We have brought together experts and community representatives from Edgewater block groups to draft the detailed roadmap below. We urge the city to revise the April 16, 2025, rezoning ordinance introduced to the Chicago City Council to reflect the following:1. Central Broadway – CTA Parcels & Bryn Mawr Historic District
-> Develop these important central parcels pursuant to a comprehensive Master Plan developed with the community.
Rationale:
Widely supported by the community; Aligns with prior planning.
Need to ensure heritage buildings in Bryn Mawr Historic District are not upzoned
Thoughtful, inclusive planning is essential for this center of the Broadway Business District
2. East Side of Broadway – Height & Density
-> Upzone East Side from dash-3 to dash-5 with Alderwoman Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth’s agreement to lead a community inclusive process to mitigate increased traffic and parking demand and small business displacement
Rationale:
250’ deep lots along the CTA Red Line are well suited for greater height and denser development and thus best suited to the goal of building more affordable housing
The existing dash-3 zoning on the East side is similar to the new dash-5
Key: To sustain quality of life, upzoning on the East side must be accompanied by a commitment to a Traffic and Parking Plan and a Small Business Retention Plan
3. West Side of Broadway – Height & Density
-> Do not upzone, and retain existing project-by-project upzoning process with Alder and Community review
-> Commence targeted review by Alder and affected neighborhoods to identify specific parcels for possible “pre-upzoning”
-> (Dash-3 is not a meaningful compromise)
Rationale:
Taller, denser buildings are not suitable on West side given small lot sizes and nearby low-density homes with shared alleys.
Developers cannot be given free rein over teardowns and construction in this situation.
The current zoning with exceptions has delivered thoughtful, higher-quality development and community support at the right locations.
Residential Permit Parking (RPP) may be needed, and business parking on Broadway must be preserved.
In TOD zones, dash-3 and dash-5 allow almost the same height and dash-3 increases current density dramatically too. Thus dash-3 is not generally appropriate for West side.
4. Both Sides – Retain Existing Permitted Business “Uses”
-> Do not upzone to B3 which would allow 37 new “permitted” and “special use” business “uses” without community input
-> Retain current “use” classifications, but agree to develop Ward guidelines to streamline approval of additional compatible “use” types
Rationale:
No justification for blanket allowance of B3 “uses” (from B1) in neighborhood shopping district.
B3 allows up to 37 currently prohibited uses, many of which are out of sync with Broadway’s neighborhood-serving retail.
Individual project rezoning with Alder and community input can enable new compatible uses, while protecting the character of neighborhoods and the commercial district.
Ward Guidelines for Broadway Development can be developed to streamline the rezoning process for types of “uses” that are defined to be needed and compatible.
5. Both Sides – Protect Heritage Buildings
-> Do not upzone the 45 heritage buildings on Broadway identified by the Edgewater Historical Society
Rationale:
Preserving Broadway’s historic character, small business culture, and naturally occurring affordable housing is a community priority for Broadway, just as it is for Andersonville.
