Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards meeting, October 14, 2025

When: Tue, Oct 14, 2025, 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=1127400722
Transcript: full text (39,557 words, automatic captions)

Video chapters

18:41 Items requested to be deferred
20:19 Public comment
1:00:33 Broadway Land Use Framework Plan aldermanic map amendments in the 46th, 47th and 48th wards (substituted…
1:09:08 Bennett R. Lawson: Explained that valid protest petitions on files A8996 and A9001 require a two-thirds City…
1:17:31 Angela Clay: Thanked residents for engaging and said developers report being unable to build because of…
1:19:07 Angela Clay: Said the proposal keeps housing in character, puts affordable housing on site and supports…
1:20:19 Angela Clay: Said more neighbors make the community safer and that developers will still have to go through…
1:21:21 Matthew J. Martin: Said he supports the proposal to bring more homes, including affordable homes, and to…
1:21:54 Matthew J. Martin: Cited similar changes on Western Avenue in his ward and community input favoring more…
1:22:57 Anthony Beale: Asked for clarity on whether businesses would still need to come through the alderpersons or…
1:24:00 Anthony Beale: Asked how many businesses or properties would become nonconforming under the Broadway rezoning.
1:24:42 Bennett R. Lawson: Said that because the Broadway proposal is mostly an upzoning for density and uses, it…
1:25:21 Anthony Beale: Said the committee should not move forward until it knows how many properties would become…
1:29:38 Bennett R. Lawson: Said he did not recognize a rule excluding licensed businesses from map amendments and…
1:30:19 Daniel La Spata: Thanked colleagues and said zoning should promote the neighborhoods residents want and that…
1:32:06 Pat Dowell: Asked DPD to explain the B3-3 versus B3-5 distinction on Broadway and whether the affected…
1:34:04 Anthony J. Quezada: Supported the Broadway rezoning, saying the CTA faces a fiscal cliff and needs increased…
1:35:08 Brendan Reilly: Asked whether the Broadway initiative originated with the alderpersons or with the…
1:35:36 Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth: Told Reilly the project spans three wards and was developed with DPD to leverage new…
1:37:43 Brendan Reilly: Asked whether economic disclosure forms showing owners of the affected parcels had been…
1:39:46 Brendan Reilly: Said he was not persuaded the rezoning would save the CTA, attributing CTA problems to…
1:41:41 Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth: Said the project builds on studies dating back to the early 2000s and residents'…
1:42:50 Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth: Pointed to large parking lots near the Berwyn station as sites that could hold…
1:52:08 Remaining Broadway map amendments (A8994 through A9002) and pedestrian street designation on North Broadway…
1:57:14 Appointment of Alicia Blakely to the Commission on Chicago Landmarks
2:00:16 Appointment of Nikisha Hobbs to the Zoning Board of Appeals
2:05:22 DPD journal correction of zoning reclassification file 22773-T1
2:06:23 Text amendment allowing transit-served location height increases in dash-3 B3 and C3 districts for projects…
2:06:55 Daniel La Spata: Explained his text amendment corrects an earlier ordinance so transit-served height…
2:08:21 Landmark designation of New Genesis Assembly of God Baptist Church, 1400 North Laramie Avenue (37th Ward)
2:10:28 Landmark designation of Erie Street Row, 161 East Erie Street (42nd Ward)
2:12:28 Daniel La Spata: Asked whether the Erie Street Row addition would add height and density on the back half of…
2:13:26 Large signs over 100 square feet in various wards
2:15:49 Aldermanic rezoning of South Cottage Grove Avenue between 43rd and 47th streets to B3-3 (4th Ward), A9056
2:19:26 Aldermanic rezoning of 500-508 West 103rd Street (9th Ward), A9047
2:21:33 Aldermanic rezonings in the 9th Ward, A9048 through A9051
2:21:50 Rezoning for Missing Middle infill housing in McKinley Park (12th Ward), A9057
2:24:27 Rezoning of 6411 South Central Avenue (13th Ward), A9054
2:24:53 Marty Quinn: Said a parcel vacant for about 30 years would allow a family to rehab the old firehouse at 6411…
2:25:25 Eight aldermanic rezonings along 69th Street in Englewood (17th Ward), A9024 through A9031
2:33:11 Rezoning of 1437 North Mohawk Street (2nd Ward), 22850
2:35:18 Rezoning of 4203-4211 West Fifth Avenue (24th Ward), 22849
2:37:39 Rezoning of 1829 South Kedzie Avenue (24th Ward), 22874
2:38:42 Rezoning of 1830-1832 West 22nd Place (25th Ward), 22851
2:42:25 Rezoning of 1457-1459 North Talman for church conversion (26th Ward), 22843
2:44:08 Jessica L. Fuentes: Thanked the developer for working with her community-driven zoning committee and…
2:45:09 Rezoning of 3059 North Leavitt Street (32nd Ward), 22844
2:46:46 Rezoning of 1855 West Grand Avenue (27th Ward), 22852
2:47:14 Rezoning of 1449-1453 North Sedgwick Street (27th Ward), 22880
2:48:36 Walter R. Burnett: Said the community supported the 1449-1453 North Sedgwick project and it has his full…
2:49:04 Rezoning of 970 West Montana (43rd Ward), 22893
2:49:33 Rezonings of 4815 West Wolfram, 4247-57 West North Avenue and 4512 North Central Avenue (31st, 36th and 38th…
2:52:48 Rezoning of 1719-1725 West Chicago Avenue (1st Ward), 22785
2:53:50 Rezonings of 933 East 48th Street and 3341 South Prairie Avenue (4th Ward)
2:57:09 Rezonings of 6353-55 West 55th Street, 1714-18 South Racine Avenue, 2346 West Taylor Street and 950 West…
3:04:11 Rezoning of 8516 South Buffalo Avenue (10th Ward), 22866
3:04:36 Rezonings presented by Nick Fatas in the 10th, 11th, 21st, 25th, 26th, 27th, 36th, 40th, 44th and 50th wards
3:10:21 Jessica L. Fuentes: Said the 1247 North California project went through her community-driven zoning process…
3:20:52 Rezoning of 2119-2129 West Grand Avenue for a mixed-use building (27th Ward), 22842
3:22:24 Walter R. Burnett: Said he connected with the Chicago Grand Neighbors Association and supports the 2119 West…
3:24:35 Rezonings of 4325 South King Drive, 2241 South Wabash Avenue and 1801 and 1811 South Prairie Avenue (3rd Ward)
3:28:53 Pat Dowell: Said she supports the 2241 South Wabash conversion to residential.
3:31:48 Pat Dowell: Said the South Prairie rezonings maintain the neighborhood's residential character and thanked…
3:32:21 Aldermanic rezoning of East 47th Street to B3-3 (3rd Ward), A9055
3:36:31 Rezonings of 810 West 31st Street, 3256 West Bryn Mawr, 268 West 23rd Street and 1134-1158 West Garfield…
3:43:40 Michelle A. Harris: Said the car wash company is a responsible neighbor in her ward and commended the 16th…
3:44:26 Rezonings of 4438-48 South Knox, 3144 West Diversey, 624 West 26th Street and 1841 West 63rd Street
3:49:44 Anthony J. Quezada: Stated for the record that the 3144 West Diversey item went through his community-driven…
3:50:00 Rezonings for Erie Neighborhood House community center and a 100% affordable building at 2505 South Pulaski…
3:54:37 Rezonings of 3622 West Douglas Boulevard, 2735 West North Avenue, 3750 West North Avenue and 1120 West…
4:03:08 Rezoning of 930 West Sheridan Street (27th Ward), 22877
4:03:31 Rezoning of 1447-1457 West Fillmore Street for a 50-unit building (28th Ward), 22862
4:06:55 Rezoning of 1843-1845 West 19th Street (25th Ward), 22808
4:07:15 Rezonings of 2426 North Lowell, 5701 North Oriole, 2251 North Lincoln, 4401 North Hamilton, 2212 West Touhy…
4:11:31 Rezoning of 2505 North Lincoln Avenue (43rd Ward), 22888
4:19:29 Rezoning of 1030 West 21st Street (25th Ward), 22879

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, chaired by Vice Chair Bennett R. Lawson, deferred a group of items and heard 20 public commenters, most speaking for or against the Broadway corridor upzoning in Uptown and Edgewater. The committee then considered 22 aldermanic map amendments and a pedestrian street designation implementing the Broadway Land Use Framework Plan in the 46th, 47th and 48th wards; DPD presented the plan, members asked about nonconforming uses, the plan's origin and economic disclosures, and the first group of substituted ordinances passed on a roll call read as 15 to 2, with the remaining items passed on the same roll call. The committee also approved appointments to the Commission on Chicago Landmarks and the Zoning Board of Appeals, a journal correction, a text amendment allowing transit-served height increases for projects subject to the Affordable Requirements Ordinance, and two landmark designations. Aldermanic rezonings on Cottage Grove (4th Ward), 47th Street (3rd Ward), in the 9th, 12th, 13th and 17th wards passed, along with numerous private map amendments; several items were deferred.

Topics: Broadway upzoning, housing supply and affordability, public notice and community input, nonconforming uses, transit-oriented development, landmark designations, board appointments, aldermanic rezonings, zoning map amendments, public comment

Agenda items discussed

18:41 Items requested to be deferred: deferred
20:19 Public comment: discussed
1:00:33 Broadway Land Use Framework Plan aldermanic map amendments in the 46th, 47th and 48th wards (substituted files A8973 through A8984): passed
1:52:08 Remaining Broadway map amendments (A8994 through A9002) and pedestrian street designation on North Broadway (A8986): passed
1:57:14 Appointment of Alicia Blakely to the Commission on Chicago Landmarks (A2025-0019890): passed
2:00:16 Appointment of Nikisha Hobbs to the Zoning Board of Appeals (A2025-0019886): passed
2:00:16 Appointment of Pasqua Gianni to the Zoning Board of Appeals (A2025-0019888): passed
2:05:22 DPD journal correction of zoning reclassification file 22773-T1: passed
2:06:23 Text amendment allowing transit-served location height increases in dash-3 B3 and C3 districts for projects subject to the Affordable Requirements Ordinance (O2025-0019672): passed
2:08:21 Landmark designation of New Genesis Assembly of God Baptist Church, 1400 North Laramie Avenue (37th Ward) (O2025-0019626): passed
2:10:28 Landmark designation of Erie Street Row, 161 East Erie Street (42nd Ward): passed
2:13:26 Large signs over 100 square feet in various wards: passed
2:15:49 Aldermanic rezoning of South Cottage Grove Avenue between 43rd and 47th streets to B3-3 (4th Ward), A9056: passed
2:19:26 Aldermanic rezoning of 500-508 West 103rd Street (9th Ward), A9047: deferred
2:21:33 Aldermanic rezonings in the 9th Ward, A9048 through A9051: passed
2:21:50 Rezoning for Missing Middle infill housing in McKinley Park (12th Ward), A9057: passed
2:24:27 Rezoning of 6411 South Central Avenue (13th Ward), A9054: passed
2:25:25 Eight aldermanic rezonings along 69th Street in Englewood (17th Ward), A9024 through A9031: passed
2:33:11 Rezoning of 1437 North Mohawk Street (2nd Ward), 22850: passed
2:35:18 Rezoning of 4203-4211 West Fifth Avenue (24th Ward), 22849: passed
2:37:39 Rezoning of 1829 South Kedzie Avenue (24th Ward), 22874: passed
2:38:42 Rezoning of 1830-1832 West 22nd Place (25th Ward), 22851: passed
2:42:25 Rezoning of 1457-1459 North Talman for church conversion (26th Ward), 22843: passed
2:45:09 Rezoning of 3059 North Leavitt Street (32nd Ward), 22844: passed
2:46:46 Rezoning of 1855 West Grand Avenue (27th Ward), 22852: deferred
2:47:14 Rezoning of 1449-1453 North Sedgwick Street (27th Ward), 22880: passed
2:49:04 Rezoning of 970 West Montana (43rd Ward), 22893: deferred
2:49:33 Rezonings of 4815 West Wolfram, 4247-57 West North Avenue and 4512 North Central Avenue (31st, 36th and 38th wards): passed
2:52:48 Rezoning of 1719-1725 West Chicago Avenue (1st Ward), 22785: passed
2:53:50 Rezonings of 933 East 48th Street and 3341 South Prairie Avenue (4th Ward): passed
2:57:09 Rezonings of 6353-55 West 55th Street, 1714-18 South Racine Avenue, 2346 West Taylor Street and 950 West Willow Street: passed
3:04:11 Rezoning of 8516 South Buffalo Avenue (10th Ward), 22866: deferred
3:04:36 Rezonings presented by Nick Fatas in the 10th, 11th, 21st, 25th, 26th, 27th, 36th, 40th, 44th and 50th wards: passed
3:20:52 Rezoning of 2119-2129 West Grand Avenue for a mixed-use building (27th Ward), 22842: passed
3:24:35 Rezonings of 4325 South King Drive, 2241 South Wabash Avenue and 1801 and 1811 South Prairie Avenue (3rd Ward): passed
3:32:21 Aldermanic rezoning of East 47th Street to B3-3 (3rd Ward), A9055: passed
3:36:31 Rezonings of 810 West 31st Street, 3256 West Bryn Mawr, 268 West 23rd Street and 1134-1158 West Garfield Boulevard car wash: passed
3:44:26 Rezonings of 4438-48 South Knox, 3144 West Diversey, 624 West 26th Street and 1841 West 63rd Street: passed
3:50:00 Rezonings for Erie Neighborhood House community center and a 100% affordable building at 2505 South Pulaski Road (22nd Ward): passed
3:54:37 Rezonings of 3622 West Douglas Boulevard, 2735 West North Avenue, 3750 West North Avenue and 1120 West Chestnut Street: passed
4:03:08 Rezoning of 930 West Sheridan Street (27th Ward), 22877: deferred
4:03:31 Rezoning of 1447-1457 West Fillmore Street for a 50-unit building (28th Ward), 22862: passed
4:06:55 Rezoning of 1843-1845 West 19th Street (25th Ward), 22808: deferred
4:07:15 Rezonings of 2426 North Lowell, 5701 North Oriole, 2251 North Lincoln, 4401 North Hamilton, 2212 West Touhy and 1535 North Lawndale: passed
4:11:31 Rezoning of 2505 North Lincoln Avenue (43rd Ward), 22888: deferred
4:19:29 Rezoning of 1030 West 21st Street (25th Ward), 22879: deferred

Alderpersons who spoke

Bennett R. Lawson (chair): Explained that valid protest petitions on files A8996 and A9001 require a two-thirds City Council vote, and that the petition on A8984 was found invalid. (1:09:08); Said that because the Broadway proposal is mostly an upzoning for density and uses, it should create less nonconformity than exists now. (1:24:42); Said he did not recognize a rule excluding licensed businesses from map amendments and noted the citywide rezoning 20 years ago also created nonconformities. (1:29:38)
Angela Clay (alderperson): Thanked residents for engaging and said developers report being unable to build because of strenuous zoning processes along Broadway. (1:17:31); Said the proposal keeps housing in character, puts affordable housing on site and supports small businesses. (1:19:07); Said more neighbors make the community safer and that developers will still have to go through ward offices and community values. (1:20:19)
Matthew J. Martin (alderperson): Said he supports the proposal to bring more homes, including affordable homes, and to remove outdated bans on apartments and condos on major streets. (1:21:21); Cited similar changes on Western Avenue in his ward and community input favoring more affordability, density and fewer barriers for businesses. (1:21:54)
Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (alderperson): Told Reilly the project spans three wards and was developed with DPD to leverage new transit stations and help struggling small businesses. (1:35:36); Said the project builds on studies dating back to the early 2000s and residents' long-standing desire to improve Broadway. (1:41:41); Pointed to large parking lots near the Berwyn station as sites that could hold housing and mixed use. (1:42:50)
Anthony Beale (alderperson): Asked for clarity on whether businesses would still need to come through the alderpersons or whether barriers were being removed. (1:22:57); Asked how many businesses or properties would become nonconforming under the Broadway rezoning. (1:24:00); Said the committee should not move forward until it knows how many properties would become nonconforming. (1:25:21)
Daniel La Spata (alderperson): Thanked colleagues and said zoning should promote the neighborhoods residents want and that commercial corridors need residential density near transit. (1:30:19); Explained his text amendment corrects an earlier ordinance so transit-served height benefits are available in dash-3 districts for projects under the Affordable Requirements Ordinance. (2:06:55); Asked whether the Erie Street Row addition would add height and density on the back half of the building. (2:12:28)
Pat Dowell (alderperson): Asked DPD to explain the B3-3 versus B3-5 distinction on Broadway and whether the affected shopping centers are occupied. (1:32:06); Said she supports the 2241 South Wabash conversion to residential. (3:28:53); Said the South Prairie rezonings maintain the neighborhood's residential character and thanked the owner for investing. (3:31:48)
Anthony J. Quezada (alderperson): Supported the Broadway rezoning, saying the CTA faces a fiscal cliff and needs increased ridership that this development could provide. (1:34:04); Stated for the record that the 3144 West Diversey item went through his community-driven zoning process and has his support. (3:49:44)
Brendan Reilly (alderperson): Asked whether the Broadway initiative originated with the alderpersons or with the Department of Planning and Development. (1:35:08); Asked whether economic disclosure forms showing owners of the affected parcels had been received, and said their absence for aldermanic ordinances is not entirely transparent. (1:37:43); Said he was not persuaded the rezoning would save the CTA, attributing CTA problems to leadership and safety, while saying density near transit is good but this was a broad brush. (1:39:46)
Marty Quinn (alderperson): Said a parcel vacant for about 30 years would allow a family to rehab the old firehouse at 6411 South Central and asked for support. (2:24:53)
Jessica L. Fuentes (alderperson): Thanked the developer for working with her community-driven zoning committee and entering a community benefits agreement on the church conversion. (2:44:08); Said the 1247 North California project went through her community-driven zoning process and she supports it. (3:10:21)
Walter R. Burnett (alderperson): Said the community supported the 1449-1453 North Sedgwick project and it has his full support. (2:48:36); Said he connected with the Chicago Grand Neighbors Association and supports the 2119 West Grand development. (3:22:24)
Michelle A. Harris (alderperson): Said the car wash company is a responsible neighbor in her ward and commended the 16th Ward alderperson for supporting the project. (3:43:40)

Exchanges between members

1:21:07 Martin echoed Clay in expressing gratitude to neighbors and organizations involved.
1:22:55 Beale asked for clarity on what he called conflicting statements about whether businesses still go through the alderpersons.
1:23:19 Clay answered Beale that barriers are removed but developers still go through the community process.
1:24:56 Beale said the chair's general explanation did not answer his question about nonconforming properties.
1:29:38 The chair told Beale he did not recognize a rule excluding licensed businesses from map amendments.
1:30:12 The chair recognized La Spata, who asked that Beale first finish his questions.
1:33:45 The chair recognized Quezada to speak on the Broadway rezoning.
1:35:10 Reilly, noting he had spoken with Manaa-Hoppenworth, asked whose initiative the Broadway proposal was.
1:35:36 Manaa-Hoppenworth thanked Reilly for the question and explained the three-ward effort with DPD.
1:37:07 Clay thanked Reilly for his question and said the initiative came about in tandem with DPD.
2:44:03 The chair asked Fuentes if she had anything to add on the North Talman item.
2:48:33 The chair recognized Burnett on the North Sedgwick item.
3:24:18 The chair welcomed Burnett to the zoning committee.
3:43:48 Harris commended the 16th Ward alderperson for supporting the car wash project.

Documents

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