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Originally Posted by Randomguy34
Under the proposed ordinance it would mean:
- At-grade, ground floor units no longer counts against you for unit and density calculations. So all RS-3 zoning now allows 2-flats as-of-right and all RT-4 allows 4-flat as of right.
- Revised parking requirements so that 3-flats and 4-flats with at-grade, ground floor units only need 2 parking spots, not necessarily one-per-unit
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This is actually intended to generate more handicap-accessible apartments. The developer basically gets a bonus unit if they put it at-grade (without stairs to access). The parking is also a handicap thing - a standard Chicago lot is only 3 parking spaces wide, so if you provide a handicap parking space with an aisle then you can only fit two parking spots total.
We'll probably see a lot fewer duplex-downs as a result. Architecturally I'm not the biggest fan of putting apartments at grade, but with our narrow-ass lots, it's really the only way to get accessible apartments on a single residential lot.
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- SFHs would be banned on lots zoned RT or RM. 2-flats would also be banned on lots zoned RM (i.e. the city wants you to build a 3-flat, or denser)
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Expect we'll see a lot of "code hack" buildings that are 3-flats in name only, with one huge multi-level unit and two basement lock-offs (or a coach house, where allowed).
Even this is an improvement over a traditional SFH, because undoubtedly some homeowners will use the lockoff for an adult relative, an au pair, Airbnb, or just rent it on the open market. Those are people who would have taken up another apartment somewhere else.