Categories: Chicago

DPD to launch internal advisory committee on design as a pilot program

The Department of Planning and Development (DPD) will launch a volunteer committee on design to advise city planning staff on major development projects and urban design initiatives, Commissioner Maurice Cox has announced.

Planned as a two-year pilot effort to enhance Chicago’s built environment, the committee will review projects in advance of their formal zoning applications to the City Council, which triggers more formal review and approval processes.

The projects that will be subject to committee review include:

  • Master Planned Developments (20+ acres/4,000+ units)
  • Supertall high-rises (984+ feet)
  • Projects that utilize city resources, such as Tax Increment Financing
  • Projects located adjacent to landmarks or landmark districts

“Nearly every major city in America has a similar, peer review design committee that advises its planning department on major development proposals,” Commissioner Cox said in a statement. “Bringing a similar concept to Chicago will help enhance the quality and viability of new projects before they undergo more formal city and community review processes.”

The committee’s recommendations will serve as advisory, non-binding recommendations to DPD staff. Committee meetings will be open to the public and offer opportunities for testimony. Currently, design reviews within DPD are internal and closed to the public.

The committee will consist of up to 15 individuals, and will aim to include residents from all seven planning regions. Up to three members of the Chicago Plan Commission may serve on the committee.

Committee applications will be accepted by DPD at chicago.gov/dpd between Wednesday, March 24 and Wednesday, April 14.

Applicants must possess accredited expertise in at least one of the following fields:

  • Architecture
  • Community development
  • Engineering
  • Fine art
  • Landscape architecture
  • Preservation
  • Public art
  • Urban design
  • Urban planning

Applications will be reviewed by DPD staff and members will be appointed by the DPD commissioner. Committee members and the first meeting date will be announced later this spring.

DPD staff will report on the committee’s progress to the Chicago Plan Commission at the one-year mark.

Josephine Poot

Contributor

Recent Posts

Senate Democrats mock Biden for selling weapons to Israel

Some of President Biden's strongest Senate allies are calling on Israelis to end months of fierce fighting and criticizing the…

10 months ago

The biggest cities in Ukraine are struck by Russian missiles, leaving at least 4 dead and over 100 injured

Ukraine's KYIV — At least four people were killed and nearly 100 injured when Russian hypersonic ballistic missiles attacked Ukraine's…

10 months ago

Good News That’s Much Needed for Biden

The economy is making Americans feel a little more upbeat, especially when it comes to jobs and incomes, which could…

11 months ago

College Ventilation System Reveals Missing Man

The discovery of a decaying body inside a college ventilation system marked the tragic and unexplained end to a missing…

11 months ago

Following three Palestinian shots, a Vermont man was arrested

Following the shooting deaths of three 20-year-old Palestinian-American students in Vermont, authorities have detained a man. According to a news…

11 months ago

China is told to cease “COVID deception” due to the pneumonia outbreak by the US envoy

The United States ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, urged Chinese authorities "to abandon COVID deception" and demanded that China be…

12 months ago

This website uses cookies.