Article
Voters Favor Height Limits
By Angela Caputo
March 29
Voters in one corner of the 48th Ward may have shown overwhelming support for downzoning a stretch of Broadway that cuts right throughout the heart of Edgewater, but the March 21 advisory referendum hasn't put the hotly debated issue to rest, according to a top aldermanic aide.
Eighty-eight percent of voters living in four precincts on the east side of Broadway cast ballots in favor of a four-story height limitation between Devon and Foster.
Referendum organizer and civic leader Pat Sharkey says after doing a whole lot of door knocking and taking her power presentation on the block club circuit, she wasn't at all surprised by the show of support. "Anybody who worked on this (campaign) knows that nobody had to sell people on it."
At the same time that they were organizing their referendum campaign, though, block clubs have also been weighing in with Alderman Mary Ann Smith, D-48th, on the density question, and so far it looks like there is still no consensus.
"For the large part the west side of Broadway prefers B1-2 (lower density) and on the east side the largest sections preferred B1-3 (higher density)," 48th Ward Chief of Staff Greg Harris said.
After years of community meetings and even hiring a consultant to make zoning recommendations, North Edgewater Beach Association Block Club President Norm Cratty said, "We're back at square one."
While both sides have the same goal--sprucing up the neighborhood's residential strip--the zoning question comes down to a split in development strategy.
Those in favor of downzoning see higher density as stifling development by making land too expensive and relying exclusively on profits from condos above the storefronts rather than making the effort to actually fill them in.
On the flip side, some contend that without the incentive to build big, developers will shy away from the area.
Under both proposals developers could seek upzoning, which would be at the discretion of the alderman and her advisory board.
The community may be at an impasse when it comes to consensus, however, with a more informed public it's time to start making some compromises, Harris said.
Early on many thought that the entire stretch should carry the same zoning designation. But after hearing out both experts and neighbors, "People realized it was a complicated issue," he added. Now the alderman is going to have to weigh in factors like density, parking and "work out a compromise."
By Angela Caputo
March 29
Voters in one corner of the 48th Ward may have shown overwhelming support for downzoning a stretch of Broadway that cuts right throughout the heart of Edgewater, but the March 21 advisory referendum hasn't put the hotly debated issue to rest, according to a top aldermanic aide.
Eighty-eight percent of voters living in four precincts on the east side of Broadway cast ballots in favor of a four-story height limitation between Devon and Foster.
Referendum organizer and civic leader Pat Sharkey says after doing a whole lot of door knocking and taking her power presentation on the block club circuit, she wasn't at all surprised by the show of support. "Anybody who worked on this (campaign) knows that nobody had to sell people on it."
At the same time that they were organizing their referendum campaign, though, block clubs have also been weighing in with Alderman Mary Ann Smith, D-48th, on the density question, and so far it looks like there is still no consensus.
"For the large part the west side of Broadway prefers B1-2 (lower density) and on the east side the largest sections preferred B1-3 (higher density)," 48th Ward Chief of Staff Greg Harris said.
After years of community meetings and even hiring a consultant to make zoning recommendations, North Edgewater Beach Association Block Club President Norm Cratty said, "We're back at square one."
While both sides have the same goal--sprucing up the neighborhood's residential strip--the zoning question comes down to a split in development strategy.
Those in favor of downzoning see higher density as stifling development by making land too expensive and relying exclusively on profits from condos above the storefronts rather than making the effort to actually fill them in.
On the flip side, some contend that without the incentive to build big, developers will shy away from the area.
Under both proposals developers could seek upzoning, which would be at the discretion of the alderman and her advisory board.
The community may be at an impasse when it comes to consensus, however, with a more informed public it's time to start making some compromises, Harris said.
Early on many thought that the entire stretch should carry the same zoning designation. But after hearing out both experts and neighbors, "People realized it was a complicated issue," he added. Now the alderman is going to have to weigh in factors like density, parking and "work out a compromise."
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