vice Chairman.
Um, with the, uh, direction of my community, I'm
taking a lot of steps, uh, in conjunction, in assistance
with, uh, our favorite Patrick Murphy over there, to
identify areas in my ward and, and, and con-
compare 'em to the direction of the foreseeable future and we
are making, uh, changes to the, to the land
uses. So this in- this, this map amendment is intended,
uh, to align the zoning with the current and foreseeable land uses of the
community.
Um, the current existing M12 designate no longer reflects the character investment
patterns on development opportunities within the corridor.
Um, so
we are, we are aligning
(laughs) . Yes. So with that said,
I, I ask for the, my, the committee's favor with support of this change.
Thank you. Uh, any questions by committee members?
Uh, seeing none. Alderman Cruz moves do pass.
All in favor say, "Aye." Aye. Any opposed say, "Nay." Moving the chair, the ayes
have it. Item is passed. Staying in the Seventh Ward is document number
A9067. Uh, common address
9510 through 9594 South Torrance,
9501 to 9737 South Torrance, and
9545 South Colfax Avenue. Change request is an
M11 Limited Manufacturing District and M12 Limi-
Limited Manufacturing Business Park District to a B21
Neighborhood Mixed Use District.
We also have a substitute ordinance for this matter.
Alderman Riley ma- moves to accept the substitute.
All in favor say, "Aye."
Aye. Any opposed say, "Nay." Moving the chair, the ayes have it.
Substitute is before us. Alderman Mitchell.
Yeah, pretty much the-
I
can lend you a plan. ... the exact same reasoning. Um, this is, uh, right around the corner from that
property, so I ask for committee's favor of support for this change as well.
Thank you. Any questions? Seeing none, Alderman Conway moves to pass.
All in favor say aye.
Any opposed say nay. Major, the ayes have it. Item has passed.
Thank you, Alderman.
Thank you.
Uh, next bottom of page two is document number A9069 in the
13th Ward. Common address is
6355 South Central Avenue.
Change request to B11 neighborhood shopping district to RS2
residential single unit detached house district.
Alderman Quinn.
Um, 6355 South Central, uh, formally
a tavern, uh, that has closed. Um, we're going in a different
direction along the central corridor, and I ask for an aye vote
changing the zoning to residential.
Thank you. Any questions by committee members?
Alderman Moore moves to pass, all in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed say nay.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The ayes have it. Thank you, Alderman.
All right, uh... We're waiting on someone from the 16th or...?
Yeah.
All right. Uh, we are, uh, going to be joined by someone from the 16th Ward
for those items, so we will come back to that.
Um, we'll go to the 17th Ward. Uh, the middle of
page three is document number A9077 in the 17th
Ward. Common address is 7936 through
7956 South Emerald Avenue and 7937
through 7945 South Halsted Street.
Change requests: B11 neighborhood shopping district,
B12 neighborhood shopping district, RS3 residential single unit
detached house district to a B32
community shopping district, pursuant to section
17-13-0303-D of the
Chicago zoning ordinance relief pursuant to section
17-13-1101-M of the
Chicago or- zoning ordinance is included.
Um, we have, uh, from DPD, Justin
Peterson
to present.
(clears throat) Good morning. Thank you, Chair Lawson, members of the committee.
My name is Justin Peterson. I'm the supervising planner for the Southeast region of
the Department of Planning and Development, and I'm here today to present proposed
zoning change for four pins, including three city-owned pins that comprise the
site for the proposed Blue Azul development at
7937 through 7950 South
Halsted. The project is located approximately a block south of
79th in Halsted in the Auburn Gresham community in 17th Ward, represented
by Alderman Moore. Project was awarded $3.7 million
in Neighborhood Opportunity Funds last spring, and the team hopes that by securing
the necessary zoning entitlement, it will help them close the remaining financial
gap and proceed with the land sale, uh, in early
2026. Total project cost is approximately $8
million. This illustrates a number of
recent city investments in the area of 79th in Halsted, including the healthy
lifestyle hub at 839 West 79th, the recently
opened Auburn Gresham apartments, the Green Era campus, the new Auburn Park
Metro station, and a April 2025 missing
middle cluster at 81st and Normal.
This is an aerial view of the site. It's mostly a vacant block
across from the recently reopened Save-A-Lot and south of the CTA bus
turnaround. You can see 79th Street at the top, uh, with the Auburn Gresham,
uh, apartments as well.
The proposed zoning map amendment will change parcels that are currently B11,
B12 and RS3 to a B32 community shopping district to
entitle the development of a community athletic and mental health center, a
vision of Eliseo Blue and his wife
Valentina. This is the street view of the vacant
site from the corner of 80th and South Emerald.
Blue Azuz- Azul Center will contain almost 16,000 square feet of mental
health education and sports and fitness programming with, again, a total project
cost of about $8 million. As noted, the project received Neighborhood
Opportunity Funds through the gr- Community Development Grant, uh, application
process. This is the latest site plan, which places the building at the
center of the site with an active gaming garden fronting South Halsted and a small
parking lot to the south. This is a floor
plan, uh, showing the education and mental health facilities on the left and a full
size gym and athletic facilities on the right.
These are the elevations, uh, showing the perforated metal, uh,
screening.
And then this is the, the bottom elevation here, is the west elevation on
Halsted. Um, so that's, that's the, that'll be the primary, uh,
most visible, uh, face of the building. This concludes my presentation.
Uh, members of the project team, uh, are here as well,
uh, to answer any questions you may have. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Peterson. Alderman Moore.
Thank you, Chairman. Um, I definitely want to, um, ask
this body for their most favorable, um, support on this item.
And, and m- the main reason why, as you all know, there are times we
get, um, projects where, you know, even before a person
do something, they have to get money from us, the city.
Th- You know what I love? When people use their own money and b- even
before we started, um, doing the 79th Street
corridor, um, he purchased up that vacant land that had been sitting,
um, there l- you know, for years, just vacant with his
own dollars, with some hopes of doing a project.
And going out not only through city, but hitting other o-
um, um, philanthropy organizations, um,
state, everything. He's done his job in, um, getting him and
his, um, family to get this, um, you know, keep it going.
And so us giving up this piece of this, um, land and, and,
giving it to, um, Blue Azul is gonna be a, um,
asset to the community. But what I most like about it, you hear about community
centers, you think, okay, just basketball, all of that.
This health com- ƒponent, his wife is a real, um, uh,
mental health professional. And all of that coming to the 79th
Street, um, corridor, um, in the Auburn Gresh community will be a total asset.
So I thank you all and I, um, look for your false ma- favorable vote on this
item. Thank you.
Thank you, Alderman. Any questions by committee members?Um, I will
just say, when we had our pre-meeting, I had a lot of questions on this 'cause I
think it's a really exciting project.
So, congratulations to you-
Thank you.
... Alderman, uh, Moore, for getting this done.
Um, seeing none, Alderman Quesada moves, do pass.
All in favor say aye.
Any opposed say nay. Moving to the chair.
The ayes have it and, uh, congratulations. Thank you.
Um-
Oh.
Yeah. We're gonna go back to page two, the item in the Fourth Ward.
Uh, Justin Peterson is gonna ex-...
uh, speak on that as well. So document number A9073.
Common address 4508 South Cottage Grove Avenue.
Change request is B33 Community Shopping District to
B23 Neighborhood Mixed-Use District.
Uh, Justin Peterson.
Thank you, Chair. Again, Justin Peterson, Department of Planning and Development.
This is really just a- a kind of corrective, uh, item.
Uh, we, a couple months ago in October, uh, rezoned a- a portion of
Cottage Grove, uh, largely to B33 to entitled Mixed-Use
Development. We tried to catch all of the, uh, recent
rezonings and exclude those. This was one that we missed.
This was- had previously been rezoned to B23 to allow for a ground
floor residential unit, so this is merely to correct that and allow that project to
go forward.
Thank you. Any questions by committee members?
Uh, saying none, Alderman Espada moves, do pass. All in favor say aye.
Any opposed say nay. Moving to the chair. The ayes have it. Item has passed.
All right. We have not been joined by anyone from the 16th Ward yet
or the 28th Ward yet. Correct? All
right.
Okay. Alderman Quesada, don't go
anywhere. You're up. You're up.
All right. These are
three items in the 35th Ward that are all being substituted under Alder
Quesada. Um, these are located on the bottom of page
four. Um, I'll read them all together and we'll hear one
presentation. Uh, file number A8925.
Common address is 2443 to
2511 North Kedzie Boulevard. Change
request, RT4 Residential two-flat townhouse and multi-unit
district to B33 Community Shop and B33
Community Shopping District to B31 Community Shopping
District. File number
A8926. Common address
3600 through 3650 West Wrightwood Avenue,
3609 through 11 North Lawndale Avenue.
Change request, B12 Neighborhood Shopping District to
B31 Community Shopping District.
Document number A8927. Common address is 2411 through
23 North Kedzie Avenue. Change request, RM5 Residential
Multi-Unit District to RT3.5 Residential
Two-flat Townhouse and Multi-Unit District.
Um, these three items have substitute
ordinances. Uh, Alder Harris makes a motion to
substitute ordinances for files
A8925, A8926, and
A8927. All in favor say aye. Any opposed say
nay. Moving to the chair. The ayes have it. Substitutes are f- before us.
Alder Quesada, you have the floor.
Thank you, Chairman. Uh, good afternoon, uh, to, uh, members of the committee.
Uh, some time ago, members of Logan Square Preservation, a member-based 501 (C)
(3) organization, and one of the designated neighbor-led organizations that
advises us on la- zoning and land use matters approached our
office to share analysis that they had done on zoning on two
stretches in the 35th Ward, the 24 to 2500 blocks of North
Kedzie Boulevard and the 36 to 386, uh, 58 West
Wrightwood Avenue stretch where they felt the zoning was out of alignment with
current uses. The 2400 block of North Kedzie Boulevard contains a number
of two and three flats zoned RM5, a zoning district with low
minimum lot area per unit intended to accommodate larger multi-unit
buildings. Two and three flats like those on this block are the primary source
of lower cost rental units large enough to accommodate families.
A growing, uh, body of research over more than a decade shows that our ward
and much of the northwest side has been losing these types of buildings and units
and the low and moderate income families that rely on them.
Bringing the zoning of these parcels into alignment with the existing buildings on
them will incentivize their preservation and further our future land use
goals. On the 2500 block of North Kedzie, the B3-3
zoning is similarly out of alignment with many of the existing one,
two, and three story mixed-use buildings.
The proposed zoning change will bring the zoning into better alignment with the
current uses. On the, uh, two-block stretch of West Wrightwood Avenue
between Central Park and Lawndale, uh, is improved primarily with a mix of
one-story commercial, uh, buildings and two to three story mixed-use
buildings with ground floor commercial space and dwelling units above.
The cur- the current B12 zoning limits the variety of commercial uses allowed here
while simultaneously allowing a greater height and far many-
far more than, uh, many of the other current one-story buildings
potentially incentivizing their demolition.
The proposed 31, uh, B3-1 zoning will allow for greater
flexibility and allowed uses while bringing the allowed height and
far, uh, FAR into, uh, better alignment with the existing vintage building
stock. The recent redevelopment of one of the two storefronts in the vintage
one-story commercial building at the corner of Wrightwo- Wrightwood and
Lawndale, uh, inquires the 35th Ward has al- uh, inquiries the
35th Ward has received from a business seeking to occupy the other commercial
space in this building and the success of businesses occupying commercial
spaces in these vintage buildings like Necessary & Sufficient Coffee and
Sugar Moon Bakery demonstrate the viability of these spaces for successful
commercial activation. Um, in line with our community-driven zoning and development
process, we held a meeting to discuss these three proposed zoning changes.
Following the meeting, we allowed a two-week period for residents to provide their
feedback. The overwhelming majority of feedback we received was in support of these
changes. Uh, there are a number of letters of support in your packet as well.
Uh, and given the strong community support for these ch- uh, changes, I
respectfully request your favorable, uh, consideration on these items. Thank you.
Thank you, Alderman. Uh, I know we had a public speaker on this as well.
Do I have any questions by committee members?
Um, seeing none. Uh, then Alderman Burnett moves due pass
on file numbers A8925,
A8926, and A8927 as
amended. All in favor say aye. (click) Any opposed say
nay. (click) To the chair, the ayes have it.
Items are passed as amended. Uh, thank you Alderman
Casada. Um,
still no one from 16 or 28?
That case, we will go back to the regular agenda.
Um, we will start then with map
amendments, private applications, which are on the top of
page five. Um, document number
22916-T1 in the second ward. Common address is
1234 North State Parkway. Change request is an
RM5 residential multi-unit district to
RM5 residential multi-unit district type
one. Um, we have... Have a seat right there.
Sitting in for Andrew Scott today
is Aaron Dorsey. Uh, have a seat and introduce yourself.
Good morning, Chairman Lawson and members of the Committee on Landmarks, Buildings,
and Building Standards. Uh, for the record, my name is Aaron Dorsey of the law firm
of Dykema Gossett. Office is at 10 South Wacker Drive in Chicago,
Illinois. And we represent the applicant 1234 North
State Parkway LLC in its application to rezone the property located at
1234 North State Parkway from the RM5
residential multi-unit district to RM-5 residential
multi-unit district as a type one, for the purpose of constructing an
at-grade deck in the rear of the existing building between the building and the
deti- detached garage. Uh, as part of the rezoning, the applicant is
also requesting certain variations to allow for reductions in the front
yard, side yard, and combined side yard and rear yard
setbacks.
Uh, the applicant has briefed its neighbors regarding the application, and we have
sent out the required notice to surrounding property owners and have not received
any opposition. Uh, we have also briefed Alderman Hopkins about the application and
have received a letter of support, should be on file with the committee.
Uh, we-
Thank you, Mr. Dorsey. Um, we do have the letter of support?
I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cut you off.
Not at all. I was just saying we, uh...
Thank you for your consideration and, uh, welcome any questions you have.
I should, I should have waited.
(laughs)
My, my fault. Any questions by committee members?
Uh, seeing none, Alderman Villegas moves due pass. All in favor say aye.
(click) And those say nay to the chair. The ayes have it. Item has passed.
Thank you. The middle of the page is document number 22915 in the
third ward. Common address is 3522
to 3524 South Calumet Avenue. Change requests an
RM5 residential multi-unit district to an RS3
residential single unit detached house district.
Um, we have Attorney, uh, Thomas Moore.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee.
Um, this is a case where a family has lived on
this block for three generations. The grandma died.
The granddaughter wants to renovate her
house. The city has it recorded as a two flat
and, uh, so the granddaughter cannot,
um, legitimize, cannot establish a
single family. Um, and, uh, she has the
support of all of her neighbors and her family who live on the block.
And, um, uh, we've, uh, presented this
to, uh, Alderman Betdowal, and, uh, we believe
she supports it as well. And we'd request your support.
Thank you, Mr. Moore. Alderman Mindell, anything to add? I...
You know, I have a quick question. Why, why can't they do a single family in this
zone?
Because it's-
Go ahead.
Because it's a R5 and, um,
you, you're not... It's not allowed.
So, Zoning Administrator Murphy, just for my own edification, you can't
build a single family in an R5 zone?
Well, it would be dependent on where you are in relation to the
ARO overlays.
Okay.
So,
as a general rule, it's possible in certain areas of the city, depending on your
ARO district, you would be prohibited unless the zoning lot
couldn't accommodate a multi-unit building because we would want to leave it
undevelopable, but that would take a little bit more proving up.
Right. No. Well, I, we checked this out, and, and I
even... I think I ran it by Mr. Murphy, but,
um, we weren't able to do it, and this was the only way to do it.
Right, an ARO overlay. Got it.
Yeah. If there are certain ARO districts, then that is a path that...
Any quest- other questions by committee members?
Uh, sitting down, Alderman Riley moves due pass. All in favor say aye.
Any opposed say nay. To the chair, the ayes have it. Item is passed.
Bottom of the page is document number 22913-T1 in the
43rd ward. Ordinance referred, uh,
11/14/25. Common address is 2527 North Burling
Street. Change request, RT4 residential two flat townhouse and
multi-unit district to RM4.5 residential
multi-unit district. Once again, Mr. Moore.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, this is a case where a
102-year-old man, uh, died and left,
uh, this three-unit building. Um, there were
developers who wanted to, uh, make it into other
things. Uh, and, uh, the next door neighbors, the
Melanies, uh, bought i- i- the... 102-year-old man
wanted them to have it, and, uh, they're renovating the whole building,
keeping it as a three flat. And as long as they were, uh, they'd like to
add a, uh, fourth unit. And so this zoning
would allow, uh, them to add the unit and
otherwise renovate the building.
The, um,
uh... We presented the plans to the Park West
Neighborhood Association, and they had no objection.
And we have the Alderman, uh, uh, Knudson's
support as well.
Thank you. Alderman, anything to add?
Thanks, Noel. I'll thank Tom and just say we met with the family, the
Mullanys, and agreed that this is a good project for the
space. It adds a basement unit, so adds a little bit
more, um, uh, unit density on a historic
beautiful street while preserving and really improving the structure.
So we're in support, neighborhood group's in support.
All good.
Great. Thank- thank you, Alderman. Any other questions by any committee members?
Alderman Laspada?
This is more of a for my own edification question.
Happy to make a mo- motion due pass.
Why do they need R4.5 to do a basement unit at this
property?
Um, the FAR and, uh, the
MLA, uh, on this block would re- they
couldn't, uh, have the existing FAR and
MLA a- and have the unit, uh, in an R4.
It must be a heck of a basement unit, um-
Well, it's pr- it's above grade, right?
Yes.
And you would need it for-
The-
the- ... to go from three to four, you would need to go to 4.5-
Right.
... or five.
There we go. Okay.
All right.
Thank you, sir.
He loves an upzoning. Alderman Laspada moves due pass.
All in favor say aye. Any opposed say nay.
Major, ayes have it. Item is passed. Thank you, Mr. Moore.
Uh, we're gonna go a little out of order.
Um, we're gonna go quickly to the top of page 15,
uh, which is document number 22942-T1 on the 49th
Ward, ordinance referred 11-18-25.
Common address is 2925 through 39 North
Sheridan Road, 1151 through 63
West Morse Avenue. The change request is
B31 community shopping district to B25
neighborhood mixed-use district.
Um, we have a substitute narrative and plans for this application.
Alderman Cruz moves to accept the substitute narrative and plans for the type
one. All in favor say aye. Any opposed say nay.
Can the chair... The ayes have it, and the substitute narrative and plans are
accepted. Um, I know you're standing in for
Lisa. Go ahead and introduce yourself and proceed.
Good morning, Chairman and committee members.
Um, my name is Maria Virginia Martinez, substituting for Lisa Duarte
today. Um, I am the attorney representing the
applicant. We are here today requesting a zoning amendment
application to change the zoning district from a B31 community
shopping district to a B25 neighborhood mixed-use
district for the property located at
6925-39 North
Sheridan/1151-63 West Morse,
avenue file number 22942-T1.
At this time, I would like to mention for housekeeping matters that we have
submitted a substitute narrative, plans, and a plat of survey
and asked that they be incorporated into our application.
We did that when you were on your way down, so you're good to go.
(laughs)
Thank you. And we do have your slides up now as well.
Okay. Uh, the proposed zoning amendment would allow for the demolition
of the former Leona's Restaurant building to construct for a new
five-story, 80-dwelling unit building, with a ground
floor approximately uh 3,700 square foot of commercial
space, with 16 rear parking
spaces, 80 bicycle parking spaces, and an accessory
off-site parking lot with 25 spaces for a total of
41. A separate special use application will be
submitted to the Zoning Board of Appeals for the off-site parking
lot. Multiple community meetings were held with neighborh- neighbors
living near the proposed project.
The proposed falls within a transit-serve location, CTA bus line
corridor. The applicant is also seeking optional
relief by way of administrative adjustments in variations, such as
setback reductions, parking, and any other relief as allowed by
the Chicago Zoning Ordinance. We have submitted a letter of support
from the 49th Ward Alderwoman Hadden, and we have a copy if
needed. Uh, we are happy to answer any questions you might have and
respectfully ask for your favorable- favorable
consideration.
Thank you, Ms. Martinez. We do have a letter of support from Alderwoman Hadden.
Uh, do I have any questions by committee members?
Um, seeing none, Alderman Burnett moves due pass.
All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed say nay.
Major, the ayes have it and item is passed as substituted.
Thank you very much. All right, we're gonna return to the regular order of
business.
Thank you.
Back to the top of page six. Uh, document number
22920-T1 in the first
ward. Common address is 2240 North Milwaukee
Avenue. Change request, C11 neighborhood commercial district to
B33 community shopping district.
Now, we have Attorney Nicholas Fotikos and Fred Augustine.
Good to see you both.
Yes. Uh, thank you, sir. For the record, Nick Fotikos from the Law Offices of Sam
Banks. I'm here on behalf of the, uh, applicant and property owner,
KDG Logan Square LLC. Um,
the, uh, applicant is proposing to develop the, uh, currently, uh,
vacant or surfaced parking lot with a new six-story mixed-use
building. Um, the proposed building will have retail space at grade, a
total of 50 residential units above, and 11 on-site parking
spaces. This is a transit-serve location, um, and is, uh, part of
the application we are seeking to reduce the, um, parking
ratio from 50% to 22%. Again, 11 parking
spaces. We're also seeking to reduce the rear setback for floors
containing residential units to 20 feet 2 inches, uh, and waive the
loading berth requirement along with any other associated relief.
Um, we've worked, uh, extensively with, uh, Alderman Laspada's office and the local
community organization, participated in, I believe, two or three, uh,
virtual meetings, um, and I believe we have the alderman's support to proceed
today.
Well, he's here, let's ask him.
Okay. (laughs) Alderman Laspada?
Uh, uh, y- your belief is well-founded.
Um, th- it's a- it's a really great project.
There were multiple meetings. It was also reviewed by
our neighborhood partner, the Greater Gateway Neighborhood Association, and
incorporated feedback from them.
This is a really-... catalytic site on a, a block
of potentially catalytic developments for the first
ward. Um, and I would say, like, if you looked at
the, the feedback that we got for this
project, to have positive feedback over
80%, uh, for zoning change is
fantastic for our neighborhood and for our ward.
Um, so
very much support this project and excited to see it move forward.
Uh, asking for the favorable consideration of my colleagues.
Great, thank you. Any questions by committee members?
Uh, seeing none, Alderman Moore, move us due pass.
All in favor, say, "Aye." Any opposed, say, "Nay." (inaudible) the ayes have it.
Item is passed. Middle of the page is document number
22919-T1 in the Second Ward. Common address,
1536-1538 North
Halsted Street. Change request: C35
commercial manufacturing and employment district to
C15 neighborhood commercial district.
Uh, once again, Nick Fotikos.
Thank you, Chairman. For the record, Nick Fotikos from the Law Offices of Sam
Banks. Um, we are here on behalf of the property owner and applicant,
uh, Wheat Street Properties, LLC.
Uh, the zoning change in this case is actually to permit or bring into compliance
two existing, uh, residential units that are located, uh,
within the existing structure. So, uh, retail space at grade and
then eight residential units above.
Uh, the current city records only reflect six, uh, residential
units. So it's just bringing that into compliance.
This is an orange-rated building on a substandard lot.
Um, and, uh, we've worked directly with, uh, Alderman Hopkins,
and Alderman Hopkins' office has, uh, provided a letter of support to proceed
today.
Yes. In fact, we do have that letter from A- Alderman Hopkins.
Any questions by committee members?
Um, seeing none, Alderman Quezada, move us due pass.
All in favor, say, "Aye." Any opposed, say, "Nay." (inaudible) the ayes have it.
Item is passed. Bottom of the page is document number
22918-T1 in the 32nd Ward.
Common address is 2804 North Lakewood Avenue.
Change request: RT-4 residential two flat townhouse and multiunit
district to RM5 residential multiunit
district. Uh, once again, Nick Fotikos.
Thank you, Chair. Nick Fotikos for the record here on behalf of Metalworks
Condominium Association, uh, representing the ownership of
2804 North Lakewood Avenue. The, uh, subject property is
improved with a, uh, two-story, 20-unit residential
building. Um, the program here is to permit,
uh, essentially rooftop enclosures for the second-floor
units. It's approximately 3,016 square feet of new
floor area that would be added. Um, we did work with, uh,
Alderman, uh, Waguespack's office on this proposal.
This is a type one, and we've agreed to downzone the property
after, uh, our, uh, addition project is complete.
I believe a letter of support or letter of no objection is on file, uh, from the
alderman's office. And again, happy to answer any questions you or the committee
members have.
Thank you, Mr. Fotikos. We do have a letter from Alderman Waguespack on this.
Any questions by committee members?
Seeing none, Alderwoman Dowell, move us due pass. All in favor, say, "Aye." Aye.
Any opposed, say, "Nay." (inaudible) the ayes have it. Item is passed.
Top of page seven is document number 22927-T1
in the 32nd Ward. Common address is
2036-2038 West Armitage
Avenue. Change request: an M11 limited manufacturing business park
district to B32 community shopping district.
Nick Fotikos.
Thank you, Chair. Again, Nick Fotikos for the record.
Um, on this matter, we do have a substitute plan set and narrative, so I'd like
that to be incorporated into today's proceeding.
Thank you. Alderwoman Harris, moves to accept the substitute narrative and plans
for this type one application. All in favor, say, "Aye." Aye.
Any opposed, say, "Nay." Uh, (inaudible) the ayes have it.
Substitute narrative and plans are accepted.
Uh, Chairman, in this case, there's actually a, a new, um, fitness gym
that's going to be coming to the property.
As part of the, uh, application permit and, uh, licensing
process, it was an opportunity to, uh, bring the property into compliance
with the neighboring districts. Uh, the B3-2 matches several of
the surrounding properties. This is a h- a holdover M11 zone.
Uh, we worked with the Bucktown Community Organization and Alderman Waguespack on
this proposal. And again, I believe a letter of no objection is on file with your
office.
We do have that letter from Alderman Wagespack.
Any questions by committee members?
Uh, seeing none, Alderman Knudson, move us due pass as substituted.
All in favor, say, "Aye." Any opposed, say, "Nay." (inaudible) the ayes have it.
Item is passed. Moving on to the middle of the page, document number
22929-T1 in the 35th
Ward. Common address is 2718 North Hamlin Avenue.
Change request: this is an RS3 residential single unit detached house
district to RT3.5 residential two flat
townhouse and multiunit district. Uh, we have Frederick Augustin.
Chairman, again, for the record, Fred Augustin.
I'm here on behalf of the applicant.
Fred, why don't you use the other one, the green one. There you go.
We sh- we got this called.
We don't share on the floor here. (laughs) Go ahead.
(laughs) Again, for the record, Fred Augustin.
I'm here on behalf of the applicant, Omar Rodriguez.
Applicant is the owner of property at 2718 North Hamlin.
Uh, subject property is currently improved with an existing single family
residence. Uh, the existing single family residence will
remain. Subject property forms one zoning lot, uh, with the
adjacent property at 2716 North Hamlin.
Um, we're look- looking to, uh, subdivide this one zoning lot
into two separate zoning lots. In order to do that, we are seeking a zoning
change from the current RS3 district to an RT3.5
district. Um, again, this is a type one rezoning.
We're also seeking a variation to reduce the combined side setback requirement from
five feet to zero, uh, north side setback from the required two
feet to zero, as well as the south side setback from two feet to
zero. Um, essentially, this zoning change and variation will allow the
subdivision of one zoning lot...... into two separate zoning lots.
Uh, we have worked with Alderperson, uh, Quesada and his community on this
zoning change. We had a community meeting back in September.
All were in support, and I believe the alderperson's here, so-
He is. Alderman Quesada, any one- anything to add on this one?
Uh, the owners are seeking to do this so they can, uh, afford to remain in their,
uh, their longtime home. Uh, this, uh, proposal went through our
community-driven zoning and development process.
After a two-week period, we received a majority of support for this, so I ask for
your favorable consideration. Thank you.
Thank you. Any questions by committee members?
Seeing done, Alder- none, Alderman Moore moves to pass.
All in favor say aye. Any opposed say nay. Pay the chair, the ayes have it.
Item has passed. Bottom of page seven is document number 22921 in
the 36th Ward. Common address is 2254 West
Grand Avenue. Change request, B-2-2 neighborhood mixed-use
district to C-2-2 motor vehicle related commercial
district. Once again, Fred Augustin.
Again, Chairman, uh, Fred Augustin for the record.
I'm here behalf of the applicant, Dustin Helick.
Uh, the applicant is the owner of property at 2254 West
Grand. Property is currently improved with a two-story mixed-use building
containing commercial space at grade, as well as one dwelling unit
above. Um, the existing building will remain.
Um, the applicant plans to convert the vacant commercial space into a
tavern. Um, in order to do that conversion, we are seeking a zoning change from
the current B-2-2 district to a C-2-2
district. Uh, we have worked with Alderman Villegas in his office.
We presented this project to the Chicago Grand Neighbors Association,
as well as had a community meeting.
All were in support.
Thank you. Uh, we have been joined by Alderman Villegas's zoning guru.
Uh, good to see you, uh, Raymond Valadez.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh,
Alderman Villegas is supportive of this, uh, zoning amendment.
Uh, there was a community meeting, uh, held on this, as well as, uh, we
conferred, uh, they conferred with the Chicago Grand Neighborhood Association.
Therefore, Alderman Villegas is supportive of this, uh, zoning amendment to allow
for this tavern at this location.
Thank you, Mr. Valadez. Any questions by committee members?
Seeing none, Alderman Burnett moves to pass. All in favor say aye.
Any opposed say nay. Pay the chair, the ayes have it. Item has passed.
We're gonna stay on the 36th Ward on the top of page eight.
Document number 22928-T1.
Common address, 2531 to 2533 West Augusta
Boulevard. Change request, RS-3 Residential Single Unit Detached
House District to RM5 Residential Multi-Unit
District. Um, we're going back to Nick Fotikos.
Thank you, Chair, for the record. Nick- Nick Fotikos, uh, on behalf of the property
owner and applicant, 2533 West Augusta LLC.
Um, the program in this case is to divide a single zoning lot that
contains about 6,500 square feet of, uh, total lot
area into two separate lots. The, uh, already improved lot
at 2533 West Augusta will remain with a six-unit
building, and three parking spaces will be located at the rear of that
property. The, uh, newly created lot at
2531 West Augusta will be developed with a four-story
three-unit building that will also be supported by three parking spaces at the
rear.
Um, we went through a very similar process to the last matter, uh, with the local
neighborhood organization, um, as well as, uh, with, uh, Alderman
Villegas' office. And I believe we have support to proceed today.
I would point out though, that there is a substitute narrative and plans on this
matter.
Thank you. Alderman Espada moves to accept the substitute narrative and plans for
the type one application. All in favor say aye. Aye.
Any opposed say nay. Pay the chair, the ayes have it.
The substitute is before us. We do have the letter from Alderman Villegas on this
matter. Alderman, uh, Mr. Valadez?
Thank you, Mitch- Mr. Chairman. I can confirm that, uh, the,
attorney and the applicant did meet with, uh, or did go through our community
review process and there were no objections to the
plan. Therefore, Alderman Villegas is supportive of this map amendment.
Thank you.
Thank you, sir. Any other questions by committee members?
Seeing none, Alderman Quesada moves to pass. All in favor say aye.
Any opposed say nay. Pay the chair, the ayes ha- have it.
Middle of page eight is document number 22917-T1 in the
47th Ward. Common address is 4943 through
4947 North Damen Avenue. Change request, B-3-2
Community Shopping District to B-3-3 Community Shopping
District. Once again, Nick Fotikos.
Chairman, thanks again. Nick Fotikos for the record.
Uh, here on behalf of the applicant and property owner, 926 Oak
Incorporated. Um, the plan in this, uh, uh, uh,
project is to develop the subject property with a new five-story mixed-use
building. The first floor of the new building will have retail space, and then the
floors above will have a total of 16 residential, uh,
units. Um, this is... Although this is a, uh, transit
serve location, it's an oversized lot that measures 60 feet wide
by approximately 152 and a half feet deep.
And the program is to, uh, locate 16 parking spaces on
site. So we're asking for relief to provide 100%
one-to-one parking for the residential units.
We're also seeking, um, setback relief, uh,
and a floor area increase based on the,
uh, units, the affordable units being provided on
site, uh, for the project. Um, we've worked with,
uh, Alderman Matt Martin's office and went through the Zoning Advisory
Committee's, uh, review process.
And at this point we have a letter of support from the alderman.
Thank you. We do have a letter from Alderman Mart- Martin on this.
Any questions by committee members? Seeing none, Alderman Moore moves to pass.
All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed say nay. Pay the chair, the ayes have it.
Item has passed. Uh, next up is document number
22754-T1 in the 28th Ward. Common
address is 2529 through 2549 West
Fillmore Street. Change request is RS-3 Residential Single Unit
Detached House District, uh, to RS-3 Residential
Single Unit Detached House District.
Uh,
turning back to Fred Augustin.
Thank you again, Chairman. For the record, Fred Augustin.
I'm here on behalf of the applicant, 2500 West Roosevelt
Development Inc. Applicant is the owner of the property at 2517
49 West Fillmore. Uh, property is currently improved with 17
vacant lots. The plan is to de- redevelop the lot with,
um, each lot with new single family residents.
And Chairman, I did submit an amended application as well as
amended ordinance, amended narrative and plans, if we could have the record reflect
that?
Yes. Uh, Alderman Espada moves to accept the substitute narrative and plans for the
type one application. All in favor say aye. Aye.
Any opposed say nay. Chair to the eyes have it.
The substitute narrative and plans are accepted.
And Chairman, uh, we are seeking to rezone the property from we're keeping
RS3 to an RS3 district, but it's a type one, so we're
also seeking to reduce the front setback from the required 20 feet to
15 feet for each home. Uh, the reason for this, um, the applicant
originally, um, previously built six new single family
homes that on the block that were, had a setback of 15
feet. So we want the new homes to match that front setback so that the
entire block is all flush with its front setback.
So, uh, with that, uh, we have worked with Alderman Irvin, um,
and his office on this matter. I believe he's submitted a letter of support.
Um,
I'm here to answer any questions the committee may have.
Uh, we do have a letter. He has joined us.
We got a thumbs up, so we are good to go.
All in, uh, Alderman Dowell moves to pass. Oh, I'm sorry, did you have a question?
Questions are allowed. Alderman Espada?
He's-
Yes?
I, uh, I, I get... I think I get five. I think I've got two left.
(laughs)
Uh, um, I was curious even, even when they're...
This is more of a DOH or like ARO question, but even when
they're detached units, do 11 detached
units fall under the ARO?
Well, in this case we're not because we're see- we're keeping the zone here.
So we're just seeking a rezoning from the RS3 to an RS3.
So we're not increasing the FAR or the uni- or the MLA
with the zoning change. So it's not triggering any ARO.
Okay. Just curious. Thank you, Chair.
You got it. All right. Uh, any other questions? Seeing none.
Alderman Harris, moves to pass. All in favor say aye.
Any opposed say nay. And the chair of the ayes have it.
The item is passed as substituted.
All right, the last one for you two is document number top of page nine.
Document number 22800 in the 35th Ward.
Common address is 3734 West Wrightwood Avenue.
Change request, RS3 residential single unit detached house
district to RT4 residential two flat townhouse and
multi-unit district. Nick Fotikos.
Chairman, thanks again. Nick Fotikos for the record.
I'm here on behalf of, uh, the applicant and property owner, Oakdale Properties,
LLC. The, uh, subject property at, um,
3734 West Wrightwood is improved with a legal two unit building.
The, uh, owner is seeking to permit a third unit in, uh, the garden
or basement level in order to permit the additional, uh, minimum lot area
for the additional density. A zoning change to the RT4 district is being
sought. Uh, we did work with, uh, Alderman Quezada and his,
uh, community review process. We also sent out a separate
notice to property owners. And I believe based on that second
notification, uh, I believe we have the alderman's support to proceed.
At least his office told me so, so...
Let's have him tell
it. Yeah. Tell it. (laughs)
Alderman Quezada?
It's been through our community driven zoning process, all good.
Could this... Let me just ask, could this have been done if ADU ordinance had
rolled out faster?
Yes.
Exactly. Yes.
(laughs)
We're not waiting. All right.
Well, rather, yes. Yeah, I mean, you know, we're...
It's, it's gonna fall through, so we just want to make sure we get it ahead while,
while it's all in order right now.
I can appreciate that. Any other questions by committee members?
Seeing none, Alderman Conway moves to pass. All in favor say aye. Aye.
Any opposed say nay. Pay the chair, the ayes have it. Item is passed.
Thank you very
much. Thank you both. Um, we're gonna go back to the 28th Ward items, which are on the
bottom of page three. Um, there are five items introduced
by Alderman Irvin. I will read them all together where we'll hear one
presentation, one conversation, and a motion at the
end. File number A-9058. Common
address is 3401 to 3425 West
Fifth Avenue. Change request B33 community shopping district to
B22 neighborhood mixed-use district.
File number A9059. Common address is 3501 to
3631 West Fifth Avenue, 331 to
339 South Central Park Boulevard,
3454 to 3460 West Fifth
Avenue. Change request B33 community shopping
district, RS3 residential single unit
district, d- detached house district, and RM5
residential multi-unit district to B22 neighborhood mixed-use
district. File number A9060. Common address
3222 to 3232 West Jackson
Boulevard. Change request C13 commercial neighborhood district
to RT4 residential two flat townhouse and multi-unit
district. File number A9061. Common address
3318 South Christina Street... I'm sorry.
South Christina Avenue. Change request
C23 motor vehicle related commercial district to B22
neighborhood mixed-use district.
And finally, uh, document number A9062.
Common address 3001 to 3127 West Fifth
Avenue and 3064 to 3134
West Fifth Avenue. Change request to C12 neighborhood commercial
district, C13 neighborhood commercial district, commercial
neighborhood district, commercial neighborhood district, RT4 residential two flat
townhouse and multi-unit district, and RM5 residential multi-unit
district to a B22 neighborhood mixed-use
district. Uh, we have with us Alderman Jason Irvin.
Uh, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, the purpose in, in this, uh, these
changes, uh, represents Fifth Avenue from approximately
Sacramento all the way down, uh, past Central
Park. Uh, Fifth Avenue historically, and if you go back
probably 50, 60 years, was a, a commercial strip
on the west side of Chicago. It's, uh, name, Fifth Avenue, actually
came from, uh, New York, uh, New York's Fifth Avenue, some reminiscing
to, uh, Saks Fifth Avenue of shopping and things of those, of
that nature. Today, the area along Fifth Avenue
is primarily, uh, vacant. Uh, there are
very, if any, uh, uses that fit the
C, uh, the, the C zoning classification,
and primarily everything around it is residential.
Uh, the desire going forward is to have a more, a
multifamily, uh, medium density type development in the
area, uh, which has been, uh, stated through two affordable
developments that this committee has approved, uh, one being Harvest Homes, which
is right at the corner of Fifth Avenue and St.
Louis, and the second, uh, being the, uh, Fifth City Commons,
which is at the corner of Fifth City and Kedzie, to encourage more, uh,
residential development, not commercial development.
Uh, I don't need to see a, uh, uh, a car shop or
those types of businesses along an area that is primarily residential in
nature. The area could take a little more of the density, which is why, uh,
based on the recommendation, uh, from the Department of Planning, uh, that we went
with the B-2, uh, designation, which will allow for, uh,
residential and mixed use to some, uh, varying degree, but not
to the degree where we had, uh, automotive uses being dropped in a,
in a residential area. So, uh, that is in a nutshell, and I- I'm
open for any questions anyone may have, but I would ask for favorable consideration
from the committee.
All right. Thank you, Alderman. Any questions by committee members?
Uh, seeing none, Alderwoman Harris moves to pass.
All in favor say aye. Any opposed say nay.
Madam Chair, the ayes have it. Item is passed. Thank you.
All right. Back to the regular agenda, middle
of page nine,
document number 22923-T1 in the 11th Ward.
Common address is 2821 to 2823 South Stuart
Avenue. Change request, M-1-2 Limited Manufacturing
Business Park District to R-M5 Residential Multi-Unit
District. We have Attorney Tyler Manak.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee.
My name is Tyler Manak on behalf of the applicant, T.H.
Stuart LLC, which owns the property at 2821 South
Stuart. As initial matter, uh, we sub- submitted a substitute
Type I narrative and plans.
We do have the substitute narrative. Alder Casada moves to accept them.
All in favor say aye. Any opposed say nay. Madam Chair, the ayes have it.
Substitute narrative and plans are accepted.
Thank you. The property's currently zoned M-1-2 Limited
Manufacturing Business Park District, despite being surrounded by residential
uses, including adjacent to a townhouse development.
The applicant seeks a zoning map amendment to R-M5 Residential
Mixed Use District to permit a townhouse development with eight
townhouses. As part of the application, the owner seeks relief to increase
the parking to one space per unit, to reduce the end wall
setback to three and a half feet, and to reduce the separation between
rows of townhouses to 24 feet. The applicant has met with
Alderwoman Lee, engaged in a community meeting, and has Alderwoman
Lee's support, which has been confirmed to the committee.
Um,
I respectfully request this committee's favorable recommendation to rezone
2821 to 2823 South Stuart to
R-M5, and I'd be happy to answer any questions.
Thank you. We do have a letter from Alderwoman Lee.
Do I have any questions by committee members?
Seeing none, Alderman Moore moves to pass. All in favor say aye. Aye.
Any opposed say nay. Madam Chair, the item, ayes have it.
The item is passed as substituted.
On the bottom of page nine is document number 22937 in the 27th
Ward. Common address, 900 through 910 West Fulton
Market Street. Change request, business plan development
1475 to D-X5 Downtown
mis- Mixed-Use District. Once again, Tyler
Manak.
Thank you again, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee.
For the record, my name is Tyler Manak.
I'm an attorney with Shane Banks, Kenney & Schwarz.
I'm here on behalf of the zoning map amendment application regarding 900
to 910 West Fulton Market. In 2020, this parcel
was approved as a business plan development to construct a 10-story
office tower. Uh, since the PD was approved, the property
was sold and pre- the present owner does not intend to develop,
uh, an office tower given the change in the market conditions
post-pandemic. Uh, the property has
contributing aspects to the landmark district, and the owner has worked closely
with, um, closely with the city's historic preservation
bureau and designed a project, uh, that
complies with the zoning district immediately preceding the
PD, which was D-X5. The project has been
reviewed and approved by the city's Landmark Commission.
Under statement 17 of the plan development, the property is to be rezoned to
D-X5 if the o- office tower is not to proceed.
Thus, the applicant, um, seeks to rezone the property to
D-X5 to its underlying zoning.
Um, and we've also submitted a Type I
narrative and plans to conform to the plans that were approved by the
Landmarks Commission. Um, those plans do seek to
reduce the parking space requirement to zero, 'cause it is a D
district, um, in, in a transit-served location,
reduce the loading space requirement by one, and to reduce the rear
setback to zero, uh, to comply with the existing building's
configuration.
Great. Um, any questions by committee members?
Alderman Burnet.
Thank you, Chair. Uh, this is a great
project, adding more housing, um,
utilizing the new TOD ordinance and keeping the existing landmark of the
building. Um, we're super excited to have this project and continue to build up on
Fulton Market, which is so key to our ward, so I'm supportive,
community-supportive. Thank you.
Thanks, Alderman. Questions by committee members?
Se- uh, Alderman Quesada moves to pass.
All in favor, say aye. Any opposed, say nay. Being p- the ayes have it.
Item is passed. Um, we
have been joined by Alderman Moseley, uh, on the Zoom, uh, who has requested to
attend by- under Provisions of Rule 59.
Um, Alderwo- Woman Dowell makes the motion. All in favor, say aye.
Any opposed, say nay. Being the chair, the ayes have it.
Are you with us, Alderman Moseley?
Here, Chair. Thank you.
Thank you so much. All right, going to the top of page
10 is document number 22884 in the 47th
Ward. Common address is 4641 North Ashland
Avenue. Change request, RT4 Residential two
flat/townhouse and multi-unit district to B2-3 Community
Shopping District, then to a planned development.
Uh, once again, Tyler Manack.
Thank you again, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee.
Again, for the record, my name is Tyler Manack, attorney with Shainbegs Kennedy &
Schwartz, and attorney for the property owner, 4641 North Ashland,
LLC. As an initial matter, this application was recommended for
passage by the Chicago Plan Commission on November 20th, and
I would like to incorporate the recommendation, report, and proceedings from the
Chicago Plan Commission here.
Thank you. Uh, Alder Laspada makes a motion to incorporate all records and findings
from that hearing. All in favor, say aye.
Any opposed, say nay. Being the chair, the ayes have it, and the records are
incorporated.
4641 North Ashland is improved with a residential building that was
adaptively reused from a f- former Catholic school
and a surface parking lot. The owner seeks to construct a 78
dwelling unit addition on the surface parking lot with 33 parking
spaces. To do so, the applicant requires a
rezone, uh, this parcel from RT4 to B2-3
then to a residential planned development.
The applicant met with Alderman Martin, his zoning advisory
council, the Ravenswood Neighbors Association, and engaged in a
general community meeting in addition to the Plan Commission
proceedings, and Alderman Martin has confir- confirmed his
support for this project. Um, as a result, I respectfully
request this committee's favorable support to rezone
4641 North Ashland to a residential planned development, and I'm
happy to answer any questions.
Thank you. Uh, we do have a letter from Alderman Martin.
Any questions by committee members?
Um, this is across the street from the Our Lady of Lourdes Parish.
Was it- this is their parish house?
No, it was their school-
School.
... and their school's parking lot.
Got it, got it. A lot of parking there. Excellent.
Um, seeing no questions, Alder Laspada moves to pass.
All in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed, say nay.
Being the chair, the ayes have it. Item is passed.
Uh,
document number, middle of the page.
Document number 22924-T1 in the
35th Ward. Common address is 3051 North Drake
Avenue. Change request, RS3 Residential Single Unit detached house
district to RT4 Residential two flat/townhouse and
multi-unit district. For the final time today, Tyler
Manack.
Thank you again, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee.
Uh, again, my name is Tyler Manack.
I'm an attorney for Russell Mead, who owns 3051 North
Drake. Uh, as initial matter, we did submit a substitute Type 1
in narrative and plans to correct some
typos.
We do, uh, have that. Alder, uh, Harris moves to accept the substitute narrative
and plans for the Type 1 application. All in favor, say aye. Aye.
Any opposed, say nay. Being the chair, the ayes have it.
The substitute is before us.
Thank you. 3051 North Drake is two lots of
record, uh, where one lot of record is improved with a
two flat where Russell lives, and a second, second lot that's
been used as an unimproved side lot, where, uh, Russell would like to
build a new house to move into, into with his family.
In order to preserve the two flat and construct a detached house on the
other lot, uh, the property owner requires a zoning map amendment to
rezone this parcel from RS3 to RT4 in order to divide the
zoning lot. The Type 1 seeks, uh, additional
le- relief of- for a variation to reduce the
front setback of the- and the rear setback of the existing building
to increase the parking space for, uh, to one space per
unit, uh, to preserve this, uh, the existing two flat.
And also needs to reduce the combined setback to two and a half feet and the rear
setback to 19.62 feet, and to reduce the rear yard
open space to zero for the new detached house.
The applicant has met with Alderman Que- Quezada, Logan Square
Preservation, SOMOS Logan Square, Avondale Neighbors, and
engaged into a general community meeting, and I believe, uh,
Alderman Quezada is here to voice his support, but I know he's given a
letter to this committee as well.
Yes, Alderman Quezada, anything to add? Yeah.
Uh, no. Uh, they went through our community-driven zoning and development process.
Uh, the majority of feedback that we received that through our two-week, uh, period
for feedback was in support. Um, ask for your favorable consideration.
Thank you. I- I accepted the substitute already.
Yeah.
Yes. Thank you. Um, any other questions by committee
members? Being none, Alderman Knudson moves to pass.
All in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed, say nay.
Being the chair, the ayes have it. Item are passed.
Thank you.
Good to see you.
Happy holidays.
Enjoy the holidays. Uh, bottom of page 10 is document number
22941-T1 in the 11th Ward. Common address is
3649 South Emerald Avenue. Change request,
RT4 Residential two flat/townhouse and multi-unit district
to an RT4 Residential two flat/townhouse and multi-unit
district. Um, we have...Emerald Avenue resident, Patrick
D. Thomson.
(laughs) Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
(clears throat) I'm one block, uh, two blocks over on Lowe.
Oh, on Lowe.
Uh, but I, I, uh, appreciate that. I am here,
uh, today with, uh, Sharon Mossman Janowski, who
is the owner and resident, uh, of the home in
question. Um, the applicant is the owner of the property at
3649 South Emerald. The applicant, um, also
owned the adjacent lot next door at 3651 South
Emerald. Um, they filed for a zoning change in April
of 2025, and at the time, the property was
zoned RS-3. They changed it to an RS-
RT-4. This body approved that said
application. Um, the issue, uh,
happened... Or excuse me,
when they changed the zoning, uh, that created some technical
issues and we're here today to correct those, um,
by doing a type one, uh, zoning change, going
from an RT-4 to an RT-4 with the
variations, uh, to correct the front setback and side
setback issues that were created.
Um,
the, the subject property is unique because the existing building
was built prior to the zoning code being adopted, and therefore, the
setback requirements, uh, did not apply at that time.
Uh, we've talked with Alderman Lee, and she supported this
project originally back in April.
She supports this project, or supports the zoning change again
today, which is more of a technical change to correct, uh, the
deficiencies that were created. So, um, I would
re- respectfully request that this committee recommend do passage of this
type one zoning amendment.
Thank you, Mr. Thomson. Any questions by committee members?
Alderman Moore.
I just wanna know, do I get a Steak 'n Shake out of this, or do I need to hold it
until I get my Steak 'n Shake? But move to
pass.
(laughs)
We're working on that.
Yes, so TBD. Um, all right. Alderman Moore moves to pass.
All in favor say aye. All: Aye. Any opposed say nay.
Being the Chair, the ayes have it. Item has passed. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you. Um, top of page... (laughs)
All right. Oh, we've been joined, uh, by non-member, uh, Alderman
Lopez. Um,
top of page 11, we're gonna take a motion to defer document number
22934-T1 in the 11th Ward, common address
3432 to 3427 South Morgan. The change request is
RS-3 residential single unit detached house district to
RT-4 residential two flat townhouse and multi-unit
district. Uh, Alderman Knudson makes a motion to defer.
All in favor say aye. All: Aye. Any opposed say nay.
Being the Chair, the ayes have it.
Next is, uh, middle of page 11, document number
22939 in the 14th Ward, common address
4851 South Ridgeway Avenue,
3716 West 49th Street. Change request is
an RS-2 residential single unit detached house district to
RS-3 residential single unit detached house district.
We have Attorney Paul Kolpack.
Good, good afternoon, Mr. Chairman, members of the board.
My name is Paul Kolpack, I represent the app- applicant,
A&SL Construction Inc. As you mentioned, property at thir-
4851 South Ridgeway, 3716 West 49th
Street. Both properties are vacant. They're zoned RS-2.
The request is to change that zoning to RS-3 for the
construction of two single family homes.
I believe we have a, uh, a recommendation letter from
the alderwoman.
Correct, we do.
Oh, it ain't you yet.
No.
No, you're next.
That's the next one. One at a time. We're actually, we're gonna...
Yes, we do from Alderwoman Coleman.
Thank you. Uh, any questions by committee members?
I'm sorry, from Alderman Gutierrez. Coleman's next.
Uh, any questions by committee members?
Uh, seeing none, Alderman Conway moves to pass. All in favor say aye. All:
Any opposed say nay. Being the Chair, the ayes have it, the items are passed.
I'm sorry, Alderman Lopez, we've been joined by Alderwoman Coleman on the Zoom
who has an aldermanic she has to be here for, so with your patience for a
few minutes.
We'll get right back.
I, I, I, you are delightful in all the ways, yes.
(laughs)
All right. Uh, next up are three items in the 16th ward introduced by
Alderwoman Coleman. As I said, she's joined us...
Uh, do I have to do a Rule 59 for a non-member?
You
don't. All right. No? Um, I'll read them all together and we'll hear one
presentation. First is document number A9074,
common address
935 to 1329... Sorry, 1323
West 63rd Street, 946 through
1322 West 63rd Street,
6249 South Sangamon Avenue. Change request
B32, C12, and
RS-3 to a B23 neighborhood mixed-use
district. Document number A9075 with a
common address of 1443 through
1547 West 63rd Street, 1500 to
1546 West 63rd Street, and
6247 to 6301 South
Ashland Avenue. Change request is a B32
to B23 neighborhood mixed-use district.
And document number A9076, common address
815 through 859 West 63rd Street,
6300 to 6312 South Halsted Street.
Change request C12 neighborhood commercial district to a
B23 neighborhood mixed-use
district. Um, Alderman Coleman.
Thank you, Chairman Lawson.
Let us know about this.
And thank you to my alder neighbor in the 15th Ward for your
patient-Um, as we are preparing for not only
to, uh, revitalize but to stabilize the 63rd Street
corridor, our anchor is at 63rd and Halsted at 800 West
63rd, as well as going west all the way to, I believe,
1600 West on 63rd Street. We are looking to make
sure that we have, uh, desirable buil-
businesses as well as businesses that the Englewood community, the
Englewood and West Englewood community deserves.
So, I ask for this committee's favorable support as we are,
again, redeveloping, revitalizing, but stabilizing the existing
businesses that we have so that bad actors don't just, uh, come on
in to 63rd Street.
And thank you to Commissioner Boatwright as well as commissioner, uh, Deputy
Commissioner Patrick Murphy for their assistance in this
matter.
Great. Thank you, Alderwoman. Any questions by committee members?
Um, seeing none. Alderman Dowell, move to pass.
All in favor say aye.
Actually, hold on a sec. Do I have to read them again or are we good?
All right. Alderman Dowell moves to pass on item number A9074,
A9075 and A9076. All in favor
say aye. Aye. Any opposed say nay. In the chair, the ayes have 'em.
All three items are passed. Thank you, Alderwoman
Coleman.
Thank you, Chairman. And thank you, Chairman Dowell and committee.
Uh, bottom of page 11, uh, document
number 22... I'm sorry. 22932-T1 in the
15th Ward. Ordinance referred
11/14/25. Common address, 640 to
652 West 47th Street. Change
request, B1-1 neighborhood shopping district to
C1-1 neighborhood commercial district.
We have attorney Paul Kolpack.
Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman, members of the board. My name is Paul Kolpack.
I represent the applicant, Casper Development, LLC.
We're here today, the property in question is, uh, currently zoned
B1-1. It has been used as a construction
yard for a number of years. The purpose of this is to put it into
compliance. It's also a type one. Uh, purpose again of
that is we met with Alderman Lopez and, uh, he has,
uh, and the community has agreed to let my client stay there, but they don't...
They want to p- put a timeline on it and the type one will,
um, sunset after two years after approval.
So, that's the purpose. There's currently a- a lot of approximately
16,168 feet. And we believe we have
Alderman Lopez's letter of support.
No. You know, we had the very patient Alderman Lopez a minute ago.
And, uh, i- is he in the annex?
No. Nope. He's gone.
Uh, we, we know, but I... He was here, so I want to give him a chance to say a word
on it, so we'll-
Yeah, no problem. We did have a discussion.
Uh, he had asked about a year and he can certainly downzone it at his own time if
he wants to.
I just... I mean, since he was just right here, I want, I wanna give him that
courtesy. I... Well, we know he's okay with it.
I was gonna say, while he did confirm, it's okay with him.
Yes, and we talked about it.
You said to go ahead. All right. Thank you, Myra. Um, all right.
Any other questions by committee members? Seeing none.
Alderman Harris, move to pass. All in favor say aye.
Any opposed say nay. In the chair, the ayes have it. Item is passed.
Happy holidays.
Thank you.
Good health to everybody.
Merry holidays. Good to see you, Paul.
Uh, top of page 12 is document number 22938 and...
Oh, I'm sorry. We're gonna, we're gonna jump again.
To the bottom
Sorry. Bottom of page 17
is document number 22892 in the 43rd
Ward. Common address is 2318 to
2340 North Halsted Street. T-
929 to 941 West Fullerton Avenue.
1014 to 1022 West Belden Avenue and
2334 to 2400 North Racine Avenue.
Change request is an RT-4 residential two flat townhouse and multi-unit
district and institutional plan development number two as
amended to B33 community shopping district,
and then to institutional plan development number two as
amended. Um, and
I'm gonna read both in and we'll take one motion at the end.
At the top of ni- 18 is document number
22893-T1 in the 43rd Ward. Common
address, 970 West Montana Street.
Change request, institutional plan development number two as
amended to B23 neighborhood mixed-use district.
Uh, we have Lenny Asaro here to present.
Thank you, Chairman. Uh, Lenny Asaro, partner at Faegre Drinker Biddle &
Reath. I'm here on behalf of the applicant, DePaul University.
The applicant team that's present here, um, to my right is Richard Wiltee, vice
president facility operations, DePaul University.
Um, Peter Kofy, um, associate vice president, DePaul University is
here in the building. He should be coming down, I think momentarily.
And then, um, to, uh, Mr. Wiltee's right is Brad Feldman, um,
architect from Antunovich Associates.
Um, at this time, I respectfully request to incorporate the, uh, record of the
proceedings of the Planning Commission public hearing on November 20, 2025
with respect to this application.
This item was heard and passed by the Chicago Plan Commission.
Alderman Moore makes a no- motion to incorporate all records and findings from that
hearing. All in favor say aye. Aye.
Any opposed say nay. In the chair, the ayes have it and the records are
incorporated.
Thank you, Chairman.
Uh, and since you've already recited the change request, I will dispense with that
and just move to the purpose of the application subject to your approval.
Um, the purpose of this application, um, the aforementioned properties will be
assembled, uh, with 2308, um, through
2310 and 2316 North Sheffield Avenue which is already
part of sub-area one of the institutional planned development number two as
amended, uh, for the development of the combined site into a new DePaul
University athletic practice and training facility.
The facility will be located at 2300 through 2316
North Sheffield which is the northwest corner of Sheffield and Belden.
Um, DePaul seeks to construct a four-story 66-foot tall basketball
practice and training facility that will be used primarily for the DePaul Blue
Demons men's and women's basketball teams.
In addition to basketball courts, the building will house training rooms,
rehabilitation therapy rooms, office space, locker
rooms and team meeting rooms.The project commenced in May of
2022 and the application and ordinance was introduced at the September
25th, 2025 City Council meeting. Between that time
period, DePaul engaged in multiple meetings with the Department of Planning and
Development, Alderman Knudson, Preservation Chicago, the Neighborhood
Advisory Committee, Lincoln Park Community, and Landmarks Illinois to obtain
feedback which resulted in modifications to the project, and a signed plan of
operations. Among the many, uh, economic community and public benefits that
DePaul will be providing in connection with this project, in accordance with the
planned development statements, DePaul will support and provide consent t- to the
city for the landmarking of the exteriors of two DePaul-owned
buildings, uh, on the, in their Lincoln Park campus.
One is the Coeur d'Alene Commons building at 2324 North Fremont, and the
second is Beurn Hall at 2219 North Kenmore.
Also, DePaul will collaborate with the Congregation of the Mission, Western
Province regarding the landmarking of the exteriors of Saint Vincent de Paul
Catholic Church at 1010 West Webster.
Um, the client, uh, applicant up, uh, they acquired, uh, the properties at
issue here on January elev- 11th, 2020, uh, I'm
sorry, January 11th, 2012 and September 14th, 2021.
There are currently existing buildings on both properties, um, that are owned by
DePaul and used by DePaul. The buildings will be, uh, demolished in
connection with this project to pave way for the, uh, basketball practice facility.
And just... want to just point out for the record, DePaul competes in the bi- in
the Big East Conference and they're the only school in the conference that does not
yet have a dedicated, uh, basketball training and practice
facility.
Um, the applicant re- respectfully requests that this committee, um, give favorable
consideration of the application for this amendment to, uh,
PD2 as amended for subarea 1.
Great. Thank you, Mr. Asaro. Alderman Knudson, followed by Alderman
Conaway.
Thank you so much, Chair Lawson. Um, so I'll say we've been working on this
project for quite some time. Really, it's been a conversation
far prior to me coming into office and,
um, when I came into office, I really just wanted to, uh, level set the table
and we've worked very collaboratively with DePaul.
This was not a quick process. We did two
large community meetings, each with over, well over 100
people, in addition to many micro-community meetings with
neighborhood groups, with specific neighbors, with different businesses.
We have a letter of rec from our chamber and the Wrightwood neighbors.
Um, and we drafted in that a very, I'll say,
a meaty plan of operations. (laughs) Uh, when...
(laughs) We, we have one other plan of operations I've worked on that was for the
dispensary in the 43rd Ward that at the time, I was, it was mentioned to me it
was potentially w- the longest plan of operations that has gone through
the city (laughs) on an item in ZBA.
This, uh, not in ZBA but has a very long plan of operations and
community amenities are being provided by DePaul based on
feedback, such as the landmarking process
that they mentioned, which is a quite expensive process.
We had significant tweaks that were made to the building and DePaul made it clear
to me all the time that those negotiations, I think I made the
building significantly more expensive a few times over.
(laughs) Um, but it leads to a better final product and it leads to, you know,
a- an improved product that we have here.
So, I just want to say I'm very appreciative of that negotiation
process. I really, um, appreciate, um, when
negotiation processes are like that.
In the end, it seems like everyone is 70% happy, but everyone is
talking and giving and taking as it goes.
And I think in this city right now, we can learn a lot from negotiation processes
like this. Um, so I just want to note with that, um, DePaul
has an athletic center, or, coming.
They also have a winning season underway and have gotten a new
coach in the process, so it's very exciting for the school.
And that is a strength of our community, as DePaul gives a lot to our
community. So, I'm in support of this project.
We announced our support a year ago and I'm very excited to see it get through this
step. Thank you.
Thank you, Alderman Knudson. Uh, he knows that I am the number one rambler on the
council, so we had to mention a winning season.
(laughs)
Thanks. Uh, Alderman Conaway.
Um, Mr. Chairman, I would just, uh, I, I have to recuse
myself under, uh, subs- of the municipal code
subsection
2-156-080,
subsection bravo two, which covers conflicts of interest and
appearance of impropriety. Uh, based on the fact that I have, um,
to use the statute's language, derived income or compensation from
the applicant, uh, over the l- course of the last 12 months and
presumably will over the next 12 months.
Uh, the statute requires me to publicly detail the nature and extent of the
interest, uh, including when it was commenced, so I am an- an adjunct
professor there. Uh, I teach two or three classes,
um, per year there, uh, in the, in the business, uh, and
law schools. I've been doing so, uh, on or off since, since
2015. In January, I'll be teaching financial management in the
MBA program where we cover such topics such as how to fare out when
a debt schedule is back loaded, how to calculate the number of employees attacks
may hit. You are all welcome to come by, observe, learn something,
tailgate, whatever it is. It's right down the street.
Um, but I will tell you that I, uh...
and I will certainly email
Clerk Valencia, um, uh, Mr. Berlin, as
well as, uh, as well as committee staff to that effect. Thank you.
And this is all under Rule 14 in addition to the statute, of course. Thank you.
Yes. Th- thank you, Professor Conaway.
Um, we-
(laughs)
We, we will check with, uh, Steve Berlin as to whether or not we can audit that
class, uh, or if that's a gift. Um, any other questions by committee
members? All right. Seeing none, Alderman Harris, moves do
pass. All in favor say aye. Oh, I'm sorry.
On the two items, document number 22892 and
22893-T1.... as
revised. Alderman Harris moves to pass.
All in favor, say, "Aye." Aye. Any opposed, say, "Nay." Pay the chair.
The ayes have it. Item has passed. Congratulations. Thank you, gentlemen.
Have a good one.
Good. Thank you. All right. Back to
the top of page-
12.
... 12. Uh, document number 22938 in the 16th Ward.
Common address is 6743 South
Honore. Uh, change request is RS3, residential
single-unit detached house district to RT4, residential
two-flat townhouse and multiunit district.
Um, we have, uh, not Jimena.
Hey,
No. (laughs) Dan?
Yes. Uh, good afternoon, Chairman and members of the committee.
My name is Dan Eagan with, uh, uh, Costa Esger.
I'm, uh, here on behalf of the applicant.
Uh, the application has been amended to be a type 1 narrative in plans and a
request approval to do so.
Uh, great. Uh, you've... We have a
type 1?
Yes.
Cool. It's not in my notes, that's why.
Um, Alderman, uh, Burnett moves to amend the application to a type 1
application. All in favor, say, "Aye." Aye.
Any opposed, say, "Nay." Paying the chair.
The ayes have it and the application is amended to a type 1.
Thank you. The subject property is located on the east side of South Honore Street
near the, uh, intersection of West 68th and Honore, um, South
Honore. Uh, subject- the subject property is located in a residential, uh,
neighborhood and is bordered by an adjacent residential buildings.
Um, the subject property is a vacant parcel
and is improved with a two-story residential building with two dwelling
units. One of the legal... One of the units is legal.
Uh, the applicant seeks to rezone the property to legalize the second-floor
dwelling unit for a total of two units on the property, to legalize an
as-built rear two-story addition and an as-built
two-story addition to the existing two-flat building.
Two surface parking spaces will be provided at the rear of the property.
To allow the proposed development, the applicant seeks a zoning change for the
subject property from an RS3 residential district unit to a
RT4 regional two-flat... residential two-flat townhouse and multi-dish-
multiunit district. As a part of the type 1 rezoning, the applicant also is
requesting additional reef- relief, including a variation
to reduce the required front side set- uh, front setback from
18.38 feet to the existing 15.25 feet,
a variation to reduce the north side setback from two feet to the existing
0.89 feet, with a south side setback of 2.6
feet, and a variation to reduce the total combined side setback from five feet to
existing 3.49 feet. The alderwoman has reviewed the
project, has indicated she is supportive.
Um, with that said, we request your favorable consideration.
Thank you. Um, I- I... Alderman Coleman, I know, is, uh...
I think she's in transit, so, um, I know we have received support.
Any questions by committee members?
Seeing none, Alderman Conway moves to pass. All in favor, say, "Aye." Aye.
Any opposed, say, "Nay." Pay the chair. The ayes have it. Item has passed.
Um, bottom of page 12 is document number
22852-T1 in the 27th Ward. Common
address is 1855 West Grand Avenue.
Change request, M12 limited manufacturing business park
district to B23 community s- shopping
district. Once again, Dan Egan.
Good afternoon, Chairman and members of the committee.
My name is Dan Eagan, attorney with the Costa Esger, LLC.
I'm here on behalf of the applicant.
Uh, there is a substitute narrative in plans for this matter.
We request approval to substitute such.
Yes. Alderman Harris moves that we accept the substitute narrative in plans.
All in favor, say, "Aye." Aye. Any opposed, say, "Nay." Pay the chair.
The ayes have it. A substitute is before us.
The subject property is located on the south side of South Grand Avenue near the
intersection of West Grand and North Walcott.
Uh, the property is a transit-served location due to its proximity to the CTA Damen
Avenue Green Line station entrance, approximately 2- 2300 feet to
the north. Um, or to the- to the south of the
property. Uh, it is bordered by mixed-use commercial and residential
buildings to the east and north across Grand Avenue, and by
residential buildings to the west.
The subject property is a mixed-use building with ground-floor commercial space and
upper-floor residential. The applicant proposes to demolish the existing
improvements and construct a four-story residential building with four units and
two parking spaces. To allow the proposed development, the applicant seeks a zoning
change for the subject property from an M12 limited manufacturing business park
district to a B23 neighborhood mixed-use district.
As part of the type 1 rezoning, the applicant, uh, also is requesting three
variations, a variation to reduce the rear yard setback from the required 30 feet
to 0 feet, a variation to allow the si- a side building
entrance, and a variation to increase the maximum building height
by 1.7% from 50 feet to
50.83 (laughs) feet. Uh, the project has been
reviewed by the Chicago Grand Neighbors Association, which has
recommended approval. Additionally, alderman has reviewed the project and has
indicated he's supportive. Um, with that, we request your favorable
consideration.
Thank you. Alderman Burnett, anything to add?
Not much to add. Um, we went through a community meeting on this project.
The community is supportive. Uh, I'm...
Again, another project that utilizes the new TOD ordinance, um,
minimizing the amount of parking that you need on these type of projects.
Uh, this area is changing to some degree.
And so, it's awesome to see more housing and larger units in, uh, this part of
town. So I'm supportive and I ask my colleagues for support as well.
Good stuff. Any questions by committee members?
Seeing none, alderman Moore moves to pass. All in favor, say, "Aye."
Any opposed, say, "Nay." Paying the chair. The ayes have it. Item has passed.
Thank you, Mr. Egan.
Thank
you. Top of page 13 is document number
22936-T1 in the
22nd Ward. Common address is 4070 West Ogden.
Change request M12 limited manufacturing business park district to
C12 neighborhood commercial district.
I have a request to defer this item.
Uh, Alder Harris moves to- makes a motion to defer the
previously read item. All in favor, say, "Aye." Aye.
Any opposed, say, "Nay." To pay the chair. The ayes have it.
That item is deferred.So to the middle of page 13 is
document number 22922 in the 27th Ward.
Common address, 3256 West Franklin Boulevard.
Change request, B-3-1 community shopping district to C-1-1
neighborhood commercial district. Uh, we have attorney Scott Borstein.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of the committee.
Scott Borstein here on behalf of the applicant, uh, otherwise known
as Chicago Data and Voice. Um, this is a
proposed zoning application to take the current zoning, which is
B-3-1, to a C-1-1 district to allow
Chicago Data and Voice to move its headquarters, stay in the
city, um, and continue, obviously, to contribute
its employee base here. Um, we met
with the local community organization, West Humboldt Park.
Uh, they supported the project. We've...
Uh, of course have discussed this with the alderman.
Um, he not only supports our proposed zoning change, but I wanna
thank him also for, uh, shepherding the
prior
sunsetting of the planned development that governed this, uh, site,
which we were kind of stuck. Um, and without that, we would have...
We probably wouldn't be here right now. So we appreciate all that.
Um, I know the alderman is here. So, uh, we open up to any
questions.
Alderman Burnett, anything to add on this one?
No, again, want to support businesses in our ward that are continuously trying to
add jobs and do good in the community.
They were unfortunately subject to a PD that was in place long before
them, uh, and we're excited to get them up and running off the ground here.
So thank you all for your patience, and I ask the, uh, rest of the Council
to support it as well.
Thank you. Uh, no other questions by committee members.
Uh, Alderman McDowell moves to pass. All in favor say aye. Aye.
Any opposed say nay. Being chaired, the ayes have it. Item has passed.
Thank you. Uh, bottom of page 13 is document number 22925
in the 31st Ward. Common address is 4528 to
4558 West Fullerton Avenue, 2401
to 2413 North Kenton Avenue. Change request,
an RS-3 residential single unit detached house district to
B-1-1 neighborhood shopping district.
Um, we have attorney Carol Stubblefield.
Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman, members of the committee.
Carol Stubblefield, uh, with Neal & LeRoy, offices at 20 South
Clark, here on behalf of the applicant, Prime Care Community Health.
Uh, Mr. Chair, uh, this is a rezoning from an RS-3
to a B-1-1, and it also includes, um, a
variation to increase, uh, commercial use square footage by
10%. So this is a revised application, uh, to a
Type 1. Uh, we did submit, uh, plans narrative and a revised
application. We ask, uh, that those documents be incorporated into today's
record.
Yes, Alderman Musbatum moves to amend the application to a Type 1
application. All in favor say aye. Aye.
Any opposed say nay. Being chaired, the ayes have it. Amend...
Application is amended to a Type 1.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is a map amendment, uh, for the construction of a new
two-story healthcare center. Um, the applicant worked,
uh, very extensively with Alderman Cardona Junior, who's provided a letter of
support. And we'd be happy to answer any questions.
Great. Uh, we do have a letter from Al- Alderman Cardona.
Any questions by committee members?
Seeing none, Alderman Knudson moves to pass as a, a Type 1
application. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed say nay.
Being chaired, the ayes have it. The item is passed.
Thank you so much.
Thank you. Top of page 14 is document number
22886 in the 27th Ward. Common
address is 210 to 220 North Morgan Street.
Change request, residential business planned development number
1541 to residential business planned development number
1541 as amended. We have attorney Sarah
Barnes.
Thank you. Good afternoon now, Mr.
Chair and esteemed commissioners and alders.
Um, for the record, my name is Sarah Barnes, and I'm a partner with the law
office of Gozdeki Delgidice Americus & Brucato
LLP. I'm gonna try and do as good a job
narrowing my dicta down as I did on narrowing the
slides down for you. Um, here with me
today on behalf of the applicant, um, 210
North Morgan Development LLC, is Aaron Galvin,
the principal. Um,
Mr. Galvin and his development company will be partnering
with Park Development LLC on this
proposal. Um, between the two development companies, they
have constructed, leased, and/or managed hundreds of housing
units throughout the West Loop and the Fulton Market neighborhoods
and are really excited to tr- transform, um, this
very meaningful segment of Morgan Street into,
um, a more collaborative, community-based
project. Uh, back in November, on November
20th, 2025, we did present the project to the
Chicago Plan Commission where it was unanimously recommended for
approval. So I do respectfully request that that record be
adopted, and exhibits be adopted into the record here
today.
Yes. The item was heard and passed by the Chicago Plan Commission.
Alderman Moore moves to... Makes a motion to incorporate all the records and
findings from that hearing. All in favor say aye. Aye.
Any opposed say nay. Being chaired, the ayes have it. The records are incorporated.
Thank you so much. Um, back in 2022, there was
actually a prior development program, um, that was
approved for this site, which is
located mid-block on Morgan Street immediately
proximate to the new CTA, Morgan Street CTA station.
Um, that development was called for a larger format
building with larger dwelling units but fewer dwelling units and not as
many affordable housing units. Unfortunately, due to
substantial shifts in the housing and financial markets,
that development was never able to be delivered.
Um, so the applicant has come in and reconceptualized the
program.... to adapt to the current market demands and the associated
standards of living, while also moderating the scale and the
design for the new development to capture and enhance the unique
character of the Fulton Market neighborhood, um, which has held onto much
of its prior heritage as a bustling manufacturing hub.
Um, the pro- project provides an exceptional opportunity to
advance the recently expanded TOD ordinance by
maximizing the provision of housing units immediately
proximate to transit hubs and the commercial corridors.
Therefore, thereby correspondingly and naturally
increasing affordable housing across all of the markets, not
just pursuant to the Affordable Requirements Ordinance.
Um, the proposal, uh, as you saw before you
(laughs) , calls for, um, the construction of an 18-story
mixed-use transit-oriented development that will
transform this cour- currently dormant stretch of Morgan Street by
providing a vibrant and safe connection between the Randolph Street
Commercial Corridor and the Fulton Market Hospitality
District, and also linking the community directly to the new Morgan Street
CTA station. The, uh, development will feature ground
floor retail and restaurant space with a large covered and
landscaped communal patio. I think there's a
slide that shows that. Um, along with
268 housing be- housing units,
54 of which will be affordable, um, and
multiple levels of residential amenities, occupiable open
space, as well as gathering and, um, co-working
space. The project
also features 30 vehicular parking spaces,
on-site storage for 238 bicycles, as well as
off-street loading. Um, and as a meaningful
improvement to, uh, that's inherent in the development, there will be
robust streetscape improvements, including burying the existing
ComEd, um, lines that currently obstructs the public way
that, again, is that connection between Fulton Market and Randolph Street.
The, um, project we have been actively
engaged, uh, with the community for over six months.
We started in June of 2025 with the now
retired Alderman Walter Burnett, and then proceeded to,
um, be very actively engaged with his success- successor,
Alderman Redmond Burnett, who's here with us today.
Um, who I also want to commend for being very
meaningfully, personally engaged in the entire community
engagement process. Um, he really pioneered and
championed this program. Um, as well, we also met
with the West Chamber Association and the project was vetted
with the nor- the neighbors of West Loop as well, both of which
were in general support of the project, and then we,
um, captured all of that community engagement in a community
meeting on October 22nd. Um, which, again, the
project was mostly favored, or mostly met with
favorable, um, comments and
feedback. And with that, um,
we have a letter of support on record, uh, with the
committee from Alderman Burnett, but perhaps
if I yield the floor to him if he'd like
Yes. Thank- thank you, Miss Barnes.
Uh, Alderman Burnett, anything to add briefly?
Yeah. Uh, I'm excited about this one.
This was my second community meeting, uh, as an alder, so it was a very
engaging process. And when we talk about transit-served
TOD-related projects, this is the epitome of it.
You know, it's directly adjacent to a train stop.
So what the goal in building or with our new
zoning code is to try to get more housing around our train system.
This directly, uh, exemplifies that- that
aspiration. Now, having this many units and the developer being
so, um, me- flexible as the market has
changed, it was commendable for them to come around in the last
six months and have a completely new, um, plan of organization for
how this building was structured.
And obviously they're presenting a ton of units for this area.
The 20% affordable housing is gonna be great for the area.
Uh, you know, we- we as a council have to figure out how we get more family-style
housing, uh, 'cause the market rate, the market currently doesn't, uh,
allow us to do it in a way that makes sense for projects to finance it.
So again, I commend them for working within their
boundaries and creating so many units in a transit-served area, and I think this is
g- be a great project for the community, and the community agrees so as well.
So I ask my colleagues for support. Thank you.
Thank you, Alderman Burnett. It's pretty- pretty tight learning curve, uh, at the
West Loop-
(laughs)
... with, uh, these kind of developments, huh?
Any questions by committee members?
Uh, seeing none, Alderman Moseley moves to pass.
All in favor say aye. Any opposed say nay.
The ayes have it, the item is passed. Thank you. Best of luck with the works.
Thank you. Merry or happy holidays.
Happy holidays. Uh, middle of page 14 is document
number 22933-T1 in the 36th Ward.
Common address is 3057 to 3059
West Augusta Boulevard. Change request RS3 residential
single unit detached house district to B23 community
shopping district. Uh, we have attorney Richard Toth.
Hi. Good morning, uh, Mr. Chairman, and, or
good afternoon-
Good afternoon, uh-
... Mr. Chairman and members of the zoning committee. My name is Rich Toth.
I'm an attorney at Georgis & Sinowatski in Chicago, appearing on behalf of the
applicant for this zoning change.
Uh, the property is about 6,600 square feet.
It consists of one oversized lot of record and one zoning lot.
It's in a transit-served, uh, location.
Uh, a related company of the applicant has owned the property since just last year,
2024, under a prior unrelated owner.
The property was operated apparently as a group home, uh,
without zoning approvals for that. Uh, we're not gonna do that.
Uh, and the property is in need of some internal renovations.
Uh-The applicant is a Chicago-based woman-owned company that provides
individual counseling, pre-marital counseling, marriage
counseling, family counseling and similar therapy services.
Uh, the company also provides training for therapists.
There is a great need for those services and training, and the company will provide
them at the property. The rezoning to B2-3 will, in part,
accommodate those uses. Uh, I'll note there won't be, there will not
be any medical examinations or medical procedures at the company.
This is client office visits and maybe even some meetings just
online. With respect to the building, the existing structure will
remain but a partial second floor will be added.
Part of the structure already is two stories.
The rezoning, uh, will also accommodate the additional floor area for the new
second floor addition. Uh, the building will also retain, uh, an
ex- preexisting dwelling unit. Uh, accompanying
variations will confirm the e- existing setbacks,
including with respect to the second floor addition, and confirm and
legalize the longstanding absence of any parking spaces.
The Department of Planning and Development has provided a ple- pre-development
grant in support of planned internal renovations, and it's
anticipated that additional grant funds will be provided in the
form of a community development grant for those internal
reservations. We've not received any phone calls or inquiries.
To our knowledge, there's no objectors.
The alderman was, uh, kind enough to, uh, host a community meeting.
I believe he provided the committee with a letter of support.
I don't know that he's still here though.
Uh, on behalf of the applicant, I very respectfully request your favorable
recommendation for passage.
Great. Thank you, Mr., Mr. Toth. Uh, we do have a letter from, uh, Alderman
Viegas. Any questions by committee members?
Uh, seeing none, Alderman Harris moves to pass.
All in favor say I. I. Any opposed say nay.
Majorly the I's have it, item is passed.
Thank you.
Thank you, sir. Um, I'm gonna ask w- whoever the attorneys on deck are,
just come and sit in the third row on this side, just so there's a little less
dwell time and we'll move faster so we can get Chairman Mitchell in the seat.
All right, next up is diagram number 22933...
I'm sorry, we just did that. Diagram number
22926-T1 in the 47th Ward. Common
address is 1801 West Byron Street.
Change request, M12 Limited Manufacturing Business Park District
to RM5 Residential Multi-Unit District.
We have Attorney Warren Silver.
Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman. Good afternoon, members of the committee.
Um, uh, I am Warren Silver with Silver Law Office PC,
representing the applicant Clinical Assist Limited.
Um, Clinical Assist has been operating, uh, a, uh,
preschool for differently abled children at this location for some
time. Uh, i- it's classified as a children's activity
facility in the Indoor Sports and Recreation Use Group and
received a special use in 2013. At this time though, they're
seeking to add a school, uh, for
children, uh, kindergarten through second grade.
Uh, approximately 10 children would be served.
Um, uh, because it is a school, uh, it is
permitted only, uh, a- as of right in residential
districts. Um, and because the
applicant is gonna be seeking certification, or accreditation
rather, from the Illinois State Board of Education, one of
ISBY's requirements is that it conform to
zoning. So, we are seeking to, uh, amend the zoning district from
M12 to RM5. It is a type one, uh,
uh, by mandatory per the ordinance, uh,
seeking zeros dwelling units because there will be no external
changes to the building, uh, and no other, uh, uh, changes
e- anticipated at this time to the, uh, office and light artisan
uses that are elsewhere in the building.
Uh, we have met with the North Center Chamber of Commerce and the North Center
NeighborS Ag- Association, uh, as well as Alderman
Martin's Zoning Advisory Committee, uh, through his, uh, community
engagement process. We're pleased to report that we've got, uh,
Alderman Martin's support, uh, and I believe he's transmitted
his letter of support to the committee.
Um, and at this time, we would like to ask for the committee's favorable
recommendation and, uh, any questions that the committee may
have, we'd be happy to answer.
Thank you. Any questions by committee members?
Uh, seeing none, Alderman Moseley moves to pass.
All in favor say I. I. Any opposed say nay.
Majorly the I's have it, item is passed.
Thank you very much.
Thank you
crosstalk ]
... and others. (clears throat)
(clears throat) In the middle of page 15 is document number
22442 in the 21st Ward. Common
address is 11400
through 11458 South Halsted Street, 800 through
912 West 115th Street. Change request is planned development
number 131 to B33 Community Shopping District,
and then to planned development number 131 as
amended. Now, we have Attorney Steve Friedland.
Good afternoon. My name is Steve Friedland with Applegate & Thorne Thompson here
on behalf of Far South CDC, represented today by
Abraham Lacey who is the executive director.
This is the site of an old, um, Jewel
Foods. That's the good, probably the best, uh, shot to show you.
Um, it was a planned development. And
what Far South is proposing is to redevelop the
site with residential and park and
community uses. The first phase of the development will
be the two buildings along Halsted Street that you see here, which
are collectively a 70-unit development that will have
66 of the 70 units as affordable housing.
This is being funded by the City of Chicago through,
uh, its tax credit program. This project did
appear before the Chicago Plan Commission on November 20th.
And we would request that the findings and the record
of the Plan Commission be incorporated into this record.
Yes, this item was heard and passed by the Chicago Plan Commission.
Alderman Brunette makes a motion to accept all records and findings from that
hearing. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed say nay.
Mayor to the chair, the I's have it.
Thank you.
Proceed.
Um, uh, as I save it, this would ultimately provide up to
258 dwelling units. There's parkland.
This is really a signi- you know, maybe one of the most significant
redevelopments in the Morgan Park community in the last few
decades. Uh, we're certainly willing to take any questions that
the, uh, com- um, members might have.
And Alderman Moseley, who was very involved in this, I think he was on earlier, I
don't know if he's still... Oh, he's here.
(laughs)
He's stuck on us, Steve.
Alderman, I heard you on the, on the phone. Hello there.
Um, I'll defer to Alderman Moseley.
Yes. Alderman, you're up. Nice quarter zip.
(laughs)
Gang gang.
(laughs)
Uh, thank you so much Chair. Uh, I am so thrilled to
have this project finally move forward.
This site has been vacant for over, uh, I think almost
15 years now, uh, and has really been the
center of, uh, West Pullman, Morgan Park, and Roseland.
I want to give kudos to, uh, not just this amazing team,
uh, but particularly to Far South CDC and Abraham Lacey, who's been
laboring on this project for seven, eight years?
Hm. (laughs) .
Uh, eight years, and we are finally bringing forth
a, a catalytic project that will help with the products, the
services, the businesses that the residents of the 21st Ward have been
calling for and currently have to go outside of our
ward to find. Um, the retail density brings forth the
opportunity for that retail. Uh, and, uh,
even want to thank, uh, uh, Chairwoman Dowd, who's been giving me
some insight on what we can do to help out
local-owned businesses here, uh, at this
site. Uh, would ask respectfully of my colleagues' favorable
consideration. Uh, thank you to DPD, to CDOT,
to water, uh, to all the folks who have really leaned
in to help this project be successful, um, and a special
shout-out to the Department of Housing who, without their
assistance, this project would not be possible.
Thank you, Chair.
Thank you. Any questions by committee members?
Uh, seeing none, Alderwoman Dowd, moves to pass.
All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed say nay.
Mayor to the chair, the I's have it. Congratulations. Good luck with the work.
Congratulations, Alderman. It's a good project.
Uh, bottom of page 15 is document number 22882 in the 22nd
Ward. Common address is 2200 and 2260 South Springfield
Avenue, 3901 to 3925 West Cermak Road,
3927 to 3929 West Ogden Avenue. Change
request M12 limited manufacturing business park district to
C11 neighborhood commercial district, and then to a planned
development. Uh, once again, uh, Steve Friedland.
Uh, good afternoon again, Steve Friedland with Applegate & Thorne Thompson.
I'm really lucky to have two community transforming projects on the
agenda (laughs) , and this is the other one.
Uh, with me today, uh, is Richard Townsel, who's the Executive Director of
Lawndale Christian Development Corporation, and a representative of the
development team. (clears throat) We have, uh, uh, Nick Jaworski from
White & Company, the project architects.
This site is currently owned by the Chicago Transit
Authority. It's an old, uh, transit storage
facility that's n- no longer being used, and the
proposal is to redevelop this, um, as
a, uh, community center or a rec center, and, uh,
maybe you go to one of the next slides, just to show the inter- interior, I
think it's really ni- this is the view of what will be developed
with, uh, large fields and basketball courts
and a large interior space that's available for the
community to use and utilize. Um, this
project will also do something that really should have been done years ago
which is South Springfield Avenue, which is the east side of the
project, is currently just a 33-foot right of
way, um, we will be dedicating, uh,
33 feet to make it a 66-foot ride, right of way and actually turn
this into a, a, you know, a, a regular city
street. Um, uh, this project has gone
through, you know, the community process.
Alderman Rodriguez has been involved, and really, it's just a great
transformative project for this area. We're certainly...
Well, oh, I sh- I should ask to, um, incorporate-
Go ahead. ... the record and findings from the com-
Go
ahead. ... Plan Commission.
This item was heard and passed by the Chicago Plan Commission.
Alderman Brunette makes the motion to incorporate all hearings and findings, all
records and findings from that hearing. All in favor say aye. Aye.
Any opposed say nay. Pay the chair, the I's have it. Records are incorporated.
Thank you very much.
Great. Any questions by committee members?
Um, we do have a letter of support from Alderman Rodriguez on this.
Um, good stuff today, guys.
Yeah, (laughs) this is (overlapped) .
Uh, with that, Alderman Moore moves to pass. All in favor say aye.
Aye. Any opposed say nay. Mayor to the chair, the I's have it.
Item is passed
as corporated.
Thank you. Thank you very much.
Thank you. Good luck with everything.
All right. Top of page 16,
document number 22762 in the 27th Ward.
Common address, 1200 West Carroll Avenue.
Change request, business plan development number 1478 to
DX7 downtown mixed-use district, and then
to residential business planned development 1478
as amended. Uh, we have Attorney Mariah
DiGreeno.
Thank you. Uh, again, my name is Mariah DiGreeno with the law firm of DLA Piper in
Chicago. We represent the applicant in this matter, 1200 West Carroll Holdings,
LLC, an affiliate of TR Management and Consulting,
LLC. Um, this matter was heard at the November 20th,
2025 Plan Commission hearing, and I would ask that the transcript from the Plan
Commission hearing be incorporated into the record today.
Yes, Alderman Moseley makes a motion to incorporate all records and findings from
that hearing. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed say nay.
Make the chair... The ayes have it. The records are incorporated.
Thank you. The property is located at the northwest corner of Carroll and
Racine. It is currently zoned PD1478,
which was approved in 2020 to allow for a 13-story
office building. The applicant is seeking to amend the plan development
to, uh, make the underlying zoning DX7 and
change the use to residential to allow for a 29-story
building with 397 dwelling units, 20% of which
will be affordable. The team has worked closely with DPD, Alderman
Brunette and the various community organizations.
I'm available to answer any questions, and thank you for your time and
consideration.
Thank you, Ms. Stugrino. Uh, Alderman Brunette, another big one.
Any words for us on West Carroll?
So this is my first community meeting.
(laughs)
Uh, and this was a great project because obviously they have a ton of green space
associated with this project in the area that is very devoid of green
space. Fulton Market, being a former manufacturing district, was
for that purpose, infilled with a lot of, uh, um,
concrete and asphalt. And the developer really listened to
the community here and provided a desperately needed space for people to
commune and do some of their day-to-day activities and looking forward
to, to seeing how it evolves into something that is for everyone.
Um, so we're... Hopefully this kickstarts a, a string
of green space on Carroll that becomes a beacon of life
for that community but also again, more
units, uh, another exemplary project for the
TOD ordinance, um, less parking, more units
and, uh, again, quality design and the community supports it.
So I support it and I ask my colleagues for support as well.
Thank you. Uh, who's the architect on this?
Since you mentioned the design.
Tom Rozeck.
Excellent. Nice work. All right, any other questions by committee members?
Uh, seeing none. Alderman Moore moves, do pass.
All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed say nay. Make the chair...
The ayes have it, and the item is passed.
Thank you. Uh, middle of page 16 is document number
22899-T1 in the 28th Ward.
Uh, common address is
2409-2411 West Congress
Parkway. Change request is an RT3.5 residential two
flat townhouse and multi-unit district to
B23 neighborhood mixed use district.
We have attorney Liz Butler.
Thank you, Mr. Chair and members of the committee. My name is Liz Butler.
I'm a partner with the law firm of Taft Stettinius and Hollister, located at
111 East Wacker Drive in Chicago. And our firm represents the
applicant in this matter, Four Corners LLC.
I'm joined today by JP Bartley and Josh Kruger on behalf of the
applicant. Um, as a housekeeping matter, we do have a substitute narrative
and plans, um, that we submitted in advance of the hearing.
The substitut- substitutes were to update the number of bicycle parking spaces and
to reflect an, uh, on-street loading space.
Uh, Alderman Dowell moves to accept the substantive narrative and plans for the
type one application. All in favor say aye. Aye.
Any opposed say nay. Make the chair... The ayes have it.
The substitute is before us.
Thank you. Uh, this is the first of two companion zoning
applications for two properties that today are treated or
considered a single, um, improved zoning lot.
The applicant is requesting a type one zoning map amendment for,
um, this property with the address of 2409, um,
211 West Congress Parkway from the RT3.5 residential
two flat townhouse and multi-unit, uh, district to the
B23 neighborhood mixed use district, um, with optional
variations to reduce the required off-street loading from one
space to zero spaces. The minimum front yard setback from 15 feet
to four feet nine inches, the minimum rear setback for floors
containing dwelling units from 30 feet to three feet, and the minimum west
side setback from seven feet 4.2 inches to three
feet, um, to divide the existing improved zoning lot
and construct a new five story multi-unit residential
building with 58, uh, units and
25 parking spaces. So the properties are owned by the
Archdiocese of Chicago, um, and are improved with a
100-year-old four story building, a two story building, and a surface parking
lot. The property that is the subject of this request
contains approximately 15,456 square feet
of site area and is improved with the two story building and surface
parking. Um, the site is a transit served location based on its
proximity to the Western Avenue CTA Blue Line station entrance and the
Western Avenue CTA bus line corridor.
Um, again, the purpose of the type one is to divide, um, the existing
zoning lot in two and develop each of the parcels with, um, for
residential use. On the subject property, the applicant plans to
demolish the existing structures and construct a new five
storey, multi-unit residential building.
Um, again, the building will have 58, 58 units, 25, um,
vehicular parking spaces, 38 bicycle parking spaces, and
20% of the units will be set aside as affordable units.
Um, the type one change request is needed for the division of the improved
zoning lot, as well as the proposed height, floor area, density,
um, and the variations that I mentioned.
This project will replace aging structures with a modern multi-unit
residential development that will increase the supply of market rate and affordable
housing and will benefit the city by returning what is currently a tax exempt
property back to the tax rolls as a property tax revenue generating
asset.The applicant worked closely with Alderman Irvin, um, and met
extensively with the Tri-Taylor Community Association
throughout, uh, the fall s- with meetings in September, October, and
November, um, in order to secure their support for the
project. The applicant enhanced the, the plans for the project in
response to community input by, um, increasing interior trash
storage and adding, um, on-street loading spaces.
Alderman Irvin provided a letter of support that we forwarded to the committee in
advance of the hearing. Um, and we thank the committee for its
consideration of this matter and respectfully request your favorable recommendation
of the request. And we're available to answer any questions you might have.
Thank you. Uh, we do have a letter from Alderman Irvin.
Do I have any questions by committee members?
Uh, seeing none, Alderwoman Harris moves do pass.
All in favor say aye. Any opposed say nay.
Madam Chair, the item is passed as substituted.
Thank you, Chair.
Thank you. Uh, the, your next-door neighbor here is document number
22900-T1 in the 28th Ward. Common address is
2401 to 2407 West Congress Parkway.
Change request RT3.5 Residential two-flat/townhouse
and multi-unit district to B2-3 Neighborhood Mixed-Use
District Type I. Same narrative for, from your side and I
have a substitute narrative and plans as well, um, that w- were
submitted. Alderwoman Dowell makes a motion to accept those.
All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed say nay. Madam Chair, the ayes have it.
The substitute narrative and plans are accepted.
Thank you, Chair. Again, for the record, Liz Butler, uh, from the law firm of Taft
Stettinius & Hollister located at 111 East Wacker Drive.
We continue to represent the applicant Four Corners, LLC, and I
am still joined by JP Bartley and Josh Kruger on behalf of the
applicant. Um, thank you for accepting the substitute narrative and
plans. Uh, the facts for this companion Type I
are the same as the facts that I just recited for the prior, um,
matter except that for this, uh, for this matter, the,
uh, applicant plans to rehabilitate the existing building which is a
four-story, uh, building that's owned by the Archdiocese of Chicago.
The plan here is to upgrade, um, this building and convert it to
multi-unit residential development with 52 residential
units, 12 secure bicyc- bicycle parking spaces, and there
are, uh, zero parking spaces and none are required given that this
is a transit-served location. Um, here too, 20% of the
units will be designated as affordable units with a weighted average,
um, affordable to, uh, households earning a weighted average of
60% of the area median income.
And again, this project will preserve the existing building,
reactivate the his- this, this, uh, vacant historic
building, increase the local supply of market rate and affordable
housing, and also, uh, benefit the city by returning a tax
exempt property to the tax rolls. Here as well, the applicant
worked very closely with Alderman Irvin.
The project was reviewed, um, uh, together with the
project, eh, that was the subject of the prior Type I, with, um,
with Alderman Irvin, with the Tri-Taylor Community Association through a number
of community meetings with that group.
Um, and Alderman Irvin provided a letter of support in advance of this hearing.
We thank the committee and we're available to answer any questions that you might
have.
We do have the letter from Alderman Irvin.
Um, let me just ask, uh, we've seen some schools or parish houses, are you looking
at landmark cr- la- landmarking this for Class L or tax credits at
all? All right, well, have a look. With a Class L or
permanent fee waiver it may be worth it and it may not be, but, uh, have a look.
All right, any other questions by committee members?
Seeing none, Alderman Moore moves do pass. All in favor say aye. Aye.
Any opposed say nay. Madam Chair, the ayes have it. Item is passed.
Good luck to you both.
Thank you. Thank you. All right. Top of page
17. Uh, document number 22857 in the
30th Ward. Common address 3339 North Hamlin Avenue.
Change request RS3 Single Unit Detached House District to an
R2-4 Residential two-flat/townhouse and multi-unit
district. Attorney Mark Kupiec.
Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, my name is Mark Kupiec.
I represent the applicant in this case, property 3339 North
Hamlin. Um, the property was, was improved with an
old frame multi-unit building. I'm told it was actually vacant
for a number of years before the applicant bought the property.
Uh, we've r- the applicant and I have worked with the alderman and her staff for
her community outr- outreach process.
We've asked her for her support and I've been advised that she did send a
letter.
Uh, yes, we do have a letter on file from Alderwoman Cruz.
I know I saw her staffer earlier who I think is, is, uh,
proba- o- on his way. Um, any questions
by committee members? Seeing none, Alderman Moore moves do pass.
All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed say nay. Madam Chair, the ayes have it.
Item is passed.
Thank you very much.
Thank you, Mark. All right, our last item, uh, is
fir- yeah, really. Uh, document number 22894 in the
45th Ward. Common address 5161 to
5223 West Lawrence Avenue,
4750 to 4790 North Laramie Avenue,
4753 to 4761 North Laramie Avenue,
and 4880 s- I'm sorry, 4786 to
4798 North Avondale Avenue. Change request
is Planned Development 1364 to Planned Development
1364 as Amended. We have attorney Aaron
Dorsey.
Thank you, Chairman. Uh, good afternoon, Chairman Lawson and co- members of the
Committee on Zoning, Landmarks, and Building Standards.
Uh, for the record, my name is Aaron Dorsey of the law firm of Dike & McGosset.
Um, our address is at 10 South Wacker Drive.
Uh, we represent the applicant Jefferson Park Residences LLC.
Uh, before I begin, I wanted to note that this project was heard at the Plan
Commission meeting on November 20th and we request that the transcript in
favorables are all, uh, read into the hearing.
Uh, thank you. This item was heard and passed by the Chicago Plan Commission.
Uh-Alderwoman Harris makes a motion to incorporate all records and
findings from that hearing. All in favor, say aye. Any opposed, say nay.
Being the chair, the ayes have it. Records are incorporated.
Thank you. And, uh, also as housekeeping, we've submitted a substitute, uh,
ordinance and would like that to be read into the record as well.
Um, so if it was substituted at Plan Commission, it was incorporated from the, with
the records from Plan Commission?
So I, do I need to do a sub as well or are we good to go with just Plan...
We're good to go.
Okay. Sounds good.
Thank you for being thorough.
Of course. Uh, so the, uh, project is
forward, uh, to amend PD 13-64 located at, uh, around
5211 West Lawrence Avenue, uh, to amend
the permitted uses to allow for esports, uh,
facilities and golf simulators to operate at the property.
Um, the subject site is already built out and we are not seeking to make any
changes to the building. This is just a purely technical, uh, amendment to allow
for those uses. Um, we have not received any oppositions to
this request and, um, have a, have briefed Alderman Gardner and have a letter
of support on file from him, uh, which should be on suppor- on file with the
committee. Um, and I thank you for your consideration and welcome any questions you
may have.
Great. Thank you. We do have a letter, uh, from our Alderman Gardner in regard to
this, uh, kind of a hot thing right now, right? Esports.
Um, do I have any questions by committee members?
Uh, seeing none, all of us thought it was due pass. All in favor, say aye.
Aye. Any opposed, say nay. Being the chair, the ayes have it.
Um, the item is passed. Uh, we've been joined by Alderman Ciccio Lopez for
purposes of quorum.
Ah,
Oh, we have them both today. How
lucky.
All right. Uh, before we go, uh, we're gonna recall an
item, uh, which is the bottom of page nine, document number 22937 in the
27th Ward, common address 900 and 910 West Fulton
Market. Change request is business plan development
1475 to DX5 downtown
mixed-use district. Um, we missed something before.
Uh, Alderman Ciccio Lopez moves to amend this application to a Type One
application. All in favor, say aye. Any opposed, say nay.
Being the chair, the ayes have it and the application is amended, uh, as, to a Type
One. Uh, that being said, uh, then on
the, on the motion, um, Alderman,
uh, Moore moves to pass. All in favor, say aye.
Aye. Any opposed, say nay. Being the chair, the ayes have that.
There being no further business before the body, Alderwoman Dowell
moves to adjourn. All in favor? Aye.
All- any opposed? Certainly not. We are adjourned.
Thank you
all.