Northwest Preservation Ordinance is in effect in a large area around the 606

Chicago Cityscape has updated its map of the area formerly known as the Predominance of the Block (606) District in Logan Square. The “Northwest Preservation Ordinance” expanded the district and updated the zoning standards and demolition surcharge, which I’ve summarized below.

The ordinance went into effect immediately, on September 18, 2024, but as of today the substitute ordinance that was adopted has not yet been published. You will be able to read it on the City Clerk’s legislation database, referring to ordinance SO2024–0011001.

Here are the highlights of the ordinance:

• The district has been expanded from an area of 1.7 square miles to 6 square miles. (View the old map and view the new map.)
• Two-flats are allowed as of right on all standard size parcels zoned RS-3; a standard size lot is about 3,125 s.f.. This updated zoning rule applies only within the district; outside the district, a two-flat can be established on an RS-3-zoned parcel if a majority of the properties on the same block face are also two-flats or larger, or if the property is 5,000 s.f. or larger. The area within the district that’s zoned RS-3 covers an area of about 3.5 square miles.
• Due to the district’s expanded size, two-flats are the minimum house size required (on blocks that are zoned RS-3 and have 50 percent or more two-flats or larger) in a much larger area. However, it would require identifying all of the applicable blocks to be able to measure the full area of where this minimum applies.
• The ordinance establishes a “tenant opportunity to purchase” policy that requires a property owner to notify the tenants that they are listing it for sale. And that when a property owner receives a bona fide purchase offer the tenants have an opportunity to organize, and a fixed time period in which to do so, to make the same offer.
• Finally, to preserve existing unsubsidized affordable housing, the existing demolition permit surcharge is increased from $15,000 for detached houses, townhouses, and two-flats to $60,000; and from $5,000 per unit for multi-unit buildings to $20,000 per unit.

To determine if a property is in the expanded district, look up a Property Report on Chicago Cityscape and select “Zoning Assessment Appendix” in the table of contents. Once in the appendix, look for the “House preservation area” heading for an indication and details about the ordinance (which appears like the screenshot below).

Northwest Preservation Ordinance is in effect in a large area around the 606 was originally published in Chicago Cityscape’s Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.