Broadway Upzoning Proposal Passes, Furthering Both Support and Opposition

In a decisive vote Oct. 16, the City Council Committee approved a rezoning plan for the 2.6-mile stretch of Broadway between Devon and Montrose Avenues adjacent to the CTA Red Line in the Edgewater and Uptown neighborhoods. 

The proposal aimed at allowing taller, denser residential and mixed-use development to be built on Broadway.

Alderwoman Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (48th) said the effort came together after years of planning among city departments, community groups and local chambers of commerce.

“People in the 48th Ward and Uptown have been talking for decades about how to revitalize Broadway,” Manaa-Hoppenworth said. “It was really important to me to make it more vibrant for small businesses and easier for them to open and expand while also building more affordable housing.”

Manaa-Hoppenworth said the previous zoning was a patchwork of more than 20 districts. Consolidating them would simplify the approval process for projects which include both residential and commercial uses.

There was pushback against the proposal on the issue of affordability with the new developments. Manaa-Hoppenworth said the proposal activates Chicago’s Affordable Requirements Ordinance, requiring new developments with ten or more units to dedicate 20 percent of those units as affordable housing.

“There’s a real lack of vacancies in Edgewater right now,” Manaa-Hoppenworth said. “The upzoning helps by creating opportunities for new units, some market-rate and some affordable,  so people can move into the neighborhood without displacing others.”

She pointed to ongoing projects like the Bickerdike development near the Broadway Armory which will bring nearly 100 fully electric, accessible and partially affordable apartments as evidence of the ward’s housing priorities.

“We want people to look at Broadway, for not only the buildings that are there, but the buildings that are not there,” Manaa-Hoppenworth said.

The proposal’s passage faced opposition among other organizations. 

The Edgewater Historical Society (EHS), a neighborhood preservation group, believes some properties in the area should be conserved due to their historical significance, which would face drawbacks through upzoning. 

LeRoy Blommaert, the co-chair of the EHS, said the historical society had written a letter to the executive board requesting the buildings not be upzoned because of the historical significance attached to them.

“Destruction of buildings worthy of preservation should not be incentivized,” Blommaert said.

Manaa-Hoppenworth said she recognizes concerns of re-development and argues development can coexist with preservation.

“The Broadway framework doesn’t guarantee that development will happen overnight,” she said. “It’s incremental, and good development takes time. It’s about finding balance and listening to feedback.” 

Manaa-Hoppenworth explains the feedback process entails having conversations and not shutting people out when talking about making our neighborhoods safer.

Manaa-Hoppenworth noted the concerns surrounding small businesses and assured the upzoning will create opportunities for businesses to expand. 

“More people living in the neighborhood means more eyes on the streets, more small businesses that can open more opportunities for people to live in the neighborhood,” she said. 

Manaa-Hoppenworth also said the plan aims to make Broadway more welcoming for nearby Loyola students.

“We want Broadway to be a welcoming place,” she said. “And so maybe commuting to and from students might consider getting off a little bit early to walk to campus or to visit Edgewater for dining experiences or nightlife, or for any services that they might need.”

Despite mixed reactions, Manaa-Hoppenworth said she hopes residents continue engaging as Broadway evolves.

“I think that all of us have to work together,” Manaa-Hoppenworth said. “No single person can fix our housing crisis, and that means making sure that we’re listening, that I’m listening as an elected official to the people that I serve and do it every day.”