Chicago needs to rewrite the zoning ordinance so that it is compatible with modern uses, and meets the unique needs and goals of our neighborhoods for today and into the future. The Mayor said he believed the City had done a good job of managing its current building boom, the biggest in over 100 years, which has created jobs, increased property values and improved the standard of living for most residents. But he worried that we can end up with developments that are incompatible with their surroundings and unfriendly to the people who live in or near them. A lot has changed in the last 43 years.
Today there are many more cars.
Work, family and consumer habits have changed. But, overall, our zoning ordinance has not. To address these concerns, the Mayor decided to undertake a comprehensive revision of the Zoning Ordinance. Daley has named a 21-member Mayor's Zoning Reform Commission, made up of members from a wide variety of expertise in government, academics, planning groups and the private sector. It will be an honor and a challenge that will truly make a difference in the quality of life for the people of Chicago.