# Cut The Tape 1 Year Anniversary 5.19.25

- Date: May 19, 2025
- Type: Video
- Length: 58:18
- Topic: Other
- Video: [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTGa5slu3Yg)
- Transcript: Machine transcription, 7,955 words ([text](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/files/transcripts/youtube/DTGa5slu3Yg.txt))
- Mayor: [Brandon Johnson](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor)

## Description

Mayor Brandon Johnson attends the Cut The Tape 1 Year Anniversary.

## Transcript

[1:23](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=83) Thank you so much for being here today as we mark the first year of the Cut the Tape initiative. We heard loud and clear from developers and business owners, it's too hard to build and do business in Chicago. Our permitting and approval processes were not just slowing down projects, they were pushing investment away.

[1:53](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=113) Cut the Tape is our response, a direct result of listening, listening to our community and taking action. This is a key priority for Mayor Johnson and reflects his commitment to making Chicago a place where development and opportunity can truly thrive. This initiative is about more than reforming bureaucracy. It's about creating a city where entrepreneurs can launch and grow their business,

[2:28](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=148) developers can build both market rate and affordable housing that meets our city's urgent needs, and residents can find good jobs and stable communities in every single one of our 77 neighborhoods. I am deeply grateful to all of you who have helped drive this effort forward over the past year. Because of your work, we're starting to see real progress. New affordable and market-rate housing is being developed and preserved.

[2:59](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=179) Economic activity is rising across our downtown and our 77 neighborhoods. And we're seeing shovels in the ground, as Commissioner Boatwright says, and ribbon cuttings that mark a growing and prosperous Chicago. This initiative and the tireless work of our city departments is beginning to reshape Chicago's story. Sending a clear signal to investors, developers, and businesses.

[3:31](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=211) This is a city where you can build, where you can grow, where you can hire, and most importantly, where you can succeed. To our task force members, thank you. Thank you for your insight. Thank you for your commitment. To our philanthropic partners, the Pritzker Trabert Foundation, JPMorgan Chase, the Chicago Community Trust, And to our incredible collaborators at the Civic Consulting Alliance and Metropolitan Planning Council, you came into this work very early, and your sustained support has been essential to getting us here.

[4:12](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=252) We could not have done this without you. And to our elected officials, our city department heads, and all of the city dedicated staff, thank you. Thank you for leaning into this work with commitment and with purpose. You've shown the very best of public service by showing up, stepping up, and striving to do better every day in support of this initiative. I look forward to building on this momentum together and to working with all of you as we continue to cut the tape

[4:49](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=289) and paved the way for a better, stronger, and safer Chicago. And now, I'd like to introduce John Robertson, our Chief Operating Officer. She always gets mad at me when I do stuff like that. It's like, why couldn't you just be like normal people and take the stairs? But she's the boss. Good morning.

[5:20](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=320) Hopefully the shine off my bald head is not causing problems for the camera. But I want to thank you, Kenya, for that great introduction. It is an honor to stand before you today as the chief operating officer of this great city. We're gathered here because we care deeply about Chicago's future. And we recognize that effective, responsive governance is the foundation of a thriving and inclusive city. Chicago is at a pivotal moment. Over the last year, we've taken bold steps to change the way we approach development in our city.

[5:58](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=358) One of the biggest challenges we've confronted head-on is bureaucratic red tape. layers of process that, while often well-intended, have slowed down our ability to deliver housing, support small businesses, and grow neighborhoods equitably. Our development processes were designed to promote public health, uphold high-quality design, and ensure the best use of land. But when those processes become overly complex or rigid, they stand in the way of innovation.

[6:33](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=393) They stand in the way of progress, and they stand in the way of community impact. This past year, we undertook a comprehensive review of all of those systems, and we've made real changes. We've streamlined permitting for affordable housing, removed outdated barriers to commercial development, and improved coordination across departments to move projects forward more quickly and more transparently. And I want to say that again, because at the heart of this, what Mayor Brandon Johnson told us is to get bureaucracy out the way, to get the departments to stand together and to work in collaboration towards one goal.

[7:10](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=430) And that's what we've done. Now, this work hasn't been easy, and we know there's more to do, but we are making progress. What's made that progress possible is a willingness to challenge the status quo, to break down silos, and to listen, not just to each other, but to the communities that we serve. I find it interesting that at one press conference, we used the PsiQuantum project as a test project for this cut-to-tape initiative.

[7:44](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=464) Mayor, you may remember this. There was someone from the media who said people are complaining that you're moving too fast to get PsyQuantum moving forward. I want you to understand that. A cut-the-tape initiative that is designed to improve efficiency, we are told that we are moving too fast to enable a billion-dollar project on the southeast side of Chicago. I think what Mayor Johnson would say is we're not moving fast enough to build equity and to make sure that our communities are being built and being given the advantage that projects like that can have.

[8:23](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=503) So as we move forward, I remain confident that we continue building a city government that is more agile, more effective, and more accountable. And that's why I have the great honor and pleasure, because I am the mayor's hype man. I have the great honor and pleasure to introduce the leader who has challenged all of us to think bigger, to work harder, and to build a city that works for everyone. Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for our mayor, Mayor Brandon Johnson.

[9:01](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=541) Thank you, John, for that introduction, and good morning, everyone. Good morning. I am grateful to be here and very excited about this anniversary. To our Chief Operations Officer, John Robertson, Deputy Mayors Kenya Merritt and Lori Lipson, Department of Housing Commissioner, Lissette Constaneda, our Commissioner for Department of Planning and Development, Sierra Boatwright, World Business Chicago, the Cup of Tape Task Force, and to everyone who made today possible, to all of our elected officials.

[9:35](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=575) I saw Chairman Jason Irvin is here, as well as Vice Mayor Walter Burnett. Could you please give them a nice welcome? Now I see Alderman Conway is here, but apparently he wants his own applause. Well, hold on a second. Byron C. Lopez is here. So we're doing them in pairs. Like, Jesus sent the disciples out in pairs. So these next two disciples, Alders,

[10:06](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=606) Cicho Lopez and Conway, could you give them a round of applause? I came into office two years ago with a commitment to address the affordable housing shortage, the historical disinvestment in our communities, and the lack of resources and infrastructure that our residents have needed to live and thrive in the city of Chicago. The Cut the Tape initiative began as a recommendation from our transition report.

[10:39](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=639) And members of our business community, housing and economic vitality working groups agreed that it has to be the top priority in order to address all of the challenges that unfortunately have been pervasive for decades, To have the confidence of the people of Chicago to address decades-old past failed systems, it is tremendously humbling. But the approval process was too slow, and instead of attracting investments, we were driving development dollars away from the city.

[11:14](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=674) My administration is committed to creating an environment where it's easy to do business and development. It allows for growth, and we put forth some very specific goals. We want to foster the development and preservation of affordable and market-rate housing. We wanted to bring more economic activity through our commercial corridors, but also to ensure that not just the downtown neighborhood is thriving, but all of our 77 unique neighborhoods.

[11:44](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=704) And to get more cranes in the sky, shovels in the ground, and ribbon cuttings that celebrate a thriving and prosperous Chicago. And this is why the 2023 executive order to streamline the city's development process was so critical in reaching these goals. This order brought together 14 city departments to evaluate existing development processes and find the purpose around solutions that will remove the bottlenecks

[12:16](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=736) and accelerate review and approval timelines. And we worked with a broad range of stakeholders to evaluate policies and identify priorities for improvement. Last April, the Cut the Tape report was released, and it laid out 107 recommendations. And they ranged from various topics, and we had to address roadblocks, ranging from staffing to technology, policies to administrative procedures, Even the way our departments coordinate within City Hall. And I'm grateful that we have many of our commissioners that are here today. And Alders just keep growing around here. Alderwoman Lindy Mana Hoppenworth is here as well. My apologies. We've got to find her a partner. So at any moment, another Alder should walk in here.

[13:12](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=792) But again, there were too many policies and processes that I believe were well-intended, but they no longer serve the purpose and eventually came to hinder the speed and the cost of development. And some of these policies were created to serve, quite frankly, the interests of a selected few, while causing harm to many of our residents. Our city departments have been digging deep to address these issues. And I want to thank all of our department leadership members that are here today, the staff that have prioritized this work, and they continue to do this every single day. We continue to drive economic development for the people of this city, but in order to do that, I work to empower these departments to rethink these processes and policies, and they have fully embraced this opportunity.

[14:05](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=845) The one thing that I appreciate about our department leaders, they are not afraid to do the work. And from this, recommendations were signed to ensure accountability. We've created metrics to assess the effectiveness of these efforts and to show us where additional resources are needed. And we're making a lasting change by creating new culture and an approach and ownership of these outcomes. Because in order for us to create a society, a city that embraces all of its residents, we have to ensure that the outcomes are owned by the individuals who are closest to delivering transformation.

[14:43](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=883) And over the past year, we've achieved many of the goals that the Cut the Tape Initiative sought out to do. And so far, here's what we've been able to do. We've streamlined zoning approvals, which are benefiting smaller developers and accelerating neighborhood projects where they are needed the most. We've reduced duplicate steps in environmental and design reviews, empowered the housing commissioner to approve project refinancing and transfer volume cap funding that will enable our partners to create more affordable units in Chicago and to do it faster.

[15:16](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=916) And we created additional guidance for grant applications, development design, and zoning. And today we celebrate one year, one year of Cut the Tape. And I'm renewing my commitment to this work and asking all of our city departments to reinvigorate these efforts. While we have achieved many of our goals, we know that the hardest work still lies ahead. We are not crossing a finish line today. We are recognizing a milestone.

[15:48](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=948) We are also working with department leaders to keep the momentum going. The city of Chicago continues to remain open for business, just no longer for sale. And our Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection is supporting Chicago's thriving small business ecosystem by streamlining the business licensing, fostering business education and compliance, and encouraging repopulation and economic growth. As you've already seen and witnessed, the population of the city of Chicago is growing.

[16:22](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=982) Our downtown is recovering. Beyonce was here for three days and I just needed her to stay two more days so she could help solve my budget crisis. But there are more visitors that are coming. Hotel occupancy is filling up. We have more people riding our trains and our buses. 300 million riders last year. $20 billion of economic vibrancy through our tourism, the city of Chicago, is truly a remarkable testament to what's possible when we all come together, whether it's Lincoln Yards or the Southeast Side, CyQuantum, or small businesses and economic vibrancy within our missing middle operation.

[17:08](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=1028) These are all initiatives that are being provocated through the Cut the Tape initiative. And I know that we have not addressed all of your concerns, but just know that I am committed to this partnership, ensuring that we stay on the right path to continue to make progress. And for those from all of our communities and for those who are serving of the Cut the Tape Task Force,

[17:38](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=1058) this development is squarely in the hands of each and every one of us. That as busy professionals, you have freely given your time and you've lent your expertise in all of these efforts. In closing, we cannot do this without you. We would not have gotten here without your help utilizing you as continued resources. I also want to thank the philanthropic community and all of our strategic partners.

[18:10](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=1090) I want to thank the Civic Consulting Alliance and World Business Chicago, the Metropolitan Planning Council. All of you have supported this endeavor in a remarkable way. And since day one, the Civic Consulting Alliance has been a trusted partner in driving this work. This executive order was signed, but the work is really what will define us. As I think about all of the research that has been done, the 200 interviews and the 300 ideas that came down to 107 solutions,

[18:42](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=1122) it is clear that this work is not finished. The business and development environment that I inherited was decades in the making, but we know that we are moving in the right direction. In order for us to complete transformation, the systems of old have to be reinvigorated. We have to find more creative and innovative ways to approach all of this work. So the city council, they play a part in this.

[19:12](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=1152) In order to have the trust of the people of this city, they have to see this room united. There are families that are counting on us. There are developers that will create generational wealth for posterity. To increase the trust, the system has to create better opportunities. That's the way we bring people closer. I'm really proud of this initiative. I am.

[19:42](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=1182) And together, you all, we are building a better, stronger, safer Chicago. But I also want to make sure that we build the safest, most affordable big city in America. And we can do that by investing in people. And we can certainly do that by ensuring that the tape is not enough. the way of progress. God bless you all, and go Cubs. Nice job this weekend.

[20:17](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=1217) Thank you so much, Mayor Johnson. Now for an insightful conversation. I'm going to bring up our panelists who have played an integral role in Cut the Tape to have a conversation around each of their roles, as well as give us some insight around what's next. So with that, I'm going to bring up Abigail Sullivan, our Director of Process Improvement. Abby, she's like John. Just jump on

[20:50](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=1250) over. Phil Beckham, Managing Partner of P3 Market. Kimberly Sally, Executive Director of Sunshine Gospel Ministries. And my co-collaborators, DOH, the Department of Housing's Commissioner, Lissette Castaneda. Commissioner of Planning and Development, Sierra Boatwright. Thank you all so

[21:28](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=1288) much, Abby. Most of the people that are here have been involved in this work, so I think everybody knows me, but I am Abby Sullivan. I am the Director of Process Improvement, and I am extremely honored

[22:03](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=1323) to be here with Mayor Johnson today to talk about the work that we've done. We have our wonderful and generous panelists. So we thank you for the introduction, Kenya. So we're just going to jump right in. Hi. Hi. Good morning. Commissioner Boatwright, what changes have you implemented that you are most excited about in DPD? And can you talk about the impacts that you've seen from some of those changes? Yes. We're cutting the tape, literally.

[22:35](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=1355) One example of how that looks in real time and a quantifiable result, So plan commission. For those of you that bring larger-scale projects to DPD, it has to go through a process, and one of the process and approvals is plan commission. We've gone from 135 days to 79 days. That's a big deal for a couple reasons. Thank you. Thank you. For a couple reasons. We know that time kills deals, and so when we want to see development move forward, we need to make sure that we're working collaboratively with our developers

[23:07](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=1387) to ensure that those projects can move forward much faster. And so whether you're a mega project and a for-profit developer or a smaller, equally catalytic project, we're moving those projects along significantly faster than we ever were. Another thing, as we talk about priming the pump for development, if you will, zoning. Let's stick on zoning for a minute here. Zoning is an expensive and time-consuming process. Whether you're doing a mom-and-pop development on a key corridor or a larger project, we know that, as I mentioned earlier, time kills deals.

[23:38](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=1418) And so what we're doing is proactively rezoning over 1,000 parcels to really prime the pump for development to ensure that our corridors really reflect the priorities that we've set forth. And so whether that's more vibrant businesses or whether that's safe, supervised recreation or more housing, we want to ensure that the zoning is appropriate to attract that type of development. What that does for developers is it requires you to spend a lot of less time and a lot less money on those necessary zoning approvals.

[24:08](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=1448) So, again, 1,000 parcels across six major corridors with a lot more proactive rezoning underway. The other thing I want to just shout out is, you know, plan commission is one thing, but we spend a lot of time on design. And any developers that have brought projects forward in the last couple decades, you know that we are really serious about design. That will never change. We're the city of Chicago. We're known for beautiful architecture. However, we recognize that duplicating review processes is expensive and time-consuming.

[24:41](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=1481) And so we've reduced our design review from three reviews to one review. And I think our developers are seeing it. A couple quick examples, timeline, 500 North Michigan Avenue, over 300 units of housing, over $100 million of investment, office to residential conversion, approved in less than 30 days. for-profit developer smaller scale project but just as important on the far south side of Chicago a chick-fil-a approved at plan Commission in less than

[25:11](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=1511) 30 days a hundred jobs created and so whether you're a big developer or a small developer you still get that necessary time attention and due process to ensure that we're cutting the tape and working collaboratively with our partners thank you Commissioner Castaneda the the mayor mentioned some of the inter city hall communication changes can you talk about some of the structural changes within your department and how that is affecting cut the tape absolutely i actually think that everything

[25:42](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=1542) to just be very clear everything that commissioner bolt right just described is also a really great example of things that are happening in one department that deeply impact another so anyone who's gone through any of our affordable housing processes knows that the question of design review the question of zoning changes those are all questions that impact how quickly we're able to move so we're really excited to see also the changes happening in the other departments among the things that department of housing has done is that we have established an implementation and evaluation bureau so again this idea of cut the tape is not a one-time idea mayor just said

[26:13](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=1573) we are not crossing the finish line today this is just the beginning we have literally reconfigured the way that doh is staffed in order to make sure that we are permanently always looking at how do we do this better how do we do this faster from that process as well we have already begun to have some impact in the bigger things that we are doing so obviously among the biggest things that the department of housing does is our every two years we put out our qualified allocation plan for how we are going to be looking at the distribution of our low income housing tax

[26:47](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=1607) credits this year we added a preliminary stage which may seem counterintuitive to cut the tape but really what what the preliminary stage will give us is the ability to say at front before you spend a ton of time and a ton of money on a project that will not be approved let us get a chance to get a quick glance at it give you a yes or no before you're able to move forward that will save a lot of time and energy from our developers and give them a more clear sign of being able to say what direction are we going in thank you um kim good morning uh what are some of the

[27:24](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=1644) changes that have impacted your work and please tell us about some of those impacts uh on your project and is there anything that has surprised you about this most recent process our sunshine community development project started under the prior administration um the summer of 2022 and And after getting approval from our older person to move forward, we had our initial meeting with the Department of Planning and Development, of which the commissioner did not attend. We presented our project fully, and we kind of left the meeting, our development team, kind of doing kind of the takeaways where the meeting was disjointed.

[28:05](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=1685) We left there not knowing whether or not our project was supported by the Department of Planning and Development. So that meant that we had to have several conversations after that. Come full circle 2024, when we were able to meet with Commissioner Boatwright, she led the meeting. She was there with quite a few of her staff from the Department of Planning and Development, and she set the tone for collaboration. She shared her passion for development in the city and revitalization in our communities.

[28:38](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=1718) And she made it clear that her goal was to get any viable project to a yes and to get shovels in the ground. And so that laid the found work for a very robust conversation with our development team and DPD where we presented our vision. We had hard conversation around real things like zoning, land acquisition, that capital stack got a little intense. And so, but we left there knowing the things that we needed to do, the T's we needed to cross, the I's that we needed to dot.

[29:13](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=1753) And so development is a hard enough list on its own, but to know that the City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development supported our vision meant so much as we left there to go out and to do the work. So when it came to doing the work as it relates to our planned development from application to city council approval was about 90 days, which from what I understand is about half the time that it took under the prior administration, along with our land acquisition, which actually was a shorter period than expected about half the time as well.

[29:50](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=1790) So very appreciative, though, most importantly, of the coordination meetings. And so from what I understand, that came from the Cut the Red Tape. So we were able to. have monthly meetings with a designated staff person from the Department of Planning and Development and so we knew we had a go-to person we knew that we had somebody we could talk to to get an agenda set and that that person would have key people in our meeting to answer our questions and to troubleshoot things those meetings were also inclusive of our older person which streamlined

[30:22](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=1822) communication greatly because everybody was in the same room at the same time hearing the same thing and we had our takeaways of what we all needed to do to bring things together so that things like zoning and land acquisition and pd could run smoothly thank you and just to be fair um i would note that it wasn't just the prior administration it was like all the prior administration so um phil same question for you can you tell us about some of the impacts that

[30:52](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=1852) you have experienced with your project. Sure so Phil Beckham are one of our projects at B3 Markets is 43 green in Bronzeville it's a two-phase project so coming into this I wasn't a developer so I had no preconceived notions of what would go on in the processes so our first building this is three years ago took about two and a half years to get from initial start of conversations actually finishing the building.

[31:24](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=1884) Didn't understand a lot of the back and forth and finally understood the communication gaps. And what the mayor said and everyone else is the tape was, it was a lot of tape. And the difference in the second phase was we had a meeting with 21 people from the city, which every department was on the call, and the communication was completely different. And it took us nine months to actually get in the ground instead of the two years.

[31:58](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=1918) So communication is extremely important for everyone to know what's going on. And I think Cut the Tape has gotten further. And I know this is not the finish line, and I know there are some things that we can continue to move on, which developers in here know the three letters EDS. EDS. Great concept. And a lot I've paid. EDS is, you know, you go background and get things paid. I've probably paid every parking ticket for every Phil Beckham in the state with cars I never owned, license plates I never heard of.

[32:39](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=1959) But that EDS will stop you from closing. It'll stop you from doing everything. And I think the process which this is going is, first of all, getting away from the paper, literally paper that you have to sign and turn in. We started out with one sheet, and you can end up with a book of 300 of the same process. And then another one that our developers know about is our debt check. When we're purchasing city-owned property, we have to make sure the city does not have a water bill on their own property. which is, I didn't understand, but it is part of the process that we're still in the process of moving forward,

[33:17](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=1997) which can take time. And as a for-profit developer, every day that we don't get to closing costs us more and more money because the attorneys, the architects, every advisor, every consultant, they don't stop with the hourly billing. and it is a process that is recognized and has continued to be worked on. So there's nothing better than to see the attention put on this and the process.

[33:49](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=2029) And as I said a year ago, this is the new good book for the city of Chicago, and it continues to grow with progress, so thank you. Thank you. um and uh eds and debt checks are high priority projects as we are moving forward into year two we are working hard on that and again thanking the um the task force uh these are very busy professionals who have spent many many hours on zoom calls talking in excessive detail about things

[34:20](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=2060) like the EDS line by line it's it's been I mean like we we couldn't pay for this help so you know again we thank you all for that Commissioner Castaneda are you tired of hearing about when people talk about cut the tape are there any any misconceptions anything that you would like to clear up here today in this forum so we never have to talk about it again um so much no actually i think it's interesting right

[34:55](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=2095) i think it's maybe less so like what we're tired of hearing and so much of just some of the things that we just, you know, repeat ourselves a lot because I think it's really important. I think there's a couple of things, right? I think this problem that we're facing, that we're trying to, where all the places where we're trying to cut the tape, these are issues that are generations in the making. So we can't just snap our fingers and undo everything and so that's one thing I think the other thing right is that

[35:29](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=2129) sometimes this conversation brings up a lot of questions of like you know well is it policy or is it law and I think part of what I reiterate often right is that even our policies are really important even our policies when we lay out like the basics you know the thing I've been going around saying a lot recently has been that for the units that you know we're helping to build the affordable housing we're helping to build we want it to be good not just good enough there are some bottom lines that we have around ensuring that emerging

[36:00](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=2160) developers emerging GC's are able to participate in our projects those things are also really important to us so all of this is a balance of how do we work all of these things together how do we get rid of the things that we are know are slowing it down I think Phil said that for-profit developer space of time equals money constraints but this is true for all developers I haven't come from a nonprofit developer myself I know that all developers face a lot of concerns when their projects are delayed and so these are all things that we want

[36:34](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=2194) to work on while still maintaining a minimum standard for the people of Chicago while still maintaining the basics around dignity and around a really good home for everyone so those are those are like my top two things Excellent. Thank you. Phil, you are our task force member representing this entire group here on the panel. Anything from the task force perspective that you would like to say? You mentioned EDS and debt check. Anything that you are looking forward to in the coming year that you would like to highlight right now?

[37:07](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=2227) I just look forward to the coordination and the communication amongst all departments and everybody that's involved, not just the department heads, but the people that do a lot of the day-to-day work where we're on the phones with, because communication, when that lacks, there's a lot of other things that fall through. And that, again, you know, everybody has the same intent and the same goal, but the work we were doing in the Cut the Tape, you know, we divvy up in groups and we all come together on, okay, this is, these certain topics are the best.

[37:49](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=2269) And I thank, not think, but I thank everyone that's been involved with our task force and coming together to push it forward. You know, sometimes we don't think it's fast enough, but again, we're working through a process. And these, I think, I know all of these ordinances and rules started out in the city with one page. And then as people found different ways to circumvent issues, that grew to 1,000 pages, because there's more time spent on how to get around it than actually follow it.

[38:22](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=2302) So I completely understand why it's there, but getting back the communication amongst the departments is utmost importance. So I'm really happy with the progress and really happy for the initiative. Thank you. Kim, what are you looking forward to as we continue this work? I have to echo what Bill said as it relates to the coordination. It's been invaluable. There was a staffing change right before we went to plan commission.

[38:55](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=2335) And so staffing changes happened, but because of the internal collaborative efforts of DPD, the staff person that we were assigned to still represented and presented with us well, And we got approved that day. So it was great. For us, we were a little stressed out, but the staffing change was seamless in moving our project forward. So I think the internal coordination is really awesome. I would also say the processes. We needed to extend a right-of-way adjustment, and that process was streamlined.

[39:30](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=2370) We didn't have to repeat all of the efforts and go back through the cycle. We're going to CDOT and committee and et cetera. And so streamlining processes save money, save money. As developers, when we have to duplicate efforts, it's more an attorney fee. Sometimes, depending on what it is, it could be more for others that we staff on our development teams. The last thing I would say, we're also working with some housing, affordable housing development, with reclaiming. And we aren't there. We haven't started with our city lots. We'll be starting this summer, but our counterparts who are part of the coalition, we've been having conversations with Commissioner Castaneda about permitting.

[40:12](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=2412) So please, please, please keep working on the permitting process because it has been a real source of frustration. And while, you know, patience and grace is needed all around, but I think one of the things that echoes is that it kind of stunts progress as well as it costs, you know, more time. Thank you. Commissioner Boatwright, what are you looking forward to in year two and beyond and forever? Forever. Cranes in the sky, shovels in the ground, and a lot more ribbons cut.

[40:43](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=2443) The process improvement, just cut the tape in general. It should be a breath of fresh air for everyone, whether you're a developer, an investor, a resident that wants to see a vacant lot develop because it really allows development to move much faster. Just one thing I just want to say, I have to say it. Development is hard, and it's hard everywhere. This is not a Chicago challenge, right? I say this all the time. Interest rates are high. Capital is constrained nationally, right? Coming out of the pandemic, we are seeing some really interesting challenges, but cut the tape.

[41:15](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=2475) It doesn't stop here with these two departments that you see on the stage. So much of our success is attributed to just the collaboration that we have. Not a project is advanced without coordination with CDOT, with DOB, with DOH, with procurement. I mean, 2FM, our partners here, that are all committed to cut the tape, and that's allowing us to move much faster. One thing I'm really excited about, if I can only pick one, vacant land. The city has over 10,000 vacant parcels.

[41:48](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=2508) That's a lot of land. That's a lot of parcels that's not on the property tax roll. That's a lot of parcels that want economic investment across all of our community areas. But the majority of those lots are on the south and west sides. And as we know, the south and west sides of Chicago historically has experienced decades and decades of disinvestment. And so I'm really excited about getting these parcels back in productive use. As I mentioned, 10,000 parcels in the last year or so.

[42:19](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=2539) We've listed over 1,200 parcels. We've sold over 500 parcels. That's 500 projects. Whether it's open space or whether it's vertical development, that's 500 new projects that you all will see in your neighborhoods. That's a big deal for us. How are we doing that? With a lot of coordination. Our valuation timelines, and just for those in the room that are less familiar with the process, anytime we sell a lot, we need to know the value of that lot. We've gone from months to weeks in terms of valuation.

[42:51](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=2571) That allows us to move faster. That allows us to sell those parcels much faster. At one point, 75% of our lots were used for open space. 25% was vertical development. We've since switched. Vertical development is so important. Open space will remain a priority, but we've gone 75% vertical development, 25% for open space. Our environmental timelines, partnering with our friends at 2FM, we've gone from months to weeks in terms of right of entry for non-invasive testing.

[43:23](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=2603) That allows developers to go on the site and do their surveys and walk the site before they close at a much faster pace. And so that's an example of how we're really leveraging coordination. The other change that I'm really excited about is through the Housing and Economic Development Bond, which was passed under our mayor, we've got resources that we've never had before. Those resources, we're now able to support developers who have really good concepts for some of our lots, some of the privately owned parcels that they have, but aren't quite ready for funding.

[43:53](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=2633) We're able to provide pre-development grants, up to $150,000 per project, that allows those developers to advance these projects, to go get an architect, to go get a feasibility study, to go do their due diligence so they can come back and request funding and actually get funded the second time around. So that's an example of some structural changes that I'm excited to see that will allow us to have a lot more development. Also, Missing Middle. Missing Middle is such a big deal, you all. I'm so excited about Missing Middle. That's our repopulation wealth building initiative.

[44:24](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=2664) Those 10,000 lots that I mentioned, I mentioned them for a reason, because we're leveraging those lots for our repopulation strategy, which is Missing Middle. That allows us to put those lots back in productive use and not just focus on single-family homes, but to really get density that our neighborhoods desperately need. Retail follows rooftops. And so until we can have the rooftops in our communities, the retail will continue to struggle. And so for us, it's a both-and. Let's support our commercial corridors, proactively rezone, and make sure that we've got the rooftops and wealth generation opportunities in our vacant lots

[44:56](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=2696) through our missing middle strategy. Thank you. commissioner castaneda you want to wrap us up here anything that you're that you would like to highlight as we go into year two yes we cannot be gathered without me talking about the architectural and technical standards manual this has been a source of much debate much consternation much frustration admittedly on all ends and i'm really looking forward to us being

[45:31](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=2731) able to put out the updated version next month I think that one of the things that's been most interesting for me is you know I've been a housing practitioner for 20 years and the main way in which I came into housing was through advocacy so participating in working groups and listening sessions and giving feedback is not new to me but I also mean that also means that I am deeply aware of how frustrating it can be to participate in something that doesn't lead anywhere so

[46:02](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=2762) I think that the ATSM for me will be like that really big moment where we will demonstrate how much we have been paying attention how much we have been listening and how much we actually deeply care about the feedback because we all want the same thing at the end which is to get affordable housing done faster so that will be next month and I'm super super excited to put that out there to continue to get feedback it will come with its own 30-day public comment period and I know that you all know where to find me and so I'm really

[46:34](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=2794) really excited for that I think the other piece that I'm really excited about of course I cannot talk about housing these days without talking about green social housing our lead co-sponsor Mena Hoppenworth is here cannot have done this without her without obviously the great support of the mayor and we're really excited for finding new ways to build affordable housing and new ways that then will feed into each other i'm hoping that a lot of the things that we learn and that we're able to do through green

[47:06](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=2826) social housing we can then also sort of cross-pollinate into um the work that we do in our traditional affordable housing development because that still continues to be really important to us so um more than anything i know that we're going to be building a lot more affordable housing in the in the years and months to come thank you commissioner boatwright asked for another a couple seconds. Okay, one more thing. I'm so pumped up about our pipeline, you all. Plan Commission pipeline. For 2024, $11 billion. B, billion. That's more than 2022

[47:38](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=2858) and 2023 combined. That's a big deal for us because it will lead to more shovels in the ground, more cranes in the sky, and more ribbons cut. The other thing that we did not mention and we absolutely should is our conversions downtown. We've got six buildings that are advancing from office to residential conversion. One project we broke ground on last month. Another project was approved at CDC. We're moving those projects along. We're talking about hundreds and millions of dollars, over 1,400 units being created just in the loop along with some city

[48:12](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=2892) subsidy. The thing I'm really excited about is those conversions are starting to prime the pump for more private development. So those six TIF assisted projects have led to an additional six projects that are moving forward without any subsidy and so we're talking about creating more units of housing and affordable housing more eyes on the street and that helps economic development and vitality as a whole so I just wanted to mention the conversions that are underway and how we're leveraging the housing and economic development bonds to build really be bullish or repopulating our city and

[48:43](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=2923) getting more equitable impactful sustainable development across all 77 community areas fantastic thank you thank you so much Tina's going to wrap us up. The work that has happened over the past year. Let's give it up again for our amazing panel.

[49:14](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=2954) So what you all heard in a theme from all of the conversations today is that while we've made great strides, the work isn't finished. We're just getting started. We're on the right path. And most importantly, with your partnership, from our city staff, our elected officials, our community leaders who keep us honest, our developers, our businesses, and philanthropic partners, we will keep moving forward.

[49:46](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=2986) Together, we are cutting the tape, clearing the way, and creating the kind of Chicago our residents deserve. Vibrant, inclusive, and full of opportunity. Thank you all so much for waking up so early to be here this morning, for your commitment, your collaboration, and your belief, your belief in us, and your belief in what we all can do together. And I could not have done this work without my other co-collaborator, Deputy Mayor Lori Lipson.

[50:20](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=3020) And before we wrap up, we want to give some shout-outs. I want to thank Abby who stepped into this creative role that the mayor, our chief operating officer was absolutely correct. Like the mayor said, get it together, y'all. And we said, Mayor, we need some people to get it together. And so Abby has taken on this charge and has done an amazing job over the past year. Thank you for your commitment and for your diligence towards this work.

[50:51](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=3051) I know it has not always been easy. And I'd also like to give a shout-out to my team that's here that helped put together today's event. I think Ethan G. is here, Ethan Gilman, who has worked. Ethan, wave your hand. Who has done incredible work. And the rest of the band team that I think are back at City Hall. One of the things that we do want to recognize, you guys see Commissioner Castaneda, You see Commissioner Boatwright, who all have done amazing work in their own right

[51:23](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=3083) and have also added additional staff to their departments because they take this work so seriously. What you don't see is the other departments that are so integral and key to this work. And so I'm going to embarrass them. I'm going to ask them to stand. Our BACP Commissioner, Ivan Kapofali. And again, I'm just acknowledging our commissioners of DPD and DOH. And Lori, underneath her portfolio, I'm going to have her acknowledge the infrastructure department.

[51:55](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=3115) Thank you all for coming. I'm going to embarrass my team for sure. First up, Tom Carney from CDOT, Department of Transportation. Randy Connor from Department of Water Management. Marlene Hopkins, Department of Buildings, we're working on that permitting. Department of Fleet and Facilities, Julie Hernandez-Tomlin. Department of Procurement Services, Chief Procurement Officer, Sharla Roberts, Nick Lucius, DTI, Department of Technology and Innovation, MOPD, Commissioner Arfa, I saw her a couple seconds ago.

[52:46](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=3166) And I also want to thank Department of Finance for those debt checks and EDS and our law department as well. We use all these departments to work together to make sure that we're building better together. Thank you all for coming. Appreciate it. Thank you. And before we wrap again, just another thank you to our philanthropic partners and Civic Consultant Alliance for all of the work that they've done. Rebecca, if you're still here, you and your team could just, we truly would not have been able to do this work without them.

[53:27](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=3207) They have been an extra set of hands and thought partnership and certainly funding from our philanthropic partners. I see we have people here from Pritzker Traubert Foundation. I'm not sure if we have people here from Chase and Chicago Community Trust. Thank you all so much for your partnership. And most importantly, our task force members. so when we started this project who would have known that like cutting the tape would have been like the thing and sexy but it has turned into a thing we have a whole logo y'all and so we put together a task force of people that

[54:01](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=3241) were excited to share their insights and their ideas and I just want to acknowledge our task force members if you guys could stand as we close out the program we're going to add to par the typical conversation stay standing because we're about to close out We're going to ask you guys to come up for a photo with the mayor, and then we have some gifts. Last but not least, I'd like to also thank Robin from World Business Chicago.

[54:35](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg?t=3275) She has been instrumental in helping us move this work forward in our entire team at World Business Chicago. Thank you all so much for joining us today.

Sources and methods: [how we get and count this data](/about#methods) · [report an error](/about#corrections)

---
Source: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/DTGa5slu3Yg · Chicago Politics, an independent tracker of the Chicago City Council. Guide for agents: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/llms.txt