MPC is working with various local communities to remap their neighborhoods through a Zoning Change Strategy. This strategy helps communities identify assets and challenges in preparation for the official process conducted by the City.
In the fall of 2002 MPC held a series of workshops about the Chicago Zoning Ordinance
rewrite. As a follow up, MPC is leading additional workshops in various communities
to help implement a remapping process called the Zoning Change Strategy.
This strategy, designed by MPC, helps communities identify assets
and challenges in their neighborhood in preparation for the citywide zoning
remapping process.
The Strategy has residents walk local streets looking at whole blocks and evaluating if
there are certain things they would like to preserve or change. Each team
is armed with maps of its community, logbooks to identify existing assets
and challenges and disposable cameras to capture images of the issues they see. So
far MPC has worked with community groups in Rogers Park and West Town. After
the teams finish their surveys of the neighborhood, MPC will analyze the
data and make recommendations based on the new zoning code. The
Zoning Change Strategy is meant to be a starting point for communities and is
not a comprehensive, lot-by-lot study. It will give communities more information
and prepare them for the official process conducted by the City.
Currently, the City is rewriting the text
of the zoning code. The is being rewritten and released in modules. As of July 2003, three
modules have been released. To view the new text, click here . The text is expected to be ratified in fall of
2003. Following adoption of the text, the City will begin assigning
the new rules to specific neighborhoods in Chicago.
A busy commercial area in West
Town.