Abundant Housing Illinois

Link to full article on The Chicago Sun Times

As an Edgewater resident living west of Broadway, north of Foster Avenue, I am thrilled that the Chicago Plan Commission, with the support of the 46th, 47th, and 48th Ward alders, has approved the Broadway Land Use Framework. But this is just the first step. Both sides of Broadway need to be upzoned per the Department of Planning and Development plan to allow more housing.

The public has invested $2.1 billion into modernizing the Red Line — including four new stations opening this year. But without zoning policies that allow more people to live near this world-class infrastructure, we will fail to fully realize that investment.

While naysayers will always find fault, the planning department has run an excellent, transparent process, holding three public meetings, including two in-person sessions, and receiving 1,500 public comments. The overwhelming majority — including many from residents west of Broadway and north of Foster — support this plan. The 48th Ward office has also been highly engaged in the process. Ald. Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth and her office have spent countless hours meeting with block clubs, businesses and residents, ensuring that all perspectives are heard.

My family recently relocated back to Chicago from San Francisco. We saw how restrictive zoning, endless community meetings and redundant traffic studies fueled an affordability crisis. Skyrocketing rents forced working- and middle-class residents out of their neighborhoods. If Chicago does not act now — not just with this plan, but with broader reforms like eliminating parking minimums, re-legalizing accessory dwelling units and permitting four-flats — we risk becoming the next San Francisco.

For decades, caps on how much housing can be built have held Broadway back, turning it into a car-centric corridor instead of the walkable, transit-friendly street it should be. According to the planning department, not a single apartment or condo building has been built on the west side of Broadway north of Foster since it was downzoned a generation ago in a move supported by a minority of Edgewater residents. That’s why this side of the street is still lined with suburban-style strip malls, which are completely out of place in a dense, transit-rich neighborhood.

I encourage Chicagoans to walk north of Foster on Broadway, take a look around, and ask: Do we want to preserve parking lots and strip malls or build a thriving neighborhood for everyone?

Neville Hemming, Edgewater