Chicago & Midwest + Downtown + Apartments | March 29, 2021

Zoning Code Amendment Would Expand Residential in Fulton Market District

Mayor Lori Lightfoot recently introduced a zoning code amendment to Chicago City Council that would allow housing within a former Near West Side Planned Manufacturing District (PMD) that is transitioning to a mix of commercial, innovative, and other uses.

The amendment would affect properties within the Kinzie Corridor Overlay District, which in 2017 replaced a portion of the Kinzie Corridor PMD, which prohibits residential uses. The overlay district was adopted to guide the area’s growth as a mixed-use extension of downtown.

The addition of residential as an allowed use within the overlay is consistent with the Fulton Market Innovation District (FMID) plan, which was updated this spring to address market trends within a portion of the Near West Side.

FMID strategies include the expansion of residential uses north of Lake Street; a recommended 30% affordability for new residential projects; and prioritized infrastructure investments.

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About Paul Bubny

Paul Bubny serves as Senior Content Director for Connect Commercial Real Estate, a role to which he brings 13-plus years’ experience covering the commercial real estate industry and 30-plus years in business-to-business journalism. In this capacity, he oversees daily operations while also reporting on both local/regional markets and national trends, covering individual transactions across all property types, as well as delving into broader subject matter. He produces 15-20 daily news stories per day and works with the Connect team and clients to develop longer-form content, ranging from Q&As to thought-leadership pieces. Prior to joining Connect, Paul was Managing Editor for both Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com at American Lawyer Media, where he oversaw operations at both publications while also producing daily news and feature-length articles. His tenure in B2B publishing stretches back into the print era, and he has served as Editor in Chief on four national trade publications. Since 1999, Paul has volunteered as the newsletter editor of passenger rail advocacy groups (one national, one local).