Zoning Committee Chair Standoff Freezes Chicago Development

Chicago’s already slow development pipeline just hit another snag — this one self-inflicted.

The interim chair of the Chicago City Council’s Zoning Committee is pulling the emergency brake, suspending meetings in an effort to force Mayor Brandon Johnson to finally appoint a permanent leader to one of the most powerful panels in city government, the Chicago Tribune reported. North Side Alderman Bennett Lawson, who has chaired the committee on an interim basis since August, said Monday he’s done playing placeholder.

Lawson declined to schedule a January zoning meeting, meaning no zoning items can advance to the full City Council next month. The move effectively freezes dozens of developments across the city that need final approval, according to the publication.

“If I continue to be in the acting role, it kicks the can down the road,” Lawson told the outlet. “I think it’s going to force the issue and bring about a quick resolution.”

The Zoning Committee is where Chicago’s development battles are won or lost, overseeing rezonings, planned developments and issues that routinely touch gentrification, landmarking and design standards. Without a chair and without meetings, projects large and small are stuck in limbo — an unwelcome delay for developers already navigating high interest rates, elevated construction costs and a cautious lending market.

The vacancy itself is the product of months of political gridlock. Johnson’s first pick for the role, former Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, resigned amid bullying allegations. The seat then sat open until September, when Johnson tapped longtime zoning powerbroker Walter Burnett Jr. Burnett, however, stepped down from the council in July, reopening the wound.

Lawson has filled the gap twice now, first for nine months after Ramirez-Rosa’s exit and again after Burnett’s departure. He’s made clear he won’t do it indefinitely, citing the workload and political weight of the job, which comes with extra staff, office space and a seat on the Planning Commission.

Johnson insists a solution is coming. The mayor said Monday he plans to propose a broader reshuffling of committee chairmanships and downplayed concerns about delays. When pressed on timing, he offered a single word: “Soon.”

Behind the scenes, competing interests have slowed any resolution. Progressive and moderate blocs, along with the City Council’s Black and Latino caucuses, have jockeyed for control. Johnson’s attempt to install Alderman Daniel La Spata was rebuffed. Alderman Gilbert Villegas has floated himself as an alternative. Lawson, a freshman alderman but former zoning staffer, has also said he wants the job.

— Eric Weilbacher