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Nadig Newspapers Week of December 21, 2003
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by ROBERT ELFINGER
Instead of spending $150 for an outdated zoning book, hiring an attorney or wasting a day at City Hall, Chicagoans ardent on learning the land-use designations of their neighborhood or of any individual parcel of land now may go to a Web site that features maps of every block in the city.
"In the past, people eager to learn land-use designations in their neighborhoods needed to do hours of research with maps and codes that nobody knew how to read," said city Department of Planning and Development spokesman Peter Scales. "The old system was arcane and a cottage industry for attorneys."
Now residents, contractors, developers and prospective home buy-ers can obtain information vital to the planning for and
aesthetic appearance of their communities online. The zoning maps are available for view on the city's Web site at
http://www.cityofchicago.org/zoningmap.
The site is interactive, allowing users to type in an address and
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pinpoint it on a map that shows the zoning of a parcel. Users then can click on the zoning code and get a description of the designation.
"This gives curious residents and neighborhood associations, planning the future development of their community, the ability to investigate the status of empty lots or the way certain buildings are being used," Scales said. "It gives us another set of eyes and ears on the street."
Previously, updated copies of the city's zoning ordinance were printed annually by the Index Publishing Corp., a division of the Law Bulletin Publishing Co.
"The book was always way out of date because changes occur throughout the year," Scales said. "Now instead of shuffling through maps in a huge book that could be a year behind, people can get information that is updated weekly."
The new electronic zoning maps, which utilize advanced mapping technology, are continually updated to provide current information.
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The maps also can be used to show the location of nearby schools, parks, CTA and Metra stations, and ward offices and boundaries.
The new technology is part of Mayor Richard Daley's effort to simplify a confusing building code policy. As part of that effort, the city Zoning Reform Commission is rewriting the entire zoning code text, which will cut the number of zoning designations in half.
"In this era of constant redevelopment in Chicago, it is important for citizens to know what kind of projects can be built in their neighborhoods," said zoning commission executive director Ed Kus. "This tool will help provide citizens a greater understanding of what kind of zoning is around them."
"This new system will allow Chicagoans to easily look up where they live or work, and see the current zoning of their homes, businesses and surrounding neighborhood," said Alderman William Banks (36th), the commission's co-chairman.
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2002