- Introduction
- Acknowledgements
- 1: Getting Ready
- 2: The Costs of Space
- 3: Understanding Credit
- 4: Professional Services
- 5: Finding Space
- 6: Residential Leases
- 7: Commercial and Industrial Leases
- 8: Buying Real Estate
- 9: Types of Mortgages
- 10: The Mortgage Application
- 11: Ownership Models
- 12: Purchasing Alternatives
- 13: Chicago Zoning Ordinance
- 14: Chicago Building Code
- 15: Chicago's Neighborhoods
- 16: Property Taxes
- 17: When You Find a Property
- 18: Inspections
- 19: After Moving In
- 20: Insurance
- 21: Utilities
- 22: Rehabbing Your Space
- 23: Safe and Healthy Spaces
- 24: Green Practice
- 25: When Disputes Arise
- 26: Space Emergencies
- 27: Facility Development Planning
- Bibliography
Zoning In-Depth
This is where we explore what zoning means, how it fits into the larger picture of urban development and how zoning impacts you as a tenant or property owner. We also explain which types of artistic and cultural activities are permitted in each Zoning District and tell you where to go to locate zoning information on a property.
The City of Chicago Zoning Ordinance is a legal document, recognized by both the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois. The foundation of the Ordinance hinges on a series of interconnected districts that regulate space use over the entire City. Zoning Districts are comprised of many levels, with each further defining which activities and uses can occur in the District.
Zoning Districts regulate all kinds of things such as:- The maximum floor area a building can have
- The number of parking spaces required for a particular building
- The number of units allowed in a building,
- A building’s height
- How a far a building is set back from its lot lines
- Which activities and uses are allowed within the District
- Residential (R)
- Business (B)
- Commercial (C)
- Manufacturing (M)
- Downtown
- Parks and Open Space (POS)
- Planned Developments (PD)
- Planned Manufacturing Districts (PMD)
For our purposes we will just stick to the primary four districts.
Each District is further defined by a number such as B1 or B3. These numbers indicate how heavy or concentrated activities and buildings are in the District. For example, a business district zoned B3 allows a lot more uses and larger buildings when compared to a B1 District.
Download the attachments to review illustrations highlighting how a neighborhood can be mapped and broken down into various zoning districts.| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| Chpt.13_ZoningMapI.pdf | 368.07 KB |
| Chpt.13_ZoningMapII.pdf | 373.95 KB |