These are the #YIMBY meetings for the week of Monday, October 24. There are currently three listed. Being a YIMBY means you believe that cities should accommodate and encourage new development because they bring more vitality to shopping areas, add more students to public schools, and generate more tax revenue.
Proposal in Logan Square — Monday night
Build a 3-story building with 3 residential units on a vacant corner lot at 2255 N Kimball Ave. It’s currently zoned only for single-family, and Alder Carlos Ramirez-Rosa’s (35) process is to notify community groups (in this case, Logan Square Preservation, Logan Square Neighborhood Assocation, and Somos/We Are Logan Square) and hold a public meeting with the developer.
The meeting will be held Monday, October 24, at 7 PM, at the Comfort Station — the little building on Milwaukee Ave. inside the Logan Square traffic circle.
There is a NIMBY thread on EveryBlock, using some scare tactics like “That side of the street is mostly single family homes, so adding a 3 flat to the street will be inconsistent with the block aesthetic” except that every other building on this corner has more than 3 units.
Proposal in Lincoln Park — Thursday night
Build a 4-story building with 8 residential units on a vacant lot at 441–447 W Arlington Place. Alder Michele Smith (43) hosted a meeting on August 18 and said, “I requested the applicant respond to community feedback with alterations to the plan.” The single-family house on the lot will remain.
The parcel is in two zones: RM-5 and B1–2. Based on those zoning classes’ definitions, I believe the proposal, based on this limited information, doesn’t require a zoning change.
The meeting will be held on Thursday, October 27, at 6:30 PM at HopCat, 2577 N Clark St. and is hosted by Park West Community Association.
Proposal in Rogers Park — Thursday night
Build a 4-story building with 54 residential units (all designated affordable) on the vacant lot at 7070 N Clark St. (on the corner with Estes Ave.).
The building will have a property management office, social coordinator office and an activity room for residential tenants will also occupy the first floor.
Alder Joe Moore (49) has more details on his website:
- 42 will be reserved for residents at or below 60% of area median income ($32,340 a year for a single person, $46,140 a year for a family of four)
- 11 units will be reserved for residents with incomes at or below 30% of area median income ($16,170 a year for a single person, $24,070 for a family of four)
- Entire project will be “Universally Designed,” so any unit can be easily changed to accommodate people with disabilities.
- Seeking the Enterprise Green Communities certification
- Indoor bike storage area; 20 car parking spaces
The developer, Douglas Ross, of Ross Real Estate Services, requires a zoning change and two “administrative adjustments” (reduce rear yard setback, and reduce commercial minimum). The development is being billed as a TOD (transit-oriented development) and that’s “mostly true”. Normally, there would be 52 car parking spaces required (one per unit). Since this is affordable housing that ratio drops; units smaller than 600 square feet require 0.33 spaces per unit, and units 600–1,200 square feet require 0.70 spaces per unit. Its TOD status brings that requirement down to 0 spaces per unit.
The meeting will be held on Thursday, October 27, at 7:00 PM at Chicago Math and Science Academy, 7212 N Clark St.
What is “YIMBY”?
Cities will do best when more development — housing in this case — is allowed, not less. YIMBY, “yes in my back yard”, is the pro-growth counterpoint to NIMBY. Read this recently published overview from Rice University’s Kinder Institute.