Chicago could relaunch coach house building

Catch up quick: ADUs were built across the city until 1957, when new zoning codes effectively outlawed them.

• In late 2020, the council passed an ordinance to reallow construction in five pilot zones.
• In 2024, Lakeview Ald. Bennett Lawson (44th) proposed expanding it to the whole city, but the legislation stalled.
• Earlier this month, Johnson revived the proposal with new provisions. The City Council zoning committee voted on Tuesday to advance this version to the full council.

Zoom in: The ordinance would allow ADU construction in all 50 wards while easing limits on size, parking spaces and some per-block construction caps.

• But it also would require the homeowner to live in the main house, prohibit short-term rentals and mandate that any second ADU on the property be affordable.

What they're saying: "If we're going to be safe and affordable, we need more units," Johnson said during a press conference this month. "I believe that a citywide (ADU) strategy is critical in our work to create affordability."

The other side: Southwest Side Ald. Marty Quinn (13th) says the measure would undermine aldermanic power and change the character of neighborhoods with lots of single-family homes.

• "It's an all-out attack by the mayor's office on the bungalow belt," he told the Sun-Times, predicting problems with parking, garbage and noise.

What's next: ADU expansion proponents need just 26 votes in Wednesday's council meeting to pass the law.