Chicago Greenlights Contentious Broadway Upzoning

Broadway’s skyline could soon rise higher, despite neighborhood pushback.

The Chicago City Council approved a sweeping rezoning plan Thursday that will allow taller, denser developments and a wider mix of commercial uses along a 3-mile stretch of the corridor from Devon to Montrose avenues in Edgewater and Uptown, Block Club Chicago reported.

The long-debated measure — passed after months of contentious public meetings and postponed votes — aims to spur housing and mixed-use projects along the Red Line in neighborhoods where prices have climbed sharply and affordability has eroded.

Supporters say the plan will boost housing supply and retail vitality along a key transit corridor. Opponents warn it could overwhelm neighborhood infrastructure and sideline residents in future development decisions.

The new zoning map reclassifies most of Broadway between Winona Street and Montrose Avenue to allow buildings up to about 80 feet tall and a variety of uses including bars, dispensaries, tattoo parlors and salons. A new pedestrian-street overlay will prohibit curb cuts and surface parking and require drive-thru businesses to maintain a walkable streetscape.

Most of Broadway will shift to mixed-use community shopping district zoning, following community feedback about the larger lot sizes there. Their designation permits ground-floor retail with apartments or condos above but restrict liquor and bar uses to cases approved through special-use permits.

The final version of the ordinance followed a heated neighborhood battle. One group, Save Edgewater, hired a lawyer and paid for billboards opposing the changes, warning they would usher in out-of-scale density. Pro-upzoning residents launched their own online campaign, petitions and even tongue-in-cheek flyers mocking resistance efforts.

Under the new rules, any project topping 80 feet or exceeding 100 residential units will still face a full planned development review, requiring public input and city approval. City planners framed the policy as a balance between enabling growth and preserving character.

Officials said the rezoning should make it easier to add housing and amenities near transit without piecemeal negotiations for each site, allowing for more predictability in development planning.

— Eric Weilbacher