Published on Jul. 2, 2020 by Steven Vance
Mark your calendar! City Council is moving ahead with the ordinance to legalize small houses and accessory dwelling units proposed in May. A subject matter hearing will be held over Zoom and livestreamed on Friday, July 10, 2020, at 10 AM. The hearing is a joint committee meeting of the committees on zoning and housing. A second joint committee meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 21, 2020, at 2 PM. No agendas have been posted.
It’s possible that the ordinance, which would allow a coach house or an additional dwelling unit to be built in most houses and apartments in “R” zoning districts, could be approved at the second joint meeting and approved by the full City Council at their regularly scheduled meeting on the following day, Wednesday, July 22, 2020.
As it stands, the proposed ADU ordinance would exclude over 162,500 single-family homeowners across Chicago in 43 wards from benefiting from the proposed law. Additionally, the owners of about 6,036 two-to-six flats who would be excluded. (Owners of larger apartment buildings would also be excluded, but I didn’t measure this.) These owners who want to build a basement unit or coach house to accommodate changes in their family or desire an income generating apartment would have to obtain special permission from the Zoning Board of Appeals.
The current proposal gives the benefit of an ADU only to those residential property owners who happen to have purchased a home in the right zoning district.
Those who own properties in RS-1 and RS-2 zoning districts would have to apply for and hopefully receive the necessary “special use” permit, at the risk of spending thousands of dollars for a zoning attorney and potentially subjecting design decisions to neighbor sentiment.
Look up your address to learn what zoning district it’s in
Homeowners and apartment building owners may find themselves in one of these excluded zoning districts through no fault of their own.
57 of Chicago’s 77 community areas have excluded single-family homeowners, and the top five below represent 30.3 percent of the single-family properties that the proposed ordinance would exclude.
The populations across these community areas are diverse, racially and by income. The number of single-family homeowners in RS-1 and RS-2 zoning districts are most prevalent in these community areas (top 5 shown):
Switching gears from neighborhoods to political districts, 13 of Chicago’s 50 wards each have over 5,000 single-family homeowners who are excluded in the proposal, for an aggregate of 128,426 owners —that’s 80 percent of excluded single-family homeowners across Chicago. They are, ordered by the wards with the most excluded single-family homeowners:
An equal ADU policy would apply in all residential zoning districts; an equitable ADU policy, would, at a minimum, ensure that people who have a house in the correct zoning district can also access the benefits the policy will allow, despite process, social, and political barriers. This might mean creating public funding sources to fund or co-fund the construction of ADUs in certain areas or based on income.
For example, a program in Santa Cruz, California, funds the construction of an ADU on the property of an existing low-income senior homeowner to provide additional income or allow them to age in place and stay in their community. An backyard house can give these homeowners an opportunity to have a smaller and accessible place to live while they rent out the main house.
At the very least, an equitable housing policy requires equitable lending — in other cities, most homeowner-funded ADUs are funded by borrowing using the equity in the home, like a HELOC. That’s not possible everywhere, as WBEZ and City Bureau showed last month demonstrated that some banks in Chicago barely lend in Black and Brown neighborhoods.
I believe that Chicago’s housing and planning departments would rather that the benefit of ADUs apply equally, across all residential zoning districts, but it’s ultimately up to City Council to change up the proposal.
Chicago’s ADU ordinance gets a hearing date was originally published in Chicago Cityscape on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
The new Chicago Park District headquarters is under construction
The 2022 scavenger sale results are in
What’s up in the West Loop: Cranes
ADU permits trickling in spring 2022
Chicago’s first two-unit modular house is constructed — more are on the way
Apply for this new property tax incentive by March 31
Efficiently find and prospect Scavenger Sale properties
The next Scavenger Sale starts in February 2022
Data Equity Cohort at the midpoint: recent progress + future improvements
Podcast: Spotting Chicago development trends and opportunities
Cityscape’s Top 12 stories in 2021
Chicago hits 21 ADU permits in 2021
This architecture firm is doing the most ADU projects right now
Bickerdike plans to expand service area, to develop more eTOD
Where the new construction hotspots in Chicago are
Six ADU permits have been issued since May 2021
Where the new state-enacted property tax incentive applies
Cityscape has the maps you need to locate where new ARO rules apply
What does the 2020 Census data tell us about Chicago and Chicagoans?
Chicago wants to sell four parking lots it owns on the North Side
Chicago might allow cannabis dispensaries in more zoning districts
The first three Obama Presidential Center permits were issued
Cityscape receives grant to launch a “Data Equity Cohort”
See if you have a new electoral district in 2022 with adopted redistricted maps
110 property owners have told City Hall they intend to build an ADU
New maps, data, and filters were added for affordable housing developers and advocates
Find historical imagery for Cook County addresses
See Carmin’s future backyard ADU
A new “off-site” ARO townhouse development opens on the West Side
Chicago developers are constructing bigger wood residential buildings due to changes in the code
Use new Cityscape tools to grow your ADU business
Cityscape maps updated to reflect new Illinois legislators
Outside the Loop radio shows talks about backyard houses with Chicago Cityscape
Cityscape’s Top 12 stories of 2020
Chicago’s ADU ordinance explained in a 4-minute video
Chicago will allow ADUs starting in May — Read our FAQ
City Council to review revised ADU ordinance to apply in pilot areas only
A better ADU rule has the potential to build lower-cost houses on vacant land
Take a tour: Chicago’s first modular house is move-in ready
Chicago prepares a deconversion ban near the 606
Chicago readies two North Lawndale sites for sale and redevelopment
Mapping investments in INVEST South/West areas
Is COVID-19 affecting Chicago building permits?
Commentary: I want an ADU, but the RS-2 exclusion would prevent me from building one
Filling a zoned “Pedestrian Street” gap will bring TOD benefits to more blocks
Get a look at new basement ADUs in Bronzeville + 2 other projects
The modular “starter house” in Back of the Yards was assembled
Ask Cityscape: Could I build two ADUs at my house?
Here’s what ADU supporters told City Council at the first hearing
Chicago’s ADU ordinance gets a hearing date [you're reading this one]
Chicago’s ADU ordinance was introduced — see what you could build
New zoning rules adopted last week
Ordinance would change approval rules for certain industrial uses
Prefab “starter home” is under construction, destined for a vacant lot in Back of the Yards
See what’s in the development pipeline
New data: How many Airbnbs are in your neighborhood
Ask your alder to support ADUs
Three North Side “Pedestrian Streets” are being combined
Make informed decisions by using your own boundaries
Make informed decisions by mixing your data with Cityscape’s
Metra should add a new station in Humboldt Park
Legalize ADUs across Illinois, lawmaker’s bill says
The one Chicago guidebook you need to read this year
Work in industrial real estate? Chicago Cityscape does, too
Let’s keep ADUs in the 2020 news
Cityscape Pro is now available for 1, 2, and 3 month terms
Downtown land that Chicago owns is up for sale again — this time thru a sustainable design…
Recreational pot sales start in 13 days
Two South Side community hubs are moving forward with investment from Benefit Chicago