CHICAGO – Mayor Brandon Johnson plans to eliminate some of the city's bureaucracy to streamline housing and commercial development, according to a new report.
Johnson's Cut the Tape report released Friday details 107 recommendations to make Chicago's development process more efficient.
The report comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered the city's 14 departments to assess their processes related to development in December to remove “bottlenecks” that lead to delays in reviewing and approving proposals. It was done. More than 100 city officials and more than 90 of his associates were interviewed, and staff working on the report consulted with his six largest cities to develop recommended changes.
“Our mission is to foster growth and improve Chicago's economic health, as outlined in the Cut the Tape report, which aims for a more effective and streamlined development process,” Johnson said in a statement. Let them do it,” he said. “This strategy will rapidly increase residential and commercial projects, stimulate the business sector, and address urgent housing needs. Together, we will break down barriers to progress and create prosperity for all. We’re building a city.”
Read the full report here.
The report highlights three priorities: Build Faster, Build Anywhere, and Build Together. This includes accelerating our development schedules, enabling us to develop more homes and businesses in more locations, and partnering with a variety of stakeholders to make that happen.
It lists the administration's 10 top priorities for change, known as the “10 Big Bets.”
Top 10 recommendations:
- Creates a new director of process improvement in the mayor's office.
- Create policies to expedite the review of affordable housing projects.
- Adopt “transformative” zoning changes, including eliminating minimum parking requirements and streamlining special use permits.
- Improve board and commission processes.
- Streamline design and construction requirements.
- Reduce the number of design review meetings within the Planning and Development Authority from three to one and reevaluate the role of the design committee.
- Removes Phase 1 and 2 environmental reviews as a sales requirement for environmentally cleared city-owned lots.
- Expand financial pilot for cash advance option.
- Create an online City Wallet account to enhance your customer billing, online payment, and debt checking options.
- We will strive to reduce the administrative burden of the city's economic disclosure report.
Eliminating minimum parking requirements is a concrete example of how development processes and schedules can be dramatically improved, said Cierre Boatright, Secretary of the Department of Planning and Development.
“I don't think anyone understands how much it costs to build a parking lot other than the developer,” Boatwright said. “We've known for a long time that it increases construction costs. Real estate development is very hard. It's expensive. Interest rates are high right now. Capital is constrained.”
NPR reported in January that more than 50 cities and towns across the country have eliminated minimum parking regulations, including Austin, Texas, and San Jose, California.
Chicago mandates minimum parking requirements based on the type of development zone as well as the population density of a particular area.
In downtown commercial and residential areas, that means 0.55 spaces per residential unit. In low-density areas, one parking space may be required for each residential unit, subject to local ordinances.
NPR reports that parking adds significant costs to home construction, costing up to $50,000 per space.
Additionally, a 2017 study found that minimum parking fees are often burdensome for renters, increasing rent costs per housing unit by about 17 percent.
“So if there is anything we can do to encourage development and make it more efficient and cost-effective, that will bring in more housing and create more affordable housing. … It's a no-brainer,” Boatwright said.
Johnson is making a statement that he is pro-business and pro-development by pushing developers to make recommendations such as eliminating parking minimums and expediting inspection and permitting schedules.
“Everything I've done has been for the development and expansion of businesses…especially for the people who depend on those businesses, the people of Chicago. So this is something that my administration will do from the beginning. It's a continuation of what we've been doing,” Johnson said.
Cut the Tape also relies on implementing the latest technology in several departments. This includes the creation of an online program called Citi Wallet that can digitize certain processes and centralize customer billing and payments into his one system online.
During the 2024 budget season, it became clear that some departments needed technology upgrades, including the building department. Ministry officials cited technology as the biggest hurdle to improving service and asked them to coordinate improvement efforts with the city.
The Cut the Tape report includes improvements to the Department of Buildings' online data and management systems. The city has already established an online permit application system and is working on a permit portal.
“The Department of Buildings is really trying to embrace technology,” said Kenya Merritt, deputy mayor for business and neighborhood development. “But without the Ministry of Technology, they were stuck. And now, thanks to the Ministry of Technology and Innovation, they can bring all their ideas to the forefront.”
Of the 107 recommendations, 28 require City Council approval, 56 require approval from various commissioners, 11 require action from the Mayor's Office, and one requires action from the Illinois General Assembly. is. According to the report, some require approval or action from the deputy mayor or city auditor.
“This is something my administration has been working on in recent months, but it's a problem that's been around for decades,” Johnson said. “So my team is going to work very hard to bring the City Council together.”
The timeline for implementing all recommendations could range from three months to more than a year, according to the report.
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