Overview

• The City Council’s zoning committee voted 15-2 to forward a package of 22 ordinances rezoning Broadway from Devon to Montrose for denser, mixed-use development.
• Backers say the changes aim to add housing along a Red Line corridor facing rising rents, with support from Alds. Angela Clay, Matt Martin and Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth as well as local chambers and advocacy groups.
• The proposal would apply C1-5 in parts of Uptown with building heights up to roughly 80 feet and pedestrian-street rules to limit drive-thrus, with B3-5 and some B3-3 designations in Edgewater allowing retail at street level with housing above.
• Opponents organized petitions, billboards and legal counsel, arguing the plan is a broad upzoning that risks displacement and harms small businesses in older buildings.
• A heated committee hearing featured heckling and removals, and a dispute over whether required property-owner notices were provided may lead to a legal challenge, as the full Council prepares for a likely vote.