# Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards meeting, April 15, 2025

- When: Tue, Apr 15, 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](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/committee/zoning-landmarks-and-building-standards)
- Video: https://vimeo.com/showcase/8928576/video/1075456191
- Transcript: [full text](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/files/transcripts/1075456191.txt) (33,118 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 deferred several items, heard about 29 public commenters, and approved its March 2025 Rule 45 report. The committee recommended approval of the Fern Hill planned development at North Avenue and LaSalle in Old Town, a 379-foot, 349-unit tower with 70 affordable units and a new Walgreens, after Alderperson Brian Hopkins described the negotiated reductions and community benefits agreement; residents spoke both for and against it. An ordinance sponsored by Alderperson David H. Moore requiring beauty supply stores in B and C1 districts to obtain special use approval failed on a do-not-pass roll call the chair announced as 10 to 2, after Alderpersons Fuentes, La Spata and Lawson raised concerns about costs for small and minority-owned businesses. The committee also passed a text amendment for the Tenth Planned Manufacturing District, a landmark permit fee waiver, large sign permits, city-initiated map amendments in Englewood and along Howard Street and Western Avenue, pedestrian street changes on Armitage and Cicero avenues, and numerous private map amendments, including the 90-unit Bickerdike affordable housing project on North Broadway and a 50-unit building on North Kedzie.

Topics: Fern Hill Old Town development, Beauty supply store zoning, Affordable housing, Map amendments, Pedestrian streets, Planned developments, Public comment

### Agenda items discussed

- [16:21](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=981) Deferral of listed map amendments and planned developments: deferred
- [1:17:43](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=4663) Rule 45 report for March 2025 hearing: passed
- [1:18:30](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=4710) Fern Hill residential-business planned development at 1600 N. LaSalle and North Avenue (Old Town): passed
- [1:42:09](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=6129) Substitute ordinance requiring special use approval for beauty supply retail stores in B and C1 districts (O2025-0015399): failed
- [1:58:37](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=7117) Text amendment adding permitted uses in the Tenth Planned Manufacturing District: passed
- [2:00:28](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=7228) Permit fee waiver for historic landmark building at 79 W. Monroe Street: passed
- [2:03:08](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=7388) Large signs over 100 square feet: passed
- [2:04:46](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=7486) City-initiated map amendments in the 15th and 16th wards (Englewood agro-eco district): passed
- [2:12:02](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=7922) Map amendment at 9845-51 S. Charles Street (19th Ward): passed
- [2:14:01](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=8041) Howard Street corridor map amendments (49th Ward): passed
- [2:22:05](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=8525) Map amendments in the 21st Ward: passed
- [2:29:35](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=8975) Pedestrian street designation on West Armitage Avenue (26th and 35th wards): passed
- [2:33:33](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=9213) Removal of pedestrian street designation on a segment of North Cicero Avenue (45th Ward): passed
- [2:37:51](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=9471) Western Avenue corridor map amendments (47th Ward): passed
- [2:41:10](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=9670) Map amendment at 2625 N. Talman Avenue for church conversion to 16 units (1st Ward): passed
- [2:57:44](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=10664) Map amendment at 4116 N. Clark Street for a contemporary music venue (46th Ward): passed
- [3:01:16](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=10876) Map amendment at 3819-27 N. Kedzie Avenue for a 50-unit residential building (33rd Ward): passed
- [3:12:17](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=11537) Transportation district rezoning for Metra and Chicago State University parking lot at 95th Street (8th Ward): passed
- [3:15:59](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=11759) Amendment to Planned Development 1412 for a drive-through coffee shop on Stony Island (8th Ward): passed
- [3:19:25](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=11965) Bickerdike 90-unit affordable housing development at 5853 N. Broadway (48th Ward): passed
- [3:26:26](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=12386) Amendment to Planned Development 1456 at 340 N. Morgan for a 39-story residential building (27th Ward): passed
- [3:53:58](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=14038) Amendment to Planned Development 1420 (Triangle Square) adding permitted ground-floor uses: passed

### Alderpersons who spoke

- [Walter R. Burnett](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/27) (chair): Said 31 people had signed up for public comment and reduced speaking time to two minutes each. ([18:14](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=1094)); Asked a commenter proposing an accessibility hotline for her contact information, noting the city has a hotline for some disabilities but not physical disabilities. ([1:03:15](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=3795)); Supported the 440-450 N. Morgan development, saying the developer reached agreement with the Neighbors of River West after several meetings. ([2:50:30](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=10230))
- [Daniel La Spata](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/1) (alderperson): Praised the Fern Hill design as a gateway to Old Town consistent with nearby heights and credited the developer for incorporating bird-friendly and energy-efficient features. ([1:27:28](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=5248)); Asked whether any other retail categories are permitted by right only in C2 and C3 districts and why those districts suit beauty supply stores. ([1:48:39](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=6519)); Asked why the city chose to remove the Cicero Avenue pedestrian street designation rather than bring properties into conformance. ([2:35:20](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=9320))
- [Brian Hopkins](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/2) (alderperson): Acknowledged opponents of the Fern Hill project and said their opposition gave him leverage to negotiate a better compromise. ([1:29:18](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=5358)); Said the tower would not harm Old Town, noting four nearby high-rises of similar or greater size. ([1:32:30](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=5550)); Described the community benefits, including a 75-year Walgreens lease, a required grocery tenant for the former Treasure Island, over $1 million in traffic improvements, and $300,000 for rodent abatement. ([1:34:04](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=5644))
- [David H. Moore](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/17) (alderperson): Said beauty supply stores have been opening without community input and pushing out locally owned businesses, and that the compromise would require zoning board approval in B1, B2, B3 and C1 districts. ([1:43:39](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=6219)); Disputed claims that the process would cost $10,000, said residents should have a voice in what opens in their communities, and asked for a vote. ([1:55:14](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=6914))
- [Jessica L. Fuentes](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/26) (alderperson): Said many different beauty-related businesses hold the same license and that the ordinance would impose costly zoning processes on minority entrepreneurs, so she could not support it. ([1:45:56](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=6356)); Said the Armitage pedestrian street designation will improve walkability in Hermosa while grandfathering existing auto-oriented businesses. ([2:30:38](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=9038))
- [Bennett R. Lawson](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/44) (alderperson): Said the beauty supply ordinance would be more restrictive than current salon rules, set a precedent for regulating ordinary retail, and moved that it not pass. ([1:53:05](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=6785)); Supported a project rehabbing a building into five units across from Tubman Elementary instead of a single-family home. ([3:42:52](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=13372))
- [Ronnie L. Mosley](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/21) (alderperson): Said the text amendment adds services to revitalize the Tenth Planned Manufacturing District around the West Pullman industrial project. ([1:59:44](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=7184)); Said his ward's rezonings align former manufacturing zoning near rail lines with today's residential uses. ([2:23:06](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=8586)); Said rezoning near 115th Street to RT-4 would bring residents' homes into compliance and prepare the area for new housing. ([2:27:34](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=8854))
- [Matthew J. O'Shea](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/19) (alderperson): Said the downzoning on South Charles Street is a land use planning measure supported by residents of the block. ([2:12:43](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=7963))
- [Maria E. Hadden](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/49) (alderperson): Said the Howard Street corridor has long been overlooked, with higher rates of poverty and gun violence, and that the rezonings aim to ease small business growth and activate ground floors. ([2:19:33](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=8373))
- [Anthony J. Quezada](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/35) (alderperson): Supported the Armitage pedestrian street designation as welcoming for pedestrians and cyclists in a working-class immigrant community. ([2:32:28](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=9148)); Said the Belden Avenue mixed-use proposal went through the 35th Ward community-driven zoning process with overwhelming support. ([4:00:08](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=14408))
- [Angela Clay](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/46) (alderperson): Said a contemporary music organization will revitalize a long-vacant former convenience store on North Clark Street. ([2:58:27](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=10707))
- [Rossana Rodríguez Sánchez](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/33) (alderperson): Supported the Kedzie Avenue rezoning, describing her community-driven zoning process and the need for affordable units amid displacement. ([3:06:31](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=11191))
- [Michelle A. Harris](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/8) (alderperson): Strongly supported the Metra park-and-ride at 95th Street, saying it gives Chicago State students Metra access. ([3:14:36](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=11676)); Supported the Stony Island drive-through coffee shop as a long-sought, walkable amenity for the corridor. ([3:18:05](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=11885))
- [Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/48) (alderperson): Supported the 100% affordable, all-electric Bickerdike building near the Red Line, citing accessible units and project-based vouchers. ([3:22:00](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=12120))
- [Emma Mitts](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/37) (alderperson): Supported converting a vacant building into a renewable energy training center with an EV station. ([3:32:57](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=12777))

### Exchanges between members

- [1:28:41](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=5321) La Spata credited Hopkins's leadership on the Fern Hill project.
- [1:28:56](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=5336) Hopkins thanked La Spata for his input on bird-friendly design.
- [1:41:09](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=6069) Hopkins thanked the chair for supporting him during the Fern Hill process.
- [1:51:41](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=6701) La Spata asked Moore why the beauty supply restriction excludes C2 and C3 districts.
- [1:52:01](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=6721) Moore responded to La Spata that C2 and C3 districts are exempted from the ordinance.
- [1:54:32](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=6872) Lawson said he agreed with Fuentes about reducing barriers for immigrant and minority entrepreneurs.
- [1:55:14](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=6914) Moore disputed claims made during the debate that the process would cost entrepreneurs $10,000.
- [2:25:00](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=8700) The chair praised Mosley for his planning work in his ward.
- [2:32:28](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238?t=9148) Quezada thanked Fuentes for her work on the Armitage pedestrian street designation.

## Documents

- [Notice](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/files/clerk/meetingattachmentspublic/d972a000-8b9f-431e-9970-a09592753ec2.pdf)
- [Agenda](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/files/clerk/meetingattachmentspublic/3cb23478-d130-445d-891b-427b80fcd04e.pdf)
- [Summary](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/files/clerk/meetingattachmentspublic/8a254b54-cebd-4ccc-97c1-7bf032bda193.pdf)

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Source: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/meeting/4C547AA3-4C00-F011-9340-001DD804A238 · Chicago Politics, an independent, nonpartisan tracker of the Chicago City Council. Guide for agents: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/llms.txt