The Chicago City Council approved a notable revision to the
Zoning Ordinance geared toward reducing approval time and
procedures for some developments.
Ordinance 2023-5759
amends Section 17-13-0303 of the Zoning Ordinance on the procedure
for seeking variations and administrative adjustments for projects
subject to Type 1 rezoning applications. Previously, projects that
required variations or administrative adjustments in addition to
rezoning had to follow the legislative rezoning process and then
seek additional relief from the Zoning Administrator for an
administrative adjustment or from the Zoning Board of Appeals
("ZBA") for a variation.
For example, in the case of a project that requires rezoning to
increase the permitted density as well as a rear setback reduction,
applicants first had to apply for a zoning change and proceed
through introduction at the City Council, a hearing before the
Committee on Zoning and final approval and publication of the
approval
