Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards meeting, July 18, 2023
- When: Tue, Jul 18, 2023, 10:00 AM (Chicago time)
- Where: City Council Chamber, 2nd Floor, City Hall, 121 North LaSalle Street - Chicago, IL 60602
- Status: Scheduled & Published
- Committee: Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards
- Video: https://vimeo.com/showcase/8928576/video/846030144
- Transcript: full text (19,432 words, official captions)
Meeting notes
AI-written from the transcript. Speakers are inferred from cues in the recording, so treat names as estimates and check the video at the linked time.
The Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards heard two public commenters, approved the prior meeting's minutes, and deferred a group of items at the start of the meeting. The committee passed a mayoral ordinance amending sign regulations, including a new pathway to designate and preserve vintage signs, after a presentation by Zoning Administrator Patrick Murphy, and passed the landmark designation of Greater Tabernacle Cathedral (former Holy Rosary Church) in the 9th Ward. Large sign orders and dozens of map amendments across many wards were passed, including a 50-unit residential building at 1434-1446 West Fillmore Street that a public commenter opposed and a planned development for an entertainment venue at 1675 North Elston Avenue. Members asked questions about affordable units, community outreach, zoning classifications, and the limits of the ADU pilot areas. Several items, including 6615 South Kenwood Avenue and the West Columbus Avenue and South Pulaski Road items, were deferred.
Topics: vintage signs, sign regulations, landmark designation, zoning map amendments, affordable housing, transit-oriented development, ADU pilot areas, public comment, planned developments, cannabis dispensary
Agenda items discussed
- 20:19 Deferral of multiple zoning items read at the start of the meeting: deferred
- 21:32 Mayoral ordinance amending Chapter 17-12 and related chapters regarding signs and vintage signs: passed
- 37:34 Landmark designation of Greater Tabernacle Cathedral, 11300 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive (9th Ward): passed
- 44:07 Large signs over 100 square feet and 24 feet above grade: passed
- 45:37 8201 W. Higgins Road planned development sunset (41st Ward): passed
- 47:24 1746 W. Division Street rezoning for Tortello restaurant expansion (1st Ward): passed
- 53:28 1434-1446 W. Fillmore Street rezoning for 50-unit residential building: passed
- 1:06:08 2450 W. Chicago Avenue rezoning for ground-floor dwelling unit (36th Ward): passed
- 1:09:44 3262-64 N. Clark Street rezoning for four-story mixed-use building (44th Ward): passed
- 1:16:15 1828 S. Racine Avenue and 1030 W. 21st Street (25th Ward): deferred
- 1:16:53 2156 W. 21st Street rezoning to add dwelling units (25th Ward): passed
- 1:18:24 2158 W. 18th Street rezoning to add a dwelling unit (25th Ward): passed
- 1:19:58 4632-4644 N. Western Avenue rezoning for 74-unit mixed-use building (47th Ward): passed
- 1:23:05 4359 S. Wood Street rezoning for laundry detergent distribution facility (15th Ward): passed
- 1:27:27 4111 W. Armitage Avenue rezoning for Las Tablas Performing Arts expansion (26th Ward): passed
- 1:30:09 115 S. Francisco Avenue rezoning for mixed-use building (27th Ward): passed
- 1:31:48 2500-2506 W. Washington Boulevard rezoning for warehouse conversion to single-family home (27th Ward): passed
- 1:33:36 1113 S. Mozart Street rezoning to legalize fifth unit (28th Ward): passed
- 1:34:46 2229 N. Harlem Avenue rezoning to legalize fourth unit (29th Ward): passed
- 1:36:05 3025 N. Southport Avenue and 1349-59 W. Nelson Street coach house rezoning (32nd Ward): passed
- 1:37:34 3348-3358 W. Foster Avenue rezoning for 47-unit mixed-use building (39th Ward): passed
- 1:39:06 1218 W. Adams Street rezoning for Kensington School daycare (27th Ward): passed
- 1:46:44 2625-27 W. Monroe Street rezoning for shared housing unit (27th Ward): passed
- 1:49:18 7742-44 S. South Chicago Avenue rezoning for outdoor vehicle storage (8th Ward): passed
- 1:50:52 952 N. Springfield Avenue rezoning for basement dwelling unit (37th Ward): passed
- 1:53:08 5900 W. Irving Park Road rezoning for cannabis dispensary (38th Ward): passed
- 1:55:05 1703 W. Chicago Avenue rezoning for general restaurant use (1st Ward): passed
- 1:59:15 3742 W. 59th Street rezoning for auto repair shop (23rd Ward): passed
- 2:01:02 3004-3006 W. Belmont Avenue rezoning for upper-floor addition (33rd Ward): passed
- 2:02:52 2611, 2641 and 2647 W. Augusta Boulevard rezonings for basement units (36th Ward): passed
- 2:07:49 2754-56 S. Sacramento Avenue rezoning for restaurant, shared kitchen and dwelling units (25th Ward): passed
- 2:11:02 1617 N. Honore Street rezoning, amended to Type 1 (32nd Ward): passed
- 2:14:26 1675 N. Elston Avenue planned development for entertainment venue (32nd Ward): passed
- 2:18:46 6615 S. Kenwood Avenue: deferred
- 2:19:21 13722 S. Leyden Avenue rezoning for outdoor motor vehicle sales (10th Ward): passed
- 2:22:59 West Columbus Avenue and 8650 S. Pulaski Road items: deferred
Alderpersons who spoke
- Bennett R. Lawson (alderperson): Said he appreciated the clarity the sign ordinance provides on what is and is not a commercial message on murals. (32:59); Thanked the developer for the third project of its type in his ward, citing new accessible units and a surplus of commercial space on the corridor. (1:14:35)
- Pat Dowell (alderperson): Asked whether a new sign on a building in a landmark district she had discussed with staff would be allowed under the ordinance. (35:00); Asked the applicant to return to the zoning map to see the zoning of surrounding properties on the Fillmore Street block. (1:04:38); Asked for a picture of the Wood Street building and about its past use, saying she had concerns it looked like spot zoning in a residential area. (1:25:56)
- Daniel La Spata (alderperson): Spoke in support of the Tortello expansion and praised the applicant's participation in the 1st Ward zoning process. (52:25); Asked whether the Fillmore Street building's ground floor would include commercial space. (59:23); Asked why a downtown DX-3 classification was chosen for a daycare rather than a business or commercial district. (1:43:20)
- Ruth Cruz (alderperson): Asked what concerns the Fillmore Street developer heard from the community and how the project was adjusted in response. (1:02:24)
- Angela Clay (alderperson): Asked the applicant to confirm that all of the required affordable units would be provided on site. (1:04:19); Asked whether the Leyden Avenue applicants had spoken with nearby single-family home neighbors and what their feedback was. (2:21:38)
- Jessica L. Fuentes (alderperson): Spoke in support of Las Tablas Performing Arts' expansion, citing its youth programming and favorable review by her community advisory council. (1:28:47)
- William Conway (alderperson): Asked which community groups the Kensington School applicant had contacted, noting the site is across from the 34th Ward. (1:45:11); Agreed with colleagues that ADU allowances should be citywide and thanked the applicant, as a fellow veteran, for housing veterans. (2:06:44)
- Gilbert Villegas (alderperson): Asked whether the cannabis dispensary's majority owner is a social equity owner. (1:54:22); Said the Augusta Boulevard applicant put in a written covenant giving veterans and migrants first access to units, with affordability language at 80% of AMI. (2:06:09)
- Byron Sigcho-López (alderperson): Said the Sacramento Avenue project was reviewed under the 25th Ward zoning advisory board process and recommended passage. (2:09:53)
Exchanges between members
- 2:06:44 Conway echoed the preceding speakers' comments that ADU allowances should be citywide.
- 2:06:44 Conway echoed the preceding speakers' comments on the Augusta Boulevard applicant's housing commitments.