Community uses MPC’s Zoning Change Strategy, creating a new Chicago model for remapping
(Chicago)….. Rogers
Park residents can have their final say on updates to the neighborhood’s
residential and retail development rules by attending one of four public hearings slated
for the last two weeks of September. Proposed zoning changes will be presented
at the hearings, capping off a two-year community process spearheaded by Ald.
Joe Moore
(49th
Ward) to apply the city’s recently revamped zoning code
to Rogers Park.
Ald. Moore is the first
Chicago
alderman
to propose comprehensive changes throughout his ward since the city adopted the
new zoning code in November 2004. To ensure Rogers Park residents had a strong
role in determining what to preserve and what to change, the alderman enlisted
the help of the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC), a nonprofit, nonpartisan
planning advocate, and designer of the Zoning Change Strategy. The strategy,
adaptable to any neighborhood, outlines a step-by-step guide for a
community-based remapping process.
“It’s important that
residents have a role in determining how their neighborhoods evolve, which is
why MPC worked with Ald. Moore and Rogers Park r
esidents to help them undertake a comprehensive survey of
their neighborhood,” said
Heather Campbell, manager of MPC’s Community
Building Initiative.
“When
carefully and thoughtfully applied as part of a community-based process, zoning
can be a powerful tool to preserve local character and enhance quality of life.”
Campbell will be on hand when Ald. Moore presents the
zoning recommendations to the community at the upcoming public hearings, to take
place on Sept. 20, 22, 26 and 29, all beginning at 7 p.m., at various locations
in Rogers Park. Full details for each meeting are available by clicking on “Ward
Zoning Remap” on the left side of the Ward 49 Web site, www.ward49.com.
Anticipating
the new zoning code – which previously had not been updated since 1957 – Ald.
Moore
began recruiting community remapping
volunteers in August 2003. Volunteers received a tutorial on basic zoning
concepts, taught by MPC representatives, and then 30 of them took to the
streets, evaluating neighborhood assets to preserve and challenged areas in need
of change. They logged dozens of miles and hundreds of pages of notes,
identifying each parcel along their route, whether a vacant storefront,
single-family home, or courtyard apartment building.
After
analyzing the data collected by volunteers, MPC worked with the alderman and the
City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development (DPD) to develop
recommendations for zoning changes. The Council, Ald. Moore and DPD will present
these recommendations to the community at upcoming public hearings. If the
community accepts the recommendations, then the city will write ordinances
reflecting the proposed changes and submit them for approval by the full City
Council.
“Rogers Park
was a successful pilot for the Zoning Change Strategy, proving that with
enthusiastic partners and city expertise to see the changes through, a
community-led zoning process can work in any neighborhood,” said Peter Skosey,
MPC vice president of external relations. “We hope that many other communities
follow suit, putting the city’s new zoning code to work for
them.”
For more information about MPC’s Zoning Change Strategy,
visit www.metroplanning.org; or contact Mandy Burrell, MPC
communications associate, at 312-863-6018 or mburrell@metroplanning.org
.
Founded
in 1934, the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan
group of business and civic leaders committed to serving the public interest
through the promotion and implementation of sensible planning and development
policies necessary for an economically competitive
Chicago
region. MPC
researches and develops policy recommendations and conducts outreach and
advocacy in partnership with public officials and community leaders to enhance
equity of opportunity and quality of life throughout metropolitan
Chicago
.