Broadway Upzoning: The Future of Edgewater’s Small Businesses Is at Stake
Edgewater is at a crossroads. The City of Chicago is pushing forward a sweeping plan to upzone every property along a 1.5-mile stretch of Broadway, between Foster and Devon, in the heart of our neighborhood. While more housing can be a positive step, this proposal threatens to transform our cherished Broadway corridor into a landscape of high-rise apartments and chain stores, displacing the small businesses and community character that make Edgewater unique.
What’s Being Proposed?
The city’s plan would rezone the west side of Broadway to B3-5, allowing buildings up to 80 feet tall and permitting five to seven times more residential units per lot. The east side of Broadway, though slated for a less dramatic change in building height, would still see a doubling of allowable housing density.
The city calls it a “streamlining” of development. In practice, it’s a green light for widespread demolition—replacing local storefronts with towering developments and sidelining the community in the process.
The Community Wasn’t Asked
Perhaps most troubling is how little community input this proposal has received. Local business owners report no contact from the Edgewater Chamber of Commerce or from 48th Ward Alderwoman Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth, who supports the plan. Block Clubs and residents—those most directly affected—say their objections have gone unheard.
There has been no public planning process to weigh the implications, no dialogue with business owners, no traffic or parking studies, and no proposals for preserving heritage buildings or adding green space. This is not urban planning; this is top-down rezoning without a plan.
What’s at Risk?
The businesses lining Broadway are more than storefronts—they are neighbors, employers, and the soul of our community. Many of these entrepreneurs rent their spaces, and as property values and rents spike with redevelopment, they will be priced out. Even building owners may feel pressure to sell, incentivized by speculative developer interest.
📸 Want to see who we stand to lose? Browse photos of local businesses here
Edgewater’s commercial strip could be unrecognizable within a few years—a patchwork of national chains and luxury apartments where once there were independent stores, family-owned restaurants, and boutique shops.
This is not the result of natural growth. It’s a man-made decision to favor developers over local vitality.
No Planning, No Protection
The proposed rezoning offers no protections for existing businesses and no mechanisms to ensure affordability or architectural preservation. There's no mention of:
Support for small businesses during redevelopment
Traffic or transit infrastructure to support thousands of new residents
Design guidelines to preserve Broadway’s distinctive feel
Environmental sustainability or green space requirements
Protections for renters or longtime residents
This isn’t planning for growth. It’s an invitation to erase the past without considering the future.
The Timeline: Moving Fast, With Little Notice
The urgency is real. On February 20, the Chicago Plan Commission approved the proposal. The Department of Planning and Development has announced intentions to introduce an upzoning ordinance this spring, backed by three alderpersons. The measure could be before the City Council Zoning Committee imminently—and then up for a final vote by the full City Council.
Unless we act now, the fate of Broadway could be decided without us.
What You Can Do
We still have a voice—and it must be heard now.
📬 Contact Alderwoman Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth at leni@the48thward.org
📝 Tell her you want a plan that:
Protects small businesses
Preserves Edgewater’s unique character
Prioritizes community voices in planning
🌐 Visit SaveEdgewater.com to get involved, sign petitions, and learn more.
We Deserve Better
Edgewater is not against growth. We’re against thoughtless, cookie-cutter development that disregards the people who built this community. We can support more housing and protect our small businesses. We can plan for the future withoutsacrificing what makes this place special.
Let’s demand a smarter, more inclusive approach. Edgewater’s future depends on it.