Chicago Upzoning Fights Heat up With Billboards, Legal Threats

A plan to rezone Broadway in Edgewater and Uptown is finally moving forward at Chicago City Hall — and neighborhood groups are waging all-out campaigns for and against it.

The monthslong delayed proposal — backed by aldermen Angela Clay, Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth and Matt Martin — would upzone Broadway from Montrose to Devon avenues, allowing denser residential projects and a wider range of commercial uses. The ordinances, introduced in April, have been repeatedly postponed amid fierce community debate but are now slated for an Oct. 14 zoning hearing, Block Club reported.

The area is the target of ongoing infrastructure improvements, particularly the $2.1 billion Red Line modernization, which is expected to be completed this year.

Community shopping district zoning, proposed for the area between Devon and Foster Avenues, would prohibit bars and liquor stores but permit retail and restaurants. The initiative would upzone much of the corridor to neighborhood commercial designations and would pave a way for residential and retail buildings up to seven stories.

Opposition has been loud in Edgewater, where neighbors pooled funds to hire an attorney and erected two billboards directing passersby to a campaign website, SaveEdgewater.org. Members of the group Edgewater Residents for Responsible Development argue the city’s outreach has been inadequate and say rezoning would eliminate their chance to weigh in on projects case by case. John Holden, president of the Edgewater Historical Society, has been a leading opposition figure.

Supporters, meanwhile, have mounted a digital push to lobby aldermen. They argue that loosening restrictions will bring housing, affordability and vibrancy to a corridor long dominated by low-rise strip malls.

Under the plan, most of Broadway in Uptown would shift to zoning that allows buildings up to 80 feet — generally five to seven stories — and permits uses from salons to dispensaries. To counter fears of drive-thrus and gas stations, the city says it will layer in a “pedestrian street” designation banning curb cuts and requiring buildings to front the sidewalk, effectively barring strip center development.

In Edgewater, Broadway would be rezoned primarily to allow 80-foot mixed-use buildings with retail below and housing above. A section between Balmoral and Foster would be zoned with a 70-foot cap, after feedback from neighbors concerned about block-scale development.

Much of Edgewater’s stretch of Broadway is capped at 50 feet, or about four stories. Opponents argue that raising the ceiling to seven stories or more will flood the market with expensive units while delivering little in the way of affordability. Some are already preparing for a potential legal battle.

In Uptown, where similar zoning is already in place, pushback has been muted. Hundreds of apartments have risen along Broadway in recent years, fitting into the neighborhood’s larger wave of redevelopment.

— Eric Weilbacher